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 Am I Or Am I Not.

Family
By Kristjan Brezovnik

A week had passed since she had been created, but Jasmine was already having serious problems dealing with the fact that she couldn't feel Cordelia. She had accepted that she was not Faith, but having all of hers and Cordelia's memories and their emotions was not helping things. It was simply driving her crazy, not being a part of Cordelia, not being able to share herself with her. So she avoided them, desperately trying not to freak out. Even though she and Faith went on patrol together, she convinced her to each do one half of it.

She didn't want Faith to remind her of what she was and wasn't at the same time and she didn't want to take her frustration out on her. She needed to release the tension, so she went to the mansion. There, she walked in circles for a few minutes and then stopped. She hesitated for a few moments and then screamed.

"Ouch."

Jasmine turned, surprised.

"You," she said when she saw Gabrielle, who was mock covering her ears.

Gabrielle smiled.

"Yes, me."

"What do you want?"

"I want to help you."

Jasmine felt like a burden was lifted off of her.

"Can you?" she asked, full of hope.

"Of course."

Jasmine took a deep breath.

"What am I? Am I Faith? Am I even Human?"

"Not exactly and yes."

Faith frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"You are not exactly Faith and yes, you are Human."

"Oh." She thought. "Not exactly?" she then asked.

"Physically, you are Faith, your body is identical to hers. On a higher level, you're not. You have a different soul."

"I do?"

"Yes."

Jasmine sighed.

"So what can you do for me?"

"I can give you new memories, a new life."

"What kind?"

Gabrielle smiled.

"Anything you want."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"Anything?"

"Yes."

Jasmine thought. She had just been offered one hell of a chance. She could be anything she wanted, an actress, a singer, rich. She frowned when she realized that she didn't really care about that. So what did she care about? She thought for a while. Hell, she was a Slayer. She hoped.

"Am I a Slayer?" she asked.

"Yes."

"So I can be a Slayer?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Oh. So, em, how come the Slayer, sorry, a Slayer, has to be a teenage girl with better things to do than fight demons every day?"

Gabrielle smiled mysteriously.

"You already know that."

Jasmine frowned.

"I do?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Jasmine then thought. Mrs Chase had already accepted her and she had a family again. Even though the memories she had were not her own, she still wanted to protect Cordelia. And Faith. It was a tough life, but it was a good fight.

"Can you make me Faith's twin sister?" she asked.

Gabrielle smiled.

"Yes."

"Good. And I'll still be a Slayer?"

"If you want to."

"I do."

"Then so it shall be."

Jasmine thought.

"You said you can give me new memories. Does that mean you will take Faith's and Cordelia's away?"

"Yes. I will leave you Faith's memories up until Mrs Hutchinson was killed, but they will not be completely identical."

"Okay. And after that?"

"I will give you new memories."

Jasmine nodded thoughtfully and then took a deep breath. Then she frowned as a thought occurred to her.

"And what's the catch?"

"Catch?" Gabrielle asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Well, you know," Jasmine said, already regretting the question, "everybody wants something in return."

Gabrielle laughed.

"Don't worry, I want nothing in return. And besides, you will be a Slayer, which means I already get something."

"Oh." Jasmine smiled. "Yes, I guess so. And that doll?"

"I will destroy it."

"Good." Jasmine took another deep breath, thinking, and then looked at Gabrielle.

"Okay… Oh, em. You know that Faith and Buffy pretended to be you and Michelle when that witch called them back in time. Is that okay with you?"

Gabrielle laughed.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, they did a very good job."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Cool." She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this over with. Do it."

"So be it," Gabrielle said and waved her hand across Jasmine's eyes.

Jasmine closed them and when she opened them, she was alone. She looked around. There were no vampires or other demons around, time to move on.

"Hey, Faith!" someone called over the usual noise at the Bronze.

Jasmine turned. She looked around, but she didn't recognize anyone. Then she noticed two gorgeous girls making her way toward her.

"Hello," she said, giving them both a once over. "You know Faith?" she asked them.

Sara and Daisy glanced at each other, confused.

"Em, yes?" Daisy then said.

"Hi, I'm Jasmine," Jasmine introduced herself. "I'm Faith's sister."

"Her sister?" Sara asked, surprised.

"I thought she only had one sister," Daisy said.

Jasmine smiled.

"So did I."

Sara and Daisy glanced at each other, confused.

"Em, I'm Sara and this is Daisy," Sara then introduced them.

"Hi." Jasmine looked around. "Looks like Sunnydale is full of gorgeous babes," she said and looked back at them, "and all of them seem to be taken."

Sara and Daisy laughed.

"Are you gay?" Daisy asked.

"No, not really," Jasmine said, amused by her directness. "I like boys as well, but I never miss an opportunity to lay a gorgeous girl."

Sara and Daisy laughed again and looked at each other mischievously.

"We neither," Daisy said as she and Sara approached Jasmine seductively.

Jasmine looked Daisy to Sara and back, surprised. She grinned.

"Are you asking me to bed?" she asked.

Sara and Daisy smiled.

"Would you be interested?" Sara asked.

Jasmine's grin widened.

"Absolutely."

"Okay. We'll let you know when we're alone at home. Probably on Friday." She glanced at Daisy. "That's tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Daisy said.

"Good," Jasmine said and ran her fingers across their lips.

Sara and Daisy both sucked them briefly and Jasmine grinned.

"Naughty."

Sara and Daisy grinned.

"You have no idea," Daisy said.

"You're not seducing my sister, are you?"

Sara and Daisy turned, surprised.

"Faith! You are Faith?" Daisy asked to make sure.

Faith smiled.

"Yes."

"Who says I wasn't seducing them?" Jasmine asked and Faith laughed.

"Sorry, my bad. I forgot how horny you are."

"No less than you."

Faith grinned.

"You can say that again," she agreed.

"When did you come to town?" Daisy asked Jasmine.

"A week ago."

"Are you staying?"

"Yes."

"Cool. We'll see you around then."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"You bet," Sara said and winked at her.

Sara and Daisy left.

"You're feeling awfully cheery today," Faith said.

Jasmine shrugged.

"Just look at them. They're so hot they could make your day bright just by smiling at you."

"Yes," Faith agreed. "And laying them is probably on the mind of most of the male population here." She looked around. "Though most of them probably already did."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked, confused.

Faith smiled.

"They have a nickname, Whores. I'd say it suits them perfectly."

Jasmine smiled.

"It certainly would have suited us."

Faith laughed.

"Yes."

"I'll let you know how it goes."

"You're going to lay them?" Faith asked, surprised.

Jasmine grinned.

"Yes."

Faith grinned as well.

"Then perhaps we can compare notes."

"You laid them too?" Jasmine asked, surprised, and grinned.

"Not yet."

"You're going to?"

"Yes, after New Year."

Jasmine frowned.

"But what about Cordelia?"

Faith smiled innocently.

"What about her?"

"I thought she knows everything you know."

"She does," Faith said with a grin.

Jasmine frowned, thinking. Then her eyes went wide as realization struck her.

"You're doing a foursome?" she asked and Faith's smile widened. "Ooh, you lucky bitch."

Faith laughed.

"I hope we won't be hearing moans from your room tonight," she said.

"What moans?" Jasmine asked innocently.

"You know damn well what moans."

Jasmine grinned.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No. Cordelia had to get up early and I woke up as well. I was just on my way to the bathroom when I heard you."

"Oh. I'll put a pillow over my head."

"You do that, Mom will appreciate it. So, anything happened on patrol?"

"No, nothing." She looked over Faith's shoulder. "That's Xander, right?"

Faith looked.

"Yes."

"And the chick's… Anya. Right?"

"Yes."

"You think she'll mind if I dance with him?"

"She'll kill you."

"Ooh, that jealous?"

Faith shrugged.

"He's her plaything and he likes it. He may not look like much, but he's enthusiastic."

Jasmine looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You didn't," she said and Faith smirked. "You did!"

Faith grinned.

"Yeah. It was after a patrol and I was all horny. He helped me out and… Well, you know."

Jasmine laughed.

"Anyone else you laid?"

"A few, but none of them was my friend."

"Oh."

"So, you feel better?"

Jasmine nodded.

"Yeah, much. I'm getting used to the feeling of having a home and not having to hide and look over my shoulder for Kakistos."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

Jasmine took a deep breath.

"Why don't we sit down and have a talk. You tell me what you've been doing and I'll tell you what I've been doing."

"In here? It's pretty noisy."

"Then let's go out for a walk."

"Okay," Faith agreed and they went out.

"Em, you said Bony's in town?" Jasmine asked when they were out.

"Yeah. He wanted to drop by, but I told him you need to settle in first."

Jasmine nodded.

"Tell him to come around, will you?"

"Sure."

They were quiet for a while after they left the Bronze.

"So, you feel better now?" Faith then asked.

"Yes. I had to get used to having a home again." She hesitated for a moment. "I was jealous of you."

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"You were jealous? Of me? What for?"

Jasmine shrugged.

"Well, you found yourself a home, a girlfriend, a whole lot of friends."

"Oh. Well, you have a home now as well."

"Yeah. Mrs Chase is a really cool lady."

Faith smiled.

"Yes, she is," she agreed. "Though she wasn't always like that. Before Dad went to jail…"

"Mr Chase is in jail?" Jasmine asked, surprised.

"Yes. IRS."

"Bummer."

Faith smiled.

"Yes. So anyway, before Dad went to jail, they were both… I don't know, snotty rich people." She grinned. "Cordelia wasn't much different."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. She could be a real bitch. She still can be."

Jasmine smiled.

"I bet."

"So, what did you do?"

Jasmine looked at her, confused.

"When?"

"While we were apart."

"Oh. I went to Calgary."

"Yeah? Any vamps there?"

"A couple. I kept a low profile, I didn't want Kakistos to find out where I was."

"You were there all the time?"

"Yes. Nothing much happened. I got myself a job, that was it." She grinned. "I was a stripper for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah?" Faith said and grinned. "Cordelia's gonna get so hot when she hears this. She's gonna imagine me dancing on stage, slowly taking my clothes off just for her," she said and did a couple of seductive dancing moves.

Jasmine laughed.

"You two are just so horny."

"You bet."

"You sure she's not gonna get a hart attack? I mean, we're pretty hot."

"No, just a long series of orgasms."

Jasmine laughed again.

"Now you're making me all wet," she mock complained.

Faith grinned.

"Good."

Jasmine took a deep breath.

"Good thing Elizabeth called us back in time or I would never had gathered the courage to come here. I mean, it's been, what, about two years and a half since I last saw you and I didn't know whether you were dead or alive. Or if Kakistos was looking for me. So I guess we're lucky."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

"So, how about you?"

Faith sighed.

"I wasn't so lucky. Kakistos came after me and I would've ran away if Buffy hadn't been there to help me kill him. She and her friends tried to make me feel welcome, but I was too scared to get attached to anyone. I started to pretend I was tough and I got reckless. You know how we were before Ballet found us."

"Yes."

"Well, I was worse. And after I accidentally killed the Deputy Mayor, I got even more reckless. I was scared like hell. Anyway, Buffy and Angel tried to help me, but Wesley messed things up. I wanted to run away again, but Buffy stopped me."

"This deputy, was he a mortal?"

"Yeah. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh. And who are Angel and Wesley?"

"Angel's a vamp."

"A vamp?" Jasmine said, surprised.

"Yeah. He has a soul."

"No shit."

"Yeah. He used to be Buffy's boyfriend."

Jasmine laughed.

"You're kidding! A Slayer and a vamp?"

"No, I'm serious."

Jasmine laughed again.

"Brother. And who's Wesley?"

"My Watcher."

Jasmine frowned.

"I thought Giles was your Watcher."

"Well, he was, but then the Council sent the good boy Wesley. Needless to say that none of us is working for the Council anymore, even Wesley."

"Mhm. Where are they?"

"In LA. Angel has a detective agency and Wesley and Cordelia work for him."

"Oh. Okay," Jasmine said as she absorbed the information. "So, you wanted to run away again?"

"Yes, but Buffy stopped me. I decided to stay, but I went to work for the Mayor."

"You worked for the Mayor?" Jasmine asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I know, it sounds strange, but he was a hundred-year-old guy who wanted to become a demon and eat the entire population of Sunnydale."

"You're kidding!"

Faith smiled bitterly.

"I wish. So anyway, I… I knew he was a psycho, but he was so nice to me. I was so screwed up I actually thought of him as my dad. On one hand, he gave me cookies and stuff and on the other, he used me to do his dirty work. Kill people."

They were quiet for a while.

"How many did you kill?" Jasmine then asked.

"Beside the deputy? Two. One was a courier, the other a professor. A girl, his granddaughter, she goes to New Sunnydale High. She… She even asked me out."

"Ouch," Jasmine said, her face serious.

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I… I betrayed all my friends and nearly killed Xander. Then I shot Angel with a poisoned arrow. The only antidote was the blood of a Slayer. Buffy freaked out and came after me. We fought and she stabbed me, but I threw myself off the building on a passing truck and so she had to let Angel drink her own blood."

"She did that?" Jasmine asked, amazed.

"Yes. Fortunately, Angel snapped out of it in time and took her to the hospital. I was already there, lying in coma." She smiled. "It was strange, but I wasn't angry at her. I even gave her a clue as to how to kill the Mayor."

"I thought you were in coma."

"Yes, I was. Oh. Don't ask me how, but we met while she was unconscious."

"Oh? Okay. And how did you and Cordelia get together?"

Faith smiled.

"I liked her the moment I saw her, but she was involved and stuff. Not to mention that she was all bitchy and straight as hell. She liked me as well, but she was afraid to admit it to herself. Then, when I was in coma, I often felt her presence in my dreams, but I was afraid to face her. So I created another me, the bitchy Faith and she told Cordelia that I loved her." She shrugged. "Cordelia loved me as well and the rest is history."

Jasmine smiled.

"Lucky you."

"Yeah. And when I woke up, Cordelia took me in. I apologized to Buffy and the Scooby Gang and…"

"What?" Jasmine interrupted her and laughed.

Faith grinned.

"Scooby Gang. That's what they're called. Or Slayerettes."

Jasmine laughed even harder.

"Oh brother," she said.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah. Anyway, when Mrs Chase found out we were a couple, she wanted to throw me out, but Cordelia stood up to her. She accepted us and I began to like her. I slowly began to think of her as Mom and when she found out, she said I could call her that."

"Cool."

"Yes."

"So you think of her and Mr Chase as your parents?"

Faith shrugged.

"Yeah."

Jasmine thought about it.

"You think she'd let me call her Mom?"

"Sure."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have to get used to that."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

"So, how did you find out about Alice?"

"Dennis moved to Sunnydale and I asked him about the gang and about Mom, I mean, Mrs Spencer."

"How are they?"

"The gang? Not good. Some are dead, some in jail. Oh, Ballet is dead."

Jasmine stopped.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Jasmine sighed.

"I miss her."

"Me too," Faith said and they started walking again. "So anyway, he told me she had moved and he gave me her new address. I finally decided to visit her and Cordelia went with me. Mom was still the same old bitch, but I told her I wasn't afraid of her anymore. When we left, her boyfriend came and started to beat her up. I wanted to let him, but Cordelia convinced me to help Mom. I kicked the crap out of the bastard and he never showed up again. We were about to leave again when Cordelia heard noise in a locked room. We found Alice there and we took her with us. She didn't even try to object. Mom, I mean, Mrs Chase, didn't object either."

"Wow."

"Yeah." She hesitated for a few moments. "She said she's changed."

"Who?" Jasmine asked, confused.

"Mom. Mrs Spencer."

"What do you mean?"

"I met her on Alice's birthday. She didn't want us to see her, but I did and I went to talk to her. She… She looked different." She hesitated for a moment. "She said she was proud of me."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes. She said she had stopped drinking and got a job. She gave me her new address and her phone number, but I haven't called her."

"Wow." She thought. "How do you feel about her?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know. I hate her, but a part of me misses her. Mom, Mrs Chase, said it was okay for me to care about her."

"Perhaps we should visit her some day," Jasmine suggested.

"Some day," Faith agreed.

They were quiet for a while.

"Do you know where Ballet is buried?"

Faith frowned.

"No, I don't. I'll ask Dennis."

"Okay. So, anything else I should know about?"

Faith thought.

"Well, you remember Dawn?"

Jasmine thought.

"Yes, I think so."

"She's a vamp."

"What?" Jasmine asked, surprised. "Why don't you kill her?"

"Because she's my informer and as long as she behaves and doesn't kill, I'll let her live."

"Oh."

"Oh, then there's Hope."

"The baby?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"She's special. When she grows up, she's gonna close the damn Hellmouth."

"Really?"

"Yes. She's a super witch or something. Anyway, you should've been there when she was born. It was last Christmas. Man, on the first night, there were more demons there than we have seen in our entire lives. And the next night was even worse. Good thing Xander stole a whole bunch of Uzis with silencers. We also had the hospital guards there to help us, but if it weren't for the witches, we'd be dead."

"Witches?"

"Yeah, Lara, Willow and Tara."

"They're witches?"

"Well, they prefer to be called wiccans, but yes, they are. They can kick some serious shit, I tell you, especially Lara."

"Nice to have help."

"You bet."

"So what did the demons want?"

"The baby."

"Really?"

"Yes. And later, a sorcerer tried to kidnap her and another Hope from the future came back to help us."

"What? Man, I really have to ask Giles for his notes."

Faith grinned.

"I thought you hated reading."

Jasmine shrugged.

"That's because the books they gave us in school were boring."

"Oh."

"So, you wanna go home or shall we go back to the Bronze?"

Faith checked her watch.

"Let's go back."

Jasmine grinned.

"And then we can give people some wet dreams, show off what Ballet taught us about dancing."

Faith laughed.

"Now this will make Cordelia hot."

Jasmine smiled.

"Glad to hear that. It boosts my ego immensely to hear that your girlfriend will get hot over me.

Faith gently slapped her on the arm.

"But only because you look just like me."

Jasmine shrugged.

"So? It's still a boost."

Faith chuckled.

"Let's go back. Now I'm starting to feel horny and I need to cool off."

"I doubt dancing with me will make you less horny."

Faith shrugged.

"It's worth a try. Oh, did you know the Gatehouse was in Boston?"

"Mrs Chase," Jasmine said when Mrs Chase came home early next day.

"Hello, Jasmine."

"I have good news. I got a job."

Mrs Chase raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"Yes. I work at the Espresso Pump. I start on Monday." She shrugged. "It doesn't pay much, but I won't be so dependent on you. I mean, you took me and my sisters in, and the least I can do is earn some money to pay you back."

"You don't have to pay me back," Mrs Chase objected.

"I don't wanna feel like a parasite. And besides, we're short on money right now and I'm getting bored here with nothing to do. I mean, it's fun playing with Alice for a while, but…"

Mrs Chase smiled.

"I get the point."

"Yeah."

Mrs Chase thought for a moment.

"Em, if you like, I can become your legal guardian as well," she then offered.

Jasmine looked at her, surprised.

"You mean that?" she asked, excited.

Mrs Chase smiled.

"Yes."

"Yes, I'd like that. Thanks," she said and hugged her.

Mrs Chase hugged her back.

"Sorry," Jasmine said a bit nervously when they stopped hugging.

Mrs Chase smiled.

"It's okay. And if you feel like calling me Mom, you can do so."

"I don't know," Jasmine said, feeling a bit weird.

"When and if you're ready," Mrs Chase said.

Jasmine nodded.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Mrs Chase said with a smile.

"Em, I'd also like to go back to school."

"Next year?"

"Yes."

"Have you thought about taking the GED?"

Jasmine frowned thinking.

"That's a test, right?"

"Yes. That way you won't have to go to school."

Jasmine considered the idea.

"Em, I'd rather go back to school. If that's okay with you. I'd like to be a cheerleader."

"Okay," Mrs Chase said, smiling. "I'll take care of the paperwork. Faith and Cordelia took your papers when they took Alice, so there's no problem."

Jasmine smiled.

"Good. Thanks. Oh, em, I'd like to spend the night at a couple of friends. If that's okay with you."

Mrs Chase smiled.

"Sure." She thought for a moment. "I'll have to get you your own key."

"Okay. Thanks."

Mrs Chase hesitated for a moment.

"Em, my husband would like to meet you."

Jasmine panicked for a moment.

"Why?"

Mrs Chase smiled.

"He's curious."

"Oh. Em, okay. When?"

"Would this Sunday do?"

Jasmine shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Good. Now, where's Alice?"

"In the kitchen. She's helping Maria."

"I see."

"Hey, Sis, guess what," Jasmine said, excited, when Faith came home from school. "What?" she asked with a confused frown when Faith glared at her.

"Stop calling me that, okay?"

"Why?" Jasmine asked, puzzled.

"Because it sounds like sissy."

Jasmine laughed.

"Okay. Sorry, I didn’t think about it that way."

"I don’t mind you calling me that, but other people might get ideas and I’ve got enough problems already."

Jasmine nodded.

"Okay. Sis."

Faith gently slapped her and they both grinned.

"So, what's the exciting new?" Faith then asked.

"I got a job."

Faith's eyes brightened.

"You do?" she asked, excited. "Where do you work?"

"Espresso Pump. I'll show you when we go on patrol."

"I go there sometimes! Cool."

"Yeah. And I talked to Mrs Chase and she asked me if I wanted her to become my legal guardian as well."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I said yes. And then I told her that I wanna go back to school next year and she said she'll take care of the paperwork."

"Didn't I tell you she's one cool lady?"

"Actually, I told you."

Faith laughed.

"Whatever."

"And she said I can spend the night at my friends'."

"Your…" Faith grinned. "Two very hot and horny friends?"

Jasmine grinned back.

"Yes."

"Already today?"

"Yep."

"Wow. You didn't tell her the details, did you?"

"No, of course not."

"Good." She frowned. "Is she home already?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"She and Alice went out. She'll get me my own key."

"That's good."

"Yes."

"Oh, Dennis said he'll come around later."

Jasmine smiled.

"Great! Oh, em, Mrs Chase said her husband wants to meet me."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. She's taking me to him on Sunday."

Faith smiled.

"That's great."

Jasmine hesitated for a moment.

"How is he?"

"Dad? He's okay. You'll like him."

"Think so?"

"You bet. And he'll like you too, don't worry."

Jasmine smiled.

"I hope so."

"You'll see."

"Oh, I've been to Giles in the morning. He said Willow was working on a way to break into the Watchers' Council Network again."

"That's good. I hope she can do it, we really could use all their secrets."

"You can say that again."

Faith grinned.

"I guess Giles will have to learn how to use computers."

"Oh, the horror," Jasmine said in mock horror.

Faith laughed.

"You have no idea." She glanced toward the kitchen. "When's lunch?"

"Hungry?"

"Yes."

"I'll go tell Maria."

"Okay."

"Bony!" Jasmine said when Dennis came around later.

"Screamer!" Dennis said and the two friends hugged. "Long time no see," he said when they stopped hugging.

"Yeah. I've been running."

"So you came here to stay?"

"Yeah. I'm going back to school next year."

"That's great."

"That remains to be seen," Jasmine said with a grin and Dennis laughed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed. "So, em, your name is Jasmine, right?"

"Yep. And you're Dennis."

"Yes."

"Okay." She thought for a moment. "Tell me about the gang. Faith said that they didn't do too well."

Dennis shook his head.

"No."

"Oh, there's Cordelia," Faith said and ran outside.

"Come, let's go sit down," Jasmine said.

"Hey," Faith said with a smile when Cordelia opened the door.

Cordelia smiled back.

"Hey," she said and they kissed.

"Missed you."

"Missed you too. Now take the bags, I suspect Alice is gonna come running."

Faith grinned.

"Yeah," she said and took the bags from the back seat.

As they entered, Alice came running.

"Cordy!"

Cordelia smiled and picked her up.

"Hey, little lady," she said and Alice giggled. "You taking good care of Faith? And Jasmine?" she asked and Alice nodded. "Good girl. Is Mom home?"

Alice nodded.

"She's in her room."

"Okay."

"So, you two had a good talk?" Faith asked as she and Jasmine went out on patrol.

"Yeah. I asked him where Ballet was buried and he said he'll ask."

"Yeah, he told me."

Jasmine shook her head.

"It's so sad," she said.

"What?"

"The gang."

"Oh. Yes," she agreed. "I was kinda…"

She trailed off, moaning, and grabbed her head.

"Faith?" Jasmine asked, worried. "Faith?"

"Shit," Faith said and moaned.

"What's going on?"

Faith shook her head.

"Cordelia had a vision."

Jasmine gave her a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"

"She's a Seer," Faith explained and took a deep breath. "Man, these visions hurt like hell."

"A what?" Jasmine asked.

"A Seer. She has these visions of the future."

"Oh." She frowned. "But how come you see them?"

Faith shrugged.

"Because I am Cordelia." She smiled when Jasmine gave her a blank look. "It's a long story."

"Do tell. I know you two have some sort of bond, much closer than girlfriends usually have."

"Oh she's much more than just a girlfriend. She's my… wife, my other half. Hell, she's me."

"Your wife?" Jasmine asked, her eyebrow raised.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah," she said and showed her the ring. "Our wedding ring."

"You're married?" Jasmine asked, surprised.

"Well, no, not exactly. We kinda swore to love each other till death do us part and we exchanged the rings. Gabrielle said that our vows are worth as much as any marriage. Not that anyone else's opinion matters."

"Who's Gabrielle?" Jasmine asked, confused.

"An archangel."

Jasmine frowned.

"An archangel?"

"Yeah. She's more commonly referred to as archangel Gabriel."

"Oh," Jasmine said, still perplexed. "And she said it was okay?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. Does Mrs Chase know about it?"

Faith frowned.

"No, not yet. We'll have to tell her." She grinned. "You wanna know something even stranger?"

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"There was this demon, Violator. He used to be number two in Hell, but he was banished."

Jasmine frowned.

"A demon was banished from Hell? What did he do?"

Faith grinned.

"Got bored with killing. And guess what, now he got a job in Heaven."

Jasmine laughed.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. It's true."

"Holy shit." She covered her mouth with her hand and looked up. "Sorry," she apologized and Faith grinned. "Remind me to asks Giles for his notes tomorrow." She frowned. "Or not. I'm not sure I'll be up to reading tomorrow."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Jasmine grinned.

"Remember the two hot and horny friends?"

Faith laughed.

"I forgot."

"I'm meeting them at the Bronze after patrol."

"Oh. I hope you'll still have some voice left tomorrow to tell me all about it."

Jasmine grinned.

"Me too."

Faith glanced at her watch.

"Tell you what. You go take a look toward the Bronze and I'll do the rest." She grinned. "I'm sure Sara and Daisy are already waiting for you."

Jasmine smiled.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Okay. Have a good time."

Jasmine grinned.

"You bet. Night."

"Night."

Jasmine left and Faith continued on her patrol.

"Okay, talk," Cordelia said when Jasmine came home the next day.

Faith grinned and Jasmine gave them a dreamy look.

"I guess that says it all," Faith said.

"Probably, but I want the details," Cordelia said.

Jasmine grinned.

"You horny bitches," she said. "Let's just say it was the best experience I've had so far."

"Then we definitely want to know," Faith said.

"Later. I need to get some rest first."

"That wild, ha?"

Jasmine grinned.

"Wilder. Good thing their parentals weren't at home."

"I bet," Faith said with a grin.

"Hi, Alice," Jasmine smiled at her little sister. Then she looked back at Faith and Jasmine. "I need a nap."

"What, no food?" Faith asked, surprised.

Jasmine smiled.

"Took care of that part already. It seems Sara and Daisy know damn well that a hefty breakfast is a must after a long night of…" She trailed off, glancing at Alice. "Well, you know what."

Faith and Cordelia laughed.

"Yes," Cordelia said.

"See you later then. Oh, where's Mrs Chase? I need to tell her I'm home."

"We can take care of that," Faith said, but Jasmine shook her head.

"No, I want to do it in person."

"Oh. She's in her room, I think."

"Okay, thanks. Later."

Jasmine went upstairs and Faith looked at Cordelia, smiling mischievously.

"Looks like we're in for one hell of a night."

Cordelia smiled back.

"Yes."

"So, shall we ask them?" Faith asked and Cordelia looked at her, confused.

"Them?"

"Sara and Daisy."

"Oh. Ask them… Oh." She blushed. "Later. I think Alice here needs our help. Right?"

Alice nodded and Cordelia took her hand.

"Oh. Okay. Shall we ask them at the Bronze or call them on the phone?"

Cordelia considered the options.

"At the Bronze."

"Okay. Oh, and we need to tell Mom we're married," she whispered into Cordelia's ear.

Cordelia looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"You know, the vows. I think she should know."

Cordelia thought about it.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "As soon as we're done with Alice."

Faith smiled.

"Okay."

"Okay, you ready?" Faith asked when they were done with Alice.

Cordelia took a deep breath.

"Yes, I guess so."

"How about we tell Maria and Alice as well?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"Fine with me," she said with a shrug. "What about Jasmine?"

"She already knows. We talked yesterday and I mentioned it. That's when I decided that we should let Mom know. And Dad, of course. We can tell him today."

Cordelia nodded.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Good. You take Alice and go get Mom and I'll get Maria."

"Okay."

When Mrs Chase, Alice and Maria were all gathered in the living room, curiously awaiting what Faith and Cordelia wanted to tell them, Faith took a deep breath.

"Well, eh, we just wanted you to know that we're, eh, well, married. Sort of."

Alice wasn't quite sure what this was all about, but Mrs Chase and Maria looked at each other, surprised and confused.

"I think we better explain," Cordelia said. "You see this ring?" she asked and showed them her half of the ring. She glanced at Faith and Faith did the same. "Well, it's sort of our wedding ring."

"I don't think we're making too much sense here," Faith said. "You better get to the point."

Cordelia nodded.

"Yes. Mom, remember when you first caught us kissing?"

Mrs Chase nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"Well, that's when it happened. It was our anniversary and we each both bought one half of this ring. And then Faith said that she promises to love me until death do us part. I liked it, said the same thing and then we kissed."

"And then you walked in on us," Faith said with a grin.

"Yes. But anyway, we didn't think much of this until Gabrielle told us that our vows were worth as much as any marriage."

"Gabrielle?" Mrs Chase asked, confused.

"Archangel Gabrielle."

"Archangel?"

"She is more commonly known as archangel Gabriel," Faith said. "You know, the one from the Bible?"

"Dios mio," Maria said and crossed herself.

Faith grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, we just wanted you to know," Cordelia said. "We're gonna tell Dad this afternoon."

"And Jasmine?" Mrs Chase asked.

"She already knows," Faith said.

"Oh." Mrs Chase stared at her two girls, not quite sure what to make of it. "Well, then I guess congratulations are in order," she said.

She got up and hugged them.

"Talk about a cool reaction," Faith said when they stopped hugging.

Cordelia smiled.

"Yes. Thanks, Mom."

Mrs Chase smiled.

You're welcome, honey."

"I… I guess I'll have to make something special for lunch," Maria then said, still puzzled.

Faith and Cordelia laughed.

"No need, Maria," Faith said. "We don't want…"

"No, no, no, I insist," Maria said.

"Then do it next Saturday. I know you've already started to prepare lunch for today and I don't want you to have to worry too much."

Maria smiled.

"Thank you, Cordelia," she said and hugged her. Then she looked at Faith. "Come here, Faith," she said and hugged her as well.

"Mommy," Alice said quietly.

Mrs Chase looked at her, smiling.

"Yes, Alice?"

"What does that mean?"

"What?" Mrs Chase asked, puzzled.

Alice pointed at Cordelia and Faith.

"Them." She thought for a moment. "Wedding."

"Oh," Mrs Chase said with a smile and sat back on the sofa. "Come, I'll tell you."

When she and Mrs Chase arrived to the prison next day, Jasmine realized she was very nervous and she wasn't quite sure why, after all, the man wasn't her dad. Only the next best thing. She frowned. She didn't even know the man. But then she soon would and if he liked her and she liked hi,, well, perhaps one day she would call him Dad. She glanced at Mrs Chase. And perhaps she would also call her Mom one day. And perhaps they would consider her their daughter. She sighed, there were a lot of perhapses. But then again, she had nothing to lose and a family to gain.

When they finally got to the visitors' room, Jasmine had to take a deep breath to calm down. She immediately recognized Mr Chase and she followed Mrs Chase to the table.

"Hello, honey," Mrs Chase said and they kissed. "Honey, this is Jasmine, Faith's twin sister. Jasmine, this is my husband," she introduced them.

"Hello," Jasmine said and took the offered hand.

"Hello," Mr Chase said with a smile.

They sat down and Jasmine nervously thought about what to say.

"Em, thanks for… taking me in," she then said.

"You're welcome."

Jasmine smiled nervously.

"I'm not exactly used to… this," Jasmine then said, waving her hand around.

Mr and Mrs Chase smiled.

"Don't worry," Mr Chase said. "Before Faith, I wasn't either, but I got used to it. You will too. So relax, I don't bite."

Jasmine smiled.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'd like to know more about you. You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, in case you have any secrets, like Faith."

Jasmine gulped. She didn't have any secrets like Faith, but she wasn't exactly proud of her life either. Then again, if he knew about Faith and he still cared for her, then there was a good chance that he wouldn't freak out over her story.

"No, it's okay, I'll tell you," she said and took a deep breath.

"Renee," Monique said.

"Mmm?" Renee said, observing her sleeping daughter.

"How about we ask Amir and Eddie out? We could go to the Bronze together."

Renee looked at her, smirking.

"Afraid to take Eddie on your own?"

Monique blushed a bit.

"Well, this is my first date in a long time and I really like Eddie."

"I noticed."

Monique's blush deepened.

"So, you up for a double date?"

"Sure." She frowned. "It's been a while since I went out with…"

"Ma-ma."

Renee jerked, surprised.

"What?"

"Ma-ma," Hope repeated.

Renee's face became one big smile.

"She spoke!" She took the girl in her arms. "You speak," she said and caressed her.

"Ma-ma," Hope said again.

"Yes, Mommy's here."

"Hey, girl," Monique said and caressed her as well.

Hope looked at her and reached for her face.

"Ma-ma," she said.

Monique chuckled.

"No, this is Auntie Monique," Renee said.

"A-ti," Hope repeated.

"Yes, Auntie," Monique said. "Come, let's take her downstairs."

"So, how was it?" Faith asked Jasmine when they went on patrol in the evening.

"Mr Chase? He's okay. I told him what I told you and he said okay. I mean, he didn't freak out or anything, he just asked a couple of questions to clear things up and that was it."

"And Mom?"

"The same."

"Pretty cool, ha?"

"Yeah," Jasmine agreed. "We hit the jackpot."

Faith laughed.

"You can say that again. Looks like Christmas came a little early for you this year."

Jasmine chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Well, well, well," Paul said as he and Jack came by. "I'd never have thought that you two would fall so low."

"Dating a cripple and a dork," Jack added, sneering at Amir and Eddie.

Renee and Monique glanced at one another.

"Actually, we improved our standards," Renee said. "From airheads like you to people like Amir and Eddie. In comparison to them you're as low as a rock compared to a Human."

"And that's because they have what it takes," Monique added.

"And at all the right places," Renee agreed. "In the head, in the heart and between the legs." She gave them a once over. "Last I heard, you two are pretty disappointing in bed. You see, a girl likes to get satisfied too and you two, well, you just don't do it. Getting it in, getting it done and getting out is just so out of date, in case you haven't heard."

"Has been for decades," Monique added, nodding her head.

"Yeah. I bet Sara and Daisy didn't even invite you home."

Monique looked at her.

"Do you really think they would have sex with them?"

Renee frowned, thinking.

"No, you're right. They're way too experienced to be satisfied by two losers like them."

"Come on, let's go. We're on a date and we've wasted enough time already."

"You're right," Renee agreed, gave Jack and Paul another once over, sneered and turned to Amir. "Come, Amir, let's forget about them."

Monique turned to Eddie, also ignoring the two sport jockeys, who were gaping at them.

"Why don't we find a table," she said.

"Okay," he said and smirked, feeling confusion and anger from the two sport jerks.

Monique smiled back. She then guided his wheelchair to a table whose occupants looked like they were leaving.

"Everything okay?" Rochelle asked when she got to them. "What did they want?"

Monique shrugged.

"They thought they could mess with the ex bitch club queen," she said and grinned.

"Oh."

"Don't worry about them, they're a couple of assholes," Renee said and turned to Monique. "We should tell Cassandra about it, in case they've seen her in the park with Nici."

Monique nodded.

"Yes. Hey look, there's… Jasmine, I think."

"No, that's Faith," Renee said.

"You sure?"

"Positive. Jasmine's over there."

"Oh. Let's tell them about Hope."

"Yeah. Faith! Jasmine!"

The twins looked and when they saw her, they came over.

"Hi, guys," Jasmine said.

"Guess what," Renee said. "Hope spoke."

"Yeah?" Faith said, excited. "What did she say?"

"Mama."

"What else?" Jasmine said with a smirk.

"You guys done with patrolling?" Monique asked.

"No. We just came here to see if there are any vamps around. We'll be back later."

"Okay."

"See you," Faith said and then she and Jasmine left.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Rochelle said and also left.

"Em, about that table?" Eddie said.

"Yes?" Monique asked.

"There's one free."

Everyone looked.

"Then let's go," Renee said.

"Cassandra," Monique said when Cassandra came to school the next day.

"Hi," Cassandra said.

"We just want to warn you about Jack and Paul," Renee said. "They were trying to make fun of our boyfriends on Saturday, but they didn't stand a chance against us."

"Yes," Monique agreed. "If they've seen you with Nici in the park, they might try to make fun of her."

Cassandra stared at them for a moment.

"Thanks for the warning."

"Sure," Monique said, smiling, and then she and Renee left.

"Cassandra, Cassandra," Jack said during the first break, when he and Paul found Cassandra. "Who would've thought that you were gay."

Cassandra looked at them, her face blank, but Rochelle could feel that she was angry.

"So?" Cassandra said.

The boys laughed.

"You're dating that retard!" Paul said.

Cassandra wanted to hit him, but she restrained herself.

"What can I say? It's just not good for the male population when retards like Nici are so much better than airheads like you."

She started laughing and then left. Rochelle and Denise followed her.

"Why were you laughing?" Denise asked.

Cassandra shrugged.

"Because they don't matter, I don't care what they think about Nici or me. I love her and she loves me. That's all that matters."

"I hope they won't bug me about Mike or I'll just kick them in their family jewels."

Cassandra and Rochelle laughed.

"You do that," Cassandra said.

As Lara came from the restroom, she noticed the new principal walk by. She stared at her for a few moments, feeling that there was something wrong with her. Then her eyes went wide as she realized what it was.

"Faith."

"Hi, Lara."

"I think the new principal is a demon."

"What?" Faith said, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Faith glanced at her watch.

"We'll go to her during the next break."

Lara nodded.

"What will we do?"

"Talk to her, kill her if necessary."

"In the school?"

"If necessary."

"Okay. Have you seen Raelee?"

"Over there."

Lara looked.

"Thanks," she said and left.

Faith shook her head. Demons were back in school. Like Mr Lee wasn't enough.

During the next break, Faith and Lara went to the Principal.

"We'd like to see Mrs Stewart," Faith told Nancy the secretary, trying to look as innocent as she could.

Nancy stared at her for a few moments, glanced at Lara and then touched the intercom.

"Mrs Stewart, two students would like to see you."

"Send them in," came the reply.

"You can go in," Nancy said.

Faith and Lara entered and Lara closed the door.

"Hello," Mrs Stewart said. She frowned as she looked from one girl to the other, feeling that there was something strange about them. "What can I do for you?"

"Em, we were just wondering if you know the term Slayer. With a capital S."

Mrs Stewart's eyes went wide.

"Slayer?" she said. "You… You're the Slayer?"

"A Slayer."

"There are more?" Mrs Stewart asked, nearly panicking.

"Yes. Now, what are you and what do you want?"

Mrs Steward gulped.

"I'm… I'm a fallen angel."

Faith blinked.

"So? All demons are fallen angels."

Mrs Spencer shook her head.

"No. Demons were created by Devil, we were created by Goddess."

Faith frowned.

"I thought Devil was a fallen angel."

"No, he is a part of Goddess."

"Oh. So how come you're fallen angels?"

"We rebelled and we were banished from Heaven."

"You weren't sent to Hell?"

"No."

"Oh. And what do you want?"

"To do my job."

"And that is?"

"Being a principal."

Faith blinked.

"You're kidding."

Mrs Stewart shook her head.

"No."

"Show me your real face."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Completely?"

"What do you mean?" Faith asked, puzzled.

"Do I have to change completely or would my face do?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Do the face."

Mrs Stewart sighed and then changed her face.

"Hmm, not bad for someone out of favor with Goddess," Faith then said. "So, why do you want to be a principal?"

"Can I change back?" Mrs Stewart asked.

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she said and Mrs Stewart did so. "Now, about the principal job?"

Mrs Stewart shrugged.

"I need a job."

"Demons usually don't have a job. At least none so… high profile."

"I'm not…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Humor me."

"Oh. Em, we try to adapt."

"We?"

"My kind. We try to adapt to Humans and your culture."

"And why did you come here?"

"It seemed like a quiet town. Well, except the Hellmouth."

Faith laughed and even Lara cracked a smile.

"So you knew about the Hellmouth?"

"Of course." She thought for a moment. "Have the Scourge showed up here?"

"Not so far."

"Good," Mrs Stewart said and relaxed a bit. "Are… Are you going to kill me?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Is there are reason I shouldn't?"

Mrs Stewart nodded.

"We don't kill Humans. We just want to live in peace, like you."

"Mhm," Faith said, not quite believing her. "How many of your kind are here?"

"Twenty-seven. Me included."

"And I suppose you want to stay here?"

"If that's all right with you."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have to ask the others. I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Where do you live?"

"In Clover Circle."

"All of you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll see… Oh. Em, what do you think about gays and lesbians?"

Mrs Stewart gave her a confused look.

"Love is love?" she said nervously.

Faith smiled.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She turned to leave, but then she thought of something. "Oh, em, could you do something about the food in the cafeteria? It's almost as bad as hospital food."

"I'll see what I can do," Mrs Stewart said.

"That's all I ask."

Faith left and Lara followed her. When they were gone, Mrs Stewart sat down and relaxed, glad that the Slayer didn't kill her.

"You won't kill them?" Lara asked as they walked down the hall.

"If they're harmless, no. If there's anything I've learned is that some demons can be more, pardon the expression, human than Humans."

Lara smiled and nodded.

"Hi, Faith."

Faith jerked.

"Hi, Stacy," she said and forced a smile. She turned back to Lara. "So, anyway, I'll talk to Giles and ask him what he knows about their kind and maybe Willow can see what she can find out about them."

Lara nodded, noticing that Faith was avoiding Stacy, who stared after them, confused, when Faith walked past her.

"Oh look, isn't she cute," Daisy said, pointing at Nici, who was sitting in front of a restaurant, licking ice cream.

"Ooh, definitely," Sara agreed. She looked at Daisy. "Shall we?" she asked mischievously.

"We shall," Daisy said and they went to Nici.

"Hi," Sara said when they got to her.

Nici looked at them and smiled.

"Hello," she said.

"I'm Sara and this is Daisy."

"Hi," Daisy said.

Nici thought for a moment.

"My name Nici," she said.

"A nice name for a nice girl," Daisy said.

"Absolutely," Sara agreed.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Sara and Daisy turned, surprised.

"Em, Cassandra?"

"Leave her alone! There's no need to make fun of her."

"But…" Sara started.

"Go away and leave her alone."

Sara and Daisy looked at one another, confused, and then left.

"Cassie?" Nici asked, also confused.

Cassandra looked at her and smiled.

"It's okay, I just don't want them make fun of you."

"Oh," Nici said, not quite sure how the nice girls were making fun of her. "Okay."

"Come, let's go to the park."

Nici smiled and got up. She took Cassandra's hand and they went on.

Jasmine was nervous. Very nervous. Even though she was a part of the Chase family now, they still had to make it official and today was the day. She was still surprised that Mrs Chase had anticipated this and had taken care of most things before asking her if she wanted her to become her legal guardian.

"Nervous?" Mrs Chase asked as they sat outside the court room, waiting for their turn.

Jasmine looked at her and smiled nervously.

"You can say that again."

"Don't worry, everything will be okay."

As if on cue, Mrs Spencer appeared and Jasmine froze. Mrs Chase noticed that and she looked. She had never seen Mrs Spencer before, but she recognized her anyway.

As Mrs Spencer came closer, Jasmine got up, ready to fight if necessary. She was also surprised by her birth mother's dress, she had never seen her dressed so… well. She wanted to yell at her, but Mrs Spencer spoke first.

"I'm sorry, Jasmine," she said and Jasmine dropped her jaw, surprised. Her mom was apologizing? To her? "For everything," Mrs Spencer continued. "I know that I was a lousy mother. I beat you even though it wasn't your fault. I'm glad you found yourself a new family." She looked at Mrs Chase and Mrs Chase saw that she was holding back tears. "Thank you for taking care of my girls," she said and then quickly left before Mrs Chase could say anything.

Jasmine and Mrs Chase stared after her, surprised. Mrs Chase was the first to snap out of it and she put her hand around Jasmine's shoulder.

"Do you still want me to become your legal guardian?" she asked.

Jasmine looked at her, confused.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because Faith was very confused when she found out your mother…"

"She's not my mother," Jasmine interrupted her.

"…had changed," Mrs Chase finished.

Jasmine sighed.

"Yeah, I know." She thought for a moment. "Perhaps someday I'll forgive her, but right now I need a family."

Mrs Chase smiled.

"And you have one."

Jasmine smiled back.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Come, let's sit."

"Giles, you're not gonna believe this," Faith said as she walked in. "Mrs Stewart, our new principal, she's a fallen angel."

"What?" Giles said, looking up from the book he was reading. "Your new principal is a demon?"

Faith shook her head.

"Not demon, a fallen angel."

Giles blinked.

"I don't understand. Fallen angels…"

"…were created by Goddess and were later banished from Heaven because they rebelled. Demons were created by Devil, who is a part of Goddess." She thought for a moment. "Yes, I think I got it right."

Giles frowned.

"How do you know that?"

"I asked, she explained."

"Oh," Giles said and fixed his glasses.

"She said she and twenty-six of her kind have settled in Clover Circle. She asked for my permission to stay."

Giles raised an eyebrow.

"She did?"

"Yes. She said that they just want to have jobs, like us, Humans."

"Really?"

"Yes. I told her I had to ask first."

"I see."

"If they're harmless, I think we should let them stay. I mean, they might even help us."

Giles thought about it.

"That is not such a bad idea," he said pensively.

"I already talked to the guys in the park and they agreed. Will you ask Buffy and the others?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, of course."

"Good. Jasmine and I will go check out Clover Circle. Lara's going with us."

"Good. I think I'll go talk to Mrs Stewart tomorrow."

"You want me to announce you?"

"No, thank you. I want to surprise her."

Faith grinned.

"Okay."

Giles thought for a moment.

"Em, isn't Jasmine supposed to go to court today?" he asked.

"Yes, they're already there," Faith said.

"I hope everything turns out alright."

"Me too."

"Hey, how was it?" Faith asked when Jasmine and Mrs Chase came home.

"Fine," Mrs Chase said, smiling. "Jasmine is now officially part of the family."

Faith smiled.

"Great."

"Yeah," Jasmine said.

"I'll leave you two girls alone," Mrs Chase said and went to the kitchen, knowing that Jasmine would want to tell Faith about Mrs Spencer.

"Is something wrong?" Faith asked.

"No," Jasmine said. She hesitated for a moment. "Mom was there."

"Of course she… Mom? Mrs Spencer?"

"Yes."

Faith's face became serious.

"What did she want?"

"She apologized."

Faith's face went blank.

"She what?"

"She apologized. She said she was a lousy mother and that it wasn't my fault she beat me. She said she was happy I found myself a new family and she thanked Mrs Chase for taking care of us."

Faith stared at her sister, surprised. She sighed.

"Damn. Couldn't she had gotten to her senses years ago?"

Jasmine sighed as well.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel about it?"

Jasmine shrugged.

"I don't know. A part of me hates her guts, but a part of me is glad that she has changed. And who knows, maybe I'll go see her some time, see how she is. I don't know. But right now I have a family and she's not a part of it."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah." She sighed again. "Oh, guess what. Our new principal is a fallen angel."

Jasmine laughed.

"What? A demon?"

"No, a fallen angel."

"What's the difference?"

"Her kind used to be angels. Demons were never angels."

"Oh."

"She and twenty-six of her kind have moved to Clover Circle. I was planning to check it out with Lara. You wanna come?"

"Oh definitely," Jasmine said with a grin.

"I was thinking we might let them stay, if they're harmless. Hell, they might even help us."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"You think?"

Faith shrugged.

"It's worth a shot."

"Okay. Do others agree?"

"So far. Giles said he'll ask Buffy and the guys."

"Oh. Okay then."

"Feel anything weird, Lara?" Jasmine asked as they walked through Clover Circle.

Lara shook her head.

"No."

"Looks like everything is quiet," Faith said.

"I wish it was always like that," Jasmine said.

"Yeah," Faith agreed. "Remind me to ask Dawn about fallen angels."

"Okay."

Lara suddenly stopped and stared at a family that had just arrived home.

"Lara?" Faith asked.

"They're… not Human," Lara said.

The twins looked, ready to fight.

"Demons?"

Lara hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, fallen angels."

"You sure?" Jasmine asked.

Lara nodded.

"They feel… different."

"How?" Faith asked.

Lara thought for a moment.

"I don't know, different. Not dark, but not light either."

"Oh."

They observed the family as they went into the house. They looked just like a normal Human family, two parents, three kids.

"This is so surreal," Faith said and shuddered. "It's bad enough vamps look like us and I really don't need to have to kill more demons that look like us."

"Hey, perhaps they'll turn out to be okay."

Faith gave her a blank look.

"This is Sunnydale. The chances of them being okay are less than zero." She thought for a moment. "I'll have to tell Giles to ask Mrs Stewart about why they were banished."

Jasmine shrugged.

"A girl's gotta hope," she said. "That's all we have, hope." She frowned. "No pun intended."

Faith chuckled and Lara smiled.

"Come on, let's move in."

"Hi," Jasmine said when she and Faith dropped by Dawn's house.

Dawn frowned at the twin Slayers.

"What?"

The Slayers grinned.

"What do you know about fallen angels?" Faith asked.

Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"What about them?"

"Some of them have moved to town and I want to know as much as possible about them. Are they demons or what?"

"No, they were angels. Demons were never angels, except a few that were really bad."

"And fallen angels?" Jasmine asked.

"They were angels, but they disagreed with the way how evil should be fought. They disobeyed an order and many Humans died. They were banished from Heaven, but they weren't sent to Hell."

"Oh. So, are they good or bad?"

"I'm not sure. Good, I think. They don't actively seek out demons, but they do kill them when they encounter them."

"Oh. Okay." Faith thought for a moment. "Is there any reason they should be afraid of Slayers?"

Dawn thought for a moment,

"Yes. The Slayers hunted them down during the Dark Ages."

"Oh. Anything else?"

"We have problem telling them from you."

"We? Us?"

"Demons, Humans."

"Oh. Anything else?"

Dawn thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"No."

"Okay. Thanks."

Dawn mumbled something and closed the door.

"She's one unhappy vamp," Jasmine said, grinning.

"Yeah, like Spike," Faith said. "Oh, remind me to tell Mrs Stewart about them, Dawn and Spike, I mean, it wouldn't be good if they killed them just because they were vamps."

Jasmine nodded.

"Good point."

"Good. Let's take a walk through Restfield and then I'll go to Giles."

"Okay."

Next day, Sara and Daisy decided to find out about Cassandra and Nici.

"Em, Monique," Sara said.

Monique turned.

"Oh. Hi."

"Em, we were just wondering. Do you know a girl named Nici?"

Monique glanced at Renee.

"Yes. Why?"

"She's a friend of Cassandra, right?"

"Yes."

"Em, are they just friends or are they more?"

"Why?"

"Well, we met Nici yesterday and we were flirting with her and then Cassandra came and went bitch on us."

"Oh. Well, they are a couple, but, well, I think Cassandra was angry because she thought you were making fun of Nici."

Sara and Daisy frowned.

"Why would we make fun of her?"

Monique hesitated for a moment, glancing at Renee.

"Because Nici is retarded."

"What?" Daisy said, surprised.

"She had an accident when she was little."

"Oh. We didn't know."

"We better apologize," Sara said.

"Yeah, come." She looked at Monique. "Thanks. We'll see you around."

They failed to find Cassandra during that break, but they found her during the next.

"Em, Cassandra," Daisy said.

Cassandra looked at them and they could see that she was not very happy.

"What do you want?"

"We want to apologize," Sara said and Cassandra frowned, surprised.

"Yeah," Daisy said. "We talked to Monique and she explained things to us. We didn't know Nici was retarded, we were just flirting with her because she's cute."

"Very cute," Sara agreed.

"Yeah. And we didn't know you two were a couple. Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry. Please tell Nici that we didn't mean to insult her or anything."

Cassandra stared at the two girls, surprised. She had been angry with them and the last thing she had expected was their apology. Not that the apology was necessary. Well, it was, but it was her who should do the apologizing, not Sara and Daisy.

"Em, I think that was my fault. I tend to get very protective of Nici and I didn't know what you two wanted with her. I mean, em…"

Sara and Daisy smiled.

"It's okay, we know what people call us," Sara said.

"Yeah. Anyway, we'll see you around," Daisy said.

The girls turned to leave, but Cassandra stopped them.

"Wait," she said and the girls turned.

"Yes?"

"Em, you wanted to go to bed with her?" she asked, blushing.

Sara and Daisy smiled.

"Sure."

"Would you still go? I mean, now that you know that she's, you know…"

Sara and Daisy glanced at each other.

"Sure we would," Sara said. "Though we're not sure how much she knows about the birds and the bees."

"Or the bees and the bees," Daisy added. "Or is that the birds and the birds? I'm never sure which is which."

Sara laughed and Cassandra blushed.

"I guess you'll have to tell her all about it," Sara told Cassandra, who blushed even more.

"And take time, don't rush it," Daisy said. "Make sure that the first time is something special."

"Yeah. And if you have any questions about the topic, you know where to find us," Sara said with a grin.

"Yes."

Cassandra blushed even deeper.

"Yes. Thanks," she said.

Sara and Daisy smiled.

"We'll see you around," Sara said.

"Yes. And tell Nici we said hi."

Cassandra nodded and Sara and Daisy left. Cassandra stared after the two girls, not quite sure what to think of them. She had known them as the Whores for most of her life, but now, even though the term fit them, she found herself uncomfortable with thinking of them like that, because they were clearly more than just whores, there was a side to them that she didn't know. She frowned, surprised by her own deep thinking. She shook her head. Well, at least they didn't mean to insult Nici.

She opened her locker.

"Wow, nice photo."

Cassandra turned, surprised, and saw it was Raelee and Lara.

"What?"

"The photo, it's nice," Raelee repeated.

Cassandra looked at the locker door and frowned, confused.

"It's a painting," Lara said.

Raelee looked at her, surprised.

"You sure?"

Lara nodded.

"Yes."

"Cassandra?"

"This one?" Cassandra asked and pointed at the picture of her and Nici.

"Yes."

"It's a painting," she confirmed.

"Wow. Where did you get it?"

"Nici made it."

"Really? It's awesome."

"What's awesome?" Faith asked when she passed by.

"That painting."

Faith looked.

"What painting?" she asked, confused.

"This one," Cassandra said and pointed at the painting.

Faith frowned.

"That's a painting?"

"Yes."

Faith looked closer.

"Wow. It looks so real." She looked at Cassandra. "Where did you get it?"

"Nici made it."

"You serious?"

"Yes."

"Wow." She looked back at the painting. "This makes Sorayama look like a beginner."

"Who's Sorayama?" Raelee asked, curious.

"Oh, just about the best damn painter in the world. According to me. And Jasmine." She looked at Cassandra. "You think Nici would make a painting of me and Cordelia?"

"Eh, I don't know. I'll have to ask her."

Faith nodded.

"You do that," she said and looked back at the painting. "Cordelia's gonna love this."

When the school was over for the day, Cassandra dropped her bag at home and then went to Nici.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Nici responded and they kissed.

"Remember the two girls from yesterday, Sara and Daisy? The ones I thought were making fun of you? Before I came back from the restroom?"

Nici thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Nici remember."

"Well, they came to me today and they apologized. They were only flirting with you because you are so pretty, not because they would want to make fun of you."

Nici frowned, confused.

"Make fun?"

"Yeah. Because you are, you know…"

She trailed off, not very comfortable with what she wanted to say. Nici thought for a few moments, trying to understand what Cassandra was trying to say and why she was so uncomfortable.

"Because Nici retarded?" she asked.

Cassandra nodded, avoiding her eyes.

"Yes."

"Nici knows Nici retarded," Nici said. She thought for a moment. "Say Nici retarded."

"What?" Cassandra said, surprised, and looked at her.

"Say Nici retarded."

"No, I…" Cassandra said and looked away again.

Nici gently cupped her face.

"Look at Nici," she said and Cassandra did. "Now say Nici retarded."

"No, I…" Cassandra said again.

"Say it," Nici demanded. "Say Nici retarded."

Cassandra looked at her.

"You are retarded," she then said quietly after a few moments of hesitation.

"Say again," Nici said when Cassandra wanted to look away.

"Nici…"

"Say again," Nici demanded. "Louder."

Cassandra sighed.

"You are retarded."

"Again. Louder."

"You are retarded."

"Again."

"Nici…"

"Again!"

"You are retarded."

"Good," Nici said and let go of Cassandra. "Nici knows Nici retarded. Nici not… insulted when Cassie say Nici retarded."

Cassandra smiled briefly.

"Sorry."

"No need to be sorry, Nici happy."

Cassandra smiled again.

"Cassie happy too."

Nici smiled.

"Good." She thought for a moment. "Sara and Daisy… flirt with Nici?" she then asked.

Cassandra smiled.

"Yes."

"That good?"

"Very good." She frowned. "Mostly."

"Why?"

"Well, they are a couple, like us, and they have made love to many people, boys and girls, so I'm not exactly sure whether flirting with them is a compliment or not."

"Sara and Daisy want to make love to Nici?" Nici asked, her eyes wide.

Cassandra smiled.

"Yes, I guess so. They said you are very cute," she said and Nici blushed. "It's true, you are very cute."

"Cassie cute too."

"Thank you," Cassandra said, smiling, and kissed her.

Nici then thought for a moment.

"Sara and Daisy want to make love to Nici. Cassie want to make love too?" she asked.

Cassandra blushed.

"I… well… eh… I." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Hell, yes."

Nici smiled.

"Nici want to make love to Cassie too."

Cassandra smiled, still blushing.

"And we will. But not yet. First you need to learn a lot about sex in general." She hesitated. "And I've never made love to a girl before."

"Ask Sara and Daisy," Nici suggested and Cassandra blushed.

"Yeah, I guess I will."

"Good," Nici said, pleased.

"Oh, Faith saw that painting you made of you and me, the one I have in my locker. She loved it."

Nici's eyes lit up.

"Faith like painting?"

"Oh yes, she said it was the best. She also wanted to know if you could do a painting of her and Cordelia?"

Nici beamed.

"Sure. Faith bring photo, Nici paint."

"Okay, I'll tell her."

She stared at Nici for a moment and then kissed her.

The End