Faith was nervous.

Normally, when she drove along the highway she enjoyed the ride. Driving had become a relaxing activity for her over the months she'd been travelling. Not one time, even during the snowstorm she had driven through the day before, had she even been nervous behind the wheel.

Today was different. Today was December 23rd and she had just turned into the long driveway that led to the slayer headquarters in Cleveland.

During the last couple weeks she'd thought about the offer Buffy had given her when she was injured and for a week she wasn't sure what to do. The other slayer had stayed with her for two days, the longest they'd been in the same place since Sunnydale, making sure she healed and making sure the vamps responsible were staked. She had to admit that she enjoyed the time with her, even if she was injured.

Faith didn't like that she had to stay on the sidelines while Buffy and two other slayers took out the rest of the gang but she knew it was smart of her to accept the help. The younger version of her would never have done that and that fact proved to Faith it was the right move. She hoped that was a sign she was starting to really grow as a person and change for the better. It made her realize getting help didn't mean she was weak.

Buffy didn't bring up her offer again, probably not wanting to push the issue, but Faith knew she wanted her to come to Cleveland and in the end she wanted to see Buffy happy. She could definitely hear her happiness when she told her she would show up for the holidays.

She passed through St. Louis and Indianapolis along with a couple other cities on the way, slaying more out of restlessness and nervousness than anything else. There were vamps in every city though so every patrol was a successful one and it took her mind off of what could happen in Cleveland over Christmas.

The first thing that made her nervous was the fact she had bought gifts for everyone as she drove closer to Cleveland. Even though Buffy had told her she didn't need to buy anything Faith thought that it would look strange for her to show up empty handed. She also remembered how much Buffy loved presents and that was reason enough to buy something along the way.

One problem she had was that while she knew a lot about Buffy because of how much they talked, she didn't know much about anyone else. She'd only seen Willow the one time in Reno and could count the number she talked to the rest of them on one hand. Three of those times were Giles talking about the Council accounts and how much was a good range to spend in a week, an amount which she was always under. They didn't stray from business for as much as a minute.

That's why she did something she knew she would have never done a few months ago: she called Xander to ask what to buy everyone. It was a little awkward for the first five minutes or so but after that it wasn't so bad. He even told her that the best thing to buy would be to just bring from food from wherever she was, chocolate specifically, and then buy Buffy something.

Faith appreciated the help and she thought that maybe it would be okay to call him some other time just to check in. He could probably fill her in on what was happening without the Buffy filter that came with everything she heard now. She knew Buffy probably didn't tell her about any difficulties in patrol just like she downplayed any problems she had.

She stopped the car in the spot where she'd found it the last time she was there and just sat in silence for a minute. Faith was curious at what was going on inside and nervous at what Buffy had planned. The other slayer seemed to be planning something the last time they talked.

"Hey, Faith."

Faith jumped a little in her seat as Xander knocked on the driver's side window. She opened the door and got out, shaking her head. "Jeez, Xander. Trying to take a year off my life?"

"Just wondering when you were going to get out," he said as he followed her to the back where she pulled out her bag. "Getting up the nerve to go in?"

"Something like that," Faith said she closed the door. "What, is everyone watching me from the windows or something?"

Xander shook his head. "I was working outside and saw you. We're getting snow tonight so I was checking out a couple things." He paused as they started walking. "Is that all your stuff?"

"I travel light," Faith answered though she had more clothes now than when she started out. Part of that was due to the cold weather though. "My weapons are in the back, too."

"I can get them out for you," Xander offered. "I don't want to delay you any further."

"Delay me?" Faith raised an eyebrow. "Am I late? I told B I'd be here by Christmas Eve but I never said a day."

Xander laughed. "No, not like that but Buffy pretty much told us that once you're here the only excuse we have to bother the two of you before tomorrow evening is if the hellmouth actually opens."

Faith had to shake her head at that but it also made her a little more nervous. She wondered what Buffy had planned. "I guess I better get in there then."

"Buffy told us about the baby in Denver," Xander said as they walked. "Pretty cool."

Faith only nodded as she thought about what happened. While she was ending a fight during a patrol in Denver she saw a woman and her four month old daughter get kidnapped by two demons. She couldn't track them down that night but after a quick call to Giles found out that they would use the baby to birth one of their own. He gave her some tips on where they might hide and the next night she was able to save them.

The woman and her husband were so thankful they insisted she stay with them for a night and a few days later she found a few hundred dollars in one of the pockets of her bag along with a note stating that she should stay with them the next time she was in town. She had declined any money when they had offered but apparently they didn't take no for an answer.

"Was nothing," she said quietly.

They didn't say anything else to each other until they reached the front door. Xander stopped and turned to her when he put his hand on the doorknob. "I'm happy you're here, Faith."

"Thanks, Xander."

He opened the door and Faith stepped inside, looking around as she did. Everything was decorated for the holidays and she couldn't help but smile as she looked at all of the sparkling decorations. She quickly put down her bag and opened it, handing a package to Xander.

"Here, since I'm apparently going to be preoccupied you can give this out," she said. "I took your advice."

He smiled. "Chocolate is always the answer."

"Faith!" Buffy walked down the stairs quickly and soon had her arms around Faith. "You're finally here."

She gave her a light kiss, which shocked Faith slightly. She wasn't sure what she'd told everyone else but it was obvious she had told people something. Everyone was told that they needed time alone and there was a definite reason for that.

The conversations between the two of them recently were getting a little hotter than Faith had expected. Because of that, she had a feeling she would be seeing a lot more of Buffy than she would have ever imagined. She was looking forward it, too, though she was a little nervous even with that. No sex in years would do that.

Buffy released Faith and turned to Xander. "We'll see you tomorrow for the party."

She took hold of Faith's hand and pulled her away before she had a chance to say anything to Xander. He only winked at her before walking away. Faith turned back toward where they were going and followed Buffy up the stairs to the third floor and to her surprise, they stopped at her room. When she walked in she noticed Buffy had decorated the room and added a couple things, most importantly a small fridge and microwave. She had hung lights around the window and there was a small tree on the dresser, a couple small presents underneath it.

"I thought you said no presents."

She turned to see Buffy close and lock the door. "Well, I had to buy something."

Faith set her bag down and waited for Buffy to walk up to her before cautiously putting her arms around her. "I might have gotten you something, too."

Buffy kissed her lightly. "I can't wait to open it." She moved away from Faith and toward the new additions to the room. "So I have everything I think we need. Drinks, snacks, I made some sandwiches for later . . . I just really wanted to be with you without everyone else."

"I feel the same."

They look at each other then and soon Buffy was closing the distance between them, kissing Faith hard. Faith responded as much as possible but Buffy was so insistent it was all she could do to go along with the kiss, letting her deepen it only seconds later.

All her thoughts were of all the times she fought with Buffy when they were younger and how much they'd changed since then. She wasn't nearly as defensive as she once was and Buffy wasn't as quick to judge. They were able to talk to each other and confide in each other, something Faith had wanted before though then it was just as a friend.

Buffy was definitely not acting like her friend at the moment.

When they broke apart, Buffy moved her hands under Faith's shirt slightly. "As soon as you said you were coming here this is all I could think about. I . . . I want you, Faith."

Hearing Buffy say something like that made Faith happier than she thought it would but it also made her nervous, even a little anxious. She hadn't had sex since Sunnydale with Robin and she'd never had sex with another woman. For something of which she always claimed to have mad skills, she now felt like she would disappoint and she didn't know why. The only she could think was that if they had sex it would mean something.

"It's . . . it's been awhile," Faith said quietly.

"That doesn't matter," Buffy said as she moved her hands slowly over Faith's skin. "This is kinda new territory for me."

"Me, too," Faith admitted.

It looked like Buffy might have been a little surprised at the confession that Faith hadn't been with another woman but she didn't comment on it. She only smiled. "Let's just go with it then."

They kissed lightly, taking time to simply feel each other. Faith took the opportunity to move her hands over Buffy's back, first over the shirt then moving them underneath in order to feel her soft skin. She deepened the kiss once she had an opportunity, wanting to explore as much as she could. Buffy moaned once she did so she knew it was the right move.

The kiss seemed to go on for minutes but they finally broke away from each other to catch their breath. Buffy move her lips down Faith's neck as they did, placing light, tender kisses wherever she could. All Faith could do was close her eyes and keep hold of Buffy as her lips moved lower.

She felt completely overdressed.

Buffy seemed to be feeling the same. "I want to see more of you."

Faith only nodded and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it on a chair before letting Buffy carefully pull her shirt off. She tossed that aside, revealing a lacy black bra underneath, and moved her hands delicately over Faith's bare skin. The feel of it was something Faith hadn't experienced before but she knew she liked it. No one had ever thought to take their time with her before.

Kisses were placed along her collarbone then over to her shoulder. At the same time Buffy's hands moved to the clasp of her bra and they lingered there for a minute, almost as though she was working up the courage to take it off. Faith almost wanted to help her but she was distracted by all the kisses.

Finally, the clasp was undone and she broke away so she could remove it. Buffy looked her over as she dropped the article of clothing to the floor and Faith felt suddenly exposed. She almost had the urge to cover herself, something that would have been a first for her since she was never one for modesty, but once again Buffy's hands distracted her.

"God, you're beautiful," Buffy said quietly as she moved her hands over her skin. She avoided her breasts, moving everywhere else as they kissed.

Faith was wondering when she would be able to take off any of the other slayer's clothes. At the rate they were going she would be fully naked in a matter of minutes and Buffy would be fully clothed. That wasn't what she wanted. She was itching to see what was under the tight sweater and jeans she had on. She bet the word hot wouldn't begin to cover it.

She knew Buffy was set on continuing in her actions but she broke away from the kiss and moved her hands to the edge of Buffy's sweater. Before Buffy could say anything she began to pull it off and was thankful it only took a few seconds. She wanted to see the other slayer naked more than she could remember ever wanting anything. The thought and the image of what she looked like had been in her mind for most of the drive to Cleveland.

Her bra was gone moments later and then Faith took another second to look her over. "Buffy, you look amazing."

Buffy blushed slightly at comment before she held out her hand. "Come on."

Faith took her hand and they moved to the bed, climbing on it and laying down. Before Faith could do anything she was on her back and Buffy was hovering over her. The move shocked her slightly and she fought the urge to tense up. She had never let someone get the better of her in the bedroom, never let anyone else have control.

The other woman straddled her legs and pulled her up into a sitting position. "I want to show you how much it means to me that you're here. Can I?"

The only thing Faith could think of to do was to nod. This was a completely new experience to her. There were a lot of things she'd never done before but the scariest at the moment was giving Buffy the control she always wanted to have when she was having sex.

Buffy smiled before kissing her slowly, insistently. She lowered her back down onto the bed and all they did was make out for a few minutes. It was more than making out in Faith's mind though. The sensation of having Buffy's bare chest pressed against her own was making her let out quiet sighs as they kissed, something she couldn't remember doing before when only kissing.

Soon Buffy broke away from her lips and began to move down her body, paying attention to every inch of Faith. She kissed down her neck, along her collarbone and then toward her chest. There seemed to be some nervousness in her actions as she got closer to her breasts but Faith couldn't think of anything she could say to ease any nervousness. She was just as nervous.

There seemed to be a pause before Buffy continued, kissing over her breasts before taking a nipple into her mouth and tentatively sucking. Faith let out a quiet moan at the action and gripped Buffy's back, wanting her to continue what she was doing.

"Damn, B," Faith managed to get out as Buffy moved from one breast to the other. "That feels good."

She felt Buffy smile against her as she continued to place kisses all over her body, continuing to work her way down. As she kissed over her stomach Faith wondered just what Buffy was planning to do. They still had jeans on and Faith desperately wanted to get out of them but once they were off she didn't know what Buffy wanted to do.

Faith knew what she wanted. She wanted to flip them so she was in control and show Buffy why she had chosen to visit, why she wanted her. That wasn't what Buffy was allowing her to do at the moment though and Faith had agreed to let her control what they were doing. For now anyway.

After paying special attention to her stomach Buffy sat up and placed her hands on Faith's fly, unbuttoning the top button easily. She kept eye contact with her as she pulled the zipper down and began to ease them over her hips. Faith could see just how much she wanted her in her eyes and all it did was turn her on even more.

Buffy removed Faith's jeans and her panties then moved off the bed to remove her own. Faith watched as she did and she couldn't help but smile.

"You look . . . damn, you look incredible," Faith whispered as Buffy joined her on the bed again.

Buffy blushed again and Faith grinned at the response. She liked that she could make Buffy blush by complimenting her. It felt good to be able to affect her in that way.

"Faith . . ." Buffy stopped as she straddled her once more. Faith took the opportunity to move her hands along her sides, pulling her down to her, causing Buffy to shiver slightly. "I want . . . I mean, I have no idea . . ."

"Doing pretty good so far, B," Faith said as she lifted her head to give her a light kiss. "I want you so much."

Buffy smiled. "I want you, too."

They kissed and before Faith even realized it, she felt Buffy move her hand down her body. She let out a moan as Buffy's fingers dipped into her folds, gathering the wetness there. It was easy to feel that the other woman was nervous but Faith wasn't paying attention to that part. The fact her fingers had found her clit had her complete attention.

It was Faith could do to move along with Buffy after her fingers started moving. They were moving so slow, so deliberate, and Faith couldn't stop herself from moaning out in appreciation. Then she felt her fingers enter her and she cried out.

"Oh, fuck!"

Their bodies moved with her fingers after that, slow at first but then picking up speed. Faith had never quite felt what she was feeling right now. She wondered if it was because it was Buffy or that she was finally giving up some of the control she usually kept hold of but the sensations she was getting from Buffy were amazing.

"Let go for me, Faith," Buffy whispered in her ear as they moved. "Let go."

Faith wanted to let go and after a few seconds and some well timed thrusts she came hard. She gripped Buffy tightly, her nails digging into her back, as she moaned out loudly. Buffy moaned, too, and kissed Faith hungrily as she helped Faith ride out her orgasm for as long as possible.

After a couple minutes Buffy's fingers slowed to a stop and she slowly removed them from Faith, causing her to sigh at the loss of them. She looked at Buffy as she rested her forehead against hers and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the happiness in them. It was all she could do not to flip their position right then but instead all she did was kiss her.

"Hmm," Faith said as they broke away, Buffy remaining on top of her due to the arms wrapped securely around her. "That was incredible."

"Better than I imagined," Buffy said quietly as she kissed Faith's shoulder. "And we only started."

Faith grinned. "That's true. There's so much I want to do."

"I can't wait."

Faith relaxed on her side, the sheets covering half of her body as she stared at Buffy. The other woman was asleep next to her and Faith was taking a minute to simply watch her.

The entire night had been the best night Faith could remember. They'd had sex until they were exhausted then simply relaxed against each other while eating and watching a movie. Buffy had given her the most comfortable robe she had ever worn and that was the only thing she wore the rest of the night.

After awhile, they shrugged the robes off and spent another couple hours exploring each other's bodies. Faith had kissed every inch of the other slayer's skin once she had the chance to do so. Her body was incredible and the way it responded to her touches blew her away.

She looked at the clock next to the bed and noticed it was just past two in the morning. Faith had only been asleep for an hour or so but she wasn't tired so she had moved away from Buffy just enough to look at her. The other woman was so beautiful and Faith couldn't believe that she was into her. It seemed so impossible.

Buffy let out a sigh as she moved and Faith smiled. She loved the little sighs that came out of her and she had to admit she loved a lot more than just that. The feelings she had for Buffy were getting stronger by the minute.

"Faith?"

"Yeah, B?"

"Why did you move away?"

Faith smiled. "Was just watching you."

Buffy smiled as she opened her eyes. "I'm starting to get cold without having you next to me. It is winter, you know."

Taking the hint, Faith moved back and put her arms around Buffy, allowing her to press her body against her own. She also pulled the covers over them so they could be warmer than they were. Buffy was right. The room had a chill to it.

"Can I ask you a question, B?"

"Anytime."

"Why are we in my room and not yours? You decorated everything and even brought a fridge and microwave in here. Are they yours?"

Buffy nodded. "I thought you would be more comfortable here than in mine. And I thought maybe . . ."

"Maybe there would be a chance that if we had sex in your room that I would leave to go back to mine?"

"Sorry," Buffy said as she blushed slightly. "I didn't know what to expect and I wanted something more than just sex. I want everything that comes after, too." She snuggled into Faith a little more. "Next time you visit we can be in my room."

Faith smiled and not just because Buffy said there would be a next time. She also used the word 'visit' and that meant she didn't expect Faith to change her plans and stay just because they had become intimate. That meant more to her than she could possibly relay to Buffy.

"Sounds like a plan to me, B," Faith said quietly as she placed a kiss on her forehead.

Buffy smiled and gave her a light kiss. "You are my favorite Christmas present, Faith."