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 Here We Go Again.

Within
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Sara watched as Daisy successfully seduced a boy. For some reason she felt jealous, even though she had seen Daisy seduce other boys, and also girls, before and it never bothered her. But lately, ever since they had tried to seduce Faith to be precise, she felt jealous and hurt every time Daisy tried to seduce someone. Faith's talk about being alone for the rest of her life made her think and she was scared.

She sighed and looked away, thinking.

Daisy, who was still flirting, noticed that Sara was obviously in a bad mood. She dismissed the boy and went to Sara, who was completely ignoring two boys, who were trying to flirt with her.

"Go away," she told them.

They wanted to object, but Daisy's stern look convinced them that they were not welcome and they left. Daisy then touched Sara's hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Sara looked at her and stared at her for a few moments. Then she sighed.

"I'm not sure," she said and looked away.

"Talk to me. Please," Daisy insisted.

Sara looked at her again.

"What about that guy?"

"Never mind him, you're far more important."

"You mean that?"

Daisy frowned, puzzled.

"Of course."

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

"Remember what Faith said about being alone?" she asked after a while.

"Yes?"

"Well, I started to think. I don't want to be alone. I even stopped having sex."

"Really?" Daisy asked, surprised.

"Yes."

Daisy smiled and took Sara's hand.

"Don't worry, Sara, you won't be alone, you'll have me."

Sara looked at her.

"And what about when you marry?"

Daisy laughed.

"If I could, I would marry you," she said.

"Are you serious?" Sara asked, surprised.

"Yes," Daisy said, her face serious. "Sara, you are the most important person in my life. You're closer to me that my parents, but that's nothing new."

"You mean that?"

Daisy smiled and caressed her.

"Of course, Sara." She hesitated for a moment. "I love you."

Sara stared at her for a few moment and then gulped.

"I love you too," she said.

They stared at each other for a few moments and then leaned in for a kiss.

"Feeling better?" Daisy asked softly when they stopped kissing.

Sara smiled.

"Yes," she said and gently squeezed her hand.

Daisy smiled back.

"Good. So, back to sex. Are you never going to have sex again or what?"

Sara laughed.

"No, of course not. I was just… scared. Now that I know that we'll always be together, I'm not scared anymore. But I don't feel like having sex right now." She paused for a moment. "I just wanna be with you."

Daisy smiled.

"No problem with that. And tomorrow?"

Sara shrugged.

"I don't know. We'll see who's available."

Daisy laughed and kissed Sara again.

"Come, let's go home and make plans for tonight. We have to figure out what we're gonna do since we won't have sex."

Sara nodded.

"Okay," she said and they went home.

Near Monique's house, the five creepy sisters were standing in a pentagram and chanting.

"Hey, look, aren't that those creepy sisters?" Sara asked as they passed near by and she noticed the sisters.

Daisy looked.

"Yes, looks like it. What are they doing?"

"I don't know. Let's check it out."

"Okay."

The sneaked closer and watched.

"What the hell?" Sara said.

"Magic?"

"Looks like it. Look, there are Renee and Monique."

Daisy looked.

"You think it has something to do with them?" she asked, noticing the two girls, who were returning home.

Sara shrugged.

"Could be."

"Maybe we should warn them."

Sara nodded.

"Yeah. But let's make sure that they don't suspect anything."

Daisy nodded.

"Yes."

"Hi," Monique said, surprised, when she opened the door and found Sara and Daisy standing there.

"Hi," Daisy said nervously. "Em, can we come in?"

Monique raised an eyebrow.

"Please," Sara urged her.

"Okay," Monique said and stepped aside.

"Hi," they greeted Renee, who was about to breastfeed Hope.

"Hi," Renee said, surprised.

"Is that your daughter?" Daisy asked curiously.

"Yes."

"What's her name?" Sara asked.

"Hope."

They smiled.

"Nice name."

"Yes."

"So, what do you want?" Monique asked.

They turned to her.

"Em, well, you remember those creepy sisters?" Daisy asked. "The new ones."

"Yes."

"Well, we saw them outside, in the bushes, practicing some sort of ritual."

"Really?" Renee said, worried.

"Yeah. We didn't know this was your house, but when we saw you, well, we thought that it might have something to do with you two."

"Baby?" Renee asked Hope.

Hope touched her face and babbled something.

"How far away are they?" Renee then asked.

"About a hundred meters," Sara said.

"Yes," Daisy agreed.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

They moved to the door and Monique opened it.

"See you tomorrow," she said.

"Yeah. Night."

When they were gone, Renee looked at Monique.

"Do you know where Willow is?"

Monique shook her head.

"We could ask Lara's parents. Or Giles."

"Yes. Call him."

Monique nodded and went to the phone while Renee continued to breastfeed Hope.

"There's Faith," Monique said, noticing Faith.

Renee looked.

"Faith!" she called and the Slayer turned.

"Hi, guys," she said when they came closer.

"Those sisters are definitely after Hope," Renee said.

"How do you know?" Faith asked, her face serious.

"Sara and Daisy noticed them yesterday and they told us. We called Giles and he got Willow and Tara."

"What were they doing?"

"Willow and…"

"No, the sisters."

"Oh. They were practicing magic, I think. Tara said that they were trying to weaken the protective spell around the house. She said they'll do the spell again today, just in case."

Faith nodded.

"A good idea. See what you can find out about them, I'll tell Willow."

"Okay."

The bell announced the end of the break.

"Damn, back to class. See you later."

"Okay."

Faith was just on her way to the classroom, when someone called her name. She turned and saw that it was Sara and Daisy. And they were holding their hands.

"Hi," she said, hoping they weren't trying to seduce her again.

Sara and Daisy glanced at each other.

"Em, we'd like to thank you," Daisy said and Faith raised an eyebrow. "For giving us that speech back at the Bronze," Daisy quickly explained.

"Yeah?"

"It made us think," Sara said. "About being alone and stuff." She glanced at Daisy. "Well, we won't be alone, we'll have each other."

Faith smiled.

"That's good."

"Yes," Sarah agreed, smiling.

"So you're a couple now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Daisy said.

"Does that mean you'll stop having sex?" Faith asked with a smirk.

"No!" both girls said in unison and Faith laughed.

"Just asking. Anyway, Renee told me saw those five sisters outside her house."

"Yes. What did they want?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know. Nothing good, I bet. Listen, if you happen to see them, especially if they're doing something suspicious, let me know. Or one of my friends. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks."

"Hello, girls," a teacher said, smiling, as she passed them.

"Hello, Ms Delfino," Sara and Daisy said in unison.

Faith looked at the teacher, back at the girls, again at the teacher and finally back to the girls.

"You didn't!" she said, amazed.

The girls looked at her, confused, and then smirked when they understood what Faith meant.

"You did! I don't believe it!" She frowned. "No wonder she's not such a bitch anymore."

The girls grinned.

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

"Bye, Faith," Sara added.

Faith grinned.

"Okay. See you."

It was just before dark when the three wiccans did the protective spell. Faith patrolled around the house, but there was no sign of the five sisters. When she came in, the wiccans were done with the spell.

"Anything?" Renee asked her.

"No. At least not yet. I'll come back again later."

"Okay."

Faith turned to Willow.

"Will, I want you to check out those freaky sisters."

"Yes, Monique already told me."

"Good. I'll make a round and then come back."

"Okay."

"Hi, Faith," Sara said as she and Daisy came to her.

"Hi, guys. What's up?"

The girls glanced at each other.

"Well, we just wanted you to know that if you and your girlfriend want to have a foursome some time…"

She trailed off as Faith laughed.

"So now you want my girlfriend as well?"

The girls blushed.

"Well, we try not to seduce people who already have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. We try and if they are willing, fine, if not, we don't bother them."

"And of course we never tell anyone," Daisy added.

"Yeah. Lately, we're also very choosy about who we have sex with. We know you have a girlfriend and we won't trouble you, but we just want you to know that we're interested."

"Yes," Daisy agreed. "Is she pretty?"

"Cordelia?" Faith smiled. "See for yourselves," she said, took her wallet and showed them a photo of Cordelia.

"Wow! She's gorgeous," Daisy said.

"Now we're definitely interested," Sara said.

"Yes."

Faith smiled as she put away the photo.

"Thanks."

"She looks familiar," Daisy said.

"Cordelia Chase."

"Her? I've heard of her."

"Yes," Sara agreed, "me too."

"Em, do you have any sex toys?" Faith asked.

Sara and Daisy glanced at each other, grinning.

"As many as you want," Daisy said.

Faith smirked.

"Before Cordelia, I'd have had sex with you in a moment, but now that's not very high on my list of things to do. But I'll ask her, she might be interested."

Sara and Daisy beamed.

"Great! Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Well, all we ask is that you ask her."

"Yes."

"Okay," Faith said, grinning.

"Oh, Faith, we've seen you with that blonde, the one with the cute nose, I think her name's Buffy or something. Do you think…"

Faith laughed.

"No, definitely…" She frowned. "Well, all her relationships with men have been disasters so far. She might be interested in going out with a girl, but I don't think she'd go straight to bed."

"Oh," Sara said and shrugged. "Can't have them all."

Faith laughed again.

"Life can be so cruel, right?"

Sara and Daisy laughed.

"Yes."

"Hello, girls," a teacher said, smiling, as she passed them.

The girls looked at her.

"Hello, Ms O'Brien," Sara and Daisy said, smiling back at her.

Faith looked at the teacher, at Sara and Daisy, back at the teacher and finally back at Sara and Daisy. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"You didn't," she said.

Sara and Daisy looked at her.

"Did what?" Sara asked.

Faith wasn't certain, but when she saw that Sara and Daisy were trying not to smile, she knew she was right.

"You did! I don't believe it," she said. "Now I know why she's so nice this year."

"Was she different last year?" Daisy asked, trying to look innocent.

Faith grinned.

"Oh yeah. Just like Ms Delfino. So you helped them out of the closet?"

"We're not telling either way, Faith," Sara said.

"Okay, I won't ask any further," Faith said and nodded in agreement.

"Hey look, there's Max," Daisy said and pointed at the boy.

"You're also going out with nerds?" Faith asked.

"Yeah. They might be shy and less experienced than guys like, say, Paul, but they're enthusiastic and they're fast learners."

"Yeah," Sara agreed. "Guys like Paul are probably all gay. All they're interested in is getting it in, getting it done and getting out."

"And they brag about it. I mean, puh-lese."

"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's go… No, wait, there's the new one, Stacy. Let's get her instead," Sara urged her.

"Coming, coming. See you later, Faith."

"See you, guys!" Faith called after them, smirking.

"Faith, I got something about the sisters," Willow said when she and Tara came to the park.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. There are five of them, Heather, Iris, Nancy, Tamara and Zoe Pfeiffer. I've backtracked their records."

"Anything suspicious?"

"Yes. A couple of years ago, strange things started to happen at their school. They were always around, but nothing was ever proven."

"Remind you of someone?" Faith asked with a smirk.

"A whole bunch of someones," Willow said and smirked back.

"Yeah. So, are they witches or what?"

"I don't know, but I think so. Tara and I checked the spot where Sara and Daisy saw them and there were strange smells. We think they were performing a spell to weaken the protective spell around Monique's house."

"Aha," Faith said.

"Hi, guys," Buffy said as she joined them.

"Look, it's the blonde with the cute nose," Faith said, grinning.

"What?" Buffy said, puzzled, and touched her nose. "What's wrong with my nose?"

"Nothing. It's a very cute and sexy nose. Right guys?"

"Absolutely!" everyone agreed.

"See?"

"Yes, so?" Buffy asked, confused.

Faith laughed.

"Remember Daisy and Sara?"

Buffy thought.

"The two whores?"

"Yes. They called you that. As a matter of fact, they wanted to know if you'd be interested in going to bed with them."

"What?!" Buffy said, blushing furiously, as everyone else laughed.

"I said no. Of course, if I was wrong, I can…"

"No, it's okay," Buffy said, blushing ever deeper, and everyone laughed again.

"Well, if you change your mind…"

"I'll let them know," Buffy cut her off. "Thanks."

Faith grinned.

"That's what friends are for."

"Yeah, right," Buffy said, glaring at her, but the glare slowly gave way to a smile. "Oh, I almost forgot! I saw five girls near Monique's house yesterday."

"They looked like sisters?" Faith asked.

"Could be."

"What were they doing?"

"I don't know. It looked like magic to me."

"Damn. We need to spy on them and find out what the hell they want."

"Probably Hope," Renee said.

"You will have to perform the protection spell again," Monique said, looking at Willow and Tara. "Just in case."

Willow nodded.

"We will."

"Anyone knows where they live?" Buffy asked.

"I think I know," Heidi said. "I saw them yesterday."

"Okay, you'll show me later," Faith said and looked at Willow. "I want you three near Monique's house in the evening."

"You think they will be there tonight?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Faith looked at Buffy.

"You really should tell Dawn to get out some more. I'm sure listening to our moms they trade suggestions on how to raise Slayers can be pretty boring."

"Or she's just learning."

Faith laughed.

"I'll have to watch out for Alice then."

"Definitely. Just wait till she reaches Dawn's age."

"You think you'd be any different if you were in Dawn's place?"

Buffy grinned.

"No."

Faith grinned back.

"Me neither."

In the evening, Faith, Willow, Tara and Lara hid near Monique's house. They waited for an hour, before the sisters finally showed up.

"What are they doing?" Faith asked after the sisters chanted for a while.

"They're trying to weaken the protection spell," Willow said.

"Good thing you did it again."

"Yes."

"Now what?"

Willow thought for a moment.

"We confront them."

"It's your call."

Willow got up and Tara and Lara followed her. Faith followed as well, but she stayed in the background, magic wasn't exactly her thing.

"Hey!" Willow called when they got closer.

The sisters stopped chanting and they looked at them.

"Em, I have a bad feeling," Faith said quietly.

The sisters started to chant again.

"Watch out!" Willow said and ducked.

Tara and Faith followed her example, while Lara deflected the lightning bolt. The bolt nearly hit one of the older sisters, but she managed to avoid it just in time. The sisters then started chanting and Willow and Tara quickly got up and started chanting themselves. Lara joined them. Faith looked around, looking for a place to hide and hoping no one would see this fight. She looked toward Monique's house and saw Monique and Raelee peeking out the window, worried. She waved at them and then looked back at the magic fight.

She noticed that the eyes of the older three sisters were slightly glowing and she had a bad feeling about it. She also noticed that the younger two sisters seemed to be having doubts about something.

Then she noticed that the air was shimmering and she decided that it was safest for her to get out of the way. She hid behind a tree and observed the magic contest. She wanted to help her friends, but she wasn't sure how. She looked around and spotted a stone. She picked it up, looked at the five sisters, aimed at one of the older sisters, and threw it. The stone hit the intended target and the girl stopped chanting, surprised, and touched the spot where the stone hit her. It was bleeding. Faith saw that the sisters became distracted and she looked around for more stones. She quickly collected a small heap of stones and pebbles and started throwing them at the sisters, distracting them.

The sisters' concentration quickly wavered, until they were thrown across the ground. The older three growled at Willow, Tara and Lara and then all five of them ran away. Faith waited for a few moments and then got up and approached her friends.

"Everyone okay?" she asked.

Willow looked at her and nodded.

"Just tired."

"Was it just my imagination or did their eyes glow?"

"The older three are possessed," Tara said.

"Thought so. And the younger two didn't seem to be very enthusiastic."

"We'll look for a spell to banish the demons," Willow said.

"Okay. So we can go now?"

"Yes, I guess."

"Anyone going to the Bronze?"

"I'm going to the dorm," Willow said. "I'm beat."

"Me too," Tara said.

"I'm going home," Lara said.

"Okay. Will you tell Monique?"

Lara nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Willow said and she and Tara left for the dorm and Lara went to Monique's house.

"Do you think your demon-killing spell would do the job?" Willow asked as she and Tara walked back to the dorm, hand in hand.

Tara thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, it would kill the host as well."

"Oh." Willow thought for a moment and then frowned. "When Hope was born, you still thought you had a demon in you, right?"

Tara nodded.

"Yes."

"But you still performed the spell, even though you thought it would kill you as well, right?"

"Yes."

Willow smiled.

"I wonder if I would've done the same thing in your place."

"You would," Tara said confidently and Willow blushed a bit.

"Thanks." She yawned. "We'll look for the spell tomorrow."

"Okay," Tara agreed.

They walked quietly for a while, Willow nervously thinking about something. Tara noticed that.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Willow looked at her, blushing.

"Nothing's wrong," she said and smiled. "I was just thinking about something." She hesitated for a moment. "You know, Buffy told me how Faith and Cordelia got married. Sort of. And I was thinking, maybe we should get married as well," she said and blushed.

Tara suddenly became very nervous.

"A-Are you a-asking m-me to m-marry you?" she asked, blushing.

Willow smiled, blushing even deeper.

"Yes, I guess so. I mean, not right away, when we're ready. And we should have a wiccan bonding ceremony. What do you think?"

"I-I-I n-need to th-think about it," Tara stuttered.

Willow smiled.

"Okay," she agreed. "There's no hurry."

"You're not trying to seduce my girlfriend, are you?" Daisy asked, smirking, when she came to Faith and Sara, who were flirting with one another.

Faith and Sara looked at her, smirking as well.

"We were just practicing," Faith said, raising her hands as in surrender. "Seems I'm a bit out of practice."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. Fixed that now. Now I have a couple of lines to use on Cordelia. She's gonna love 'em."

"Glad I could help," Sara said and took Daisy's hand. "Come, let's…"

She finished the sentence whispering into Daisy's ear. Faith grinned when Daisy blushed.

"I wish I went to school with Cordelia," she said.

"I bet," Sara said and led Daisy away.

"But then you'd never have met us," Daisy managed to say before being pulled after Sara.

Faith laughed.

"That would be a shame!" she called after them.

She shook her head and went to the bar.

From afar, Stacy observed her thoughtfully.

When they got home, Heather, the oldest sister, started ranting, furious.

"How dare those pathetic witches attack us!" she said in a strange voice, her eyes glowing. "They'll pay for it. As soon as we kill the baby, we kill them as well."

"Yes," Iris and Nancy agreed, while Tamara and Zoe nodded, afraid of their older sisters.

"We will try again tomorrow. And this time we will not be subtle," Heather said.

"Mother!" Iris called. "Where is that stupid woman?"

"Yes, Iris?" Mrs Pfeiffer asked, running to assist her daughter, hoping she wouldn't be punished.

"I'm bleeding, Mother," Iris said.

"Come, let me take care of that," Mrs Pfeiffer said and led Iris to the bathroom.

"What are you staring at?" Heather snarled at Tamara and Zoe.

"Nothing," Tamara said and then she and Zoe quickly left.

"I need to rest," Nancy said.

"Weakling," Heather snarled.

"Who are you calling a weakling?" Nancy growled and shot a fireball at her.

Heather easily deflected it.

"You're gonna have to do better than that. Now get lost, before I lose my patience."

Nancy growled, but she obeyed.

In the bathroom, Mrs Pfeiffer took care of Iris, who was a bit dizzy, having taken the brunt of the attack. She felt the demon in her was tired and its control was slipping. She suddenly grabbed her mother arm.

"Mom, go," she said.

"What?" Mrs Pfeiffer said, puzzled.

"Go, leave the house, this town," Iris said quickly. "Go as far away as you can and call back in two days. If things get better, please come back, and if they don't… keep running."

Mrs Pfeiffer was surprised when she saw a tear slide down Iris' cheek.

"Iris…"

"Go, Mom. Pack only what you really need, take the money and go. I'll make sure the others don't notice your departure." She hesitated for a moment. "I love you, Mom. Tell Dad I love him too. And I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "Now go. Quickly."

She got up and the surprised Mrs Pfeiffer did the same. Mrs Pfeiffer hesitated for a moment and then hugged the surprised Iris, who, after a moment of hesitation, hugged her back. The Mrs Pfeiffer ran to her husband to pack and Iris went to her room and started chanting.

Once her parents were out, she started a different spell. She knew she might die, but death was preferable to being possessed.

Faith gave Cordelia a passionate kiss when they met in their dreams.

"Wow," Cordelia said breathless. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"Why should you do anything?" Faith pouted.

"Good point," she said and Faith nudged her, smiling.

"Anyway, I got a very interesting proposal today. You could almost call it an indecent proposal."

"Yeah?" Cordelia said curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Remember Sara and Daisy?"

Cordelia grinned.

"The two who tried to seduce you."

"Yes. Well, today they informed me that they would be interested in a foursome with me and my girlfriend."

"What?" Cordelia said and laughed. "Are you serious?"

Faith grinned.

"Yes. And when I showed them your photo, they were definitely interested."

"Really?"

Faith looked at her, pouting.

"What kind of question is that? Are you daring to suggest that my girlfriend is not the most gorgeous girl alive?"

Cordelia laughed and then kissed Faith on the lips.

"I would never dare suggest anything so blasphemous," she said and Faith laughed. "I guess the correct answer would be, 'Of course'."

Faith smiled.

"That's better. And?"

"And? Oh, the foursome thing! Em… Huh. I'd have to think about it," she said, blushing. "What about you?"

Faith shrugged.

"Sure, they're hot and all, but I've done threesomes before."

"Yes, I know," Cordelia said, smiling, and Faith blushed.

"Yes. Anyway, I've never shared you with anyone or been in a foursome and you've never tried any toys."

"Toys?" Cordelia asked, interested. "As in sex toys? Dildos, vibrators and the like?"

Faith grinned.

"Those toys, yes."

"It's definitely worth thinking about it," Cordelia said thoughtfully. "Would you be interested?"

"If you go along with it, yes. If not, I won't be missing anything new."

Cordelia kissed her again.

"Good. I'll think about it."

Faith smiled.

"Okay," she said and they kissed.

"So, what else is new in Sunnyhell?"

"Oh, the usual. Some demon tried to split Buffy in half, but he accidentally hit Xander. Now can you imagine two Xanders?"

Cordelia chuckled.

"Must have been interesting."

"Yeah, I guess. Oh, Xander finally moved out of the basement."

"Really?"

"Yes. He got himself an apartment. I haven't been there yet, but Buffy says it's nice."

"Good. He's not exactly my favorite person, but I'm glad his situation got better."

"Yeah, me too," Faith agreed. "What about you?"

"Me? Oh, nothing much. Angel's thinking about what to do with the hotel. And we had to kill an ugly demon, no biggie."

Faith smiled.

"I'll bet."

"You know, this is weird," Renee said as she and Monique sat down in the cafeteria.

"What?"

"Before we got to high school, how many gay couples did you know?"

Monique thought for a moment.

"None."

"Exactly. And now I've lost count of how many I know. Not to mention that I'm actually friends with."

Monique smiled.

"Yeah."

"And now the teachers are getting together."

"You mean Ms O'Brien and Ms Delfino?"

"Yes."

"Weird, yes. I would never have thought that they're gay."

"Me neither."

"You think the Who… Sara and Daisy had something to do with it?"

Renee shrugged.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter."

"At least they're not as bitchy as last year."

Renee chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Hi, guys," Faith said as she came by.

"Hi," Monique said.

Faith took a deep breath and sat down.

"I hate Math," she said. "Can somebody please tell me why do we have to know all that crap?"

Monique and Renee smiled.

"Because they think it's important?" Monique offered.

"Who's they?"

"The authorities."

"Oh. I hate authorities. Good thing Ms Delfino knows how to explain things or I would be in deep shit."

"Don't Cordelia's memories help?" Renee asked.

"A bit. But she didn't like Math either."

"Oh."

"Say, did you see those sisters today?"

"No," Renee said. She looked at Monique. "Monique?"

Monique shook her head.

"No."

"I guess we kicked their butt yesterday," Faith said.

"What happens next?" Renee asked, worried.

"I don't know. I'll have to ask Willow."

Renee sighed.

"I so hate this."

Faith smiled.

"All of us do." She sighed. "I gotta go to the toilet. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Faith got up and left."

When Faith did what needed to be done at the toilet, she went toward the classroom where she had her next period.

"Hey," she said when she noticed Stacy, and sat next to her.

Stacy looked up and smiled.

"Hi."

"Stacy, right?"

"Yes."

"Faith." She looked at the magazine. "What are you reading?" she asked and Stacy showed her. "Geology? You're interested in rocks?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Stacy smiled.

"Yeah. Grandpa got me interested in this. He used to be a professor here at UC Sunnydale."

Faith paled, suddenly getting a very sinking feeling. She was surprised that she hadn't made the connection sooner.

"Professor Worth was your grandfather? Professor Lester Worth?" she asked, hoping that her voice wasn't shaking.

"Yes. Did you know him?"

Faith quickly shook her head.

"No. I just… heard that he was… killed."

Stacy nodded, her face serious.

"It was a brutal murder and we don't even know why, the killer didn't take anything. And Sunnydale police seems very incompetent."

Faith just nodded, not trusting her voice.

"My Dad even hired a detective," Stacy continued, "but she came up with nothing."

Faith paled even more.

"You okay?" Stacy asked, finally noticing how pale Faith was.

Faith nodded.

"Fine," she croaked.

"You don't look fine."

"I am."

"You sure?"

Faith nodded again and managed to fake a smile.

"Yeah."

Stacy thought for a moment.

"Em, do you have any plans for tonight?" she then asked, blushing slightly.

Faith shrugged.

"I'm not sure yet."

Stacy hesitated for a moment.

"You wanna… go out with me? Tomorrow?"

Faith looked at her, surprised, suddenly feeling very sick.

"On a date?"

Stacy blushed.

"Yes."

"No," Faith quickly said and Stacy slumped a bit, disappointed. "I mean, I already have a girl," she explained.

"Oh," Stacy said and smiled.

"Excuse me," Faith said and left, hoping it didn't look like she was running.

She went straight to the girls' room. She stood still for a couple of moments and then ran to one of the toilets and threw up. Even when there was nothing more to throw up, her body still convulsed, wanting to expel the feeling of sickness. She thought she had gotten over the murders she had committed. She was obviously wrong. She had known before that Stacy's family name was Worth and she was surprised she didn't make the connection sooner. She knew that she wouldn't be able to look at Stacy again without remembering what she had done. And she actually liked Stacy. And to make things worse, Stacy liked her as well. Hell, she had asked her out on a date!

Faith shuddered. She realized she was crying and she wiped her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down and then got up. She straightened, wiped her eyes again and took another deep breath. Then she went to the sink and splashed cold water in her face a couple of times. Then she looked at the mirror and stared at her wet image. She shuddered again. She took a paper towel and wiped her face. Another couple of deep breaths later, she went to excuse herself and then she went home.

"Faith?" Maria said, surprised, when she saw Faith. "Aren't you early?"

Faith shrugged.

"Yeah. Didn't feel so well."

"Do you want me to call your mother?"

Faith shook her head.

"No. I just need to rest."

"Do you want me to serve lunch later?"

"Nah. You and Alice can eat. I don't feel hungry. I'll go lie down now."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything."

Faith smiled.

"I will. Thanks."

Maria nodded and went back to the kitchen.

"Faith!"

Faith turned and smiled when she saw Alice.

"Hey, little lady," she said and picked her up.

Alice smiled, but then her face became serious when she noticed that Faith was sad.

"You're sad," she said.

Faith sighed.

"Yes," she confirmed and hugged her tightly. "Bad memories," she explained. She kissed her on the temple and looked at her. "But I feel better already," she said, smiling, and caressed her.

Alice smiled.

"Oh, Faith, I almost forgot," Maria said. "Cordelia called. She sounded worried."

Faith sighed and then smiled.

"I thought she might," she said and looked back at Alice. "I'll call Cordy and then I'll take a nap. Wake me up when you want to go out."

Alice nodded and Faith put her down. She went to the phone, picked up the receiver, took a deep breath and dialed the number.

"Angel Investigations. We…"

"Cordelia," Faith cut her off.

"Faith! Are you okay? I felt… I don't know. It felt like you were… hurt."

"I'm fine, Cordelia," Faith assured her.

"But…"

"Just bad memories. I'll tell you everything tonight."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Cordelia sighed.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I hope so."

"Me too."

There was a brief pause.

"I love you, Cordelia," Faith then said and Cordelia could feel just how much that short statement conveyed.

"I love you too, Faith."

There was another brief pause.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Faith hung up. She stared at the phone for a few moments and then went to her bedroom.

The nap was anything but relaxing, the memories of what she had done kept resurfacing, causing her nightmares.

She was just in the bathroom, refreshing herself, when the bell rang. She knew it was probably Raelee and Lara. She went downstairs, relieved to have an excuse for not going back to sleep.

Downstairs, Maria had already opened the door and Faith saw that it was indeed Raelee and Lara.

"Hi, guys," she said, smiling.

"You look like shit," Raelee said and Faith grinned.

"That's exactly how I feel," she said.

"Are you okay?"

Faith sighed.

"Just bad memories, that's all."

"Oh. Here, we brought you the notebooks."

"Thanks," Faith said and took them.

"Are you gonna take Alice out?"

Faith glanced at her watch.

"Yeah. You two reporting for duty now?"

Raelee and Lara both smiled.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll see you in the park then. I'm just gonna grab a quick bite and then I'll take Alice out."

"Okay. We'll see you later then."

"Yes."

Raelee and Lara left and Faith closed the door. Then she went to the kitchen.

"I'm hungry," she said.

Maria looked at her, smiling.

"Feeling better?"

Faith quirked her lips, thinking.

"No, not really. I'll talk to Mom later."

"Are you okay, Faith?" Monique asked when Faith brought Alice to the park.

"Yeah," Faith lied. "Just bad memories."

"Oh."

"Faith," Lara said. "Willow called me. She said we will try to exorcise the demons later."

"Okay," Faith said.

"She said we'll do it at their house."

Faith grinned.

"Taking the fight to them, ha?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Did she say when?"

"No. I'm going to Mr Giles after we take Hope home."

"Okay. I'll drop by later as well."

When they got home, Alice ran to Mrs Chase, who was reading a newspaper on the sofa. Faith slowly followed her.

"Faith, everything okay?" Mrs Chase asked, noticing faith's serious expression.

"She was sad," Alice reported.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Faith took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

Mrs Chase looked at Alice.

"Alice, why don't you leave us alone for a while?"

Alice nodded and left. Faith sat beside Mrs Chase. She hesitated for a moment and then leaned on Mrs Chase. Mrs Chase smiled and put her arm around her. Then she waited patiently for Faith to tell her what was troubling her.

"Remember Professor Worth? The one I… murdered?"

Mrs Chase frowned. She did remember Faith telling her about it and she wondered why Faith was bringing that up.

"Yes," she said and caressed her.

"I just found out that the new girl, Stacy, is his granddaughter." She paused for a moment. "She told me her parents had even hired a detective to find me."

Mrs Chase stiffened, worried.

"Is he still searching?" she asked.

Faith shook her head.

"No." She sobbed. "She likes me."

"Stacy?"

Faith nodded.

"She even asked me out on a date, but I told her I was taken."

Mrs Chase caressed her again.

"Now I'll never be able to look at her without remembering what I had done," Faith continued.

Mrs Chase hugged her tightly, thinking about what she could say or do to make her feel better.

"You were afraid and you made the wrong choices," she finally said and caressed her. "But you've overcome your fears and you've learned from your mistakes." She thought for a moment. "What you've done will always be with you, reminding you what can happen if you let fear guide you and you shut yourself from everyone. But you also have to remember that many people, the entire Earth, in fact, have you to thank for their lives." She caressed her again. "You're not bad, Faith, in spite of the bad things that you've done. I'm still proud of you."

Faith looked at her, her face wet with tears.

"You mean that?" she asked.

Mrs Chase smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Of course I do."

Faith hugged her back and Mrs Chase caressed her again. Faith slowly slid down, until her head was resting in Mrs Chase's lap. Mrs Chase quietly held her, waiting for her to stop crying.

"Feeling better?" Mrs Chase asked when Faith finally sat up.

Faith looked at her and nodded.

"Yes. Thanks, Mom."

Mrs Chase caressed her, smiling.

"Glad I could help."

Faith smiled back and then took a deep breath.

"I'm going to Giles now, there are some bad witches in town."

Mrs Chase nodded and Faith left. Mrs Chase stared after her thoughtfully, thinking about just how much Faith needed her. She was just glad that she was able to help her.

Iris felt lucky that Heather was meditating the whole day, gathering power for the evening's confrontation. She had successfully managed to exorcise her demon, but she was exhausted and she slept for eighteen hours straight. When she woke up, Heather was still meditating, Nancy was ranting about their parents' absence and Tamara and Zoe were in their rooms, avoiding her. She went to them and they gathered in her room.

"I'm sorry, guys," she said.

Tamara and Zoe looked at one another, surprised. Then they concentrated.

"You're not possessed anymore," Tamara said, surprised.

Iris smiled weakly.

"No, I managed to exorcise my demon last night. It was tired from the attack and I managed to regain control." She sighed. "I told Mom and Dad to leave."

"They're safe?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know. We have to exorcise the demons from Nancy and Heather. If Heather finds out I'm no longer possessed, she's gonna kill me." She sighed. "Zoe, you tell Nancy I want to talk to her. Tamara, you hide behind the door. When Nancy comes in, we'll do the sleeping spell. Zoe, try to be behind her, so you can hit her on the head. Then you two will have to exorcise the demon and I'll make sure Heather doesn't notice."

"Why won't you do the exorcising?"

"Because I'm too weak. Now go, before Heather stops meditating."

"Why don't we call those three witches?" Tamara asked.

"Because we don't know who they are. And there's no time to find out." She looked at Zoe. "Go."

Zoe nodded and left.

Iris took a deep breath.

"I hope this works," she said quietly.

"So, when are we going?" Faith asked after Willow filled her in on the plan.

"Right now. They won't be expecting us during the day."

"Alright, it's your game." She got up and headed for the door. "Oh, Giles, where were you yesterday? And a couple of days before?"

"I was at the Magic Shop. I bought it."

"You did?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yes."

"Then I'll have to drop by." She chuckled. "Though I just can't picture you behind the counter. Except as a librarian."

"Actually, Anya takes care of that."

Faith laughed.

"Anya? Now that I gotta see." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Let's go, guys."

Back at the Pfeiffer house, things were not going well. Nancy's demon had managed to overcome the sleeping spell and Iris had a hard time preventing Heather from sensing that. Tamara and Zoe were sweating as they fought the demon, but they didn't give up, they were determined to save their sister.

Suddenly the demon managed to break through the chains and lashed out at Tamara, who screamed as Nancy's fingers, which momentarily transformed into claws, slashed at her neck. Zoe screamed as well when she saw blood pour from Tamara's neck.

Iris gulped and then quickly hit Nancy on the head. Nancy looked at her, her eyes glowing.

"You can't have her, witch," the demon in her said and Nancy started choking.

"No," Iris said and tried to do the exorcising spell, but it was too late and Nancy stopped moving.

Iris stared at her, shocked.

"Iris," Zoe called her, trying desperately to stop Tamara from bleeding.

Iris looked at them.

"Step aside," she said. "And see if Heather woke up."

Zoe nodded. She quickly got up and left the room.

Iris put her palms on Tamara's neck and concentrated. She hoped she could perform the healing spell before Heather stopped meditating.

"She's coming," Zoe said when she came running in.

Iris ignored her and chanted for a few more moments. Then she looked at Tamara.

"Get her out of here," she said. "I'll try to stop Heather."

Zoe nodded, gulping. She took Tamara's hands and started dragging her out of the room. Iris followed her, ready to protect them.

Just as they got out, Heather came down the hall, her eyes glowing.

"You puny mortals," she growled.

Iris didn't hesitate and she immediately launched an attack. She knew she was too weak to stop Heather, but she wanted to distract her long enough for Zoe to get Tamara to safety. Heather easily deflected Iris' fireballs, but they were so numerous that she couldn't concentrate long enough to launch a proper counterattack.

When Faith and the three wiccans came to the Pfeiffer house, Zoe just opened the door to get Tamara out of the house. She gasped, surprised, when she saw the wiccans. She was afraid of them, but they were the only ones that could help.

"Help Iris," she said. "She's upstairs, fighting Heather."

Willow nodded and went upstairs. Tara and Lara followed her.

"What happened?" Faith asked.

Zoe wiped her tears.

"Last night, Iris managed to exorcise her demon and today Tamara and I tried to exorcise Nancy's demon. But it was too strong and it nearly killed Tamara. Iris tried to exorcise it as well, but it killed Nancy." She sobbed for a moment. "Iris then performed a healing spell on Tamara and now she's trying to stall Heather."

"Go help them," Faith said and picked up Tamara. "I'll take her inside."

Zoe gulped and nodded.

"Okay," she said and ran upstairs.

Upstairs, Iris was loosing. She was still weak from exorcising her own demon and then trying to exorcise Nancy's demon and trying to heal Tamara took away even more of her energy. She knew she didn't stand a chance against Heather, who was well rested.

"I'll kill you, you little bitch! How dare you exorcise my brothers! I will slowly torture you to death. But first, I will torture you pathetic sisters. And I will make them eat their own…"

She trailed off when Lara threw her against the wall and held her there. Willow and Tara immediately started to exorcise the demon. Lara tried to chant along, but she quickly stopped, realizing that Heather's demon was very strong. Iris rested for a few moments and then started to chant herself, only she tried to make sure that Heather's demon didn't kill her. When Zoe came upstairs, she quickly joined Willow's chant.

About ten long minutes later, it was over and Heather was sitting with her back against the wall, hugging her knees and crying. Iris and Zoe hesitated for a few moments and then went to her and hugged her. They were crying as well.

Willow, Tara and Lara observed them for a few moments and then went downstairs.

"How did it go?" Faith asked when the three wiccans came downstairs.

"We succeeded," Willow said, tired. "How is she?" she asked and nodded at Tamara.

"It seems Nancy did this," Faith said.

"Nancy?" She frowned. "There are five sisters. I only saw four," she said, worried.

"Nancy's dead," Faith said. "Her demon kill her."

"Oh." Willow took a deep breath. "This is so sad."

"Yeah," Faith agreed and looked at Lara, who was performing a healing spell on Tamara. "Where are they?"

"Upstairs. They're crying."

"Oh. I'll call Giles and tell him we won."

A couple of minutes later, Heather, Iris and Zoe came downstairs. They looked tired.

"How is she?" Zoe asked and went straight to Tamara.

"She's fine," Lara said.

"Em, I'm sorry," Heather spoke, nervous. "We all are."

"What happened?" Willow asked. "How did you become possessed?"

Heather sighed.

"We discovered very soon that we had these powers. We knew it was magic, so we tried to learn more about it. We tried various spells and we got cocky. During a spell, Nancy, Iris and me got possessed." She gulped. "It was… scary. We couldn't do anything about it, we could only watch what they were doing." She shuddered and wiped a tear that slipped down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"And what happened today?"

Heather looked at Iris, who sighed.

"Yesterday, my demon was hurt by your attack and I managed to regain control. Then I exorcised it. Today, I told Tamara and Zoe to exorcise Nancy's demon, while I made sure Heather's demon didn't notice." She sobbed for a moment. "But it was too strong and it wounded Tamara. I tried to continue with the exorcism, but the demon killed Nancy." She took a deep breath to calm down. "Then I performed a healing spell on Tamara and told Zoe to get her to safety while I distracted Heather." She sighed. "Thanks for helping us."

Willow looked at Tara and Lara and then back at the sisters.

"What will you do now?"

Heather sighed.

"I don't know. But we're staying away from magic, that's for sure."

"Good." She hesitated for a moment. "And if you do decide to try magic again, come see me first."

Heather nodded.

"We will. Thanks." She looked at Iris. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"I don't know, I sent them away. They should call tomorrow."

Heather sighed.

"Then let's clean up." She sobbed for a moment. "And we need to take care of Nancy's body."

"Call the cops," Faith said.

"The cops?" Heather said, worried.

"Yeah. Just tell them you four were in the park with us and that when you came home, you found her dead."

The sisters stared at her, surprised.

"You… You would help us? After everything we've done?"

Faith shrugged.

"It's what we do." She looked at Lara. "How long till she wakes up?" she asked and nodded at Tamara.

"I can wake her," Lara said.

"Do it," Faith said and looked at Heather. "Go call the cops."

Heather gulped and then went to call the police.

"You sure paid a heavy price," she told Iris, who nodded.

"Zoe?" Tamara said when she opened her eyes and saw Zoe.

Zoe smiled sadly.

"Yeah, it's me."

Tamara then remembered what had happened and she touched her neck.

"Nancy?" she asked when she made sure that her neck was okay.

Zoe bit her lips.

"She's dead," she said quietly.

Tamara stared at her for a few moments, shocked, and then started to cry. Zoe hugged her. Iris bit her lips and wiped her own tears.

In the evening, when Faith went on patrol, she checked all the tombstones, trying to find out where Allan Finch and Professor Worth were buried.

She found Finch's grave first. She stared at it, not sure what to do or say.

"I'm sorry, Allan," she finally said and gulped.

It was a short sentence, but it expressed all her feelings. She stared at the grave, realizing that she didn't know anything about him, except that he was a deputy mayor. She wasn't even sure if he was good or evil, a willing participant or just a pawn. Like her.

She frowned. She wasn't just a pawn, she was a willing participant as well. She sighed. She was reckless before, but she had learned.

"Rest in peace, Allan," she said and moved on.

Several vamps and a couple of cemeteries later, she finally discovered Professor Worth's grave as well. She stared at it, suddenly feeling much worse. While Finch was an accident caused by her recklessness, Professor Worth was a premeditated assassination. And she didn't even know back then why the Mayor wanted him dead. And back then, she didn't even care, all that mattered was that the Mayor had given her an assignment and that she didn't want to fail him. She shook her head, disgusted at how she had let him manipulate her.

"I'm sorry, Professor," she croaked, desperately trying to hold back the tears and failing. "Rest in peace," she said and ran away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Come here," Cordelia said when they met in their dreams that night, and opened her arms.

Faith came closer and they hugged. Cordelia gently caressed her. When they stopped hugging, Cordelia cupped Faith's chin and kissed her. Faith hesitated for a moment but then kissed back.

"Show me?" Cordelia asked when they stopped kissing.

Faith tensed for a moment but she nodded. They stepped into one another and then Faith/Cordelia went to the bed and lay down.

The End