PART ONE: 25th December 2003

Chapter One: Waking Up Is Hard To Do

Buffy stared at the ceiling as she heard the house wake up around her. She hadn't done the clichéd thing and stayed awake all night berating herself over the distress she'd caused her dark counter-part and pining for her return. She'd wanted to, but the day before had been a long one with much exercise and she'd been asleep before she could get started on a good brood.

She had woken up while it was still dark out though, which showed she cared, surely.

Normally she liked being up early to get the breakfast started and grab a hot shower and, when the world wasn't buried under a blanket of white, to go for a run.

She couldn't be bothered this morning. What was the point? She really didn't want to spend her Christmas day getting looked at funny by the rest of the house. Not that she could blame them. If she was one of them, she'd be looking at her funny too. Last nights shambles must have really spun they're heads. Finding out about her and Faith like that. At all. She hadn't exactly helped them by running up the stairs when she should have stayed to explain.

Explain what?

There was nothing to explain any more. She'd made sure of that. Faith could be anywhere by now and Buffy was pretty sure she wouldn't be coming back in any kind of a hurry.

Faith had trusted her with her feelings, something the blonde knew was impossibly hard for the brunette, and Buffy had offered hers in return, only to snatch them back at the first hurdle.

She hadn't meant to imply that what she was doing with Faith was a mistake, because she didn't think it was. It was just that she didn't want her friends standing around discussing what she was doing, or had been doing seconds before, with Faith. She'd been embarrassed at being caught with her pants down, literally. It had taken her so long to work up the courage to act on her feelings for the younger woman; she hadn't been ready for the next leap of telling her friends.

She sighed and rolled over in bed.

It was all over now anyway. Another failed relationship under her belt. This one before it even got started. She was good, you couldn't deny that.

Maybe Faith being gone was for the best. Maybe the idea of them being together was better off just staying an idea. Buffy didn't have the first clue of being with another woman, and not just the sex stuff either. Although that was pretty daunting, seeing as how it would undoubtedly have involved Buffy doing more than laying back and enjoying Faith's fingers and ...oh God, that tongue!

What about dating? She'd been on plenty of dates, she knew how the rituals went, but was dating a girl different? Who pulled out whose chair? ‘Cause if you did it for each other that would just be weird.

Who paid for dinner? Who opened car doors? Who kissed who goodnight on the step? She figured it would be Faith, but what if Faith figured it would be her.

Maybe these things would happen naturally, but what if they didn't? What if Buffy broke some big, lesbian etiquette rule and got kicked out of the club before her membership even went through?

Buffy rolled onto her other side and huffed: "Why am I feeling so bad anyway? Faith's the one who ran off like a big baby without even waiting for me to finish what I was saying." And did she want to apply for membership? Well she supposed she already had. Wasn't there just a Faith club? It was Faith she was interested in, not lesbians.

Her logic was starting to resemble Xander's.

Maybe it would be better if Faith just stayed gone. She could start a new life somewhere. Buffy had always thought it was a little strange that the brunette had willingly chosen to live with them all once they settled in Cleveland. Of course, it seemed less strange to her now she was in possession of all the facts.

Her friends would forget about all this in a day or two and put it down to another Buffy-breakdown. She wouldn't correct them and they could all move on with their lives again and Buffy was sure she would eventually forget just how good Faith could make her feel. Not everyone could make you feel horny and special at the same time. This was a shame because it meant Buffy would probably have to wait a long time for someone else with those abilities to come along.

"Well, until that day, I'm staying right here." She decided, burrowing further into her blankets and duvets.

A few loud thumps came from her bedroom door.

"Buffy's not here!" She yelled from beneath her covers.

The door opened and she poked her head out.

"I said..."

"I know I heard you." Dawn bounced in the doorway. "Come on, it's present time and Giles said I can't open any until you get down there."

"Go ahead and start without me." Buffy went under again; it was cold with the door open. "I'll be down for New Year."

"Buffy come on, it's Christmas. You can't stay in bed all day." Dawn whined.

"Yes I can, watch me. In fact don't watch me, just go and enjoy the day, I'm fine."

"Look if this is about last night, everyone's over it, so just get up already."

"Well good for everyone, but I'm still not getting up yet."

It was supposed to be that easy, was it? Faith was the first person she'd liked since Sp...Sunnydale and now she was gone, just like that, and everyone else was over it so she had to be too. Thanks a lot guys. Couldn't they even give her one day to mope and sulk and eat ice-cream? Shit, they didn't have any ice-cream. Buffy peeked out of the covers enough to see the window. Maybe she could pour chocolate sauce over the snow and eat that.

"Okay, well you leave me no choice," Dawn came fully into the room and jumped onto the bed, "and just you remember that when the Slayer tries to take over."

"What?" Buffy's head popped back into view turtle-like and she frowned at her younger sister standing on the end of her bed.

Dawn began jumping up and down by Buffy's feet making the bed bounce continuously.

"Dawn! Get off!"

"Nope, not until you get up."

The teenager kept up the bouncing for about five minutes, until she was breathless and panting and Buffy finally gave a yell of defeat and leapt out of the bed to tackle Dawn and tickle her mercilessly.

"I'm gonna make you regret that." Buffy promised as she dug her sharp fingers into her sister's sides.

"At least you're out of bed." Dawn yelped between giggling fits and trying to wriggle away.

Buffy let her go and got up to pull on her robe. "Fine. I'll come down, have breakfast, scowl at everyone, open presents and put the dinner on. Then I'm coming back to bed."

Dawn followed her out of the room. "As long as you don't forget the dinner part then that suits me."

She wandered down the stairs grumpily, really not wanting to face everyone just yet and see the questions in their eyes. What did you do to make Faith run off? Or what did Faith do to make her run off? Either one she wasn't up to answering.

"Morning guys." Buffy greeted everyone as she walked into the kitchen and looked around at them all. She stopped on her way to the refrigerator, her eyes opening wide as she took in an unexpected face at the table. "Faith!" 

Chapter Two: The Gift of Receiving

Buffy hovered in the doorway from the kitchen, waiting for everyone else to sit themselves down around the tree before she picked her spot.

As soon as everyone was settled and Xander was pulling shiny parcels from beneath the leaning fir, Buffy made her way through her family to kneel beside Faith's cushion.

Finding Faith there that morning had been a complete shock and definitely a good one, but when Buffy had sat across the kitchen table from her ready to issue a gushing apology, the brunette had gotten up and gone to shower and change. She'd only just come back down.

The dark Slayer turned to Buffy now, smiling a little. "Hey budge up there, B. I'm gonna need some room for this."

Buffy didn't want to move. She wanted to stick to Faith like glue in case she changed her mind and left again. Faith was making shooing gestures with her fingers now and Buffy had no choice but to shuffle a little further away or look like an idiot.

"More." Said Faith with a grin.

What? Did she smell? Buffy frowned and moved until she was practically sat in Willow's lap.

"That's better." Faith began ripping into the presents that Xander had handed her and Buffy was actually pretty pleased she'd moved. If she hadn't she may have drowned in paper, or been felled by a flying elbow.

"These are yours Buffy." Dawn handed her a small pile or gifts. She looked through them. One from Xander, a small one from Giles and a way bigger one from her sister, one from Willow and Kennedy - Hey no fair, she'd brought them a present each. That was it. Nothing from anyone else.

"Um Buffy, I got you these." She looked to the young blonde man who had followed them from Sunnydale. She opened the bag he'd handed her and pulled out a pair of hot pink oven gloves.

"Uh, thanks Andrew." She tried them on and wiggled her fingers a little and made them dance like puppets.

"Well I know it's a little lame, but I didn't know what to get the Slayer who has everything and I thought at least they'd be useful." He explained. "Don't worry if you didn't get me anything, I ..."

"I have, or at least, me and Dawn went halfsies. Right?" She checked with her sister.

"Right." Dawn handed him a package and Andrew beamed.

"Faith, that's one of mine." Buffy looked up at Xander's whine, smirking as Faith tried to look sorry and handed him back his half open present.

Sitting back, away from the tree and on the couch, Buffy fiddled with her own packages, unwrapping them slowly and watching Faith turn her biggest present over and over in her hands. It was the one from her.

Faith turned almost fully around so she could see the blonde and raised an eyebrow.

Buffy smiled. "Open it then."

Faith went back to it with fingers of fury, while Buffy sat back and crossed her own. She'd brought Faith her present when things were still all weird between them. Not that they were any better now. Before though, she'd racked her brains for what to get and in the end chose something she really wanted for her herself. Thinking back on their history, unless it was pastel or paisley it was most probably going to be something Faith would like too.

Since Christmas Eve, when they'd talked and kissed and, okay other stuff too... More importantly, they'd come to an understanding, which had been shattered almost instantly it was true, but for twenty minutes there she and Faith had been in the same place. Buffy really wanted to get back to that place, which was putting extra consequence on Faith liking her present.

Then again Faith hadn't even bothered to get her a present, so maybe she shouldn't be worrying too much.

Faith finally had all the paper off and was pulling up the flaps of the cardboard box. Opening it, she just looked inside for several of Buffy's heartbeats.

Licking her lips, Buffy asked nervously. "You like?"

Faith licked her own lips and reached into the box to stroke the material. "This must have cost you a bomb."

Buffy started opening her present from Willow and Kennedy so she didn't have to look at any one. "You had one in Sunnydale, I remember. I loved it." And the blushing comes on cue. Would she ever grow out of that?

Faith pulled the leather jacket out of its box and held it up in front of her. The buckles at the waist jangled a little. "Uh, maybe you should keep it then. I mean this is too much."

"No." She said forcefully. Willing herself, to relax she swept on. "It'll look way hotter on you anyway..." The blush deepened as felt all eyes on her, all except Faith's anyway. "...Uh, I didn't mean..." Buffy felt like she was swallowing the bullet as she made an attempt to bite it. "...actually that's exactly what I meant." She turned to Willow and Kennedy who were twined around one another. "This is nice, thanks guys." She held up the case of kitchen knives they'd given her. It really was very nice, but her attention was still on Faith.

"Well we thought, you know, if you're going to make cooking your new career, then these will get you started..." Willow grinned happily at her.

"...But, you can still use them for your old career too." Kennedy finished.

When had she said she was making cooking her new career? In a way it did make sense. She had experience in chopping, cutting, slicing and dicing and she knew more than anyone about preparing a good stake.

Faith had put the jacket on. Even over sweat-pants and an Iron Maiden t-shirt it looked damn fine.

"Buffy was right, Faith." Willow told the dark Slayer as she went to the mirror by the front door to check herself out. Kennedy glared at her. "What, I, I didn't mean she looked hot, just that it suits her."

Buffy met her best friend's eyes with a smile as Faith turned to come back into the main room muttering: "Thanks."

Still smiling, Buffy waited for Faith to whip her present out from wherever she'd stashed it. After a full minute of everyone going back to their own gifts, she realised it wasn't going to happen.             

Chapter Three: The Selfless Sacrifice of a Noble Turkey

Buffy pushed through the swing door with both hands full.

"Are you sure we can't help?" Asked Giles from his place at head of the table.

"Nope. It's all under control." She put down a dish of potatoes and another of beans. "Help yourselves while I get the rest."

She heard plates clattering from the kitchen and Christmas carols suddenly blared to life on the stereo before being quickly turned down.

Grabbing the peas and the cranberry sauce she went through again, plonked them neatly on the table and took her own seat to the left of Giles and the right of Xander. Faith was all the way down the other end. She was still wearing the black leather jacket.

"Giles, would you carve?" She asked.

"Of course." And he did.

Soon everyone had a plateful of the delicious meal Buffy had cooked and the talk was merry and light-hearted. Buffy wondered at it all. No one had mentioned last night, not even Xander. Not even Faith for that matter. It was like yesterday hadn't happened at all. Had it happened? Maybe she had slept through all of Christmas Eve and the Christmas Eve she remembered was just a dream. It seemed unlikely, but you never knew on a Hellmouth.

Perhaps she should mention something to test her theory. But what?

"So where did you end up last night Faith?" Seemed as good as anything, and it was something she desperately wanted to know.

A hush fell over table as everyone stopped talking and eating at the same time. Okay so it all happened. Or something even worse happened while she was doing the Rip Van Winkle. Damn Hellmouths. Some of her friends were looking her way and some were looking Faith's, which at least meant that everyone else was in the dark as to where the other Slayer had stormed off to.

Faith rolled her shoulders like the jacket was suddenly uncomfortable and mumbled something difficult to hear.

"We can't understand when you mumble." Kennedy wasn't one for subtle.

Faith shot her a nasty look. "I said: I was sat down the end of the drive."

Kennedy started laughing. "Why?"

"Weren't you freezing?" Dawn looked horrified by the idea.

Buffy felt she probably had the same expression as her sister. Faith had spent the night in the icy, blizzardy night because of her. She felt terrible.

"The snow was bad and I didn't want to drive in it." Faith shrugged and went back to eating. "I sat down the end there with the heater running until all the lights I could see were off and then I snuck back and broke into the girl's dorm." She looked at Giles. "I'll get that fixed for ya tomorrow."

Giles just nodded.

"But wasn't it still cold in there?" Asked Willow.

The girls' room was empty for the holidays and the heat had been turned off to save money.

"Nah, there's plenty of blankets in there, so I just slept under all of them."

Meeting Faith's eyes was difficult because she really didn't seem to want to look at Buffy, but patience prevailed. "I'm sorry Faith, really. If I hadn't been such a ..."

Annoyingly Faith cut her off before she could get the sentence out. "S'no big, B."

"I thought you'd gone."

Everyone else was sat in some kind of slow motion. Carefully lifting forkfuls of food into their mouths and trying their damnedest to not look at either of them. Right now Buffy loved them for it.

"Where'm I gonna go, B?" Faith's eating hadn't slowed down at all. She finished and stood up. "This is my home, I'm in no hurry to leave it." She looked away from Buffy. "B cooked. I'll do the dishes."

Buffy stood up too. She'd hardly even touched her meal. "I can help."

"Nah, it's okay." She watched Faith head for the swing door. "I got it."            

Chapter Four: Blow Me Down With a Feather

Ten minutes later Buffy excused herself and went into the kitchen. "You need any help?"

Faith's back was to her as she washed dishes and set them down on the drainer. "I said I didn't."

"Just checking you hadn't changed your mind."

"Nope."

"Okay." Buffy sat down at the counter. "I'll just watch then."

Faith looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "Watch what? My ass?"

Buffy smiled. "Well the Grinch isn't on for another half an hour."

Another plate was plunged into the murky water and bubbles flew up.

Buffy soon got bored of ass-watching. Not that it wasn't a nice pastime and fast becoming Buffy's favourite sport besides ice-skating, and ice-skating was so a sport, but the ass in question was just standing there. Buffy had never seen this particular ass so motionless.

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk last night." She said to break the silence.

"Don't worry about it."

"But I didn't make myself clear. What I said wasn't what I meant." Buffy tried to explain. Not easy when Faith was still refusing to look away from her chore.

"Yes it was." Faith pulled the plug free with a noisy gurgle and grabbed a cloth to dry them with.

"No it really wasn't."

"It doesn't matter." What was with these tiny little sentences? Normally she couldn't shut Faith up.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?"

Faith turned now, leaning against the sink while she dried the big fancy plate the bird had been laid to rest on. "It means the moment passed B. For me anyways." She fidgeted a little. "I don't know if it ever even started for you."

"It did, it has, it's still here." She got out quickly, but Faith just kept on.

"The idea of me and you...It's a fantasy. A damn good one sure, but that's all. We don't belong together and we sure ain't star-crossed lovers. If we were this woulda been all sorted a long time ago. All we are is two chicks who share this phenomenal connection with each other and have crazy-ass hormones that act like little voices inside our heads telling us to do stuff."

Buffy blinked, working all that out in her head. Faith babble was a new one. "Isn't that enough to start with?"

Faith shook her head. "Obviously not, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Buffy left her chair and walked closer to Faith. "Then let's not have it. Let's just do something else."

Faith turned away from her again to pick up another dish. "No thanks."

Putting her hands on the brunette's shoulders, Buffy tried to turn her back around, but she refused to be budged. "What do you mean ‘no thanks'? Why are you being so unreasonable about this?"

"I know you're not this stupid Buffy, but I'll lay it out for you anyway, seeing as you're acting it." Faith paused for a breath, turned once more and started backing away from her. "You had your shot, B, and you blew it, just like I blew mine five years ago."

"Blew it?" Buffy could feel herself going red, but this time it wasn't with embarrassment.

"Hey, no hard feelings. I want to be friends an' all, I just..." Faith shrugged with her hands held out to her sides. "...If I'm gonna kick this, I gotta go cold turkey."

"Kick what?" But Faith had already gone three at a time up the back stairs.     

Chapter Five: Grand Exits

Buffy came through the swing door in full on grumpy face to be with her friends, who loved her and would make her feel better.

"I blew it with Faith." She announced to the room.

The room carried on laughing at the silly rhyming film.

"I said..."

Xander reached to get another handful of nuts and cut her off. "Yeah, you blew Faith." He sounded bored until he actually registering the words. His tone brightened. "You blew Faith? Just then in the kitchen? Hang on, how is that even possible?" Buffy rolled her eyes at him but he was looking at Willow.

Willow scrunched up her face while she thought about it. "I don't see how you can." Now Buffy rolled her eyes at her other best friend.

"Well if it's just slang for oral sex it's totally possible. I mean when Anya went down on you, she didn't really blow did she?" Kennedy chuckled.

Buffy wondered how anyone could possibly think everything was always about her.

Xander scratched the side of his head again. "Well there was one time, but that wasn't really Ahn's fault and the doctor said there would be no lasting damage, so..." He grinned.

"Can we not talk about our sex lives quite so graphically on Christmas day? I'm sure it counts as sacrilege." Giles piped up tiredly from his armchair. He met Buffy's eyes. "You've had an falling-out with Faith?"

Finally someone with a brain in their head that wasn't addled by mulled wine and too much Figgy Pudding! "Yes."

Giles went back to watching the T.V. "Well, no need to worry, I'm sure it will resolve itself in due course."

Huh?

"Don't let her get to you, Buff. You know what she's like." Willow gave Buffy a sad smile. "I'm sure it's just a crush. She'll get over it. Might be a good idea to not encourage her too much, though."

Huh? "But I don't want her..."

Xander leaned back far enough to look upside down at her. "If you need someone to make her back off, I don't mind paying Kennedy to do it." He looked up at her goofily.

Huh? "No don't do that. Whatever you do, don't do that." Because that would be the frosting on the Christmas cake. Something was definitely awry here. She sat herself on the very edge of the couch ready to explain all now that she had loosely captured their attention. "Please, listen to me for a minute. This isn't what you think. I think I really like Fa..."

Noisy footsteps on the front stairs made everyone's heads swivel that way and Buffy stopped talking.

Faith was coming down fast. She'd changed into tight black jeans and an even tighter bright red halter-neck top. Buffy's breath caught as she admired the other woman. "Hey guys. I'm going out for a while. Don't wait up." She made her way about the living room, picking up her cigerette's and her wallet.

"You're going out like that?" Dawn asked as Buffy's heart sunk to a new level of lowness. "You'll catch your death."

Faith grinned at her. "No I won't. Got my new prezzie to keep me warm." Buffy watched her pick up the leather jacket and slip it on. It really did look great. "I'm gonna wait outside. Cab'll be here in five."

Buffy wanted to say something to stop her, but what was the point? She'd already apparently blown it.

Giles said something instead. "But where are you going Faith? It's Christmas day."

Faith stopped at the door and pulled hair out of the collar of the jacket so it hung freely down her back. "Well I have this tradition see. Every year after dinner me and the fam would go down to this bar on Tremont and drink until we couldn't see straight. Last few years I haven't been able to uphold the tradition, what with being in prison an all. So...I decided this year I had better make up for lost time." She had opened the door now and icy gusts swept in.

Buffy stood up. "So you're going out to get drunk?"

Faith shrugged. "It's tradition. You can't fuck with tradition, B, isn't that what you were saying something about last night?"

"If this is because I'm here," Buffy began bravely, "I'll go upstairs. I don't mind, I'm not in the merry mood anyway."

"It's not. I just feel all cooped up. I wanna stretch my legs a bit." She was halfway out the door as she added. "Dinner was great though, Buff. Best I ever had." The door shut solidly behind her.

Buffy sat back down, her ass missing the couch and landing her on the floor instead. She didn't even notice. She didn't notice her friends hovering either as she said. "She's right. I really, really blew it."       

Chapter Six: Cruel Intentions

The day had been incredibly long for Buffy. She'd wanted to go back to bed once Faith had left, but the others would hear none of it. For Dawn's sake she did what they expected and was forced to play board-games for the whole evening. With more focus on the clock than the game she got yelled at a dozen times for moving everyone else's pieces instead of her own.

It was half-past eleven now and she was finally in bed, but far from asleep. The rest of the household had turned in too, and the house was almost spooky silent as Buffy lay counting the tick of the clock.

At eleven forty-five headlights brightened the back wall of her room and she sat up against her pillows. It had to be Faith back from where-ever she'd gone. A car door slammed and feet could be heard crunching snow on the path. At least she'd come back. Buffy had expected the dark Slayer to find somewhere else to spend the night; it wasn't like she'd be short of offers. Now she was back it meant Buffy could talk to her, again, with none of the others listening in and making Faith uncomfortable.

The front door opened with a squeak, followed by a muffled thud and some giggling and finally a shhing noise. Okay so she was drunk. This wasn't a surprise. She'd been gone eight hours with the sole intention of getting rat-faced, after all. That might even make this easier, Buffy thought as she heard lots of soft steps on the front stairs – Faith must have been going up them one at a time to avoid falling down them again. If Faith was all drunk and loved up then she might be more willing to listen to Buffy's apology. Maybe they could even kiss a little and make-up.

Buffy slid out of bed and pulled her robe on over her jammies. She'd go now before Faith had a chance to pass out. There was another small thud followed by a giggle as Buffy opened her door, but by the time she peered into the darkness of the hall Faith's door was shut. She tiptoed to it and knocked gently. There was no answer, but she could hear Faith moving around inside the room. She knocked again.

"Faith, I know you're in there. Can we talk please?" Buffy whispered, waiting patiently in the cold corridor for an answer. It didn't come. "Faith please? I really need to speak to you and I can't sleep so it has to be now."

There was some muttering from behind the door that Buffy couldn't make out so she leaned her ear to the wood and listened closely, but all was quiet again.

"Faith!"

There was light coming from under the door, but what if she'd fallen asleep already? Maybe Buffy should just let her sleep. Obviously Faith was dealing with Buffy ‘blowing it' by drinking and so she'd probably had a hell of a lot and Buffy would get no sense out of her tonight anyway. In fact if Faith was that drunk she was equally as likely to  turn violent as she was to turn sappy. A fight really wasn't going to improve things between the Chosen Two and it would wake everyone up and look how well that had gone the night before.

Buffy backed up from the door a little, but a noise from inside drew her closer again. What if Faith was so drunk that she had passed out face up? She might be sick and then she would die and Buffy would never get to say sorry and make it up to her. It would be just like Faith to get the last word like that.

"Faith, I'm coming in, okay? I just need to check that you're not going to drown in your own sick and then if you like I'll leave you alone again." Buffy put her hand on the doorknob and turned it. "But I need you to know that I'm really, really..."

Faith was kneeling on the floor, naked from the waist down and staring at Buffy completely annoyed. "You sure know how to kill the mood, don't ya B, coming in here talking about puke."

Buffy was too busy staring at the brunette's bare lower half to answer. If Cordy had still been alive, Buffy could have finally told her that: ‘Yes, that was Faith's natural hair colour.' Buffy licked her lips and waited for the heart attack she could feel approaching. She'd never actually looked at another girl's pu...bit, before. She probably shouldn't be now.

Faith was still looking beyond pissed. "Do you mind?"

Actually not at all, Buffy wanted to answer, which in itself freaked her out a little.

"So is she gonna, like, join in or whatever? ‘Cause I have absolutely no complaints about that."

Buffy looked away from Faith and at last registered they weren't the only two in the room. "Who the hell are you?"

He held out his hand politely. "I'm Brad, and you, if you don't mind me sayin', are gorgeous!"

Buffy, completely stunned, almost shook his hand, but Faith pulled her top off and she and Brad both got distracted. She was looking at Faith completely naked. Wow. Faith was naked. Brad was looking at Faith being naked. That was kind of anti-wow.

She watched, helpless to do anything but, as Faith surged forward on her knees and kissed the guy hard on the mouth, bowling him over backwards in the process. Without looking up, she said gruffly: "I've got company at the moment, B, so unless whatever you want involves monsters can you save it for morning."

Faith's hands were busy working on Brad's fly. "You mean she's not staying?"

Faith shrugged and looked back up at her. "You can if you want, but you gotta lose the clothes."

Buffy back-stepped. Just what was Faith suggesting here? Okay so she knew exactly what she was suggesting, but oh my God. "I...I...I..."

Faith smirked. "Didn't think so." Her hands were still busy and as an excuse to look away from her mocking expression, Buffy's eyes landed on them. Oh my God! She had Brad...out and was...

Buffy tore her eyes away and swallowed. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She'd only wanted to see if Faith was alright. Well she'd ‘seen' more than she'd bargained to. And as far as Brad was concerned, more than she'd ever wanted to. "I have to go."

"B, wait up." She almost had the door closed when Faith's harsh whisper stopped her.

"Look Faith, I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'm really ready for a threesome just yet."

Faith laughed at that and Brad seemed pretty amused too, the bastard. How petty would it really be if she just dumped his well toned ass out of the window?

Still grinning widely Faith pushed her front half under her bed, giving Buffy, and Brad, a very nice view of her back half. Re-emerging quickly with a silver papered box in one hand, she deftly flipped it to Buffy. "Your Christmas present. I still hadn't wrapped it earlier." Buffy caught it and turned it over in her hands, admiring the neat edges of the paper and pretty italic lettering of her name. "Shut the door on your way out."

"Thanks." Buffy looked up as she uttered her appreciation, but Faith was now straddling Brad and things were heating up to an all new level.

"Oh...God!" Present in hand, she turned and fled.