No one was more surprised than Buffy when she and Faith finally returned home from their trip to LA to find Angel sitting at the kitchen table. Actually, maybe Faith was more surprised. That’s probably why she dropped her luggage. And why she had a staring match with him. And why she turned around and walked right out the back door without so much as a single word.

Both Buffy and Angel knew what that meant. Faith wanted to talk, but she didn’t want to be confined in a room or even a house; they’re way too easy to destroy in a fit of rage.

Angel stood up and followed Faith out the door but not before pressing his cool lips to Buffy’s forehead; a simple gesture that assured Buffy that he wasn’t going to screw things up. Or let things stay screwed up. Whatever.

Buffy was sure that he’d work things out, but he and Faith have been gone almost two hours now and she’s suddenly doubting his ability to smooth all of this over. Maybe Faith doesn’t want things smoothed over. Maybe she’s ready to cut ties.

God, maybe she has a stake in her pocket and is gonna get a little poke-happy.

Buffy winces internally and starts to refill her glass of wine. She doesn’t pour more than an inch when the back door opens and Faith slips inside, closing it quietly behind her. Buffy immediately notices Angel’s absence and a sense of panic washes over her. If Faith really killed him, she’ll never get over it. The two of them share some kind of connection that not even Buffy understands and she knows that Faith will never forgive herself for it.

“You can relax, I didn’t kill him,” Faith murmurs as she takes off her jacket and hangs it over a hook near the door.

Buffy breathes a sigh of relief and downs the small amount of red wine in her glass in one glug before refilling it again.

Faith must be thinking the same thing – booze good – when she reaches into the fridge and pulls out a bottle of beer. She twists off the top and downs half the contents before pulling it from her lips and resting back against the countertop.

Buffy stands from her chair and walks over, resting her hands on Faith’s hips just to feel connected again. “How’d it go?”

Faith shrugs and wraps one hand behind Buffy, letting it rest on the small of her back. She tips back her beer with the other and finishes it off before placing it behind her on the counter.

“Good as it could, I guess. I dunno. I’m still pissed, but . . .” she trails off and shakes her head.

“But what?” Buffy asks softly.

“But . . . I get it. I think I get it,” Faith says just as softly.

Buffy doesn’t say anything. She leans forward and wraps her arms fully around Faith, hugging her tightly. She feels Faith rub her chin on the top of her head, then feels her lips press softly against it.

“It’s a crazy sitch, yunno? The whole thing has been stupid crazy,” Faith continues. “But maybe it’s kinda good, cos it made me realize some things.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

Buffy lifts her head from Faith’s shoulder and looks up into her eyes. Faith gives her a soft smile, looking almost shy.

“Well, the guy might be pretty stupid but I love him, yunno? I’ll always be there for him when he needs me, cos he was there for me.”

“That’s nice,” Buffy says. Her smile is soft and she feels so proud of Faith right now.

“That’s not all though. It also made me realize . . .” she trails off and takes a shaky breath, then runs a hand through her hair. After a moment the puts her forefinger under Buffy’s chin and tilts it up just a fraction more so she can look right in her eyes. “It made me realize that I’m in love with you. That I love you.”

Her words are quiet and a bit shaky but they hit Buffy like a ten ton truck. Tears form in her eyes and she’s pretty sure that she’s never smiled as big in her entire life, and hey, she’s not even trying. The big smile is there to stay.

“I’m in love with you too,” she manages to whisper. She can’t say anything more though because Faith’s lips are on hers in a crushing kiss and she’s tingling from her toes to her scalp.