Shades of Gray

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Xander, Giles and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Josh Wheldon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the author for permission to reproduce this story on any other fan fiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage: http://www.therainbowwriters.com/
Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Spoilers: Season 7.
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Pairing: Willow/Tara    Buffy/Other    Faith/Dawn

Part 21

It was a moonless night, the small dots of bright white stars did their best to fight off the all consuming darkness, but were having little to no effect. Even in the deepest gloom, two figures could be made out in the back yard of the third house. The one, distinctively shorter than the other, shifted a heavy looking bag on her shoulder and glanced up at her companion. The other hunched forward a little, as if in some amount of pain. The denim and coat she wore had a hood that was brought forward over her head.

"We're doing the right thing." The smaller girl's British tones shook a little as she whispered the short sentence and clearly identified her as Bethany, but she received neither confirmation, nor disagreement from the taller figure to her right. "It's late." Beth raised her arm a little, pulling back the sleeve of her long tapestry coat and glancing at her watch. It's luminous hands revealed the time to be ten after midnight. "Maybe we should just go." She dropped her arm and re-adjusted the bag.

Then there came a subtle rustle in the bushes directly in front of them and Bethany tensed visibly, the person behind her did likewise.

"It's them isn't it?" Beth whispered but before her companion could answer, two figures leapt out at them. Arcing high in the air they landed on the grass in front of them and gave an angry hiss. The high bumps on their foreheads easily definable even in the near blackness.

"They're not fucking Bringers." With and angry snarl the denim hood was thrown back to reveal Piper, who from beneath the coat pulled the staff, which she twirled, instantly flicking it out to its full war size. "SPIKE!" she yelled as she moved herself in front of Bethany to protect her as the Uber vamps approached.

The peroxide vampire ran in from where he had been hiding at the side of the house taking a running jump at the Uber approaching from the right. Piper turned then and focused on the one to the left pushing it back with the end of her staff with a short hard jab to its abdomen.

Spike snarled as he was tossed backward by the Uber that seemed focused on heading for Bethany and ripping her apart. The young Brit was backing up her legs barely managing the stumbled motion, before the bag slipped off her shoulder sending her sprawling to the ground completely at the mercy of the Hellmouth beast.

"BETH!!" From the house came Zoë's panic filled scream, seconds before the back door was flung open and Buffy raced out, armed with a large heavy axe to defend the fallen young woman.

"Get to the house!" Buffy called as she swung the axe in a stomach level arc, knocking the Uber back a little. "Go Bethany!" She hissed when the smaller woman didn't instantly move.

Scrambling to her hands and knees Bethany made a hurried crawl towards the back door, hardly noticing the cuts and scrapes that the harsh concrete of the porch ravaged on her knees and palms.

Piper took a quick glance over her shoulder as Buffy joined the outdoor battle, though her attention was soon drawn back to her prey as it slashed out at her with long sharp talons. Using her staff to pole-vault-flip backwards she evaded the swing and then knocked the Uber back again with a series of twirls and stabs of her weapon. Changing her grip slightly on the staff, made the long weapon make a subtle 'clicking' sound and she watched as the ends both tapered slightly to form stakes.

"Oh yeah." She grinned beating back the Uber again tripping it, before twirling the staff and driving it down hard on the chest of it. To her surprise the wood passed through the tremendous body armor of the vampire into its vulnerable heart. With a demonic screech the Uber writhed for a moment before dusting away to nothing.

"Heads up baby." Piper spun on her heel, clicked the staff back into its shorter form and tossed it at Buffy.

The blonde Slayer caught it one handed, dropping the axe the same instant. The Uber facing her growled and hissed as she spun it and then gripped it tight, just releasing the axe heads. With a single bold swung she decapitated it and sent it's ash into oblivion.

"Way to go baby!" Piper grinned but was surprised when Buffy didn't even turn to her. Instead the Slayer tossed her the staff and stalked into the house.

"You to had a bit of a thing?" Spike asked as he stepped forward dusting off his dark jeans.

"News to me if we have." Piper frowned and took a step towards the house, but then stopped. "Come on we have the perimeter and bushes to flush out, just in case this wasn't just the set up we thought it was." She moved out, stepping carefully over the perimeter wires and with a shrug Spike followed.

"What the Hell is going on Giles?" Buffy slammed the dining room door hard making the watcher look up form his book.

"Buffy… I take it the attack was as we thought, a chance to eliminate Zoë and Bethany." The Watcher frowned.

"Yeah, but with Ubers Giles!" Buffy snarled. "Now when the one attacked Willow, like everyone else I was all well you know the First kept one aside for that purpose. Then when that one tried to take out Piper I thought wait a minute, two just in reserve, that's a bit far fetched. And now two more?" She shook her head. "These aren't reserve troops Giles, these are new Ubers." She leaned forward on the table. "Now just how in the Hell are there new Ubers?" She demanded.

"Buffy please!" Giles frowned slightly. "It is quite feasible that the First kept these Ubers from when the seal was opened."

"And did what with them Giles? Disguised them as table lamps? Fed them cheeseburgers?" Buffy face went flush with anger. "They nearly killed Bethany out there, way to go for ensuring the safety of a girl who's just given us more trust than we damn well deserve right now."

"Summoning." Sandra's voice came from behind the Slayer as she slipped into the room.

"Summoning?" Buffy turned to her still frowning.

"The First could be summoning Ubers directly from the Hellmouth." She replied crossing around to Giles, though constantly looking at Buffy.

"Sandra I really don't think…" Giles began to object.

"Rupert please." Sandra cut him off. "I know what you're going to say, it would take immense power and energy focus to perform such a summoning, but we are talking about The First here, we are talking ultimate power."

"But even so." Giles argued. "It wouldn't be able to summon, more than one in every ten hours or so, not even it has the strength to do more than that."

"One every ten hours?" Buffy jumped on the statistic.

"That's just an estimate Buffy, a generous one at that." Giles defended.

"So what, we say two a day, Giles do you realizing how long it's had to summon two Ubers a day?" Buffy felt her blood turning cold. "It's going to wipe us out." She whispered, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Buffy this is purely hearsay," Giles tried to interrupt Buffy's downward spiral.

"Giles even if it's only managing one a day, it's had more than three weeks." Buffy stopped and stared at him. "Faith, Piper and I can't take on God knows how many Bringers, eighteen or more Ubers and the First." She set out point blank. "No wonder its just been sitting back and letting us do our thing. Fuck!" She cursed angrily, the word out of character for her and shocking Giles as he stared at her. "Sandra, I want you to get everyone out of her, Anya, Xander, Dawn, Bethany, anyone non essential. Get them the Hell away from here, and do it now." She turned and looked at the female Watcher. "The SIT's too, any of them who want to go, take them too." She added, her eyes flashing as her mind tried to grasp hold of a train of thought.

"Buffy no, the First would kill them before they reached the town boundary." Giles shook his head. "And we need them here, I doubt Bethany would leave Zoë, I know Xander and Dawn won't leave you." He tried to bring clarity.

"They're going to die here Giles." Buffy turned to him and snarled.

"If the First wins here they're going to die where ever they are." Sandra put in, her voice eerily calm.

"I need to get out of here, I need to think." Buffy shook her head unable to meet either Watcher's eyes. She turned and marched out of the house leaving the door wide open in her wake.

Zoë moved the antiseptic wipe from one scrape to the next, her face a firm frown. Her beloved's role in the attack had only really been a matter of seconds, but the amount of damage just retreating had done to Beth made her sick to her stomach.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked quietly. "You scared the hell out of me out there."

"Well I guess we're even then, as you scared the hell out of me this morning." Beth scowled back trying not to wince in pain as the wipe was moved to the last cut.

"Touché darling." Zoë leaned up and gave her a light kiss. "All done. Just need to be careful for a day or too they might be sore." She hovered close to her. "Do you need anything else?"

"A brandy?" Beth actually smiled.

"Mmmm let me get you one." She moved over to the liquor cabinet in the living room across from the couch. "Generous or gigantic?" She teased.

"Just the bottle." Beth laughed back.

"Funny." She poured out a generous snifter. "You were very brave, baby." She moved back holding it out for her.

"No, I was scared out of my mind. Piper was brave." Bethany clarified taking the glass with a shaking hand.

"You were still brave. The way you distracted it by falling down." Zoë grinned at her reaching up to steady her hand. "You see now how serious this is don't you?" She questioned in a whisper as she sat down beside her.

"I never doubted it was serious, I just might have doubted we were on the right side." Beth explained honestly.

"But now?" Zoë checked.

"The First, whatever it is, sent those, those creatures, to kill us. There was no attack planned on the house and even if I hadn't have decided to turn sides on it, it would have killed whoever was out there." Bethany summed up what she knew. "I still don't understand any of this, but I owe my life to Buffy and Piper and that… vampire?" She even said the word with a raised eyebrow.

"Spike, you don't owe him anything. He's just trying to survive, nothing more trust me, if he had his way he'd eat all of us." Zoë shook her head. "So you know why I have to do this now right?"

"I know you feel you have to help yes, but Zee..." Beth put down her glass, the alcohol inside untouched. "You know what the spell does don't you." She checked her voice low.

"What it can do." Zoë corrected. "I'm not going to let that happen. I didn't come here to die, that's not my purpose."

"You didn't design the spell for you though." Beth pointed out.

"I know, but now I can tweak it for me. There is no way I'm letting some ghost and her ugly band of Ubers kill me when I have you back in my life baby." Zoë reached up to cup her cheek. "Hanlon spite won't allow it darling."

"Yeah it might be the First evil but it hasn't counted on Hanlon spite now has it." She laughed. "It's doomed."

"No way, what evil thing could know about the Hanlon spite and still even remotely think it's going to win?" Zoë winked at her.

"How's your 'branch' scratch?" Beth raised her eyebrow.

"Probably needs cleaning, did you want to take a look at it?" She offered softly.

"Wow, we get to examine each other's war wounds." The young English woman shook her head. "Romance never dies."

"Well you know after that we could..." Zoë licked her lips.

"We could..." Beth asked as she unbuttoned her lover's shirt to look at the wound.

"Mmmm you know." Zoë leaned her arms back so that Beth could get to the bandages.

"I'm not sure I do." Bethany teased as she eased the bandages back a little. "Explain."

"Now you're just winding me up." Zoë smirked trying not to grimace. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. How do they look?" She tacked on.

"Sore." Beth assessed honestly. "And I might know what you are talking about, but I'm not sure why I should given in easily. So come on tell me."

"Have they stopped bleeding finally?" Zoë smiled at her before she slid her hands up her lover's thighs. "Could involve you and me, lots of nice kisses, caressing and long hours of making love?"

"No, they haven't." Beth leaned over and unpacked some new dressing, taping it lightly in place. "So it looks like you're out of luck cowboy."

"Come on, a little dribble bleeding shouldn't stop true love." Zoë moved closer to her trying to kiss her.

"Mmmm maybe it's not the bleeding but the thoughtless blundering into a spell without thinking of the consequences that means your out of luck missy." Beth pulled back just out of reach.

"Says the girl who just faced off with two Ubers." Zoë raised an eyebrow.

"Did you miss the hours of planning with two of the three supposed saviors of the human race?" Bethany pointed out the subtle difference.

"Okay so again my spite got me in trouble. I was pissed off that Giles said my spell was junk. I knew it wasn't, apparently he didn't have the right makeup." Zoë gave a crocked smile.

"Mmmm is that a direct apology I'm hearing?" Bethany teased.

"Indirect yes." Zoë laughed. "Come on, I didn't mean it you know that."

"Just like you didn't mean to directly volunteer for possibly the most dangerous ever delivery job in the history of the world?" Beth moved a little closer. "I mean forgive me, but couldn't FedEx have handled it?"

"FedEx had a no Hellmouth delivery policy." Zoë smiled sweetly at her. "And hey I'd never been to California."

"You're not winning points." Beth warned.

"I'd do it again, means I have you back in my life." She reached down taking the English woman's hand and slowly kissing the back of it.

"Okay that got you half a point." Beth couldn't help but smile.

"How many do I need to get?" Zoë kissed up her wrist.

"Three." Beth assessed.

"Mmmm I love you." Zoë tried to get another half point as she kissed the inside of her wrist.

"Oooo up to a whole point." Beth settled lightly down onto Zoë's lap.

"Mmmm I'm sorry about the spell, I didn't really mean to do it without talking to you but I got caught up in it." Zoë leaned forward kissing her throat.

"Mmmm lost a point for mentioning the spell." Beth pulled her body back a little.

"Hey I should get two points for apologizing." Zoë pouted.

"Mmmm you could be going into minus figures if you dare suggest I'm not assessing the points correctly." Bethany warned.

"Yes Miss." Zoë smiled. "You look beautiful you know, all pink cheeks and that growl in your voice." She leaned closer again caressing the smaller girl's thigh.

"You like me with the petrified look?" Beth arched an eyebrow.

"No right now, beautiful." Zoë reached up caressing slowly around her chin.

"Mmmm one point." Beth wiggled a little loving the attention.

"I love you, with all my heart I hope you know that." Zoë whispered.

"I do, as I love you, you don't get points for stating the obvious." She beamed.

"I want to go upstairs and make love to you." Zoë leaned in to kiss her throat.

"Mmmmmm." Beth felt herself melt a little. "You never play fair do you."

"Never." Zoë licked up slowly to her ear.

"I used to think that sex in times of peril think was just a movie ploy." Beth pointed out.

"We're not in peril, we're going to beat this." Zoë assured her softly. "Which is why I want to make love to you and underline that we are alive and going to stay that way."

"Okay, you've won." Beth laughed softly, knowing she was beaten.

Buffy looked across the front expanse of the house from her position on the porch. She could still feel the anger and uncertainty boiling under her skin.

'Ubers.' The thought kept rolling over and over in her mind. She gripped her hand onto the wood of the banister. 'How stupid have I been this whole time? Thinking that this little stronghold has actually been anything more than a step right into the First's plan? Sitting here on my ass, giving it time to conjure Ubers, day after day so that it now had an army of them.'

"You had enough time or should I go back in?" From behind her Piper's soft voice inquired.

"I don't know if I will ever have enough time." Buffy drove her hand down splitting the wood. "It's been playing us Piper."

"I talked to Sandra." Piper stepped out and put her hands lightly over Buffy's. "Let go." She whispered softly, kissing the Slayer's neck.

"Go?" Buffy turned, her attention split a bit after the kiss.

"Of all that guilt." Piper pulled her hands softly and turned her around to face her. "This is not your fault." She looked into hazel eyes.

"I should have... it's obvious what it's been doing." Buffy shook her head lightly.

"No, it's not." Piper shook her head. "It sounds it now we know, but it didn't before, else we would have thought of it." She pointed out.

"I should have thought of it." Buffy disagreed again.

"Why, because if out thinking the First evil is a slayer thing, then I sure as hell am going to be a disappointment to the next generation." Piper shook her head.

"We almost fed it Beth tonight, on what a hunch?" Buffy cursed her own idea.

"A hunch that paid off, it won Beth over and helped us work out that it thought it had a surprise waiting for us but that we were a step ahead of it. Nothing bad came out of tonight Buffy, nothing." She stressed moving her hand up her lover's arm.

"How are we going to face an army of Ubers and still defeat it?" Buffy looked at her feeling completely overwhelmed and irrational.

"Like we face everything, together." Piper replied, moving her hand up to cup the blonde's cheek. "This isn't just you verses the world baby."

"We have to beat it, we have to beat it now." Buffy hissed.

"We're going to." Piper nodded frowning slightly.

"I'm sick of waiting, I'm sick of letting it attack us." Buffy looked out into the dark night. "I want to make it feel pain."

"Buffy, we're going to win, but we need to move when we have the best chance." Piper frowned harder at the tone of the Slayer's words.

"I just wish there were vamps left so I could kill about ten dozen of them." Her voice was icy.

"Take me on." Piper broke away from her and took on a ready stance.

"What?" Buffy looked at her incredulously. "I'm not fighting you Piper."

"Come on," Piper beckoned her. "You're angry, scared and pissed off, and you need to strike out, I can take you."

"Piper, I'm not fighting you." She shook her head harder.

"Then kiss me instead." Piper gave her a winning smile.

"Did you hit your head?" Buffy stepped closer checking her.

"Oh Buffy." Piper shook her head and pulled the blonde close, pressing her lips, directly and purposefully to Buffy's as she held her tightly to her body.

Buffy was caught completely off guard but on automatic her body melted a little into the taller woman's. Piper used her lips and tongue softly to ease Buffy's mouth open as she took the kiss deep and pressed her hands under Buffy's top and onto the blonde's back.

Buffy's mind wanted to protest but her adrenaline filled body was more interested in arching against the touch and opening her lips to let her lover's tongue inside.

After letting her tongue slowly and thoroughly explored Buffy's mouth, and her hands covered every inch of the Slayer's long back, Piper pulled back from the kiss.

"Let's, for tonight, think about making love, not war." She whispered.

"Mmmm we should go downstairs to bed." Buffy conceded.

"We should." Piper nodded and simply took Buffy's hand. "When I say I love you Buffy, I mean it, and I mean that I'm not going to let this fight be about you against the world."

"I know... I'm just not used to having someone... anyone like you." The blonde blinked at her.

"That's because there is only one me, just like there is only one you." Piper followed the contour of Buffy's jaw with her other hand.

"I feel cold." She admitted closing her eyes a little.

"Come here." In an unusual move Piper turned a little and lifted Buffy into her arms so that the Slayer's body sat cradled against her own. "Rest and let me keep you warm baby." She began to carefully carry her inside

Faith sat crossed legged on the bed feeling particularly stupid dressed in just her boxers and strap top with Dawn's bear feet slippers on her hands.

"Do I really have to keep these on?" She grumbled.

"You said dare." Dawn giggled. "I still have these on." She flicked at the boxer shorts she had on over her jeans.

"Yeah but I'm the Slayer, what if a crisis happened?" Faith pointed out.

"Okay, okay, you can take them off." Dawn relented. "But you owe me a truth then."

"Go on then." Relieved Faith pulled off the slippers and tossed them aside, she was happy to stay in the more relaxed outfit.

"Mmmm let me see." Dawn moved over and sat down beside her. "What is your favorite part of the body?"

"Legs." Faith said without thinking.

"Truth or dare." Dawn leaned looking at her.

"Truth." She said propping up her head with a pillow.

"What did you think when you kissed me?" The brunette's voice was soft.

"Like I said, you tasted great, soft lips." Faith was honest.

"But did you feel anything?" Dawn held dark eyes and unconsciously licked her lips.

"Of course I felt something D, I was kissing a beautiful woman." Faith pointed out.

"Just generic feelings?" Dawn's question came quickly.

"No specific feelings." Faith shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Oh... your turn." Dawn leaned over on her back misunderstanding the cadence of the other woman's answer.

"What did you feel when I kissed you?" Faith asked not even bothering to ask truth or dare.

"I..." Dawn took a deep breath feeling her body go flush as she thought of the small but amazing memory. She glanced at Faith thinking of her recent answer. "Now I know what all the fuss is about."

"You have kissed before right?" Faith checked.

"Oh yeah, a few times." Dawn nodded. "Even a girl... once... well sorta." She offered not wanting Faith to think she was a geek.

"A girl, do tell." Faith smiled relaxing again.

"Jessica Duke, we were playing spin the bottle and it fell on us. She's one of those really cool girls, so when the boys started teasing that we wouldn't go in the closet together and Jessie said screw that and she dragged me in with her." Dawn shrugged. "She just kissed me to make the guys think she was even hotter. Though she did say I was sexy, though that might have been to tease them."

"Well good for you." Faith clapped her slowly. "I guess I had my turn, over to you."

"I dare you to kiss me again." Dawn breathed out not thinking about asking truth or dare either.

"I think I'd rather dare you to kiss me." Faith replied without missing a beat.

"But it's not your turn." Dawn shook her head holding dark eyes.

"But I don't play by the rules." Faith didn't break eye contact.

Dawn licked her lips again, slowly moving across the bed, looking down at Faith's lips and then back up to her eyes several times. Finally she leaned in closer and closing her eyes pressed her lips to Faith. Faith pushed up a little and put her arm around the slight young woman's back pulling her close. Dawn moaned as she felt her body pulled closer, feeling the Slayer's skin press into her.

For long seconds of time Faith completely forgot where she was and just who she was kissing as she let their lips part and her hot tongue trace over Dawn's lips. Anxiously Dawn's mouth opened as she pushed closer, breathing out through her nose wanting the offer to be fulfilled.

It was as the dark haired Slayer pressed her tongue through into the younger woman's mouth, picking up on the trace of milk and cookies from earlier that she remembered in a flash just what she was doing. Making the break appear like a moment taken for air, she pulled free of the kiss.

"Why did you stop?" The brunette questioned her breathing heavy.

"Need to breathe D, might be a slayer, but you know still need oxygen." Faith tried to be casual.

"Whose turn is it?" Dawn tried to be casual as well.

"Yours, I snuck in a turn." Faith pointed out.

"I want to kiss you again." Dawn leaned closer to her moving in to kiss her without permission.

"Dawn..." Faith had to pull back as she felt her inner temperature press higher and desire flood her brain.

"Where are you going?' Dawn stopped as she watched her scrambling away.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Faith stood up by the bed suddenly very aware she was wearing very little.

"We were just kissing." Dawn didn't agree.

"But we shouldn't even be kissing." Faith tried to focus. "Dawn, we're not... you and I aren't…" She looked at the other woman and had to look away not able to ignore the soft trace outline of the other woman's nipples under her lilac top.

"Aren't what? Okay just say it, you don't find me attractive. Fine, I can take it." Dawn sighed and sat up. "Look I'm just going to go to bed then."

"Of course I find you fucking attractive." Faith scowled and moved over grasping hold of the brunette's upper right arm. She stared into dark eyes hearing her own breathing and heartbeat pumping in her ears.

"Faith... Faith." Dawn called to her again. "Faith, that's too tight." She reached up pressing her fingers over the dark Slayer's.

"Shit." Faith grimaced and more or less threw Dawn back as she released her. "Get out." She looked away moving over to brace her hand on the dresser.

"What?" Dawn questioned looking at her.

"I said get out. Go up stairs, sleep your happy safe little dreams and leave me alone." Faith kept turned away her hands balling into tight fists.

"FINE!" Dawn barked at her awkwardly moving to take off the shorts she still had on. "Be a... be a bitch." She threw them at Faith stalking to the stairs. "I didn't feel anything specific either, it was all generic." She growled trying to keep the hot feeling out of her eyes.

"Dawn! D!" Faith turned hearing the pain in Dawn's voice.

"Don't okay, don't give me some stupid line about how it was nice or one day I'll make someone happy okay, just shove it." Dawn looked at her with her eyes flaring between anger and tears.

"I'm telling you to go before I do something you don't want to do." Faith tried to explain.

"Really, because..." Dawn stepped back down a bit. "Because what I really didn't want was to be sent upstairs to bed."

"Dawn, you know me, you know me of old and I may have changed, but some things about me are just me." Faith shook her head. "I told you to leave because… because I wanted more than just kissing."

"More?" The word made the brunette falter a bit. "Why can't we just kiss? Why is it all or nothing?" She questioned in a small voice.

"It's not." Faith shook her head. "I don't want it to be." She adapted her sentence slightly.

"But, you said you wanted more, like there was only kissing or..." Dawn swallowed. "Sex."

"No, that's not what I meant." Faith shook her head. "I meant I wanted more. I wanted to hold you, sleep beside you maybe, I wanted it to be more than kisses yeah." She tried to explain something she wasn't even sure she could, after all none of this was normal for her.

"That's what I want." Dawn looked at the bed. "To find out what it's like to be held when I sleep, to feel what it's like to kiss you 'till I can't stay awake."

"Lay down." Faith nodded to the bed. Dawn moved slowly over and did what she asked. Pulling open the top drawer Faith pulled out a pair of long cotton pants and pulled them on over her shorts. Crossing to the bed she lay down next to Dawn and stretched her arm out along the top of the pillows. "Come here." She motioned with her head. Dawn scooted over resting her head on Faith's arm. "The twins are comfier." She smiled seeing the careful way Dawn had lowered her head.

Dawn grinned as she moved over resting her head on her closest breast and closed her eyes. This felt so completely different than any other time she'd cuddled up with anyone. She could hear Faith's heart beating a little faster than it should and she felt her own body shiver.

"Comfy?" Faith asked her voice unusually soft.

"Very, though you're distracting." Dawn admitted her voice a whisper as she moved her hand up over Faith's stomach.

"I am? I thought I was being super good." Faith chuckled.

"You are." Dawn nodded slightly. "Just it's amazing being this close to you."

"Slayer BO huh." Faith laughed more.

"No, you're soft." She settled her hand, palm down, on Faith's side.

"Do I look hard and bony normally?" Faith asked dropping her arm down to cup around Dawn's shoulder.

"I meant..." Dawn thought about it. "Tender." She turned her head up to look into dark eyes.

"I thought you wanted to go to sleep." Faith looked down trying not to focus on the very odd word being used to describe her and how for the first time it was probably a truthful appraisal of how she was managing to act.

"Okay." She turned her head back settling her cheek against the comfy flesh. "Night Faith." She whispered closing her eyes.

"Good night D, Sleep well." Faith pressed her lips into soft brown hair.

"Thank you all for coming." Tara looked around at the small group she had looking at her from around the dining room table. Giles and Sandra were seated at the far end of the table, as always impeccably dressed and alert looking.

Zoë and Beth were next, Tara couldn't help but smile at the English girl's presence, it made her heart glad for the Canadian and gave Beth a few more plus points of admiration. Not everyone would respond to the mass of apparent insanity she'd walked into like Beth had, that had to give the girl something in the way of respect.

Opposite them were Buffy and Owl, the blonde almost had to look twice at them to comprehend that they were actually sat on the same chair. Buffy was curled up almost child-like on Piper's lap. The newest Slayer had her hand protectively over Buffy's legs and around her back to keep her in place.

Then there was Faith, usual position feet up on the French polished table, and cigarette in her hand. Opposite to her was Kennedy at Tara's request. The SIT looked almost uncomfortable, as if worried about why her presence had been requested.

Then sat beside the blonde witch, as always, was Willow, her bright green eyes watching Tara, her face secure with both respect and support. Again Tara had to smile, how she loved Willow, she wasn't sure anyone would ever comprehend just how much the redhead completed her.

"I've been working." Tara began.

"And when she says working she means it, I didn't get any cuddles..." Willow began to object.

"Willow, sweetie, they don't need to know that." Tara arched an eyebrow and smiled softly at her lover. "I've worked out why Mr. Giles couldn't do the spell."

"The reason being?" Zoë asked the all-important question first.

"Purity." Tara replied with a slightly lop-sided frown. "It's an element of the spell lost a long and I mean long time ago in early translations of the text. The spell requires a purity of essence." She saw them all looking at her a bit lost. "To explain, in order to create a form, a shell, that is then used to carry something else, it has to be created empty else the essence would be changed. It's like, if you want a glass of water, you can't have an inch of milk already in the bottom of it." She looked around to check if people were following, they seemed to be so she continued.

"I only looked into it because of Candice, I couldn't understand why she would choose to do this, and then I realized because of what I have found out, I don't think she chose so much as was chosen. She had the purity of spirit and power to create an empty shell to recreate me, if she had already tapped into her power the result wouldn't have been a realistic me, it would have been, for want of a better word, tainted." She took a breath. "Now, I don't know, because you know me, I've never been one for the questions, but I'm guessing Mr. Giles." She glanced at the Watcher. "It's fair to say you've 'tapped' into your magical power source." She worded careful trying to avoid offence.

"Well yes, that would be more than fair to say." The Watcher nodded reaching up to straighten his tie.

"It also means that Willow and I would never have been able to perform the spell either, the spell chose Zoë because it knew that she could provide the untapped, pure power it needed to succeed." Tara turned to look at the Canadian with a soft smile.

"But I've done some spells." Zoë protested softly. "I mean I've used magic." She shook her head not quite being able to accept that she 'was the one' to do this.

"Yes." Tara nodded still smiling. "But floating a fork isn't tapping into your magical power source Zoë, that's well, a parlor trick."

"So you mean Maple Leaf has got a whole shit load of power just waiting for this spell?" Faith put forward enthusiastically.

"Basically." Tara turned to her. "Yes."

"Did you figure out anything else? Anyway perhaps we can help her train for the final phase of the spell?" Giles looked at the blonde witch.

"Not yet." Tara shook her head. "But I'm working on it and I have come up with something else, not connected to Zoë's part in all of this." She added quietly.

Everyone looked at her waiting for the additional information, except for the Canadian who was looking down thinking about what she had been told. Guessing that she had stumbled into the spell had been a lot more comforting then believing she was somehow a central figure in all of this.

"I think, that is I believe I've found away to imbue weapons." Tara took a small breath, knowing that not even Willow knew she had been looking at this. But she'd not been able to, having briefly over heard Buffy and Owl out on the porch the night before as she closed the bedroom window.

"Imbue weapons how?" Buffy sat up a bit in Owl's lap.

"To help against Ubers." Tara looked at her. "I think, no I know I've found away to imbue wood with the strength of titanium." She said calmly. "Ubers can be staked, through the heart, it's just that their hide is very tough, a little a reinforced flack jacket so wood breaks. But Titanium is stronger, and if pushed with enough force would go through it."

"So that the SIT's can do some damage?" Kennedy sat up taller in her chair.

"Exactly." Tara nodded. "I... I brought a stake that I imbued just before the meeting." She put it on the table and pushed it towards the SIT. "I can only imbue wood with the strength of titanium. I can't do it to other metals, because basically what this does is add an element of one to the element of another, it wouldn't work with two metallic elements." She explained looking at Kennedy to pick up the stake. "If I'm right, then Kennedy should be able to put that stake." She glanced around, her eyes falling on a wall mounted metal shield. "Though that shield."

Kennedy licked her tongue out over her lower lip picking it up. She could feel everyone's eyes on her back as she moved over towards the shield and taking a slight breath reached back before she lunged forward. It took a little strain but the wooden stake struck into the thick metal with a solid creak and lodged into the wall beyond.

"Wicked cool." The SIT turned and grinned.

"There are draw backs." Tara chewed her lip a little.

"What draw backs?" Buffy asked not wanting to get too excited.

"Well firstly, it's not permanent." Tara explained. "The longest I've managed to sustain it is an hour." She replied. "And secondly, we can only do a limited number, maybe twenty, but no more."

"I'm still seeing big possibilities here." Faith looked at the other Slayers.

"We can use anything we can get." Buffy nodded.

"I'm sorry it's not a wonder solution." Tara apologized momentarily.

"It's great Tara." Buffy looked at her and smiled softly. "I think it's time we start mapping out an attack plan. How and where we want to do all of this." She pushed up to stand moving over to retrieve the map of Sunnydale they had.

"We still need to tell them about the other complication." Willow looked at Giles, her eyes flicking over to Zoë.

"Other complication?" Buffy frowned as she felt the wind taken from her sails.

"Well... It's..." Giles floundered momentarily as he looked at Zoë.

"Whatever injury you inflict on the First before you kill it, will hurt Zoë too." Willow whispered the horrible fact. "So, we have to plan to kill it in one blow." She tried to be positive but then felt even the weight of that push down on her further.

"What?" It was Tara's voice that broke the silence, cool blue eyes staring at her lover. "Y-Y-You never told me that." She stuttered frowning.

"I didn't now, not until after she'd done it." Willow bit her lip and looked away.

"Did you know?" Tara turned and stared this time at Zoë.

"It was a condition of the spell." Zoë stood up under the accusing stare. "I made sure that he knew about it, all of the conditions. It doesn't matter, the Slayers will do their job and I'll do mine. I just... I just have to pull out before they land the blow that's all. I mean Hell how hard is that going to be?" Her voice was tight. "I'm the big ball of untapped purity right? No biggie."

"All last night, when I was working, I can't believe you didn't tell me." Tara turned back to Willow, her blue eyes angry. "Trust Willow, what happened to that? Do you remember the big need to talk to each other about things chat?" Her voice grew harder. "I'll be in my room." She pushed up and stalked from the room.

"I thought you..." Willow tried to object but the blonde was already gone. "I thought she already knew." She looked around at everyone ashamed.

"Stay here. I'll go talk to her." Zoë put up her hand stilling everyone before they could break into chaos. "Start the planning. Get everything ready." She leaned down kissing Beth on the cheek. "I'll be back in a minute baby." She assured her and then moved up the stairs. She didn't even bother knocking as she pushed into Tara and Willow's room. "Okay you're not mad at Willow, you're mad at me so don't take this out on her." Zoë warned the other witch.

"No, I'm disappointed with both of you, and I'm mad at me." Tara contradicted from her place on the bed, surrounded already by open magic books.

"She thought you'd read the spell, you had it in your hands a half dozen times." Zoë pointed out. "And come on Tara, it doesn't matter. This is the way the spell is. The First and me, I give it a body and I take its shit. How else could we manage this?"

"You should have told me, I shouldn't have had to read it." Tara bit back. "I would have worked on it more, before you threw yourself into the lions den. I could have done the spell." She shook her head. "It calls for a purity of essence, not untapped power." She seethed. "I just didn't want Willow or Mr. Giles to feel guilty for choices they may have made in the past." She frowned hard. "It should have been me."

"Tara, you're blinding yourself here." Zoë shook her head back. "It is a purity issue, magic and physical. You've killed things, demons and vampires. I've never killed anything bigger than a fish while fishing I might add."

"We don't know that for sure." Tara shook her head. "Anyway talk about it is pointless now, you've cast the initial spell, what's done is done." Her voice was unusually sharp for the docile witch.

"Do you think I can do this?" The Canadian asked her point blank her voice hard and demanding.

"Now you ask for my input?" Tara snapped back.

"No, I'm not actually. I'm asking because I can tell by the look on your face that you don't think I can. You think I'm going to get myself killed and worse I'm going to get everyone else killed." Zoë growled back at her. "No, even worse than that, you think this was some cowboy bravery thing I had going when I asked M to let me bring the book. Well then fuck you Tara Maclay, because I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to have to meld with the greatest world evil and keep it physical enough for your crazy slayers to kill me or it or both of us. I stepped into that spell pissed off because Giles was telling me I screwed it up. Yes, story of my life, I leapt then I thought wow that was stupid. But maybe the damn universe knows a hell of a lot more than the rest of us do, remember how you used to tell me that? How you used to tell me that one day I'd know exactly what everyone else thought they saw in me, find the power they thought was hiding in here with the pride and the stupidity? Or was that just a way of appeasing the stupid witch who had no right studying beside you?"

Tara pushed up from her place on the bed and slapped Zoë hard across the face, the noise echoing through the room.

"Don't you ever, ever tell me what I am thinking again Zoë Hanlon!" She snarled as soon as the noise faded. "Of course I think you can do it, no, I know you can do it, I just thought…" She paused her voice softening a little. "I hoped the bond we shared between us meant that you could talk to me about things. Things like this." She glanced back at the pile of books behind her. "Now if all you have come to do is swear at me and shout then please…" She glanced up at the door. "Leave, because you've done that now." Her voice barely a sad whisper by this time as she turned to go back to the bed.

"You hit me?" Zoë's voice was almost childlike in its disbelief and she put her own hand up near the burning mark that was appearing on her cheek.

"I hurt my hand." Tara admitted turning around again, tears filling her blue eyes.

"I have a hard head." Zoë frowned tilting her head, as she pulled her hand down not bothering to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you directly about it. I didn't really think of it as being real you know and with Mr. Giles doing the spell I didn't think it would be a worry. He's got practice and power. I never expected it to work for me Tara."

"You silly thing." Tara stepped closer and closed her arms around Zoë holding her close. "I always told you, you were the one to watch." She shook her head as she hooked her chin over Zoë's shoulder.

"Apparently someone needs to keep me on a leash cause I'm a danger to myself." Zoë reached to hug her back.

"Given the chance I'm sure Beth would love to." Tara pulled back slightly to look at Zoë. "And I didn't mean anything kinky by that." She blushed lightly. "I'm sorry I hit you." She raised her hand and laid it flat over Zoë's cheek, looking into the taller woman's eyes.

"It's okay I probably needed it." Zoë shook her head a little. "And come on you love the kink secretly." She tried to get a smile from the blonde and was rewarded by the tiniest one.

"I'm going to stop it killing you, you know that don't you?" Tara vowed softly. "I'll work until I find something, anything."

"Maybe waiting was just my greatly timed way to have you focus on the weapons and the mimic spell before you gave me all of your attention?" Zoë winked at her and the blonde chuckled sadly.

"What does Bethany think?" Tara pulled fully away not sure her closeness was appreciated.

"She was pissed." Zoë laughed basically shadowed with her as they went over to the bed and sat down. "I'm scared Tara." She admitted softly. "The power in that spell was amazing, it was like I was flying, like I could see every molecule in the room."

"That's probably because you could, every magical element anyway." Tara clarified. "You can do this Zoë of that I have no doubt." She underlined again. "The big problem is going to be living with the size of your ego when you pull it off." She smiled more.

"I'm not going to die Tara." The Canadian shook her head. "I said this to Beth and I meant it, I haven't come all this way through everything in my life to let some skanky ghost kill me. Whatever the Slayers need to throw at it, I can survive it. I just know I can. There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Go on then." Tara smiled. "Before I dive into research, or fall asleep."

"Well I've been trying to downplay it but." She reached up pulling down the V-neck of her T-shirt a bit. "These haven't stopped dribbling. They aren't deep, I mean they wouldn't even hold a stitch but they won't stop bleeding."

"Take it off." Tara smiled at Zoë's sudden found shyness. Zoë smiled and pulled the shirt off in a quick motion.

"It doesn't really hurt or anything, more like a nasty paper cut." She admitted.

Tara leaned in and drew her finger close to the edge of one of the cuts, noting that the skin wasn't even red or inflamed.

"They're magical." Tara pulled back and crossed to her bedside cabinet.

"Magical? Does this mean that I'm already connected to it?" Zoë questioned looking down at them with a scowl. "Hey that means you just slapped the First, you go butch Tara." She teased grinning making Tara chuckle again.

"You're not connected to it Zoë, you're connected to the power that will create the vessel, there is a big difference. That's why this spell is as dangerous as it is. Both you and the First will be drawn into the vessel, you as the creator and the First as the harnessed essence. It's the vessel that will receive the damage, which is why you will, see?" She checked.

"Seeing." Zoë nodded. "So what I have to do is pull out of the vessel a fraction before the vessel is destroyed so that it's just the First that goes down with it."

"Exactly." Tara nodded. "I can help these though." She added crossing back over carrying a small jar of salve. "Get Beth to rub that on them every morning and night. It will stop the oozing, but you will have to wash it off before bed before Beth replaces it for the night." She explained. "What it does is stem the leak of magical energy." Tara began unscrewing the top but stopped. "I suppose Beth should do this bit." She held it out.

"Tara, don't be silly. Put it on." Zoë just sat there. "You already got me half naked."

Tara opened the jar and very gently applied the soft gel like ointment.

"She's beautiful." Tara said quietly as she worked.

"You think?" Zoë smiled.

"Yes, very…" Tara paused. "British." She chuckled. "In the Elizabeth Taylor way rather than the Mr. Giles way of being British."

"Willow's a sweetheart, but you know that already." The Canadian smiled at her. "You told her about the kiss didn't you?" She confirmed her suspicion.

"Yes." Tara nodded easily. "Did you tell Beth?"

"Yeah." Zoë nodded back. "Do you need help looking for ways to keep me alive?" She questioned softly.

"Actually I'd be more grateful if you went back down stairs and got my fiancée." Tara stepped back.

"No problem." Zoë moved to carefully put her shirt back on. "So the goo twice a day, wash off before reapplying yeah?" She stood up tucking it back in.

"Yes." Tara nodded. "Zoë." She said as she went back to the bed. "Tell me honestly, did I do okay down there?"

"You mean with everyone, yeah you were great. Even yelling at Willow was expected." Zoë nodded. "I think it'll get everyone in war mood, which is exactly where we need to be."

"Words are relatively easy." Tara said and then laughed. "From the girl who stutters."

"You're a General in this Tara." Zoë bent down next to her. "You can stutter all you want but when it comes to positions and who does what you have to be firm, I don't care what the big butch Slayers say okay. If it feels wrong to you then you speak up. Everyone trusts your judgment so let them hear it."

"Well go on then, go take your goo and get my girlfriend." Tara shooed her out with a smile.

"Yes Sir." Zoë stood up and did her best salute.

Buffy looked over the makeshift map, as did everyone who was gathered around filling in the edges of the table.

"Okay so here is the Hellmouth and the high school." She pointed to the red teeth that were drawn inside the outline of a building on the map. "What we know is that we need vantage for Zoë to be close but not more vulnerable than she needs to be."

She moved out a Barbie that they had dubbed 'Zoë'. "I say here on the roof of the science building, meaning Faith and her crew can lead the First and the Ubers in through her to the football field and soccer field."

She let the dark Slayer move the GI Joe that was her and its small herd of green army figures that represented the titanium armed SIT's.

"Owl and her crew." She moved in another batch of blue colored army men from the houses and a Ninja Turtle figure that was to represent Piper's location. "Can use the houses as cover to come in from the side and do one of those scissors troop moves Xander was talking about to box in the Ubers. This should draw the First out."

She put in the transformer figure in the middle of it all. "Giles and Sandra with some of the other SIT's can run point for Zoë." She moved the salt and pepper and some army men around the Barbie doll. "When Faith and Owl's teams have blown down enough Ubers she can begin the spell." She pulled the two other Barbies up and put them near the open area at the back of the science center.

"From here I'll protect Tara and Willow while they mimic the staff. Then when I have three I'll bring them out for Owl and Faith." She moved her own representation, the Xena figure they'd found near the computer upstairs. "The three of us go directly for the First, this is when everyone else will be the most vulnerable." She moved them in around the transformer "We strike and Zoë pulls back from the spell."

"But what about the Hellmouth?" Kennedy pointed at the jaws that were under Zoë and at everyone's back.

"The Hellmouth is sealed, we can't expect anything to come directly from it. Not unless we fail." Buffy looked to the Watcher's for confirmation.

"Indication is that the Hellmouth is indeed sealed, we have no reason to believe it's not." Giles nodded.

"And where am I?" Spike looked at them all as he appeared in the doorway lighting a cigarette.

"You're here." Buffy moved a fork over put it at the bottom of the building. "You keep Bringers from getting to Zoë. If Zoë goes down this is all pointless."

"What about me?" Beth asked looking at the odd collection on the table.

"You're here with Dawn and anyone too injured to fight." Buffy pointed at Revello Street.

"I'm not staying here." Dawn's voice came from the doorway.

"I need you here helping take care of everyone." Buffy looked up at her sister.

"I'm not staying here." Dawn shook her head again. "I want to be on Faith's team."

"Dawn, you're not baiting Ubers." Faith shook her head looking across at the brunette.

"What?" Dawn stared at Faith. "But... what about..." She frowned her hands balling into tight fists.

"That means you are definitely not on the Uber baiting team." Faith held angry brown eyes not rising to the tantrum she seemed ready to have.

"Its not fair!" Dawn turned and ran from the room.

"Faith?" Buffy looked at the dark Slayer, her voice steely. She knew this must have something to do with the recent conversation she'd had with her sister.

"I'll go talk to her." Faith moved out following the brunette's path. "Dawn... Dawn!" She called trying to get her to stop when the reached the door of the other house.

"What?" Dawn stopped and turned angrily.

"What did you want me to say? Yes, Dawn I want you out baiting Ubers in the most dangerous assignment there is short of Zoë's whole vessel thing." Faith barked back.

"I want to be near you." Dawn put her hand on her slender hips.

"And I want you somewhere safe." Faith leaned against the front column.

"Why?" Dawn asked blinking doe eyes at the dark Slayer.

"You know why." Faith stood up and paced a bit.

"No, I don't. Because I'm Buffy's kid sister and she'll beat your ass if you let me get hurt?" Dawn posed on reason.

"Because if I'm worried about what's happening with you I can't fight all out." Faith shook her head.

"I want to kiss you." Dawn moved closer.

"Why?" The dark Slayer bit back her initial reaction asking the question in an even voice.

"Do I have to have a reason?" Dawn asked blinking.

"A moment ago you were pissed at me now you want to make out?' Faith asked confused by the fluctuating emotions.

"Because you're kinda pouting. You have a sexy kind of pout." Dawn nodded.

"You're not going on my team Dawn." Faith shook her head not retreating from the brunette physically but making sure that Dawn understood the point was never negotiable.

"I know when not to argue." Dawn pointed out. "It's part of growing up."

"Good." Faith's eyes dragged up and down Dawn's body.

"Why did you leave this morning without waking me?" Dawn asked her voice going softer.

"You were asleep, you looked comfy." The Slayer explained with a shrug. "I had to train the SIT's."

"So it wasn't because you didn't want to see me?" Dawn checked.

"Dawn I wouldn't have stayed at all if that was the case." Faith shook her head.

"I slept like a log." Dawn moved a little closer still.

"Dawn..." Faith felt her body heating up at the closeness.

"What?" Dawn frowned instantly worried.

"You look hot." The Slayer smirked.

"So can I?" Dawn stopped only inches from the Slayer.

"Yeah but I have to get back to the meeting." Faith looked at the other woman's lips.

"It's only a kiss." The brunette reminded.

"Are you sure about that?" Faith leaned forward kissing her full on the lips.

Dawn literally dipped at the knees as she felt Faith's lips on her own. Faith couldn't believe those good the slight taste of lip-gloss was on Dawn's pink lips. Finding her strength again Dawn pushed back a little and looped her arms around Faith's neck, kissing her a little harder.

"Dawn, I told you I have to get back to the meeting." Faith indulged in the kisses for a few moments before she pulled her lips away.

"But..." Dawn let her arms slip.

"D, I have to." She underlined. "We have to get a plan."

"I didn't realize there was a meeting, why did no one tell me?" Dawn frowned softly.

"It's impromptu." Faith explained. "Tara had some ideas, then her and Zoë had a fight then we started planning."

"Tara had a fight?" Dawn frowned.

"You should have seen the hand mark Maple Leaf had." Faith laughed. "Tara tried to clean her clock."

"Tara hit her!" Dawn's eyes grew wider.

"I guess Blondie isn't the push over everyone thought she was." Faith shrugged. "Dawn, it's fine, they're cool now."

"This whole thing is making people crazy." Dawn sighed.

"I know, but we're going to make it better." Faith vowed. "And you're going to be safe."

"I'll wait in your room for you." Dawn smiled and tried to find a happier thought.

"I don't know how long the meeting will be Dawn. You could come help plan.' Faith motioned back to the house.

"I wasn't invited." Dawn reminded.

"I'm inviting you." Faith reached down taking her hand and pulling her towards the house.

"But Buffy..." Dawn frowned but flexed her hand around Faith's.

"As long as we're clear, you're not at the fight site, then I don't see a problem." Faith checked.

"Clear." Dawn squeezed.

Dawn came into the kitchen with some empty cups as everyone slowly dispersed from the big meeting. She moved slowly to put them in the dishwasher watching for a few moments as Tara puttered with the teapot as she steeped her herbal concoction.

"Hi." She offered softly smoothing down her skirt.

"Hi there Dawnie." Tara smiled brightly. "Is that a plea for coffee or hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate would be great, but I more... I wanted to see how you were." Dawn reached up rubbing down Tara's arm.

"Oh, you heard about this morning?" Tara turned to look at the tall young woman knowing immediately from the look on her face.

"Yes, Faith told me." Dawn nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"I... I didn't sleep at all last night, I think I'm tired and a little strung out." Tara put her hand over Dawn's and patted it lightly. "I'll be fine."

"You don't have to be." Dawn reminded her. "Tara, it's crazy around here. You deserve a chance to get a bit crazy more than anyone."

"Would you like to come and sit on the porch with me? I miss 'us' time." Tara offered.

"That would be nice." She nodded.

"Want cookies?" The blonde checked.

"Did Beth bake more?" Dawn perked up.

Tara nodded and pointed to the pantry as she made Dawn's drink. The brunette moved over and retrieved a small plate of them to take outside so that they could share. As the brunette wasn't sat there long as soon Tara opened the door and took the drinks out placing them next to the plate.

"Okay what's wrong sweetie?" Tara sat down.

"I'm just glad we have a chance to hang out together." Dawn took a part of a cookie evading the question.

"Dawnie, I may have been away for a while, but I know that look." Tara chided softly.

"What look?" She tried to cover up.

"The something is going on and I'm trying to deal, but I really need to talk about it…." Tara appraised giving her a long once over. "Look."

"Oh that one." Dawn laughed tightly. "Maybe but I wanted to talk about you and well Zoë. I mean you hit her." She grimaced a bit.

"I slapped her." Tara clarified not wanting anyone to think it had been a punch, not that a slap made it any better. "And I feel horrible about it."

"Are you and her okay? I mean you seemed to be really good friends." Dawn pulled her legs up to put her chin on her knees.

"Yes we're fine, I will be creating make up gifts for a while, but we're fine." Tara smiled rubbing Dawn's leg a little. "Really sweetie, it's fine."

"And you and Willow?' Dawn checked.

"Secret make-up smoochies upstairs when we should have been in the meeting. We're great." She smiled brightly.

"Good. You two need to be happy." Dawn vowed.

"So come on spill." Tara encouraged her knowing they were running out of small talk.

"Do you think of me as a woman or a girl?" Dawn asked pulling apart and slowly eating another cookie.

"A young woman." Tara replied immediately.

"See what does that mean?" Dawn scowled. "Does it mean I'm an adult or a kid?"

"It means you're a young adult." Tara defined.

"So old enough to fall in love?" Dawn kept up her quick questions.

"Of course." Tara nodded.

"Old enough to have needs?" She asked the question that had got such mixed reactions.

"Needs?" Tara asked softly for clarification.

"You know... needs..." Dawn felt herself go a bit pink. "Sexy needs."

"Oh those." Tara smiled at the brunette's phrase. "Yes Dawn, you're nearly eighteen, definitely old enough to have needs."

"See this is what I told Buffy and she acted like I wanted to go open my own brothel." Dawn frowned hard. "Which I don't." She confirmed unnecessarily.

"No, you just want a bit of personal one to one attention with somebody, am I right?" Tara leaned back and looked at Dawn, seeing the teenager in a new light. It was obvious that though Dawn still looked her fresh faced young self that the brunette was struggling with something every woman went through, a search for herself in the vastness of the world and at the same time a longing to connection with someone else to share the journey. She ran a short list through her mind and smiled, as the answer became apparent.

"Exactly." Dawn nodded and smiled. "What?" She looked at Tara's appraisal.

"Faith." Tara offered the name simply.

"How did you guess?" Dawn looked at her shocked.

"Because she's beautiful, available, strong, known, and exciting." Tara assessed. "And you've been spending a lot of time with her."

"I think I'm in love with her." The brunette looked at her blinking through long eyelashes.

"What makes you think that?" Tara asked softly.

"Because I want to be with her." Dawn assessed.

"When you say you want to be with her." Tara arched an eyebrow slightly. "You mean..." She looked at the young woman.

"Yes, I think I do. I love to kiss her." Dawn admitted softly. "I... I've had a crush on her for ages."

"Ages being?" Tara tried to get more information.

"Well I could say before, but those are just the memories the monks made up right?" Dawn frowned as her created past slapped her in the face again. "Definitely since she's been back for sure."

"And you've kissed?" Tara continued her research.

"Yes." She answered with a happy far off look. "I sorta did something stupid too but we got over that."

"Do I need to know the something stupid?" The blonde checked feeling a little worried.

"Mmmm I kinda threw myself at her, naked." She frowned and blushed embarrassed.

"Ah." Tara arched her eyebrow. "And she..."

"Turned me down." Dawn sighed.

"Oh Dawnie, hard as that might have been, she did the right thing." The blonde witch leaned over and pulled Dawn into a soft hug.

"But see that's why I love her, everyone would expect Faith to just say okay and sleep with me. She didn't Tara, she was so nice and caring and tender." Dawn hugged her back.

"And so why the need to talk to me?" Tara asked softly leaning back against the railing again.

"Okay, well see that's the problem. She's still on the not sleeping with me kick, well a nothing more than a quick kiss kick." She frowned again.

"Maybe she thinks that it's just a phase, you know, an 'I'm in peril, don't want to die chaste' thing." Tara offered a logical explanation.

"How do I convince her its not?" Dawn looked at her seriously.

"Time, consistency, patience." Tara listed. "And most importantly by talking to her, communication is a big one." She tried to be helpful.

"Tara, this is Faith. She doesn't talk." Dawn bit her lip. "Not about her feelings that's for sure."

"She may have changed." Tara pointed out.

"So I should try harder?" Dawn asked for guidance.

"It's not about trying harder Dawn." Tara shook her head. "It's about reading her moods, feeling how she's feeling, it's being able to know when to just kiss her and hold her, and not ask for information and when to just take everything slowly and at her say so." She explained. "Dawn, the fact that you like her, must scare Faith incredibly."

"Why would that scare her?" Dawn looked at her completely not understanding. "She's been with so many people Tara, I mean I haven't been with anyone."

"Dawn, you're not an anyone or a somebody to Faith, you're Dawn." Tara made an attempt at explaining. "She cares about you deeply."

"Do you really think she does?" She hung onto the small shred of hope.

"She turned you down didn't she?" Tara pointed out.

"Yes, but that means she doesn't want me." Dawn showed her the reality.

"No, it means she didn't want to take advantage of you, which means she cares about you." Tara offered the shred of insight.

"I never thought of that." Dawn smiled.

"That's because some how a beautiful, confident woman like yourself managed to get themselves an inferiority complex." Tara smiled too.

"You would have been proud of Buffy, she only threatened to kill her twice when I talked to her about this." Dawn leaned closer to the blonde.

"You told Buffy?" Tara couldn't hide the surprise.

"I didn't want to hide like a kid you know?" Dawn tried to explain her reason.

"You're not a kid Dawn." Tara leaned back and smiled brightly.

"I thought maybe with Buffy being with Owl now she might understand more." Dawn smiled at the comment.

"She might though…" Tara paused. "You're her baby sister, so Faith's not going to have an easy time of it."

"Do you like Owl?" Dawn changed the conversation slightly.

Tara took a soft breath and thought about her answer before speaking.

"I don't think I know her." She replied honestly.

"She seems nice." The brunette shrugged.

"Yes." Tara nodded softly.

"She seems to make Buffy happy." Dawn offered again.

"Yes, she does." Tara nodded again hating the fact her answers were so short. It was just in all this chaos there hadn't been a lot of time to get the tall confident slayer, who unlike most of the new residents didn't need her support or assistance.

"So is there anyway you would convince everyone to let me come and fight?" Dawn threw in the left-sided question.

"No." Tara chuckled softly and shook her head. "You're needed here."

"Tara there won't be anything going on here." Dawn argued.

"Yes, there will." Tara corrected her quickly.

"Like what? Baking cookies while Beth worries about Zoë?" Dawn questioned sarcastically.

"No, more like being a witch." Tara replied slowly looking across at her.

"A witch?" Dawn looked back at her.

"Yes." Tara nodded. "I may have a little job I need you to do for me. Well for us all."

"I'll do it." Dawn jumped on the offer immediately.

"Well that's nice to hear, but I need to work out more details before I tell you everything, okay?" The blonde explained.

"Okay." Dawn nodded enthusiastically.

"Good, so Faith." Tara returned the conversation. "How do things stand between you now?"

"Occasionally kissage, oh she let me sleep downstairs with her. I know now why Willow likes breasts, very nice pillows." She grinned almost maniacally.

"Oh Dawnie, I think my darling has affected your development." Tara laughed softly.

Willow carefully folded her skirt over the hanger before she put it in the closet. She'd been making slow progress on putting away her clothes as she watched Tara's intense concentration and worried.

"I know that all this planning is great but we still don't have a spell to actually create three staffs." She looked over to her lover.

"I know." Tara said quietly from her place on the bed.

"I feel like we've been through that book backwards and forwards." She moved back to the bed and sat down fingering the cover of the ancient tome.

"What book?" Tara asked not looking up from her notepad.

"The one your friend sent." Willow explained.

"Oh yes." Tara again didn't actually pay attention.

"Baby, I think we should get a few hours sleep." She reached out putting her hand on the notepad.

"Later." Tara nodded taking the opportunity to rub her forehead smudging a black line across it from the ink that had seeped from the pen in her hand onto her fingers.

"No Tara." Willow pulled the book that Tara was looking at away a bit. "You need rest." She frowned. "And a new pen."

"A new pen?" Tara blinked and looked up, her finger moving to rub her eye.

"You're getting ink all over yourself baby." Willow reached up to stop her. "See." She let the blonde see the ink over her skin. "Come on love, you need some rest." She tossed the pen in the garbage nearby and reached for a tissue from the side table.

"I think there's another pen in the drawer." Tara leaned over the bed.

"Tara." Willow stopped her. "Baby, listen to me. You're going to rest for a bit."

"When we have the answers and this is over then I can rest." Tara righted herself.

"No, you need to rest now. You didn't sleep almost at all last night and this is enough." Willow pulled the books away and put them on the floor. "Even if we find a spell baby you need to be rested."

"I know but we need to do this soon." Tara objected lightly. "Everyone is getting jumpy."

"We'll find something we always do." Willow assured her. "Now lay down." She pressed on her shoulders lightly to guide her.

"No Will, I have to do this." Tara tried to stop her.

"You need to rest." Willow restated her voice a bit firmer.

"I...." She stopped and blinked red-rimmed blue eyes at her lover.

"Need to rest." The redhead pulled the cover up over them and eased the blonde over to rest on her shoulder. "Just for a while love, then we'll go right back to reading."

"You're very..." Tara stopped. "Calm this evening." She noted as she gave in and nestled on Willow's shoulder.

"I was doing some meditation, trying to get my mind relaxed. It helped a lot." Willow rubbed Tara's back.

"That's good." Tara smiled. "Something you learned in England?"

"Yes, it helps me stay calm." Willow nodded softly.

"I'm so proud of you." Tara smiled more.

"And I'll be proud of you when you close your eyes and let yourself rest." Willow encouraged.

"Me sleeping makes you proud?" Tara arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, because I know how worried you are and how much you want to keep researching." Willow reached up rubbing her temple.

"I'm not worried." Tara denied. "But I do want to keep researching, I don't want to go into this thinking there was more I could have done."

"You're doing everything you can love but sleep is something you need to." Willow kissed her forehead.

"Do I look tired?" Tara asked her voice suddenly flooding with exhaustion.

"You look beautiful." She continued to rub her temple.

"Then I can carry on working." Tara attempted to pull up.

"Hello, resting now." Willow held her in place. "Don't make me get out my resolve face."

"Tell me a story." Tara relaxed her body and closed her eyes.

"There once was a beautiful princes named Tara..." Willow began softly.

Part 22

FAITH/DAWN PAIRING UPDATE: We warned of other pairings and if you have been reading the story then the progression in this part shouldn't come as a shock. Beware of developing adult sexual situations; if you don't want to read those parts please just skip them. Thanks!

Buffy rubbed at her eye and moved to the back door seeing the light on. She looked out to see that her lover was on her hands and knees in the grass.

"Piper, what are you doing?" She moved out onto the back porch.

"Hey baby." Piper jumped up and flicked off the torch, managing not to blind Buffy with it. "You were asleep." She frowned softly.

"I was but I woke up." Buffy padded out barefoot onto the grass. "What are you doing?"

"Er... checking the yards lying flat." Piper offered.

"Really?" Buffy knelt down.

"Hey-hey, what you doing? You'll get all cold, come on sleepy back to bed." Piper shook her head and reached out for Buffy's hand.

"I'm checking on you and I'm not going back to bed 'till you tell me what you're really doing." Buffy looked at her in the very dim light.

"I'm... checking..." Piper sighed. "I've lost my labrys."

"You lost your labrys?" The Slayer looked at her confused.

"The double axe head pendant I wear." Piper reached up to her empty neck.

"Oh your axe." Buffy looked around. "When did you lose it?"

"I... I don't know, I think when we were fooling around with the SITs earlier." Piper pushed up. "But come on, you said you wanted to know what I was doing, that's what I'm doing, so you can come inside and stop getting cold now."

"Oh course I'm not going back to bed. I'm going to help you find your necklace." Buffy shook her head starting to look around in the grass.

"Buffy, come on." Piper shook her head. "You're dog tired and you need to rest up."

"But you lost your axe. I know how pissed off I was when I lost my diamond earring fighting the master." Buffy ran her hands over the ground.

"It's just a piece of jewellery, I don't even think it cost her much..." Piper stopped.

"Piper, we'll find it." Buffy reached out calmly assuring her.

"What I mean is… it... it doesn't matter if we don't, it's a charm, that's all, its not mystical or magical it doesn't mean we're going to loose, it just means I've lost her... it." She babbled.

"Piper." Buffy moved over closer taking her lover's hands. "We're going to find it." She pulled one up and kissed it.

"What time is it?" Piper suddenly asked as she went back to looking, as she didn't seem to be able to put Buffy off.

"Eleven thirty." The Slayer went back to scourging the grass.

"Oh I, I just have to do something, I'll be right back." Piper smiled and moved to the door.

"I'll keep looking." Buffy smiled back at her.

Buffy kept looking a few moments before she stood up and decided to do this a bit more logically. She did a general sweep while looking down before she picked up the flashlight that Piper had left on the stairs. She stood in one place scouring it across the grass until a sparkle reflected back at her.

"There you are." She smiled at her own success as she moved over to the area near the flowers and picked up the chain and locket. "Have to get you fixed." She looked at the broken link." She clutched it in her hand and made her way back inside.

"Piper... guess what I..." She came in stopping when she heard raised voices and moving to the living room she found the source.

"How do I have any idea of what I intend to do when all this is over?" Piper's voice was short and angry.

Buffy hung in the doorway unnoticed listening to what was going on before she spoke.

"It's just a question Piper." Giles' voice came back at her.

"Owl, my name is Owl." Piper snapped at him.

"Owl." Giles tried again. "The bond you have formed with Buffy is admirable, but have you considered the practicality of having more than one slayer in the same place? There are more Hellmouths..."

"There's no guarantee we're all going to make it through this Mr. Giles." Piper seethed.

"This is the conversation we are not having." Buffy injected moving into the room. "Giles go to bed you look like Hell. Piper, you need to sleep too."

"Ah Buffy." Giles turned. "Maybe you can help here." He smiled his voice trailing off when he saw the look on her face. "I asked to see Owl actually. There were a few things we needed to talk about."

"Do these things have anything to do with what we are facing right now?" Buffy questioned him. "And not some stupid Watcher agenda for the future."

"They have somewhat do to with what we are facing." Giles replied.

"Go ahead then." She crossed her hands over her chest.

"I was enquiring at how ready Piper felt to face what we have to do." Giles stood up a little straighter.

"I've already said I'll do my best, what more can I say?" Piper frowned harder, her fists balled up tightly.

"That's all you need to say isn't it Giles?" Buffy scowled at the Watcher knowing he had no idea the pressure he was putting on the other Slayer.

"Yes... that is... Sandra and I were wondering, a little along the lines of what Kennedy suggested when we activated Owl." Giles glanced between the two of them.

"Her hair brain idea about activating more?" Buffy tried to think back.

"Not more, just perhaps one." He offered. "A sort of back up as it were."

"Hell why don't we just activate everyone!" Buffy looked at him incredulously.

"Buffy, you and Faith are seasoned slayers." Giles kept his tone calm. "All I am suggesting is a back up for Piper so that the pressure isn't unbearable for her."

"My name is Owl." Piper snarled.

"Okay so giving your idea a shred of thought." Buffy glared at him. "How less pressure is it when say hmmm someone like Bea is activated? You're betting it's Kennedy and we have no guarantee of that."

"Look why don't I make this easy?" Piper snarled and picked up a dagger that was in the collection of weapons on the table. "How dead is dead?" She said her voice almost completely even. She tossed it in the air and caught it by the hilt over and over.

"Piper put that down please." Buffy looked at her and then seeing her lover's expression she changed her tone making it softer. "Please put it down." She asked again.

"He doesn't think I can do it, none of them do." Piper threw the dagger so that it embedded itself into the tabletop.

"He doesn't think I can do it Piper, it's his job to make us all feel useless." She glanced at Giles.

"Buffy please, that's not what I was suggesting at all." Giles frowned. "You have proved your worth time after time."

"Where as I've what?" Piper stared at him. "Got my Watcher killed, didn't act quick enough to save Dawn and Faith getting a nasty scare?"

"You were the only reason Dawn and Faith are alive, that is proving yourself." Buffy objected.

"Oh come on Buffy we both know the only way I'm going to prove myself is if I manage to somehow pull of a glorious heroic death right?" She glared at the Watcher. "After all I don't quite fit in do I?"

"This isn't about fitting in and it's not about dying. There has been enough death already." Buffy objected at both of them. "This is about being forced into being something none of us really want to be. This is about saving people anyway you can and this is about sometimes failing." She frowned. "A lot of times failing."

"Whatever." Piper shook her head. "I'll leave you to work out the details of the replace Piper plan." She pushed towards the front door.

"Piper." Buffy moved after her.

"Leave her Buffy." Giles called as the front door slammed shut.

"Why? So she can go do something stupid now that you've made her feel useless and second rate?" Buffy glared at him.

"That wasn't my intention in the slightest Buffy, Sandra and I thought of it as a completely supportive plan." He explained their rationale.

"Giles how would you feel if I told you we were going to kill you so that another watcher would pop up, you know just in case we need another stuffy tweed guy around?" Buffy accused.

"Supported?" Giles offered stiffly.

"Funny, since Sandra's been around second guessing you, you've been more irritated than supported." The Slayer pointed out.

"Buffy please, this is hardly constructive." Giles frowned.

"We can't go around killing ourselves so that more of us are activated." Buffy shook her head. "There has to be some cosmic reason why there is only supposed to be one. Piper is now that one. Faith and I are extra's, now your job is to support her, not undermine her and tell her she's not good enough." She moved to the door. "Start doing your job." She pulled it open. "Faith and I don't need watching anymore."

"Hey there Buffy, was just about to come and find you." In the doorway stood Spike blocking her path.

"I don't have time right now." Buffy tried to push past him.

"You might want to make time, when I tell you that your little love bird's just taken off on that bike of hers." The vampire pointed out.

"What way did she go?" Buffy cursed looking down the dark streets.

"Towards the high school." Spike pointed down the road.

"Keep watch, I have to go get her." Buffy ran back in grabbing the staff before she headed out towards the jeep.

"Want me to drive?" Spike offered.

"Please Spike guard the house." Buffy looked at him.

"That was just an offer to help." Spike pointed out.

"I know it was and what I really need is you helping me by guarding the house. The attack last night didn't work, I'm sure it's going to try again but I have to go get Piper. So I'm counting on you." She looked at her seriously.

"I won't let you down." Spike nodded.

"Thank you." She moved towards the jeep jumping in and taking off rather erratically down the road.

"COME ON, COME ON YOU BASTARD!" Piper paced in a small circle around the dormant Hellmouth seal. "There's no barrier, no magic to keep you out, no back up to save me." She called out into the darkness. "Come and get yourself a taste of slayer blood."

"Feeling a tad suicidal?" Buffy appeared suddenly in the far corner of the room.

"No, perhaps I am just tired of waiting." Piper shook her head and looked over at the ghost. "You're not as beautiful as her, you can't even get that right."

"Ouch." The First put a hand up to her heart. "That hurt Piper, really that was coarse."

"Well you base your images, your copies on the past." Piper continued. "Which is why they are second rate?"

"Is this more your taste?" The First shifted into the dark Slayer's form. "I can't wait to get a 'Piper' to try on."

"Won't I be a bit of a come down from both of the last two on show?" Piper retorted.

"Oh no Piper!" The First shook her head. "You're very different from Buffy and Faith but you are by far just as equal. I'm so glad they activated you, it's going to make beating you all that much sweeter."

"You knew they were going to didn't you? Did you know I would be next, is that why you killed Shanti, even though we had sworn against the lives the Council had offered?" She tried to get answers, even knowing that the First would probably lie to her.

"Actually Piper, I killed Shanti because she was far too dangerous to me." The First leaned against the wall.

"There is no way of knowing she would have got involved. She didn't have to die."

Piper's voice stiffened.

"You all have to die." The First explained.

"Why?" Piper put the question simply.

"Why not?" The First shrugged.

"Oh come on you can do better than that, never answer a question with a question, didn't your Big Poppa Evil teach you anything." Owl baited.

"The slayers have gotten too powerful, this alliance you've found with your little witches, and with other fonts of power, it had to be stopped." It explained.

"But you know that no matter how hard we work, how powerful out witches get, there will always be evil in the world." Piper shook her head. "We'll never completely win, so what makes you think you will?"

"Because dear Piper, you're all just little girls." The First laughed.

"And you're what, a big splodgy mess of nothingness right now." Piper laughed back. "You're pathetic, the First evil, the ultimate bad guy, reduced to what spiteful smoke?" She snorted.

"I don't need form to kill you all." Faith's face grew darker as the First seethed.

"No, you need puppets." Piper scoffed. "Little toys that you control, like some big kid in its playroom."

"And you need your witches, bubble, bubble toil and trouble." It scoffed back. "If your line was so great you could kill me without the hocus pocus."

"You know I'd have more respect for you if you got your hands dirty once in a while, Hell I'd have more respect for you if you even had hands." Piper turned away and shook her head, her back to the entity. "You mock our power, when you, the ultimate eeeevil has to use blind dumb and butt ugly monkeys to hack your enemies for you. You couldn't even get good looking attractive guys could you? No, and you know why, because that would require imagination. That would require you looking out of your tiny little window and taking a look around you. Because if you did that, you'd understand that you, you're not evil, you're just a power point, you're just a pathetic battery for it. Things like Ubers, Bringers, they don't inspire fear, not true fear, life inspires that facing each and every day, when you don't think you can crawl up off your knees. That's fear, that takes effort, facing your minions, that's just tedious."

"You're going to die Piper, on your knees, blood streaming down in your eyes as you spit out teeth and dirt." The First looked at her, her voice deep and dark. "Whether you are afraid or not doesn't concern me, just that you will die."

"You know what bring it on." Piper's eyes narrowed as she turned back. "But don't bank on the me dying bit, because you are so not worth dying for."

"You have to wait." The First laughed at her lightly. "Say hi to Buffy." She waved and disappeared as the door swung open.

"Piper!" Buffy came in with the staff looking around.

"Buffy what... why are you here?" Piper's concentration fractured.

"Because you shouldn't be here." Buffy eased a bit when she saw nothing around.

"I just needed to face something." The other Slayer frowned. "You really shouldn't have followed." She added. "Something may have happened to you."

"I followed you because I was worried about you." Buffy looked at her. "And because you forgot this." She held up the necklace.

"My Labrys." Piper focused on it instantly as it swung lightly back and forth.

"I found it, I told you we would." Buffy gave her a soft smile. "Now can we go home, this place makes my good hair day go bad?"

"I'm not sure I want to go back there if Giles is still around." Piper shook her head. "But you should go back, thank you for finding this." She stepped up and held her hand under the pendant.

"Piper, what are you trying to do by being here?" Buffy let her take it.

"I'm not sure." Piper was honest.

"I know what you're feeling." She tried to be honest. "And I wish I could say it's going to go away but it never does. Being what we are, it doesn't ever make you feel good enough."

"There's one thing I feel good enough at." Piper's voice dropped and softened.

"What?" Buffy questioned gently.

"Spotting beautiful women and telling them how amazing they are." Piper reached out and drew a fingertip over Buffy's collarbone that was just visible.

"Should I be jealous that you're out scouting for other beautiful women?" Buffy smiled under the attention.

"No, you see because when I find one, I kinda focus." Piper smirked. "And just pay attention to that one." She continued the light movement.

"You know if being smooth is going to help us win this, I almost pity the First since you're on our side." Buffy blushed lightly.

"Oh I pity it anyway." Piper pointed out. "Though I understand a little more now, the whole big evil thing."

"Do you?" Buffy questioned.

"Yeah I mean how pissed would I be if I got to see all this beauty and couldn't do this." Piper pulled Buffy close and kissed her deeply, releasing her the next second. "Whenever I wanted to. I mean, big angry ball of bad mood I'd be."

"I'd be really grumpy." Buffy smiled. "But I'm not sure making out on the Hellmouth is a good idea, can we go home say to bed?"

"Oh I don't know, a little positive action on the Hellmouth, who knows what effect it would have." Piper laughed looking down at the badly covered seal.

"You're naughty." Buffy smiled at her.

"You're sexy." Piper countered.

"We have to be quick." Buffy moved closer to her and kissed her again.

"If I was a boy, I'd say quick no problem baby, as I'm a girl, I can't promise anything under ten minutes." Owl pulled Buffy tight to her body.

The two Slayers began kissing and exploring one another as unseen by them both, the First materialized as Spike in the shadows of the basement, accompanied by two Ubers. The eager vampires were ready to pounce forward at the vulnerable pair, when the peroxide copy held up a hand then with a flick of its wrist the two beasts disappeared.

"Now this is something I want to watch alone." The First lit up an imaginary cigarette.

Dawn looked up from her magazine to where Faith was punching at the heavy bag she'd slung from the basement rafters. As always having the Slayer work out so close by made concentrating on anything else hard. The hard way that Faith was digging her hands into each of the punches made Dawn think back to her conversation with Tara.

"Faith..." She sat up and put the magazine aside. "Truth or dare." She tried to find some way to start this that wouldn't send Faith running.

"Truth." Faith gave a swing at the bag hardly breaking her attention.

"Why did you turn me down that first time when I asked?" Dawn asked the question softly.

"When you asked what?" Faith frowned slightly ducking the back swing.

"When I came down here..." Dawn pushed up and moved over to hold the bag steady. "And threw myself at you."

"Because it wouldn't have been right to say yes." Faith replied hitting the bag.

"Why wouldn't it have been?" Dawn asked softly.

"Because you were vulnerable and you weren't thinking right." Faith reached out and stopped the swing of the bag so it wouldn't hurt Dawn.

"Has that ever stopped you before?" Dawn held the bag tighter to stop it from going out of control again.

"No, but that's not the point." The dark Slayer began pulling tape off her hands.

"No, it is the point." Dawn stepped back watching her.

"What is D?" Faith asked as she threw the used wrappings towards the bin.

"You didn't want to use me." She nodded confirming it to herself almost.

"Of course I didn't you're important to me D, I didn't want to hurt you." Faith shrugged.

"I don't want to hurt you either." Dawn moved closer to her. "I'm sorry I did that too you." She whispered. "I didn't mean to push you."

"It's okay D." Faith shook her head. "I've done my fair share of 'stuff' to try and get the attention I wanted over the years." The dark haired Slayer smiled.

"What was the most outrageous thing you've ever done?" Dawn shadowed her.

"Haven't I had my truth question?" Faith stopped and turned looking at tall young woman.

"Okay your turn then." The brunette relented momentarily.

"Dawn, are you trying to win some freaky epic truth or dare competition or something?" She challenged.

"No, I just want to talk to you." The brunette admitted.

"Then say, Faith can I talk to you." She toweled off her arms.

"Faith, can I talk to you?" Dawn repeated softly.

"Yeah what's on your mind D?"

"You, me." Dawn admitted softly.

"Oh right. Do you want to sit?" Faith coughed.

"Sitting is great." Dawn nodded moving over to the bed and Faith followed. "I know this is hard for you." She started softly.

"You think?" Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it?" Dawn lost her confidence for a second.

"That depends on what you mean by 'it'." Faith tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It, thinking about being with me." Dawn watched her.

"Being with you, being with you isn't hard." Faith replied frowning softly as she shook her head.

"It's not hard to be with you either. Being with you is the easiest thing." Dawn nodded her immediate agreement.

"D, can I just check what you mean by being with me?" The dark Slayer questioned before things got too out of control.

"Spending time with you, touching you..." Dawn reached her hand out and rested in on Faith's leg. "Kissing you."

"Okay, so this is the it." Faith nodded. "You want this talk."

"Yeah this talk." Dawn reached up tucking her hair away as well. "I want you to know, that I still want you but I know I can't have everything in the first night."

"By everything you mean sex?" Faith asked arching an eyebrow.

"Not just sex." Dawn shook her head. "But part of it is sex."

"Okay D now listen and listen good cause I ain't never gonna say this again." Faith cleared her throat a little. Dawn blinked brown eyes at her waiting. "I already love you okay. But I ain't like your sister, I don't have all this there are thousands of different types of love shit. For me there is 'I love you family' kind of thing, and 'I love you and want you in my bed' kind of thing. Now I was happy with you in the family bracket, but you've liked jumped ship." She stopped herself as she realized she was making less and less sense. "What I'm saying is I don't know what else you mean by 'other' stuff?"

"You mean other than sex?" Dawn whispered.

"Yeah." Faith nodded. "Other than the hot and heavy."

"Like talking, eating dinner together, watching movies, training, me sleeping on the twins." She blushed lightly.

"You wanna do that shit with me?" Faith questioned.

"Yes." The brunette nodded.

"When we win I'll take you to the movies if you like." Faith offered.

"That would be nice." Dawn smiled at her reaching down to link her fingers into Faith's. The Slayer looked down at their hands for a long moment.

"Wait a minute." Faith asked looking up. "Answer me something." She kept brown eyes.

"Anything." Dawn waited for her to ask and Faith's face grew serious. The look made Dawn swallow hard.

"Wanna be my girlfriend?" She asked her face changing into a slow smirk.

"Yes." Dawn's face lit up.

"You're gonna have to stop flirting with Andrew you know that right?" Faith winked.

"Okay wait, are you always going to be that controlling?" Dawn laughed and jumped on her giggling as they fell back on the bed.

"No, I'll let out the leash on weekends." Faith caught her and held her close.

"I want to kiss you again." Dawn leaned closer to her.

"D, I think being my girlfriend means you don't have to ask." Faith laughed feeling a little caught up in the moment. She felt for the first time in years like she wasn't 'The Slayer' or 'Faith who went wrong', she was just Faith.

"I just get to kiss you whenever I want?" Dawn licked her lips.

"Well when I'm twirling a sword I wouldn't suggest it." Faith pointed out.

"No fair, you're so sexy when you do that." The brunette leaned in and kissed her finally.

Buffy pulled the jeep into the driveway and looked around. She carefully checked that all the windows and doors were intact and the lack of screeching alarms seemed to suggest that there hadn't been an attack in their absence.

"It's quiet." She glanced at Piper in the seat beside her.

"It's early." Piper pointed out.

"Very." Buffy glanced at the radio clock and turned off the jeep.

"You okay?" Piper checked.

"I'm thinking wow we're crazy for having very hot sex on the Hellmouth." The blonde Slayer laughed lightly and shook her head. "But for some reason I feel more like turning on the sprinkler and running through it."

"Its called living Baby." Piper winked. "Feels good eh? And come on you did the Hellmouth a favor, I mean since when has 'oh God oh God more' been screamed there in pleasure?"

"Stop it." Buffy blushed and whacked her lightly on the arm.

"Why, come on sexy girl, admit it. It felt good making love there, pushing aside the shit it represents?" Piper continued.

"Making love with you anywhere feels good." Buffy smiled and leaned across kissing her quickly.

"We could do it in the jeep, again." Piper winked catching hold of her arm.

"Again eh?" Buffy flipped over landing to straddle over her body.

"Well the time in the parking lot wasn't really a proper time." Piper grinned. "That was just kinda a finish off." She pressed her hands up Buffy's thighs.

"You were wrong earlier. You're already an amazing Slayer." Buffy reached up pressing her hands through Piper's hair.

"You mean lover." Piper corrected.

"That too." Buffy nodded. "But I mean Slayer." She rubbed her hands through again.

"Don't let me let you guys down." Piper requested softly.

"Baby, you're not going to let us down." Buffy held her so they were eye to eye.

"You are the reason we are going to beat this thing."

"So you gonna help me choose which Hellmouth I guard after its done?" Piper linked softly.

Buffy stopped pulling her hands back slowly. The words hit her firmly in the stomach and took the air out of her lungs.

"You're going to leave?" She pulled back further.

"Giles said that Faith and I would be more useful elsewhere." Piper frowned.

"Now I understand." Buffy pushed down on the door handle and moved outside.

"Understand what?" Piper looked slightly baffled and scrambled after her.

"We should go to bed, we have lots to do tomorrow." Buffy walked around and pulled the staff out of the other side of the jeep.

"But I thought we were..." Owl pointed to the jeep.

"I'm not sure if that's on Giles' schedule." Buffy slammed the door and moved towards the house.

"Woo wait a minute." Piper reached out and grabbed the staff effectively stopping Buffy. "He said you'd asked him to talk to me."

"I asked him to talk to you about how ever single slayer has doubts and a period of adjustment, not to have him tell you to pack up and go to a new Hellmouth the minute we win this." Buffy hung onto the staff.

"And how every Slayer needs to prove herself and how she can only do that while standing on her own?" Piper recounted the spiel.

"He dragged out that stupid speech?" Buffy let go and her emotion went even angrier. "Piper, I've heard that speech from the minute I met him. Does it look like I ever listened to it? Willow and Xander, do they look like part of the prophecy?"

"Wait up; do I look like I took to this speech well? Hello, sped off to Hellmouth to take it out with the First." Piper pointed out turning angry.

"No, but you're saying you want to go to your own Hellmouth." Buffy looked at her.

"No, I want to buy a fucking little house, a dog with big ears and spend most nights making love to you." Piper growled. "But I'm a fucking slayer now. And apparently what I want means shit."

"You want to stay with me?" Buffy's anger was sidetracked.

"This is news?" Piper frowned.

"You've never said that before." Buffy nodded feeling everything shift around her, as she went from feeling angry to confused.

"Well as it obviously fucks you up, forget I said it." Owl pushed the staff back into Buffy's hands and began walking up the street.

"Don't you dare!" Buffy moved around her quickly and pushed her to a stop. "Don't you dare say something like that and then walk away from me. Don't you dare make me feel things for you and then walk away like I mean nothing, like I'm going to feel nothing."

"Mean nothing?" Piper stopped. "I've just more or less said I want to buy a house and spend the rest of my life with you, and you think I think you're nothing?"

"I don't feel nothing, I feel..." Buffy started harshly but her words went softer.

"I feel afraid that it's not going to happen, that you're going to change your mind."

"When I came here Buffy, I was angry, alone and destroyed, I wasn't even a person let alone a slayer." Piper stood still and looked at Buffy. "The First had taken everything, my past, my future, everything I was and am. Or at least that's what I thought. Until I met you."

"I don't want you to go." Buffy managed to push out the words.

"Then why ask Giles to talk to me about leaving?" Piper had to ask.

"I never told Giles to talk to you about leaving." Buffy put her hands up. "I asked him to talk to you to make you feel better about adjusting to becoming the slayer. I never asked him to tell you to leave. Why would I do that? So I can have someone else I love leave me? Be left alone again?"

"Why are we having this conversation?" Piper asked in a small voice as she moved up to Buffy and reached to stroke down her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Because I just remembered when you feel alive you are vulnerable to that being taken away." Buffy lip quivered. "You said you were leaving."

"Hey we both might." Piper smiled softly tracing the quivering with her fingertip.

"Might what?" Buffy brow furrowed.

"Leave, its a big world out there, I might wanna see it with you." She tapped her nose lightly.

"I used to feel dead Piper, not just alone, but completely dead." Buffy stepped closer. "I don't want to feel that way again."

"Come here." Piper opened her arms. Buffy moved closer into the embrace holding the staff in one hand loosely. "God this is cheesy but I want to do it." Piper took a step back from the blonde Slayer and pulled off her biker jacket. Buffy watched her not quite understanding. Moving back she wrapped it around Buffy's shoulders and pressed her lips to the slightly smaller woman's forehead.

"It's yours." She whispered.

"This is your jacket Piper, I couldn't." Buffy looked up at her taller lover.

"It's so you don't forget." Piper shook her head and held it on the other Slayer's shoulders

"Forget?" Buffy reached up holding it from the inside.

"That I love you, and want to be with you." She underlined.

"I love you too." The blonde smiled at her softly. "You know I should have known you were going to be the next one called." She leaned up looping her arms around.

"Why's that?" Piper slipped her arms around Buffy's waist.

"Because you've got a slayer's flare temper and a slayer's stubbornness." Buffy laughed lightly.

"And I was hoping for a great looks and vibrant personality praise." Piper smirked.

"You have the ego too." Buffy kissed her lightly. "Come on, let's go up to bed. It's going to be daylight soon."

"And you need to sleep I remember." Owl pulled back and let her go.

"I didn't say anything about sleep, did I?" Buffy grabbed her hand, pulling Piper along.

"Well you know you are the oldest slayer." Piper teased as she hurried.

"Watch it, I can still kick your ass." Buffy laughed at her.

"Only because I let you." Piper winked hard.

"You so wish." Buffy scoffed.

"I'm so damn lucky to have you." Piper pushed forward faster and lifted Buffy off her feet into her arms hurrying into the house.

"Buffy, Buffy honey." A soft sweet voice called to the sleeping Slayer.

"Mmmmm sleepy." Buffy turned and groaned.

"I know honey, I just need to speak with you for a minute." The voice called again.

Buffy slowly blinked open hazel eyes and felt her vision adjust into focus.

"Mmmmm wh... whh... what?" She sat bolt up right when she looked directly at the slightly glowing image of her mother. "How... did the shield fail... God are Will and Tara ok?"

"I'm not the First honey." Joyce shook her head softly.

"But you're… you're dead." Just saying it made Buffy's heart ache.

"I am." The older woman frowned. "Buffy that wasn't your fault, there was nothing anyone could have done."

"But I could have been quicker, I could have..." Buffy felt her eyes fill just at the thought and the image that forced itself into her brain.

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Joyce shook her head again. "Buffy, listen to me that's not why I'm here. Remember I came to you before."

"Yes, I remember." She gave a small nod.

"You're ready now." Joyce admitted with a soft smile.

"I am?" Buffy couldn't believe the childlike tone of her voice.

"You have everyone you need with you." Her mother nodded.

"But that doesn't mean I'm ready." Buffy shook her head.

"It doesn't." Joyce agreed with her. "But look inside yourself Buffy, you know the reason to fight again. You know why you struggle."

"Piper?" Buffy whispered her lover's name.

"Part of the reason yes, she's part of your heart." Joyce didn't look away from her daughter. "But it's bigger than that Buffy, look harder."

"Me?" Buffy's voice was even smaller.

"You." Her mother smiled. "One of the very best reasons I know for keeping up this fight."

"I… I wish you were here." Buffy admitted blinking.

"I wish I was too Buffy, I didn't want to go." She frowned slightly. "I didn't want to leave my girls, ever."

"I'm sorry I messed up with Dawn, I'm trying better now Mommy." Buffy felt her lip tremble.

"You haven't messed up." Joyce assured her. "Oh Buffy, trust in yourself more. Please."

"I'm trying Mom." Buffy whispered.

"Remember Buffy I love you, always." Joyce reached up blowing her a kiss.

"I love you too Mom, I wish you could have met Piper." She added reaching out to 'catch' the kiss.

"Buffy?" Piper's sleepy voice questioned as she pushed up a bit.

"Sorry." Buffy apologized softly.

"Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep." Piper blinked at her reaching up to cup her cheek.

"I... I had a vision" Buffy wanted to be honest.

"A vision?" Piper tried not to make her question sound quite so crazy.

"A visitor." Buffy changed her statement.

"Did the shield fail?" Piper sat up more panicked reaching for the stake on the side table.

"It was Mom." Buffy shook her head.

"Your Mom?" Piper lay back down. "Does she come around a lot?"

"She appeared to me before, when all this craziness started." Buffy admitted.

Piper pulled the covers up around them, resting her hand on Buffy's hip.

"What did she say?" She questioned without any hesitation.

"This time or that time." Buffy smiled softly and put her hand over the other Slayer's.

"Both." Piper encouraged her.

"Before she said I wasn't ready." Buffy admitted softly. "But now, now she says I am."

"Did you ask what she meant?" Piper didn't want to sound thick by asking, but she wasn't quite getting the big picture.

"I... not exactly." Buffy frowned. "She said I had everyone around me I needed and that I had myself again."

"Well I'd call that a good omen, right?" Piper squeezed Buffy's hips.

"Yes." Buffy moved closer to her lover. "I miss her." She admitted closing her eyes.

"I bet, was she like totally cool?" Piper urged her to lie down

"Mmmmm she was." Buffy snuggled in.

"Tell me." Piper encouraged.

"She spent years cleaning blood out of my clothes and bought ever one of my lame excuses." Buffy chuckled lightly.

"So what would she say about me?" Piper stroked her fingers up and down over Buffy's naked shoulder.

"She said you were part of my heart." Buffy moved her head to look up at her lover.

"Oh can I take that as approval, I want to take it as approval." Piper smiled tenderly.

"I think it was." Buffy smiled back.

"Okay you, back to sleep." Piper encouraged.

"Mmmmm tired." Buffy put her head back down.

"I'm not surprised." Piper kissed her head.

"I swear you're ego is getting bigger." The blonde chuckled as she yawned.

"Hey I actually wasn't talking about the five times we've managed since getting in." She grinned broadly.

"You counted?" Buffy looked up again.

"Actually no." Piper laughed gently. "I lost the ability to count after the second."

"You're so cute." Buffy laughed and turned snuggling her backside into the other Slayer. "Now come on sleep, everyone's going to wake us up in about an hour."

"Okay, okay." Piper folded herself around the other woman and kissed the back of her head.

Faith groaned and rolled a little over onto her back, in a deep comfortable sleep, that found her warm, safe and not alone, a perfect place for her to be. At the same time Dawn rolled onto her side so her body was flush up against Faith's. Searching for the blanket her hand slid down the dark Slayer's body. Almost as if sensing the need of the younger woman in her sleep Faith used her foot to bring the blanket in reaching distance and pulled it over them

Dawn let out a slight content moan as she buried her face lower, pressing into the side of Faith's right breast as her hand lay across her hip forgetting about the blanket.

Faith groaned a little louder, her core temperature raising a notch as the other woman's nose pressed just under the side edge of her dark tank top so that Dawn's warm breath breathed out over Faith's soft skin. Dawn's breathing stayed constant as she flung her leg over Faith's, her hand sliding up onto the Slayer's bare stomach.

It was then as the fluttering across Faith's stomach moved lower and became a recognizable throb between her legs, which the Slayer began to climb towards consciousness. Her climb was probably made faster as Dawn's leg pressed up higher, the brunette's long body making it easy for her to curl up in such a way. Her hand pressed up as went to brush a hair off her face leaving her hand to cup around Faith's breast.

"Mmmmm yes baby." The Slayer moaned before reality slotted puzzle pieces into place and dark eyes blinked rapidly open as her breast was squeezed in response to the mumble. Freezing in her place, Faith brought her breathing under control and stared up at the ceiling. She hoped that at any moment the other woman would move her hand and leg away.

"Mmmmm Faith." Dawn's thick voice showed she was in a deep sleep but the content of her dream was becoming more obvious as she pressed her face in closer, her own hips rocking against Faith's leg.

"Oh fuck girl don't make this easy will you." Faith whispered to herself and looked to the heavens. Putting her hand over where Dawn's cupped her breast she tried to lift it from her shirt.

A groan of protest came as Dawn slid her hand away from Faith's, slipping lower so that her fingers caught under the elastic of Faith's boxers.

"Oh no you don't missy." Faith's hand darted after Dawn's, this time holding the younger woman's tighter and pulling it up she didn't really mind if she woke Dawn up. It was better than her having to try and explain later when Dawn woke up to find her hand down there.

Another groaned protest came as Dawn's hand was pulled away from the warm area, in response she pressed her knee up harder into her groin.

"D, D, Hun." Faith decided to give up and just go for the direct approach.

"Mmmmm what?" Dawn looked up blinking sleepy eyes.

"You err..." Faith pushed. "You looked uncomfy, and I didn't want you to wake up all achy."

"I was having a dream." She gave a lopsided smile.

"Were you?" Faith tried to sound casual. "A nice one?"

"Very nice." Dawn leaned up. "We were kissing." She snuggled her face into Faith's neck.

"Kissing is good." Faith moved her hand to thread through Dawn's hair a little trying to push aside the distracting throb in her body.

"And other things." Dawn ran her hand up rubbing it over Faith's stomach.

"Other nice things?" Faith cleared her throat still focusing. She could hear her inner voice begin a chant she'd heard once on a TV show about monks and meditation.

"Mmmmm yes, you were touching me." Dawn tilted her head kissing Faith's neck up closer to her ear.

"Touching is good too, I hope I was good at it in your dream." Faith swallowed and tipped her head back a little without thinking.

"Very good." Dawn slipped her body over a bit so she was straddling Faith's leg, her body still warm and aroused from the dream as she kissed up to Faith's earlobe.

"D..." Faith swallowed again as the overpowering warmth, smell and softness of the other woman made her body shiver.

"It was such a good dream." Dawn rolled her hips down pressing against Faith's leg harder.

"Dawn, Hun, listen to me." Faith moved both hands onto Dawn's thigh clearing her throat again as the throb turned into an almost unbearable ache.

"What?" Dawn looked at her trying to wake up fully to listen.

"It's really, really hard to not touch you, when you're doing that." Faith tried to word her predicament carefully, though the desperation was evident in her voice.

"Maybe I want you to touch me?" Dawn pressed her hips down, her lips opening a little as the pressure made her groan.

"Do you?" Faith forced herself to swallow her eyes unable to move from Dawn's lips.

"Well normally if I have a nice dream like that and wake up I…." Dawn whispered and blushed a little. "Touch myself.

"Knowing yourself is good D." Faith nodded with a smile trying to banish images of the young woman in her bed enjoying such moments.

"Do you want me to get off of you?" Dawn checked pressing down a bit harder.

"No, if I'm honest I want you to ride my thigh till you explode." Faith breathed out. "But you know, I'm trying to think couply here and not just with my…" She didn't finish.

"I think it's couply." Dawn smiled as she pushed down more.

"This isn't going too fast for you?" Faith checked running a little safety check through her head. They could stay clothed, well at least in what they already had on. There didn't have to be any direct stimulation, Dawn was close enough to not need that, she could tell that easily. 'Its innocent fabric fucking, almost everyone does that by the time they're seventeen.' She reminded herself.

"This is more me touching you, so it can't be too fast, as I'm the one doing the touching." The brunette groaned as she braced up her arms so she could angle down. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah." Faith reasoned nodded. "Here." She shifted them both higher up the bed "Put your hands on the wall." She guided. "It'll help."

"But..." Dawn whimpered as Faith braced her leg up more and she reached up her hands to the smooth wallpaper. "What about you?"

"This is good for me D, think where your knee is." She subtly pointed out as the mentioned body part bumped rhythmically against the throb between her legs.

"My knee? Oh my knee." Dawn grinned as she realized where her knee was.

"Mmmmm were you having a good dream too?" She rocked harder looking down at the dark Slayer.

"No, actually I was having a really nice reality." Faith smiled back.

Dawn leaned down and kissed her. Faith kissed her back trying to tone down the force and desire she wanted to put into the return. She wanted this to be about Dawn and not her overwhelming libido.

"You don't have to hold back." Dawn groaned as she reached down taking Faith's hand and putting it on her hip.

"Maybe I wanna hold back a bit, to make the night we... you know all the way, really special." Faith slid her other hand onto Dawn's other hip and helped the younger woman move. Internally she laughed at her chaste language.

"Are you sure?" Dawn whimpered as the feeling of Faith's hands on her skin.

"How do you feel?" Faith softly changed the subject and let her voice go deeper.

"Mmmmm God Faith." The brunette panted.

"That's it D, enough talking, just feel." Faith's voice urged her growing huskier as she pressed the young woman back and forth over her thigh, taking her just a little higher as she braced her leg at a slightly higher angle.

"Oh Faith." Dawn whimpered over and over as her hips began to move with less rhythm and finally she tipped her head back releasing a high pitched moan as her orgasm washed over her.

"There you go." Faith slipped one hand from off Dawn's hip up her spine to give her something strong to support the hard arch of her back as she rode out the climax.

"Oh God Faith." Dawn finally moved forward, her hand sliding off the wall as she collapsed on the Slayer's body as she gasped for air.

"That's it, easy, easy," Faith soothed using her strength and agility to move them both so that Dawn was on her back on the bed, propped up a little on the pillows. The dark Slayer was off to the side making sure the brunette had the freedom to move, as she needed. "Breathe." She moved her fingers to press back wet dark brown hair.

"Wow... its never felt..." She breathed out. "That good."

"Believe me D, you have just touched the tip of one hell of an mountain of pleasure." Faith winked.

"Are you okay? Do you… I mean you didn't." Dawn slowly moved lazily onto her side looking at the dark Slayer.

"Just focus on you for a bit there D." Faith smiled and put her hand on Dawn's thigh.

"Are you sure?" Dawn leaned back closing her eyes a little.

"Nothing should spoil how you feel right now or rush it or make it fuzzy, just wallow." Faith encouraged. "Here let me get you a clean pair of shorts that you can change into when you're ready." She leaned forward and pressed her lips onto Dawn's cheek.

"Mmmmm no, just stay." Dawn hugged her quickly.

"Or alternatively I could just stay." Faith couldn't help but smile at the strength Dawn put into the hug.

"Much better." Dawn snuggled closer.

"Feel okay?" Faith checked as she pressed her lips to Dawn's head.

"I feel amazing, all tingly." Dawn giggled.

"Damn no stars?" Faith smirked. "I was aiming for stars"

"Did I say I could actually see?" Dawn snuggled closer to her.

"Don't take this the wrong way D, but…" Faith paused. "You're cute."

"So are you." Dawn whispered.

"Go to sleep before I tickle you in punishment for damaging this Slayer's reputation." Faith chuckled.

"Mmmmm could be fun." Dawn opened her eyes.

"Sleep." Faith growled in a low voice but a grin was firmly plastered on her face and she closed her own eyes.

Faith knocked on the bedroom door, looking at the blonde witch who was surrounded by books and crumbled bits of paper.

"Hey, you busy?" She asked stupidly.

"You could say that." Tara looked up and tucked long hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I won't bug you then." Faith nodded and turned on her heel to leave.

"Faith no, it's fine, come in. Human companionship would be nice for a white, to clear my brain of ancient languages and spells." Tara beckoned her in.

"You're sure, I don't want to get in the way. I know how important all this spell shit is." Faith came in reluctantly sticking to the far areas of the room.

"They are important but so is every individual here and that includes you, friend." She added reaching forward to pat the bed. "Come sit down, what's wrong?"

"Dawn said she talked to you." Faith didn't sit but came closer to lean one knee on the bed.

"She did." Tara nodded and closed the book she was reading and cleared away her papers into a pile. "Is it your turn to spill the details?" She asked softly.

"Details? There aren't any details." Faith shook her head taking the comment the wrong way. "I haven't really touched her." She backed up.

"Faith, calm down." Tara frowned softly. "I didn't mean anything by that." She underlined. "I meant how are you, how do you feel about what Dawn spoke to me about?"

"Sorry, I keep waiting for someone to kick my ass." Faith sat down. "I mean I am so trying to behave here."

"I promise not to kick your ass." Tara smiled gently.

"What the Hell is she thinking?" The dark Slayer turned to her suddenly asking the almost harsh question. "I mean hello, worse choice on earth here."

"I don't think love is about best or worse choices Faith." Tara offered softly. "You are strong, beautiful, exciting and bold, it think that would make you an attractive option for just about anyone."

"She can't love me." Faith stood up shaking her head. "That is just insane, I mean she's got her whole fucking life ahead of her."

"So have you." Tara countered.

"Tara, you can't possibly be telling me that you're okay with her choice? Come on I want the truth." Faith stared at her.

"Faith…" Tara paused. "The person who will always judge you the hardest, is you, it's one thing prison will do for you, it will either make it so that you just don't give a damn, or it will make you think about what you did do. Now what you did, you did to and around the people that you cared the most about, so not only will you see what you actually did as a mark against you, you will perceive everything thing, everyway each action affected everyone of them as another black mark against yourself. But Faith…." Blue eyes looked up wanting to make very sure that Faith was more than listening to her.

"But?" Faith jumped almost immediately.

"Dawn hasn't fallen in love with a list of errors, nor a list of good things, she's fallen in love with you. Now I know she's young and I know that right now things might be crazy and judgments not what they should be, but what she's feeling right now, to her, feels real, and I cannot tell her that that's wrong or that she should choose someone else. She trusts you Faith, not completely, but she wants to. She wants to know you've changed into the person she always thought you were inside." The blonde witch continued. "What matters the most is that you are honest, not to me necessarily, but to yourself and to Dawn. If you're not in love with her, be honest about it, but if you are, be honest too." She said softly. "She might only be seventeen, but right now she knows what she wants, and she wants you. What's the worse that can happen? We beat the First, in a months or so she changes her mind about how she feels, but even then she's spent that time with you in a caring thoughtful relationship, I'm not seeing negatives here."

"No worse thing is in a few months she turns around and realizes that everything was crazy and she's lost her virginity to me and you can't get that back." Faith turned looking out the window. "I know she knows what she wants, Hell she's probably got more sense than I do and I do have feelings for her..." She swallowed. "Mostly I don't want to hurt her."

"Put yourself in her position Faith." Tara nodded understanding Faith's point. "When all this goes down, there's a chance that we won't win, a chance we won't survive. Now, would you rather lose your virginity to someone who you love deeply and care about and then die or die not having experience what it is to share that most precious thing with anyone, even though you felt like you wanted to?"

"She's not going to die in this, I don't care what else happens she's not dying." Faith shook her head missing somewhat the end point as the idea of the brunette being killed or even hurt made her so angry.

"That's something you can believe with your whole heart Faith, but it doesn't make it a reality." Tara said softly. "The fact that you don't want anything bad to happen to her says so much." The blonde stopped. "She tells me you've kissed."

"Yeah, we had some fun last night but I made sure it was all about her." Faith remembered the night before with a smile.

"You want to define fun for me?" Tara frowned softly.

"I had to wake her up cause she was having this hot dream and pawing me in her sleep. Well you know what it's like when you wake up all hot and bothered, I just let her have a thigh on loan to work it out and get back to sleep." Faith shrugged.

"So you made love." Tara reworded the answer.

Faith looked at Tara almost as shocked as Zoë had when the blonde witch had slapped her.

"Tara I told you I didn't touch her, all seals intact." Faith made a motion with her hands to ward off any attack the blonde was going to make at her.

"You don't have to touch someone to make love to them Faith." Tara shook her head. "You brought her to release, you wanted her to feel good and you wanted to be the cause. You made love." She underlined again.

Faith stood there obviously stunned as she went down the checklist that Tara had provided and found every one of them was true.

"But I didn't... I mean I wasn't thinking like that I was... Oh fuck me." She cursed putting her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ears.

"Faith, if taking Dawn's virginity is the thing scaring you here, then quite simply, don't." Tara put forward. "I just know you know a hundred ways of pleasuring someone that don't include penetration."

"Okay I have one question, how the Hell are you having this conversation so calmly?" Faith looked at her amazed. "I mean hello we're talking Dawn here, little Dawnie? The girl who still comes to you for hot chocolate and a head rub."

"Because." Tara paused. "Because I love her and I want for her what makes her happy, you make her happy, obviously." She smirked slightly but then looked at Faith with bright intense blue eyes. "And because I trust you, and if you purposely hurt her, you'll find out just what a powerful witch I am."

"That was a threat right?" Faith moved over and sat down again. "Now I feel better. More my territory." She smiled and gave a sigh of relief. "I don't want to hurt her. She's so mixed up, she feels stuck between being a kid who everyone looks down on and being an adult which I mean I wish I could tell her stay a kid it's easier. But she's not, she is so not." She shook her head.

"Faith, have you ever been in love?" Tara asked softly.

"No." The dark Slayer shook her head.

"Then why not let yourself fall?" Tara questioned smiling gently.

"Oh my, I swear when we beat the First the thing I'm going to enjoy most is hot water whenever I want it." Willow came in rubbing at her wet hair interrupting without realizing. "Oh Faith." She looked between the two of them.

"Faith was just asking how the search was going." Tara explained. "Come here let me do that." She held out her hand for the towel.

"Yeah just wanted to check in." Faith stood up as Willow came over relinquishing the towel as she moved onto the bed back on so Tara could help.

"You could tell Tara she needs a break, she's not listening to me." Willow teased her fiancée.