TITLE: It's Tough to Have a Crush

AUTHOR: AbyKitten

E-MAIL: (AbyKitten@aol.com.) Pleeease send me feedback! I need it to survive *winks*

PAIRING: Buffy/Faith

RATING: NC-17 for Language and Sex.

POSTS: The Cats Meow and where ever else I send it <lol>

DISCLAIMER: UPN and ME - Yes. AbyKitten - No!

NOTES: This is my contribution to The Cats Meow 'Monthly Pairings' fic challenge. I didn't think I was going to get it finished in time, but I did *grins* This is set in Season 3 before Faith ever went off on her crazy little trip, and it's kinda how I would liked to have seen things work out for our Slayers.

The title of the story is taken from the OK GO song 'It's Tough to Have a Crush' and when you read the story you'll know why I used it *grins* The song title, lyrics, music, et al. belong to OK GO and no copyright infringement is intended.

DEDICATION: This is dedicated to all the members of TCM, who have made the group an amazing place to be, and who always give great encouragement to the authors to write. You guys are wonderful!

It's also dedicated to my best friend Daxy, who continuously hand holds me though each of my stories. Without her I would NEVER get any writing done. Thanks, babe, you're the best!

To Mari, my wonderful beta, what would I do without you? *winks*

And finally, to someone VERY special (you know who you are) thanks for making me feel again, you really are amazing.

It's Tough To Have A Crush
By AbyKitten

The Scoobies and Faith were all in the library waiting patiently for Giles and Buffy to arrive. They had been called to Principal Snyder's office because of some "irregularities," which Snyder was sure was their fault. After all when anything went wrong Mr. Giles and Ms. Summers always seemed to be in the thick of it. Knowing that they were going to be late, they had told the rest of the gang to wait till they got out so as they could discuss that night's patrol.

Oz sat with his feet up on the table, strumming some chords on his guitar and muttering to himself once in a while. Cordelia and Xander were over by the weapons cage making out, while Faith practised some kicks and punches. Willow, for her part, was looking through the school's computer system to see if she could see what her upcoming midterm grades were going to be. Although she really wanted to know, she kept getting distracted by Faith and the conversation she needed to have with her.

Sighing deeply and switching off the computer, Willow came over to where Faith was practising her moves. "Erm...Faith, I kinda need to talk to you," she mumbled and fidgeted nervously.

Looking at her friend, Willow's obvious agitation told Faith that this was something important. She shrugged, "Sure thing, Red."

Willow took Faith over to the far side of the library, knowing what she had to say should be said in private. She didn't particularly want to do this, but she knew she had to for both her friends' sake. She had debated with herself for a few weeks now on whether she should say something, but had always chickened out, not knowing if it would make things better or worse. Once she had Faith far enough away from the rest of the gang, Willow sat down and motioned for Faith to do the same.

"Faith, I…I'm not quite sure how to say this, but I'm gonna do my best to cause I'm your friend and Buffy's friend and I know you're Buffy's friend too, and I don't want to lose that friendship cause that would just be bad and I'd feel all lonely even with Oz. . ." the redheaded witch babbled.

"Whoa, Red, calm down a little, you're gonna use up all the oxygen in the room!" Faith grinned, seeing Willow blush. "Now, start from the beginning and tell me what's wrong?"

Taking a deep and hopefully calming breath, Willow once again began to speak, "Faith, have you noticed anything unusual about Buffy lately? Anything even the slightest out of the ordinary?"

Faith thought for a moment, but couldn't really think of anything about Buffy's behaviour of late that was different than her usual prissy and uptight self. "Can't say I have, Red," Faith replied. "Why, have you?"

Nodding almost frantically, Willow began to pick at imaginary lint on her sweater, "Yes, I have. Maybe it's because I've been her friend much longer than you have I notice these things."

"Oh, go on?" Faith said feeling a little bit anxious now too.

"Well, Buffy's always been a little bit distant from us. We're her best friends, and we help in the fight against "darkness" and she loves us for it, but she still kinda keeps us at arms length. I've noticed in the last couple of weeks though it's got much worse, in fact she seems positively secretive." Willow said with an almost shocked look on her face.

Faith's brow creased as she thought about what Willow was saying, trying to see if she could remember Buffy being more distant than normal. After a few minutes she realised Willow was right, not only was Buffy spending less time with the gang, but she was much less talkative when she was with them.

"Ya know, Red, now that I really think about it, you're right! I think there is something up with B, but what do you want me to do about it?" Faith questioned.

Picking once again at the imaginary lint, Willow dropped her head and mumbled, "I want you to spend some time with her…"

"What?!" Faith almost yelled, drawing the attention of the rest of the Scoobies to where she and Willow sat.

"Shhhhhhhhh..." Willow hissed, "I want this to stay between the two of us for now." She smiled over at her boyfriend, letting him know everything was all right and that everyone should just go back about their business.

Lowering her voice and turning back to face Willow, Faith began talking again, "You want me to spend time with her? Why? What good would I be? You're her best friend, I mean, c'mon, Red, you know she barely tolerates me being here, so why the hell would she want to spend any time with me?"

"That's just it," Willow beamed, "you can use it as an excuse! You see, if I try to hang around with her too much, she'll know I know something's wrong and then she'll get even worse and might not talk to me again and that's not really something I want to have happen..." Willow had gone into babble mode again, and Faith knew she should really stop her, but in all honesty she found the redhead's nervous chattering quite cute, and so just let her go on. "But if it's you who is spending time with her you can always say it's because you feel you need to get to know one another better as Slayers, etc." Willow finished, taking a huge breath.

Faith nodded her head, she could see her friend's point, but was she really the best person for the job? Her people skills weren't exactly the best, and if B did something to piss her off, she might just end up giving her a smack to the mouth. But she could see this was important to Willow and she liked the redhead a lot and wanted to do what she could to help.

"All right, Red, I'll see if I can find out what's bugging B, okay??"

Willow's smile almost split her face and she threw her arms around Faith, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, you're the best," she whispered into Faith's ear, causing the younger girl to blush furiously.

"Yeah, whatever," Faith mumbled as she pulled herself out of Willow's arms. "I'm just gonna get back to my workout now."

Willow nodded her head and smiled at Faith as the dark-haired girl got up and went back to where she had been practising. 'Things were going to be all right now,' Willow thought to herself, 'Faith was on the case and things would be sorted out soon.' Getting up, she headed back over to where Oz sat and taking his guitar from him, she placed herself on his lap, giving him a quick kiss.

Cocking his eyebrow in Faith's direction, Oz asked the question he was sure everyone else was thinking: "Something wrong?"

Shaking her head, Willow smiled nervously, "Uh, no, just some girly stuff," she answered.

Nodding his head and shrugging slightly, Oz lifted his guitar again and began trying to play it around Willow.

(2)

"I can't believe he thought it was something to do with me, Giles!" Buffy huffed as she and her Watcher came through the library doors. "Geez, just because the lab animals didn't have their heads doesn't mean I had ANYTHING to do with it! I don't even like Bio, let alone going in there during the night and hacking their poor little heads off for pleasure!"

Everyone had stopped what they were doing when they heard Buffy mention the decapitated lab animals and all looked fairly grossed out, except poor Willow who looked like she was either going to faint or cry.

"There are lab animals without heads?" Xander asked, his voice somewhere between disgust and fascination.

"Yeah, something or someone got in here last night and took them right off. Nice and clean, no mess, no fuss," Buffy answered, sitting down at the table beside Willow and Oz.

"Sounds like something ritualistic," Oz said in his usual monotone.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking," Giles replied, moving behind the huge Library desk to his office. "We should do some research and see if there are any rituals which would require this kind of sacrifice."

"Well, as much as I would love to be a part of your little research team," Cordy said sarcastically, "I have cheer practise, so I'm out of here." She gave Xander one last peck on his cheek before sashaying out the door.

"Aah, well, now that everyone who is going to be here is here," Giles began, "we need to look into this. I have a feeling I should know why this has happened, but I just can't seem to put my finger on it," he finished, bringing said finger up to tap on his now tight-lipped mouth.

"I'll try online," Willow said, hopping back up onto the stool and once again booting up the library computer.

"I guess Oz and I will do the book stuff," Xander sighed, looking over at his friend who merely shrugged and got up to look for the appropriate reading material.

"What about us, G-man?" Faith asked, pointing at herself and then Buffy.

"Well, I think with Buffy's mood, the best thing you two can do is a little sparring, might help to take the edge of her aggression," the Watcher replied, rubbing at the lens of his glasses with a tissue.

Buffy frowned and pouted at her Watcher's remark. "I am not in a mood," she huffed.

Faith grinned and poked the older Slayer with her elbow, "coulda fooled me, B, you're acting like someone just broke your favourite stake."

"You would, too, if you had a weasel like Snyder accusing you of EVERY single thing that goes wrong," the blonde growled.

"Yes, well, Principal Snyder does seem to pick on you rather unfairly, Buffy, but that's no reason to call the man a weasel…that's just being rude to all weasels everywhere…" the older man trailed off, leaving everyone with shocked faces before they burst into fits of laughter.

Giles looked around at the laughing youngsters; it was nice to see. Sometimes he felt they didn't laugh often enough, especially Buffy. It seemed to Giles that lately Buffy was even more subdued and he had spoken to Willow about it. Between them, they had come up with the plan to get Faith to find out what was bothering the young blonde, and hopefully in doing so, bring the two Slayers closer together.

After the laughter had died down, everyone set about their tasks. Willow scanned the Internet databanks at a phenomenal speed, it seemed like she had memorised every site there was on the occult and demonology. Xander and Oz sat at the large mahogany desk flicking through the books that Giles had said would be of the most use. The Watcher looked through some of the ancient scrolls he had tucked away in the safe in his office. He couldn't shake the feeling he should know what was happening and figured this would be the ideal place to start.

Buffy and Faith had moved over to the crash mats Faith had set out earlier and began to trade jabs and kicks. It was sometimes difficult for Faith to do this with her counterpart, as it seemed she always managed to get distracted by Buffy's movements, which usually meant her getting a swift kick to the head which knocked her on her ass.

Moving forward, both Slayers took up a fighting stance. Circling each other, they looked for opportunities to take the other out. Faith moved first, crouching low as she kicked out, catching the older girl's ankle with her foot, causing the blonde to teeter before regaining her balance.

"C'mon, Faith, you need to do better than that," Buffy grinned, knowing that the brunette would be annoyed that she hadn't managed to make the other girl fall.

Grinning back at Buffy, Faith once again began to circle. "I know, I just thought I'd go easy on ya for a minute before I really whupped your ass," the dark-haired girl replied.

Making a forward punching motion, Faith narrowly missed hitting Buffy square on the jaw. It was only the blonde's quick tilting of her head which stopped the brunette's fist landing full force; instead she felt her ear get clipped slightly.

"Ouchie!" Buffy squealed, her hand coming up to cover her ear. "Faith, that really hurt," the older girl whimpered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Damn, B, I'm sorry!" Faith exclaimed, coming forward to inspect the damage.

Reaching out her hand to remove Buffy's fingers from her ear, Faith was shocked to find herself flying through the air before landing with a heavy thud on the mat. After the stars cleared from her eyes, the brunette looked up to see herself being straddled by a triumphant Buffy.

"Psych!" The older girl crowed, pumping her fist in the air.

Not wanting to be beaten, Faith flipped their positions, putting the older Slayer beneath her. She didn't want Buffy to have the chance to escape and so laid herself over the blonde, pinning her hands above her head.

"Who's psyched now?" The brunette asked, her voice husky.

Buffy looked up into the deep chocolate depths of her sister Slayer's eyes and, not for the first time, noticed how beautiful they were. Her gaze travelled downward over Faith's cute little nose and came to rest on the full pouting lips which were inches from her own. The beauty of the woman on top of her, combined with the heat and weight of her body, were making the blonde feel a confusing mix of emotions.

Quickly pushing Faith from on top of her, Buffy leapt to her feet and put some distance between herself and the woman who was causing her to feel things she wasn't even sure she wanted to think about.

"Geez, B, panic much?" Faith questioned, flipping herself onto her feet.

Drawing the younger Slayer a look, Buffy picked up her water bottle and took a long drink. "Who was panicking?" The blonde responded. "I just couldn't take your dog breath in my face any longer."

Turning to the older girl, Faith pulled a face before flipping her the finger. Realising that they weren't going to get any more sparring done, well, at least not of the physical kind, the brunette took the opportunity to ask Buffy to go out with her that night.

"So, B," the younger Slayer started, "I don't know about you, but I'm wicked antsy. How 'bout we go out Bronzing tonight after patrol?" she finished, flashing the blonde an almost predatory smile.

Buffy wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, the thought of going out and dancing the night away with the younger girl was exciting, and was something which would help to release their pent up energy. On the other hand, doing these things with said girl could and would only help to confuse Buffy and her feelings more.

Giles, who had come back out of his office in time to hear Faith ask Buffy out, cleared his throat to make his presence known to the two Slayers. "Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea, Buffy, and it is Friday night, so no school to worry about," the Watcher finished, looking at the blonde expectantly.

"Now just hold on a minute. You go back into that office and send out the real Giles," Buffy said, not believing her Watcher had just practically ordered her to have time off and, not only that, but to have fun while she was at it.

Giles smiled at his young charge's expression. "This is the real me, Buffy, I just agree with Faith on this one. I think you need a little time out to enjoy yourself."

"Oookay," the blonde answered shrugging her shoulders, "if everyone thinks I need to find the fun, then I guess I will."

Buffy turned toward where her other friends were sitting, still intent on their tasks. She sighed; maybe Giles and Faith were right, it had been a while since she'd gone out and really just cut loose. Smiling, she walked over to the desk and slid herself up onto it.

"So, Will, guys, you up for some Bronzing tonight?" The blonde Slayer asked, taking another sip from her water bottle.

"Hell yeah!" Xander answered, a smile going from ear to ear.

"No, Xander! We can't!" Willow exclaimed, hopping down from her stool.

"We can't?" The dark-haired boy replied, confusion written all over his face.

"No, we can't," the redhead shook her head furiously, "we have that thing tonight," she said, hoping her tone of voice would bring Xander to the realisation that this was to be a Buffy and Faith night only.

"Thing? We have a thing?" The boy said, more confused than ever.

"Yes. Remember we talked about it weeks ago." Willow pressed, her eyes widening as if she were trying to reach Xander telepathically.

Xander's face seemed to fall. He was afraid he had forgotten something important and he really didn't want to hurt his best friend's feelings by letting her know this. "Oh, yeah, the thing," he said, playing along even though he really had no idea of what Willow was talking about.

Relief washed over Willow when it seemed that her friend had finally caught on to what she was doing.

"Sorry, Buffy," Willow smiled at her best friend, "we have a thing tonight and we've been planning it for ages so we can't really get out of it, not that we wouldn't love to come to The Bronze with you, it's just that, well, there's the thing," the Witch babbled, never seeming to take a breath.

"It's okay, Red, we understand." Faith interrupted, stopping Willow before she could put her foot in it.

Willow smiled at the brunette, thanking her with her eyes.

Waiting till the attention was away from him, Xander turned to Oz and whispered: "Is there a thing?"

The quiet redhead shook his head and, noticing the other boy's look of confusion triple, he answered, "I'll explain later."

The dark-haired boy nodded, glad that someone knew what the heck was going on cause he sure as hell didn't.

"Okay, B, now we know that it's just you and me for tonight, what time will I pick you up at?" Faith said, waggling her eyebrows.

Rolling her eyes in an effort to ignore the younger Slayers flirting, Buffy slipped off the table and picked up her book bag. "I guess around 7:30 would be good," she answered, heading for the door. "Oh, and Faith, don't forget to bring Big Boy," the blonde said as she disappeared out the door.

All eyes turned to Faith, eyebrows raised, silently questioning Buffy's parting shot.

"What?" The brunette challenged. "It's my stake!" she answered before heading out the door too, leaving everyone with stunned expressions on their faces.

(3)

Faith arrived at the Summers household at 7:30 sharp because she knew Buffy hated tardiness and really wasn't in the mood to listen to the little blonde piss and moan about her lack of punctuality. Knocking on the door, the brunette waited for Buffy or Mrs. Summers to answer. She was a little nervous about tonight, after all, it was her first real time out alone with the blonde and she just hoped what she had planned wouldn't be too much.

Pulling at the sleeves of her leather jacket, Faith looked up when she heard the door being opened. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. There stood Buffy in an outfit which Faith could only describe as "hot." Instead of her usual pastel ensemble the blonde wore a pair of tight black figuring-hugging pants, topped off by an almost skin-tight red halter top which was cropped to just above the older Slayer's navel. Her shoulder length hair was free flowing and looking like a frame of gold around her beautiful face.

"Damn, B," the younger girl breathed, "you really are going slaying tonight," she quipped, winking at the now blushing blonde.

"Well, I figured if you can't beat them, join them." Buffy answered, looking the dark-haired girl up and down.

Faith grinned, letting the blonde check her out. She had taken a little extra time with her appearance tonight. She had on her favourite worn leathers and a crisp white tank top with the word "bitch" emblazoned across the front of it. Her dark make-up and almost ruby red lips made her pout seem even more prominent and her thick hair hung in tousled waves about her shoulders.

The Slayers were so lost in their appreciation of one another that they both jumped slightly when Joyce Summers came to the door behind her daughter. Smiling at Faith, she handed Buffy her jacket and a little extra spending money.

"Now, dear, you go and have a nice night out with Faith," the older woman smiled, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "Faith, you'll make sure that she gets home safely, won't you?" The woman said, letting the young brunette know that she didn't only meant from the vampires she knew the girls were going out to fight.

"No worries, Mrs. S," Faith answered, "B'll be five by five with me," she grinned and winked.

"All right, have a good time!" Joyce called waving to the girls as the made their way down the path and onto Revello Drive.

(4)

Entering Restfield Cemetery, both girls let their Slayer senses take over and guide them to where they knew there would be fresh graves. Sitting themselves down onto one of the large tombstones, they waited for the newly turned vamps to rise.

The silence between the girls was oppressive and Faith wanted to scream just so as there would be some kind of noise. Thinking better of it, though, she turned her head slightly to look at Buffy. Never being known for her tactfulness, Faith just came out with what she had to say.

"So, B. What's up your ass?" the dark-haired girl questioned.

Taken aback slightly by her companion's question, Buffy's eyes widened and she began to fidget. "I don't know what you're talking about." The blonde replied, trying to give Faith her best confused look.

"Don't try to bullshit me, B, you can't kid a kidder," Faith answered, pulling her cigarettes and lighter from her pocket.

Trying to get away from the subject of herself, Buffy snatched the packet from Faith's hand. "You know, these are going to kill you," the blonde said, waving the cigarettes in front of the younger girl. "Not to mention the fact that it's disgusting."

Waiting for her opportunity, Faith snatched the packet back and drew one out with her teeth. "Yeah, yeah, it's not like the vamps and shit won't get me first," the brunette replied sarcastically before lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag. Blowing the smoke into the air, making little smoke rings as she did, Faith gave Buffy a grin. "Oh, and don't try to change the subject, we're talking about you here."

Buffy tensed slightly and began to fidget again. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just my usual self, all Buffyness, yup, that's me…" the blonde babbled.

"Babble much?" Faith quipped, using one of Buffy's own lines on her.

"I'm not babbling," the older Slayer replied indignantly.

"B, you are," the dark-haired girl said her grin wider than ever.

Hopping down from her perch on the tombstone, Buffy paced back and forth. "I'm just sick of all this crap with Snyder," the blonde began, "everything is MY fault or I'm involved in it somehow. I swear, he's got spies everywhere watching me! Then there are the constant letters and phone calls to my mom, which is seriously pissing her off, and she takes it out on me. I mean, tonight is the first night in about three weeks there hasn't been a fight between us. Then to top it all off, I'm flunking math!!" the older girl ranted, still pacing like a caged lion.

Faith slid down from the top of the tombstone too and, grabbing Buffy by the arm, brought the other Slayer to a standstill.

"Whoa, B, chill. You're gonna pop a vessel!" the brunette said, a hint of worry in her voice.

Buffy stopped and took a deep breath, she was glad to have that off her chest, and for some reason, having Faith be the one to hear it helped even more. She knew that Willow and Xander would have been as attentive and would have done an excellent job of consoling her, but to have it be Faith gave Buffy an extra boost. Since the dark-haired girl had arrived on the scene they had become friends but, like in their sparring sessions, they did a fair amount of circling one another to be sure to never let themselves get too close.

Faith knew Buffy was telling the truth about what had been bothering her, but she also knew the blonde wasn't revealing everything. In her time in Sunnydale, the young brunette had gotten more attuned to the Slayer connection between them and could tell there was still something upsetting the other girl. Not wanting to push too hard, Faith decided to leave things alone, fearing that if she took things too far her budding friendship with Buffy would be lost.

Smiling at her friend, Faith gave Buffy's arm a quick squeeze. "Feel better?" she asked.

The blonde smiled and nodded, "Actually, I do."

Looking down at her watch, Buffy realised that they had now been waiting for over an hour for any signs of vampire or demon activity. Frowning, she looked around herself, before turning back to Faith.

"Is it just me or is there a distinct lack of anything spooky tonight?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah, I had noticed the no fighting." Faith smirked. "Well, B, since the nasties have taken the night off, why don't we?"

"Sounds like a plan. I need to get some serious dance time in," Buffy replied as she headed in the direction of The Bronze.

Faith stood where she was, waiting to see how long it would take the older girl to realise she wasn't with her. After a few seconds Buffy turned as she noticed her companion wasn't at her side.

"Erm, Faith…Bronze?" The blonde said, pointing in the direction of the club.

"Nah, B, I think we should go somewhere else tonight. I know this great little place where we can have some serious fun." The brunette grinned. "Who knows we may even get laid!" she finished, waggling her eyebrows for emphasis.

Buffy blushed at Faith's words but followed the dark-haired girl anyway. It would be nice to go somewhere other than The Bronze, but it didn't stop her from being nervous at the thought of where they might end up. Buffy knew that the brash and impulsive nature that Faith was known for got the other girl into situations and so hoped that they weren't going to end up in some sleazy dive where everyone was looking to fight or fuck.

"Where are we going?" Buffy asked as she followed Faith. She wasn't sure this was a good idea; they were heading into the quieter part of town.

"Just chill, B," Faith answered, "you're gonna have fun. I promise." The younger girl winked.

Turning up an alley, the Slayer's saw the flashing neon sign before them. It was day-glow pink and flashed the words 'The Pink Parrot Lounge' before a gaudy multi-coloured bird appeared.

"You've got to be joking?" Buffy laughed. "This is like something out of a Police Academy movie."

"I know it looks a bit over the top, but it's cool inside," Faith answered, "plus I know the owners and they turn a blind eye."

Buffy shrugged and followed the younger Slayer through the door. Faith was right; it wasn't so bad once you were inside. It was a lot more colourful than the interior of The Bronze, but it wasn't so garish as to make you want to wear sunglasses.

The blonde had an idea of what kind of place this was by the name alone, but had it confirmed to her when she saw the dance floor filled with same sex couples swaying to the music. There was a huge bar which filled the entire back wall and the bar stools were occupied by an equal amount of men and women.

Buffy wasn't at all surprised that Faith had brought her here; after all, it was obvious that the dark-haired girl liked the fairer sex as much as the male one. She had first noticed it the night Faith had arrived at The Bronze. After they had made their introductions and Faith was telling them the tales of her nude rescue and alligator wrestling, Buffy had noticed that the younger girl had checked out Cordelia every chance she got.

Taking her cue from Faith, the blonde walked toward the bar, taking in the scene around her. It was obvious the brunette came here regularly as she was greeted with warm smiles and hugs by some of those they passed.

Reaching the bar, Buffy smiled as Faith pinched the butt of the guy standing before her, causing him to jump slightly before turning to see who the offender was. She watched as the dark-haired man gave Faith a blinding smile before enveloping her in a bear hug. Once they broke apart, the brunette brought that man forward and introduced him to Buffy.

"Dan, this is my friend Buffy," she said putting her arm around the blonde's shoulder.

Buffy put her hand out and shook the one offered to her. Dan was a good looking fellow who appeared to be about the same age as Giles. His hair flopping over his eyes gave him a more boyish look than that of her Watcher, but it was still apparent they were of a similar age. He was tall and muscular and wore very expensive looking shirt and slacks.

"Buffy, this is Dan, the owner of this dive." Faith smirked, winking at the older man.

"Ignore her," Dan quipped, "she's just jealous. Oh, and while you're at it, please ignore the sign outside," the man said, rolling his eyes. "Thank God I got most of the say on the interior, but my partner named the joint and picked out the sign."

Just as Dan finished his sentence, a small effeminate man made his way to where they were standing. He was roughly the same height as Faith, with blonde hair and he worse and outfit that Buffy had only ever seen being worn by the pimps on Shaft. He waved dramatically at them and then threw his arms around Faith hugging her, before turning to Dan and putting an arm around his waist.

Faith tried not to laugh at the look on Buffy's face. Sure the little dude could be a bit OTT, but he had a heart of gold and Faith found him endearing.

"Well, B. First you met Dan the man, now meet Gene the Queen," she said, grinning at the smaller man.

"Oh, Faith, you're such a biatch," he answered in a voice that was reminiscent of nails being drawn down a chalk board.

"Yeah, and you love me for it," Faith replied, blowing him a kiss.

"You know it!" Gene exclaimed, giggling and squeezing his love tighter.

Buffy fought down the urge to laugh hysterically and, somehow sensing this, Faith poked the older girl in the side letting her know she only had to hold out a little bit longer.

"Well, guys, I guess we'll catch up with you later," Faith said, smiling at the two men. "I'm as dry as the Sahara and standing here gabbing to you two girls is making it worse."

Before Buffy even had a chance to say anything, Faith pulled her away from the two men and towards an opening which had become available at the bar. As soon as they were far enough away from the club's owners, Buffy lost it all together and doubled over laughing.

"Oh, oh, oh…" the blonde gasped trying to regain her composure.

"I know, B," Faith laughed too, "they're a complete head trip, but they're good guys," she said, nodding in the direction of the two men who were now wrapped in one another's arms.

"Yeah, I can see that." Buffy smiled. It wasn't very often the brunette openly showed that she liked people, so Buffy knew the men must be good for Faith to say so.

Buffy nodded and flashed her friend a bright smile. She hadn't been sure about going out with Faith, but now that they were here she was starting to relax and really enjoy herself.

"So, B? What's your poison?" Faith asked, lighting up a cigarette.

"Erm…I dunno," the blonde replied. She had never really been out drinking before and the most alcohol she had ever consumed was a small glass of wine one year at Willow's for Passover.

Faith took another drag on her cigarette and thought for a moment. If Buffy wasn't used to drinking, she better start her off with something simple. Leaning over the bar, Faith yelled, making sure she could be heard above the music of the live band which had just started their set, "a Long Island Ice Tea, a Morgan's and Coke and a bottle of Miller," she told the bartender.

Nodding at Faith, the girl behind the bar went to get their drinks. Turning back, Faith watched Buffy as she swayed to the music. It was obvious the older girl was getting into the groove and Faith was pleased about this; perhaps it, and a few drinks, would help to loosen the blonde's tongue and they could finally get to the bottom of what had been bothering her.

Taking the final puff on her cigarette, the younger Slayer stubbed it out in the ashtray which sat atop the bar. Noticing that their drinks were sitting waiting for them, Faith smiled at the bar girl to let her know to put it on her tab and that she would pay up at the end of the night.

Lifting the tall glass filled with amber liquid and handing it to Buffy, Faith then retrieved her own glass and beer bottle. Looking around she spotted a table at the far corner of the room and motioned for Buffy to head in that direction. Luckily by the time they reached their destination no-one had beaten them to the punch, and so both girls sat down, making themselves comfortable.

Buffy slowly brought the glass of liquid up to her lips, she was a little unsure of the contents but figured Faith wouldn't try to poison her…well, at least not this early in the night. Taking a tentative sip, she felt the warm burn of the alcohol as it slid over her tongue and down her throat. She gagged a little at the taste and made a small face before shuddering involuntarily. The alcohol wasn't unpleasant, it was just something the blonde wasn't used to, but she was sure she could develop a taste for it given enough time.

Faith watched Buffy take her first sips from the glass and had to stifle the urge to laugh at the cute little face the older girl made. She was used to the odd drink; after all, you couldn't grow up in a house with an alcoholic and not taste the wares from time to time. The dark-haired girl enjoyed her occasional tipple, but always very conscious of the fact she didn't want to end up like her mother and so made sure not to do it too often.

Faith hadn't realised she'd been lost in thought until she saw the older Slayer waving her hand in front of her face. "Earth to Faith!" the blonde said, a small frown marring her features.

"Sorry, B," Faith answered, blushing, before she grinned and winked at the other girl. "I was just savouring the burn," she said, pointing at her half empty glass of Morgan's.

Buffy nodded and took another sip of her drink. "Yeah, it does kinda heat you up," she giggled.

It was then that Faith realised that Buffy was more than three quarters of her way through her Long Island Ice Tea and that her cheeks were beginning to flush a lovely shade of pink. "You like, though?" she asked, picking up cigarette packet and tapping one out.

"Mmmmm, yeah, it's yummy…once you get over the original urge to gag." The blonde replied honestly.

Faith laughed and lit her cigarette, taking a deep drag. "Yeah, once the first one's down, the rest go much easier," the brunette said, tossing back the rest of her drink for emphasis before puffing on her smoke again.

"Let me have one of those?" Buffy asked, pointing to the packet lying on the table between them.

Faith's eyes widened in surprise and she grinned at the older girl. It was obvious the alcohol was affecting her, but Faith figured she was a big enough girl to look after herself. If she wanted to try a smoke, then who was she to argue.

"Knock yourself out, B," the brunette said, pushing the packet of Marlboros and her Zippo toward the other girl.

Buffy wasn't really sure why she had asked Faith for a cigarette, but now she had and was going to give it a try. Everyone had always told her how disgusting it was, but when she watched Faith smoking she really looked as if she were enjoying it, so surely it couldn't be that bad?

Pulling a cigarette out of the packet she held it awkwardly between her fingers before bringing it to her mouth and letting it slip between her painted lips. Once she had it steadied, she lifted the lighter and flipped open the lid before flicking the flint and watching the flame appear before her.
Bringing the light to the end of the cigarette she did what she had seen Faith do often and sucked deeply on the butt, filling her lungs with the acrid fumes.

Faith knew exactly what was coming next and she wasn't at all disappointed, for as soon as the nicotine-laced smoke reached the blonde's lungs, they rebelled and the offending gas was expelled in great racking coughs.

Buffy was coughing so hard her face was almost purple and tears began to stream from her eyes. Never had she felt anything like this in her life! Her throat felt as if there was broken glass being forced down it, her lungs were wheezing like she had run a four minute mile, her head was spinning, and her stomach gave a quick lurch. 'How could Faith do this to herself?' the blonde thought, practically throwing the cigarette into the ashtray.

At the final look of horror on Buffy's face at her failed experiment, Faith couldn't hold her laugh in any longer. She fell forward, slapping at her leather clad legs and shaking with the force of her laughter.

"Damn, B, you should have seen yourself!" the brunette wheezed, trying to get control of herself.

Buffy, who had finally stopped coughing, shot the younger girl a death glare. "Why didn't you warn me?" she huffed, finishing the last of her drink in an effort to both ease her raw throat and to get rid of the disgusting taste the cigarette had left in her mouth.

Faith shook her head, at last managing to stop her laughter. "Uh-uh, B, you ain't putting this one on me. You wanted to do it and you're plenty old and wise enough to do your own thing." The younger Slayer answered.

"You could at least have told me what to expect." Buffy pouted.

"I could have," Faith said, raising an eyebrow, "but the best way to find out about why smoking is so bad is to experience it for yourself." Taking a sip of beer from the bottle, she continued, "think of it this way, B, it's another valuable life lesson learned."

Buffy nodded, understanding what Faith was saying and knowing why the younger girl hadn't stopped her, despite the fact she knew what the blonde's reaction would be.

Seeing that Buffy got her point, the brunette took another sip of her beer. Noticing that their glasses were now empty, Faith signalled to one of the table staff to let them know that they were ready for another round of drinks.

The waiter approached the table and gave a bright smile when he saw who the occupants were. "Hey, Faith! How you doin'?" he asked, giving his best Joey Tribbiani impression.

"'Sup, Max?" Faith replied, giving the waiter a low five.

"Nothin' much, babe, still just in here trying to make a crust," the waiter replied, looking around the club.

"Yeah, and like you don't love it?" the young brunette quipped, raising an eyebrow. "In here every night, dicks lining the walls just waiting for you to take them home and make them your bitch…" Faith trailed off waiting for Max's reply.

The young waiter thought about it for a minute before flashing Faith a huge grin. "You're right! I freakin' LOVE it here!!"

Faith and Buffy laughed while Max continued to grin. He pulled his order pad out from his apron and turned to Buffy. "So, what can I get you, honey?" he asked, smiling at the blonde.

"Aaah…I think I'll stick with what I was having." Buffy replied, looking to Faith for the answer.

"She'll have another Long Island, no, in fact, make it two, and I'll have two Morgan's an' Coke and another bottle of Millar."

Max took down the order then gave Faith a knowing wink before heading off to the bar to get the girls' drinks.

"Wow, Faith, do you know everyone in here?" Buffy questioned and looked around herself and the myriad of people.

"Nah, not everyone, but pretty close." Faith answered as she took another drag on her cigarette. She didn't really want to explain to the blonde that this was where she ended up almost every night after patrol, and that on more than a few of those nights she would end up leaving with some girl or other.

The girls sat in companionable silence, listening to the band. They were both enjoying the music and couldn't stop themselves from moving to the beat. Max soon came back with their drinks and the Slayers were surprised to find two extra glasses on the young waiter's tray.

Knowing that Faith would question him, Max beat her to the punch and told her they were from Dan and Gene. Both of them thanked the waiter and told him to pass on their thanks to his bosses.

(5)

The Slayers sipped on their drinks and continued to listen to the music. After a while Faith felt her buzz start to come on and the need to get up and dance hit her like a Mack truck. Turning to Buffy, she could see the older girl had now made her way through another glass and a half of her 'ice tea' and was looking a little wired herself.

Getting up from her chair, Faith held her hand out to a questioning Buffy and pointed to the dance floor. The blonde got up quickly, a little too quickly, and teetered slightly before regaining her balance.

Faith grinned at Buffy's slight staggering and then, taking her hand led her out onto the dance floor. As soon as they were among the crowd the women let the music wash over them and soon they were oblivious to anything but the beat.

Faith could feel the music pound through her veins and moved her body accordingly. Her hips swayed as she ran her hands over her own body and up into her hair before raising them into the air and throwing her head back in ecstasy. She loved to dance; the feeling of freedom it gave her was akin to what she experienced when Slaying and it, too, had the side effect of leaving her hungry and horny.

Coming back to herself for a moment, Faith watched Buffy dance and she could see that the older Slayer had lost herself to the music too. She was glad to see that Buffy was letting go and enjoying herself. Looking more closely than she had let herself in a long time, Faith once again noticed just how beautiful her sister Slayer was. Her loose hair whipped around her head, shining different colours of gold when the light caught it. Her movements were free and graceful, her face was beautifully flushed and her eyes sparkled. The brunette was totally captivated and couldn't take her gaze away from the older girl, even once she realised she was staring right back at her.

Buffy's heart skipped a beat when she saw Faith looking at her, especially as she could see the look of appreciation in the other girl's dark eyes. She knew that Faith thought she was good looking, she'd told her on several occasions, but tonight there seemed to be something more to her admiring glance, something which Buffy hadn't seen before but had wanted to. The dark-haired girl was looking at her with a gaze filed with desire, and Buffy was sure she could feel her knees go weak.

Something pulled her forward and before she knew it, Buffy had her hands on Faith's hips and was moving with her in time to the beat. The heat radiating off the younger Slayer was intense and Buffy let herself revel in it. After a moment of hesitation, she felt the brunette's hands slip up her arms and pull their bodies together. It was as if they were on autopilot and both girls swayed and gyrated together, all the while holding each other's gaze.

Faith could feel her baser instincts come into play and had to stop herself from pulling the blonde up against her and ravaging her. It was all becoming too much for the brunette; she needed to get away from Buffy and fast, before she did something both of them would regret.

Disentangling herself from the blonde, Faith took a step back and yelled so as she could be heard above the music. "B, I gotta go pee, you be all right here?" she questioned, desperate to get away from the other girl.

Buffy nodded her head, more than just a little confused at Faith's actions but, before she could say anything, the younger Slayer rushed from the dance floor and off in the direction of the bathroom.

After a moment's hesitation, Buffy went back to the table where their drinks were sitting. She was confused and upset by Faith's abrupt departure and was feeling like she had just been kicked in the gut. Lifting her half empty glass, she brought it to her mouth and chugged down its contents before lifting the second glass and doing the same. Sitting down heavily into her chair, she waited for Faith to come back. That was, if she ever did. Seeing that her own drinks were finished, Buffy lifted Faith's and sipped on it too.

Faith stood in front of the row of sinks in the bathroom. She was shaking from head to toe and in an effort to calm herself she splashed some cold water onto her face. Looking into the mirror she hardly recognised herself. Who was this terrified young woman? She was sure that even when she had faced Kakistos she hadn't looked this afraid. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself, Faith knew she would have to go back out and face Buffy but what was she supposed to say? 'Oh, hey, B. Sorry about almost trying to fuck you on the dance floor in the middle of a crowded club!' Yeah, that would work; it would also get her a severe ass kicking. Closing her eyes and centring herself, the young Slayer knew she had no choice but to go back out and face the music.

Buffy sat at the table still sipping on Faith's drinks. She was feeling pretty weird but she wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol, what had almost happened with Faith or a mixture of both. All she knew was that the feelings she had for Faith obviously weren't returned or the brunette wouldn't have run off like a scalded cat.

She wasn't exactly sure when her feelings for Faith had changed, but they had and, in an effort to try and stop them from overwhelming her, she had done her best to distance herself from the Scoobies, especially when the brunette was there. She felt guilty about it, as it was obviously upsetting Willow, but Buffy knew the only way she could keep her sanity was by keeping herself away from the situation that was causing problems…namely, Faith.

Draining the last of the Morgan's and Coke, Buffy looked up at the stage and saw the band was no longer playing, it looked like they were getting ready to take a break. Seeing the band members milling around on stage and the empty mic gave Buffy an idea. Getting to her feet, she made her way across the dance floor, listing slightly with each step, until she reached the stage area. Looking up, she called to one of the band who came over to where the obviously drunk blonde was.

After a few minutes of quiet conversation the chuckling band member nodded his head and turned back to the rest of the group, letting them in on what had been said. It was obvious they all found the situation highly amusing and they too nodded their assent. Coming back to the front of the stage where Buffy stood on rather wobbly legs, the lead singer of the band gave confirmation of what was to happen and pointed to a set of stairs at the side of the stage.

Making her way to where the man had pointed, Buffy tottered to the stairs and made her way up onto the stage. Once she was up there and saw the small sea of faces looking back at her expectantly, she began to have second thoughts but once again the alcohol took over and giggling lightly, Buffy stepped up to the mic.

Faith walked out of the restroom still berating herself for walking out on the blonde when they were so close to actually getting somewhere. She couldn't understand what had made her run, it was so different to what she would have normally done. After all, she lived by the axiom 'want, take, have,' so why was it different with Buffy? Of course, she knew in her heart why it was different but getting her head to understand was a completely different kettle of fish.

Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, the brunette made her way along the short corridor back into the main room of the lounge. She would talk to Buffy and hopefully, after things had been sorted out and apologies were made, they could still have some kind of friendship. It took Faith a moment to realise the band was no longer playing and that everyone who had been on the dance floor had returned to their seats. Looking over at the table she and Buffy had been sharing, she was surprised to see no sign of the blonde. Thinking for a moment about where here companion could be, Faith began to panic slightly. She knew the older girl wasn't in the bathroom, if she had been Faith would have seen her. 'Maybe she's gone home?' the brunette thought to herself, which only made her even more uneasy. She knew Buffy was pretty much drunk and wouldn't be able to handle herself as well as normal should she happen to get into a fight.

Faith was about to turn and head for the door to the club when the stage lights came back up and a huge cheer emanated from the crowd. Looking toward the now brightly lit stage, the young Slayer soon found where her companion was. For there at the front of the stage, giggling merrily was a very cute but very drunk Buffy.

Faith's jaw dropped open in both surprise and shock; never would she have figured Buffy would get up on stage, even if she was three sheets to the wind. Stepping forward, Faith's shock doubled as Buffy clasped the mic between her two hands and the band behind her started to play a sweet but catchy melody.

Clearing her throat a little before she began, slurring her words slightly at first, the blonde spoke into it. "This is for my Faithy, cause I know she doesn't feel the same way I do…" the blonde trailed off before beginning to sway with the music.

Faith couldn't believe her ears, not only was Buffy about to sing, but she was gonna sing to her! If it had been anyone else she would have burst a gut laughing, but this was Buffy, the woman she had fallen hard and fast for the minute she'd set eyes on her. She had always been sure Buffy hated her or, at least, only tolerated her but now that she thought about it, there was a fine line between love and hate and it seemed the blonde was leaning over the love side of the fence.

Buffy looked into the crowd hoping to see Faith but the bright spotlight which shone down on her blinded her to all but the first few tables situated around the dance floor. Hearing the intro to the song come to an end, she took a calming breath and began to sing.

"Well it's tough to have a crush
When the girl doesn't feel the same way you do
Well it's tough to have a crush
When your best friend breaks the news
Perhaps you'll find me feeling better in a day or two
But it's tough to have a crush on you"

Faith was dumbfounded; not only was Buffy singing a sing to her, but the song was about how she had a crush on her. She figured the song was going to be something about friends or even about how Buffy hated her, but to find out the blonde was crushing on her, well, it blew Faith away. Unsure of what to do, the brunette stood rooted to the spot for a moment before walking forward and into Buffy's line of sight.

Buffy saw Faith walk out of the shadows and she gave the younger girl a slight shrug and a self-deprecating smile before beginning to sing again.

"Well it's tough to have a crush
Whoever knew such hullabaloo
Well it's tough to have a crush
When it only leaves you blue
Perhaps they'll find you in the river in a month or two
Well it's tough (so tough) to crush on you
Well it's tough (so tough) to crush on you
Yeah it's tough (so tough) to crush on you"

The song ended and the entire room applauded. Not quite sure of what to do, Buffy bowed slightly before moving off stage and heading to where Faith stood. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at Faith, it was one hell of a confession she had just made and to do it in front of a room full of people only seemed to make it worse. The courage that Buffy had felt through the alcohol was now starting to wear off and all she felt was sick and embarrassed.

Seeing Buffy's discomfort over what had just happened, Faith put her arm around the blonde's shoulders and hugged her gently. "C'mon, Madonna, let's get you home," the brunette said before giving Buffy another quick squeeze.

The blonde nodded and, letting Faith help her, they both collected their jackets before heading out of the club into the warm night air.

Faith knew they would have to talk sooner or later about what had just happened, but tonight wasn't the time. Buffy was drunk and the full effects of the alcohol now seemed to be hitting the petite blonde if her staggering walk and sick-looking face were anything to go by. The brunette also knew there was no way she could take Buffy home in this condition; Mrs. Summers would skin them both and Buffy would be grounded for an eternity.

Continuing to keep her arm around the listing blonde, Faith walked in the direction of her motel. At Buffy's questioning glance, the dark-haired girl grinned. "B, there's no way you can go home in this state. You mom would kill both of us and then resurrect you just so as she could ground you for the rest of your life!"

Buffy giggled, "Shupposhe you're right," she slurred out, before belching and becoming quite pale.

Faith noticed the slightly green tinge on Buffy's face and chuckled, knowing exactly what the blonde was feeling. She remembered it from the first time she had ever gotten wrecked and also how much she had puked until all the alcohol was out of her system.

Looking back at Buffy, she could see the older girl swallowing convulsively and knew that she was gonna hurl, it was only a matter of when and where. Picking up their pace a little, Faith tried to make sure they were safely ensconced in her motel room before Buffy blew.

Helping the blonde up the last few stairs to her room, Faith quickly pulled her keys out from her pocket and opened the door. Buffy had started to shudder and her face was now the palest of white tinged with a hint of grey. Knowing that the older girl wasn't going to last much longer, Faith lifted the petite Slayer and quickly carried her into the bathroom before setting her down on the floor beside the toilet. It seemed they got there just in time as Buffy gave one last shudder, burying her face in the toilet bowl and heaving for all she was worth.

Faith grimaced at the noises the older girl was making; she sounded like a distressed hump back whale and the echo from the toilet only seemed to intensify it. She noticed that the blonde's hair was in the direct line of fire and so pulled it out of the way. Unfortunately, that gave her full view of the contents of the blonde's stomach being emptied into the bowl.

"Damn, B! What the hell were you drinking? This sure as hell was just some 'ice tea,'" Faith said, her head drawing back as Buffy once again heaved uncontrollably.

It was clear Buffy was in no fit state to talk and sitting on the edge of the tub watching the blonde puke was beginning to have an effect on the brunette. Getting up, she grabbed a scrunchie from the cabinet and tied Buffy's hair into a ponytail before leaving the bathroom.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Faith realised she was going to have to call Mrs. Summers and tell her that Buffy was spending the night at her place. Sitting on the edge of the unmade bed, she lifted the receiver and dialled Buffy's number, looking at the clock to make sure it wasn't too late and that she wouldn't be disturbing the older woman.

The telephone rang on the other end for a few seconds before she heard it being answered.

"Summers residence," the singsong voice of Joyce Summers answered.

"Hey, Mrs S. it's Faith," the dark-haired girl started, hoping to God the woman didn't hear her daughter puking her guts out in the background.

"Oh, hello, Faith, is something wrong?" Joyce's voice was full of concern.

Faith hated lying to the woman, but she knew if Buffy was caught it would spell big trouble for both of them, especially her as she was the one who took the blonde to the club in the first place.

"Nah, nothing's wrong. Buffy's in the bathroom taking a quick shower," Faith lied, "she asked me to give you a call to tell you she's decided to spend the night here. You know, have a slumber party." Faith rolled her eyes at her own lie, she'd never been the type for slumber parties, but she knew it was something Buffy had done often and so it would be convincing to her mother.

"That's lovely, Faith. You girls have a great time!" Joyce answered with a smile in her voice.

"Sure thing, Mrs. S. We'll see ya tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Okay, sweetie, goodnight to you, too, and give Buffy a big hug from me." Joyce replied before hanging up the phone.

Putting the receiver back on its cradle, Faith sighed and rubbed her tired eyes again. It was then she noticed the distinct lack of noise coming from the bathroom and headed back in to see if everything was all right. Opening the door she peered in and saw Buffy exactly where she had left her. Mercifully the older Slayer had stopped vomiting and now sat with her cheek against the cool porcelain of the toilet bowl.

Stepping into the room, Faith went to the sink and wet a face cloth with cold water before kneeling down to the blonde and wiping her sweaty face. She saw a little colour had returned to the girl's pale features and so hoped the worst was now over.

Buffy looked up at the younger girl with tired eyes. Never had she felt so horrible in her entire life and she was glad that Faith had brought her back to her motel instead of taking her home because there was no way she could have dealt with her mother feeling like this. Smiling slightly at Faith as the brunette wiped at her face, the blonde thought about how gentle and attending the young Slayer was being, and hoped that it was because she cared and not just because she felt sorry for her.

Faith finished wiping Buffy's face off and saw the older girl smile at her. She smiled back at the pretty little blonde, before throwing the cloth into the sink and getting to her feet. "C'mon, B, let's get you up and into bed," Faith said as she filled a large glass with water and brought a bottle of aspirin out from the mirrored cabinet on the wall.

Buffy moved to get up then, realising something, sat back down her face flushing crimson.

Turning back to see that the blonde hadn't moved, Faith held her hand out to Buffy thinking perhaps the older girl couldn't get up. When the other Slayer made no move to accept her hand or get up on her own, Faith frowned. "B, c'mon, you gotta get up. You need to drink this water and take these aspirin or how you're feeling right now will be tripled by the morning."

Buffy's face flushed even redder, if that was possible, when she saw Faith looking at her with a frown. There was no way she was going to get up from here but she also knew she couldn't spend the night on Faith's bathroom floor. Her embarrassment becoming too much for her, the blonde started crying and hid her face in her arms.

Faith was worried enough about what was wrong with Buffy but as soon as the other girl started crying, it finished her off and an uneasy panic rose in her throat. 'Maybe there's something really wrong?' the brunette thought to herself. 'What if she'd puked blood or something while I was out of the room?' Faith's mind was a whirl of questions and she quickly kneeled back down beside her sister Slayer, taking her into her arms.

"B, what's wrong, baby? Did something happen?" Faith questioned, her voice rising slightly.

Faith's hugging her and her obvious concern only made Buffy worse and what had been simple crying now turned to deep sobs. How could she tell Faith what had happened without the younger girl thinking less of her? How could she ever live this down?

Faith stroked the blonde's hair making shushing noises, and placing tiny kisses on top of her head. She was upset now herself, why was Buffy crying and why wouldn't she get up? After a moment she took matters into her own hands, they couldn't sit on this cold floor all night, especially if something was really wrong. This might be something too big for her to deal with and Buffy could need serious help. Getting to her feet, she pulled the protesting blonde with her and it was when picking her up she realised what the problem was. Swallowing hard and biting on her lip, Faith fought down her urge to laugh and instead schooled her features into a face as sympathetic and gentle as she could.

Bringing her mouth down to the still crying blonde's ear, Faith spoke gently to let the other girl know that she knew and that things were fine. "B, why didn't you just tell me?" she said, sitting the other girl down on top of the toilet.

Buffy sniffled and kept her chin on her chest, still unable to look the other girl in that face. "What was I supposed to say, Faith? Oh, by the way, I just peed myself, any chance of some clean undies?" the blonde replied sarcastically.

Faith tried once again not to laugh but couldn't help the giggle that rose in her throat from escaping. At the death glare she received from the other girl, she bit her lip and tried to look ashamed. "Geez, B, it's not that bad. Everyone's peed in their pants at one time or another, especially when they're drunk and doing their best impression of a fountain." the brunette said, trying to reassure Buffy that this was normal and not something she should be embarrassed about.

"God, Faith, I haven't wet myself since I was in kindergarten," Buffy pouted, her bottom lip trembling again.

"Yeah, but you also haven't been wrecked up till now and alcohol makes ya do some funny things." Faith replied. "Well, now that I know what the problem is, it's easily solved," the younger Slayer said, walking out into the bedroom before coming back in with a clean pair of panties and a pair of shorts.

"Let's get you cleaned up and into bed before anything else happens," the dark-haired girl said, fussing slightly over Buffy.

The older Slayer sighed and stood up trying to unfastened her pants to get them off. She wobbled and teetered before Faith noticed and steadied her, sitting her back down onto the toilet. "You just sit still, B, I'll take care of things," as she smiled up at her friend.

Unfastening the other girl's pants, Faith pulled them down over the blonde's hips, helping her to half stand before pulling them and the wet panties off and throwing them to the side of the room. Leaving Buffy sitting half naked for a moment, Faith took the wash cloth she had used earlier to wipe the blonde's face and this time rinsed it with warm water and added a little soap. Squatting back down in front of her friend, she used the cloth to gently wash the other girl's thighs before moving up to the juncture of her legs. This was something Faith had dreamed about doing since she had met Buffy, not washing her, but being between her legs and touching her most intimate parts. She looked at the blonde's neat little curls for a moment and then pulled herself out of her reverie, wondering how could she be such a perv thinking of touching the other girl when the poor soul was drunk and feeling like she'd just been through a wash and rinse cycle at the local Laundromat. Giving herself a shake, she gently swiped the cloth across the other girl's mound, making sure that she was clean and fresh before drying her off quickly and pulling on the panties and shorts she had brought in with her earlier.

Buffy watched Faith as she undressed her and then cleaned her up. She still felt embarrassed but a new feeling was now coming into play and it was something much better than what she had been feeling. It started as soon as Faith kneeled down before her and started cleaning her off with the warm cloth. It was a tingling sensation that came all the way from her toes right up to the top of her head but that seemed to be centred on the area Faith was taking care of. After a moment, Buffy realised it was arousal, and looking down at the dark-haired girl between her legs, she could see that she, too, was feeling it. When Buffy was about to take what little alcohol-induced courage she had left and let Faith know how she felt, she has saw the brunette reach for the towel and felt herself being quickly dried off before she was pulled into a clean pair of panties and a pair of shorts. A feeling of sadness crept over Buffy, it seemed that Faith didn't feel like that at all and was only trying to help her friend and sister Slayer out. The blonde once again felt embarrassed and ducked her head trying not to look Faith in the eye.

"Okay, B, we got you cleaned up, now let's get you to bed." Faith said, making a move to pick the other girl up and carry her into the bedroom.

"No, it's okay, Faith, I can walk myself," Buffy answered quickly, standing up and heading towards the door. After a moment, she staggered again and felt her head spinning before strong arms came around her and lifted her into the air carrying her to the bed.

Faith put Buffy down on the bed then headed back into the bathroom to fetch the glass of water and the aspirin bottle. Sitting the glass down on the nightstand, she flipped the bottle open and palmed two aspirin, handing them to the other girl. "Take these and drink the entire glass of water," she handed Buffy the glass, "the pills will help to stave off the headache and the water will stop you from getting dehydrated. That way when you wake up tomorrow you won't feel like you've just been beaten by ten Dontar demons."

Buffy took the pills and the water and downed them and handed the empty glass back to Faith. "Thanks for taking care of me," she said shyly, "I know you didn't have to, and, well, I'm glad you did."

Faith smiled back, "Well, I liked doing it…made me feel useful," the dark-haired girl blushed now too.

Pulling back the covers, Faith helped Buffy to get her legs into the bed before pulling the blankets up over her. She waited till the blonde was situated before stroking back the few strands of hair which escaped her ponytail and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Goodnight, B, I hope you don't feel too bad in the morning."

Buffy smiled at how gentle Faith was and she felt her cheek tingle where the younger girl had kissed it. "Goodnight, Faith, I hope I don't feel too bad, either," she chuckled before yawning and drifting off to sleep.

Faith watched Buffy sleep for a few minutes before she went back into the bathroom and cleaned up, putting Buffy's wet clothes into the hamper; she would wash them along with her own things and give them back to the girl when they were ready. Doing her nightly cleansing ritual, Faith looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. They would have to talk tomorrow and she just hoped she had the courage to tell Buffy how she felt, especially as she now knew the blonde cared for her too. Nodding her head and putting on Willow's famous 'resolve face,' she flipped the light switch in the bathroom and headed to bed. Climbing in behind Buffy, she spooned up against the other girl and let her arm drape over the blonde's side, trying not to wake her. She took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the girl before her and smiled contentedly as she too began to drift off to sleep. Just as she was about to fall into the land of nod, she felt the older girl pull her arm tighter around her and she scooted closer until their bodies were completely touching. Smiling once more, Faith closed her eyes and let herself relax into sleep, her heart feeling at ease for the first time in years.

(6) 

Buffy woke to a dry mouth and a mild pounding in her head. It really surprised her; she had been sure that when she woke up she would feel like death warmed over but instead she merely felt a little tired and achy. Faith was right, drinking the large glass of water and taking the aspirin had helped to stave off the worst effects of her drinking spree.

Closing her eyes again, the blonde could feel Faith still spooned behind her. It was obvious neither of them had moved during the night and Buffy could still feel the younger girl's arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She absently stroked the bare flesh, feeling how soft the skin was and how strong the muscles beneath were, thinking of the events of the previous night.

Buffy's face flushed slightly at the memories of what had taken place. She couldn't believe she had gotten piss drunk and got up on stage to sing a song to Faith, one telling her about how the blonde had a crush on her. 'Well, at least it wasn't the Bronze,' she thought to herself, she'd never have been able to live that one down, nor would her friends have let her either. Shaking her head slightly, Buffy's face flushed again. If doing what she did at the club seemed embarrassing, what had happened after Faith got her here was worse. Groaning slightly, she buried her face into the pillow as she thought of her little bathroom ordeal. It was bad enough having puked her guts out in front of the younger girl, but to have wet herself in the process, well, that just had to be her most embarrassing life experience yet.

Even through her embarrassment, Buffy thought about how caring and gentle Faith had been. God knows the girl had plenty to laugh at her about, but instead she had taken care of her and she hadn't even attempted to make fun of her once. She would have to talk to Faith about what had happened but, where she had once been dreading it, now she knew it would be all right. At one time she was sure the brunette would have laughed in her face or made some kind of sexual references, but after last night and Faith's reaction the discussion would be easy.

Buffy ran her fingers down Faith's forearm and clasped her hand over the top of the other girl's, feeling safe and warm in her embrace. She could feel the younger Slayer's breasts pushed up against her back and her breath blowing gently on her neck. Feeling a jolt of desire run through her body at the sensations of Faith pressed so close up against her, Buffy moaned slightly and her grip tightened on the other girl's arm.

"Steady there, B, you might break it." Buffy heard Faith sleep husky voice from behind and lessened her grip.

"Sorry," the blonde whispered.

"'S okay, B, I'm a big girl I can take it," Faith replied, tightening her grip around Buffy for emphasis.

Buffy smiled at Faith's words and both girls lay silently for a while. Faith had made no move to disentangle herself from Buffy and the blonde had not let go of her arm. After a few minutes of comfortable silence Buffy cleared her throat. "I think we need to talk, Faith," she said feeling the brunette behind her tense slightly before relaxing again.

"Yeah, B, I think we do too."

Buffy moved slightly out of Faith's arms and turned over until she was face to face with the other woman. Looking into the deep brown eyes before her, the blonde felt her heart flutter and her feeling for the younger Slayer intensify. It had taken her a while to first recognise and then accept her feelings for Faith but now that she had, and things were semi out in the open, she wanted to tell the brunette just how she felt and hoped her like, no, love was returned.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts, Buffy took the brunette's hand in her own and held it between them. Clamping down on her nerves, she smiled and began. "Faith, first of all I want to thank you for last night," she said sincerely.

"Hey, B, it..." before Faith could finish Buffy cut her off.

"No, I want you to listen to me first before you say anything, okay?"

Faith nodded her assent and smiled at the blonde, encouraging her to continue.

(7)