They stayed cuddling on the chaise lounge relishing the giddy feeling that was running under both their skins. Faith resting on top of Buffy, her face nestled in her neck, one of her favorite places, Buffy's arms around her, stroking her back, tickling along her sides. She had one arm tucked underneath Buffy's shoulder, her fingertips traced their own delicate pattern on the nape of Buffy's neck, stopping every once in a while to rub silken strands of golden hair between her fingertips. Her other hand took its own lightly tickling route over the contours of her Light Slayer's body. The giddy feeling started to turn into an entirely different type of feeling and she decided since she was already there that she would taste the sweetness of Buffy's neck.

She got rudely distracted from her suckling when Buffy's chin clipped her on the top of the head. Then was clipped again when Buffy turned her head and then yet again. "B," she mumbled, "what are you doin'?"

"Lookin'"

"For what?" Faith asked then went back to her taste test of Buffy's neck.

"The other shoe... It usually drops about right now..." Buffy chuckled, then wondered if she had just jinxed them. No, not possible, nothing could ruin this for them, she wouldn't let it happened!

"D.n't .orr. I'. go.n. g.t an .n...ible .il..w." Faith mumbled unintelligible refusing to give up the sweet flesh she was currently suckling.

"Don't or I go and get Ann I be... what?"

"H.h? Wha. .r. ..u .alk.ng .bou.?" Faith asked still refusing to give up the sweet flesh she was adoring with her mouth.

"Me?" Buffy said and then started giggling when Faith once again mumbled something that came out half-assed backwards. "What are you talking about?"

Faith reluctantly lifted her head, smirking at the huge hickey she had made with her suckling. Buffy was going to kick her ass when she saw the number of 'little gifts' she had left, especially when she realized that even with their Slayer healing most of them weren't going to fade away too fast.

"I said, don't worry I'm gonna get an invisible pillow." Faith told Buffy matter-of-factly.

"I'll take - What the hell are you talking about? - for five-hundred Alec..." Buffy gave Faith her best humor-me look.

"Ha - ha, B. You're real funny. Well, you said you were waitin' for the other shoe to fall, it seems like we are always waitin' on it. You know?"

"Aaaahhhh - haaaa." Buffy said slowly.

"See, the way I figure it is, if I have this invisible pillow, I can carry it with me all the time and the next time that fuckin' other shoe starts to fall, I can put the invisible pillow under it and this way that damn shoe will never hit the ground. And if it never hits the ground, well, then the shit can't hit the fan." She gave Buffy a sheepish-lopsided-half-cocky grin, "So what ya think, B?"

"I think you're beautiful, wonderful and I want one of those invisible pillows too." She leaned up and gave Faith a soft, tender kiss. Her hands gently cupped her face, her thumbs lightly brushing along the faint tear tracks that still remained. "And now that we don't have to worry about that other shoe, I think we should celebrate being engaged."

"'K, sounds good to me. So what do you want to do to celebrate, B?"

The wicked, downright evil grin that Buffy gave Faith left her without a single, solitary doubt as to exactly how Buffy wanted them to celebrate their engagement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was sleeping like the dead when the scream sadistically ripped her out of her much needed slumber. She bolted upright, her stomach in the back of her throat, her heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest in fear. She scrambled on her hands and knees across the bed. Her body already covered in cold sweat, every inch of her filled with dread. A second shriek filled the air just as she was pushing off from the bed intending to vault over the edge. She only succeeded in flying face first into the hard, cold, wooden floor, thanks to her legs and feet being impossibly tangled up and trapped in both the sheets and comforter. With a savage growl, she stretched a hand out behind her trying to reach the tangled mess around her legs. That was how Buffy found her.

The second screech died on her lips as she felt a wave of terror wash over her in an echo. She turned and charged out of the bathroom, thinking that Faith was having a nightmare. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her mate hanging off the edge of the bed by her feet. Like a panther snared in a hunter's net, her Dark Slayer was hissing fiercely, swatting at the sheets as if she had claws and could shred them.

"You okay?" They both rushed out, realizing at the same time they had misread each other.

"I'm okay, but you don't look so okay."

Faith looked up at Buffy sheepishly from her undignified position, "Um... I'm okay, though I think I might have popped my boobs when I hit the floor."

Buffy moved a step or two closer, the relief and the amusement she was feeling making for a very odd mix. "Now that would be a cryin' shame. I would miss them dearly." Buffy leered, an impish grin playing around the corners of her mouth. She had some payback to dole out and she figured now was as good a time as any to start.

Faith just snorted at Buffy's answer not seeing the evil twinkle in her eyes. "Think maybe you could stop worrying 'bout my boobs long enough to help me out B?"

She made herself a little more comfortable by propping her upper body up on her forearms and resting her forehead against her hands. She tried to kick her feet and legs loose again, but they were hopelessly tangled up and trapped. She chuckled at herself, it was totally ridiculous that she couldn't free herself, she had gotten out of a lot worse; tougher things than mere cotton and feather down.

"How did you end up on the floor Faith?" Buffy squatted down next to Faith's shoulder. She began idly to trace her nails along one of Faith's flexed biceps.

"Your shrieking woke me up and I um... panickedandtriedtojumpoutofthebedtocomeandhelpyou." Faith mumbled out quickly, embarrassed now. She risked a peek up at Buffy and at the same time noticed all the 'little gifts' that still adorned her body and knew three things. One, after three days Buffy had finally gotten a good look at herself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom, thus the shrieks. Two, it was payback time and three she was in deep shit. "I um... I didn't... er...I..." The soft touch of Buffy's index finger against her mouth silenced her fumbling words.

"How romantic! My own Knightress in Shiny - albeit slightly battered - Armor. At a moment's notice ready to leap to my defense, ready to rescue me, keep me safe. Something you've done time and time again. And it makes me love you even more." She gave Faith a silly, quirky smile, her words she knew where corny, sappy, goofy, even slightly mocking, but she meant them. Faith had saved, defended, come to her rescue and certainly had kept her safe on more than one occasion.

Faith stared up at Buffy, knowing despite how sentimental, silly, sarcastic her words sounded, were, she meant them. It made her inordinately shy; she dropped her eyes, cursing silently at the blush creeping up her neck and face. "You think maybe you could untangle me sometime today B?" She asked gruffly trying to cover up what she feeling, but she knew Buffy wouldn't buy it for a minute, nor would it get her out of payback time.

"All in due time my ever graceful warrior." Buffy smirked, letting her fingers trace down the length of Faith's spine. A chuckle escaped her at how odd this was, though her evil mind was busy planning how she could take advantage of Faith's awkward though somewhat erotic position. "Seems as though I've been neglecting you over the last few days... I mean you've given me so many 'little presents,' while I, on the other hand, have given you only a few."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to worry 'bout it B. I mean it's oka..."

"Oh no, Faith! I never want you to feel like I'm neglecting you." Buffy insisted huskily, mischievously. She leaned down and started to nibble along Faith's shoulder, smiling as she felt the shudder ripple under Faith's skin.

"Um... maybe you should help me out here first B?" Faith asked hopefully, her body already responding to Buffy's touch, her voice, her teeth. Hell... just Buffy herself!

"Nah, you're fine just where you are Faith."

"Ya sure? 'Cause you know B... you can't reach any of the good parts with me this way." Faith smirked, thinking to herself that Buffy would have to help her now.

"Really, is that a fact?" Buffy let her lone index finger whisper down Faith's spine and she kept going until it slid into her mate's wet pool of desire. Her mouth left a warm moist trail as it followed the path of her finger, her teeth biting down lightly at the hollow at the base of Faith's spine. It was a spot on Faith's body that Buffy knew drove her crazy with desire and got her instantly, intensely aroused.

Faith arched like a cat. She didn't know what it was about that small spot on her lower back, but when it was touched it drove her insane with need and made her fully, painfully aroused. It was almost like a direct link to her clit. Whenever Buffy spent more then a few seconds lavishing it with attention, it propelled her right to the edge of release, hotly, heavily and quickly. And that single finger teasing her certainly wasn't doing anything to pull her back from it.

Faith lost it as Buffy alternated between sucking and biting at the spot, while her lone finger relentlessly teased and tormented her throbbing center. Within minutes she came, fast, fiercely and extremely hard, the floor muffling her surprised yell. Her body was still pulsing with the orgasm when she felt, rather then saw, Buffy climb up onto the bed behind her. Before she even had a second to catch her breath, Buffy had untangled the bedding from around her legs and was pulling her up onto the bed. Her insides trembled when Buffy slid up the length of her back, finally coming to rest with her mouth pressed close to her ear. Buffy's breasts burned into her back, making her writhe with pleasure. The intimate pressure of Buffy's outer thighs against her inner thighs slowly spread her legs wide.

"I want you..." Buffy growled throatily into Faith's ear, throwing Faith's words from a few days ago back at her. She let her tongue tickle the shell of Faith's ear, then find that ultra sensitive spot behind it, knowing that it too, had the same effect on Faith as the one on her lower back. "Oh, and before I forget, Faith..."

"Yeah..." Faith managed to get out, her whole being focused on Buffy's hot body on her and the fact that she was completely, utterly, painfully aroused again.

"Those rules from the other day, well..."

Faith groaned low and long, Buffy's words from a few days ago coming back to haunt her. 'Just remember S.O., paybacks are a bitch.'

"...they apply to you now..." Buffy finished huskily.

...And Faith knew that her payback was going to be at the hands and in the form of one petite, sexy, sensual 'bitch' named, B.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Not a single, solitary word? A peep? Anything? A request for food, water?"

"What about the word 'NO' don't you understand Mars?" Lilith answered heatedly.

"Are you sure they're all right?" Mars persisted worriedly, but that didn't stop him from secretly enjoying getting Lilith's goat.

"Considering that Atropos didn't have to cut either of their Life-Threads... I'm gonna go with YES!!!" The sarcasm dripped from every one of Lilith's words.

"Well, why can't Clotho check the Tapestry? You know just to make sure they're okay and see if they're still planning on coming tonight. After all, it's been three days since anyone has seen or heard from either of them." Mars demanded as he started pacing.

"I doubt after all that's happened, all the fallout from Buffy's plans that she, that they wouldn't show tonight. As for using the Tapestry to 'check' on them, has it not occurred to you how much of an invasion of their privacy that would be, Mars?" Clotho said as she came through the backdoor to Mars' house and hearing the tail end of his conversation with Lilith. "...'sides we can't." Clotho mumbled as she walked further into the room, allowing the rest of the Immortals to make their way in.

"Oh please... don't even try that, 'You can't interfere or break the rules' bullshit. You've gone way past the point of that hypocrisy." Mars huffed; he wasn't worried the Slayers were hurt or anything along those lines. He just wanted to make sure that 'they', them together, as a couple were all right. Especially after what had been happening between them the past few weeks and the way they had left his training barn three days ago.

"That 'Mother-Hen' look is really working for you, oh Fusspot Incarnate of War..." Luc snickered as he walked in behind Clotho. He managed to avoid the playful punch Mars threw at him, but not the swat to the back of his head his spouse gave him as she came into the house behind him. "Owww!"

"Serves you right, oh Wimpy Incarnate of Evil..." Mars smirked, bowing his head at Atropos who also had a smirk gracing her face. "Now..." he snarled, "...can one of you please go check the Tapestry?!!!?"

"No, we can't," began Atropos only to be cut off by Mars.

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!!?"

"If you would stop interrupting we could tell you! So BE QUIET AND LISTEN!!!" Lachesis shouted back, then smiled at the surprised expression on all the Immortals' faces. She very rarely lost her temper or raised her voice. Most of them could still count on two hands the times that she had over the eons.

She waited for everyone to settle down and find seats before she began. "It seems that while we can still see the Slayers' Life Threads within the Tapestry, we can no longer actually read them. Nor can we actually see outside influences or other Threads that touch upon them until after the event has occurred. I still weave their threads but have no memory of what it is that I have woven when the interaction is between just the two of them, actually none of us can. Their privacy is shrouded completely. We think this happened gradually over time and the last clear memory I have of weaving their threads is the day before de Rais attacked them. We all know of the bond that the Slayers share, their Soul-Thread, Lilith and Clotho, Luc and Atropos, Willow and Tara, as well as me andSpi..I oh yo..."

"You owe me five gold pieces." Mars held out his hand to Luc for payment, cutting off Lachesis mid-sentence.

"Nope doesn't count, we didn't catch them and that was the deal." Luc told him with a triumph smile.

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"TOO! TOO! TOO!"

"OWWW!!!!" Both men yelled when Atropos swatted them both hard on the back of the head.

"Actually, you each owe me five gold pieces. As I recall I bet you both that 'Ma'," Zane smirked at his use of Faith's nickname for Lachesis, "...would slip before either of you caught her and Spike together." He finished with a smug look.

Mars and Luc looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, while Lachesis sat fuming at all three of them.

"He's right Candy-man."

"Yes, I believe he is Scamp."

"I... I... I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU MADE A BET ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE!!!!" Lachesis screeched like a fishwife.

"Well, can you blame us? We've been waiting years for you to actually get one, 'MA'!" Luc told Lachesis calmly, which earned him another swat on the back of the head from his wife.

"Hit him again, only this time harder!" Lachesis told her sister with narrowed, fire-spitting eyes.

Atropos arched an eyebrow and did as her sister asked then swatted Mars on principle alone. "Now be good both of you and let Lachesis finish. And no one is getting any gold pieces either." She directed her last remark at Zane.

"As I was saying, the Slayers share a Soul-Thread. Those of you that have found your soul-mate's know what that means, even those of you that haven't understand the basic principle of it. But there are other types of bonds, like the bond I share with my sisters. It isn't to the extent that soul-mates share, but I can sense them, their moods, when they are in danger etc. It is a family bond, sort of like what mortal twins describe they share. Ask yourselves this, that night when de Rais attacked the Slayers, how did we know to go help them? In fact, it was you Mars, who faded there in time to save Faith's life. How did you know?"

"I felt it, felt a foreboding chill. I just knew that Faith, that they both were in trouble and I didn't question it." Mars answered softly.

"And Mars wasn't the only one, we all felt it, he just felt it sooner. His connection was deeper at that point then any of ours, because in his heart, in his soul, Faith is his daughter. The Slayers and their family have over time, become our family and in turn, have turned us, all the Immortals into a true family. Something if we're honest with ourselves, we never truly were. Not even my sisters and I. Now we're all connected through this bond, a thread that links us to each other as family. We believe that bond was solidified became fully alive, if you will, the night Rais attacked. And since that night not only can we no longer see the Life-Threads of the Slayers, or remember what has been added or woven into their paths, we also can't see our own or any of the rest of our rather large family's Life-Threads. As far as we can tell it in no way hinders any of us from performing our duties. Our destinies, our fates, if you will pardon the pun, are forever linked with that of our family. In our effort to offer support, to help the Slayers we have become what the Creator has always wanted us to be, a true family. This connection, this bond we have with our family members runs more deeply than is technically 'normal' because each of us is aware of it and empowered with supernatural gifts. We believe, my sisters and I, by what is written in the 'Living Scroll' that this was the Creator's intent all along. What is written, or will be written in the 'Living Scroll' and 'Dead Scroll' that Rais spoke of, how they impacts all of us is something, however, that we have no theories about."

Every eye in the room turned to look at Crow and his father after Lachesis finished speaking. They in turn looked at each other and Crow inclined his head to his father, pleading with his eyes for him to answer.

"I'll be damned if I know." Chris answered with a perplexed look on his face, which changed to a slightly angry one when they all looked at him in disbelief. "HEY! They're my family too and I would tell you if I knew."

They all just stared at each other for a few minutes. Privately each of them thought to themselves whatever the fall-out, whatever the repercussions, or what might happen because of both scrolls, they wouldn't give up any of it, if it meant going back to the way they were before and losing their family. Together, as a family they could deal with whatever was thrown at them, both scrolls be damned!

"So Mars..." Lilith began with a small mocking jeer, "...after all that, you are no closer to knowing if they're actually gonna come..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"B... I... I can't... Oh fuck..." Faith rambled in a strangled voice. "I... B... I can't stop cu..." Her whole body arched off the bed yet again, lifting not only herself but Buffy up as well.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, locked with Buffy's, sharing with her everything she was feeling, baring her very soul. For the first time in her life she had truly given up every ounce of control, had turned over all her power to another. Not just to anyone, but to her Light Slayer. She had laid herself bare, vulnerable, at the mercy of her soul-mate. She had held nothing back, not her desires, her wants, her needs. For the first time in her life, she had given voice to a part of herself that she had never let surface. She had in essence gifted the very soul of herself to Buffy.

Buffy had accepted that gift with humility, gracefulness and awe. She had carefully and slowly, taken Faith to a place she had never allowed herself or allowed anyone else to take her to. Buffy had made love not to just her body but to her soul as well. For the first time ever she had placed, given her complete, total trust to someone else. On a conscious level she trusted not only Buffy, but her family as well and while she wanted to believe that she trusted them completely, she knew now, in truth, she didn't or rather hadn't. There had always been a part of herself that had stood off watching, a silent sentinel that was always completely aware of her surroundings, what was happening, alert, waiting, no matter what the situation or circumstances and most especially in the 'bedroom', a place, a time when she was her most vulnerable.

Something though had changed for her over the last few days. Maybe in part it was due to the unknowing 'epiphany' she and Buffy had shared. Whatever it was, she knew one thing now. Today there had been no silent sentinel watching and waiting for what it had thought was inevitable. Today that silent sentinel had finally given up its lifetime vigil, and both it and she had placed complete trust in Buffy and Buffy had not broken or abused that trust once.

After a few centuries and too many climaxes tumbling over and on top of each other to count, she sank back into the bed gratefully. She clung to Buffy tightly as her body trembled, quaked with aftershocks. She was both exhausted and filled with energy at the same time. She experienced again the feeling of being whole, complete, unbroken, only this time she knew these feelings, this sense of finally being one with all the parts of herself, both on a conscious and unconscious level would never go away. And for the first time in her life she felt like she was in total, absolute control of herself and her life. She knew the scars, the fears were still there, but she also knew, felt, that today, that in the past three days, not only she, but Buffy as well, had truly set their feet down on the long, hard, maybe even painful road towards total healing.

Damn, if it wasn't a completely euphoric feeling!

She lifted her head when she felt the smile forming on Buffy's face, which rested against her stomach. She peered down the length of her body at Buffy who was sprawled on top of her; the smile gracing her face was beatific. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was feeling a little euphoric. Whether Buffy had felt, understood, this new sense of self that Faith was feeling she didn't know. Faith, for the most part, wasn't aware of it in the here and now. This new sense of self, wholeness had, like the 'epiphany' had, just become an innate part of her. She just knew that right now, right here, she felt better then she had her whole life.

"What?" she asked, but inherently she already knew what was causing Buffy's smile.

"I... I... I..." Buffy tried, at a loss for words, "I don't know, I just feel happy, serene, whole."

"I know what ya mean, B." Faith smiled at Buffy, before letting her head flop back down onto the pillow, what was left of it anyway.

Buffy squirmed up Faith's body and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. She could feel the sense of peace that Faith was feeling; it was ringing loud and clear in an echo. It was something she had never felt from Faith before or at least not this depth of peace and it was something she herself had rarely ever felt. She too though, was feeling that same sense of peace, of oneness with all of the parts that made up who she was. She didn't question it, she just innately knew that for both of them all the little fissures, the cracks, the splits of the different parts of themselves they had tried to compartmentalize, keep separate had finally become one. All of her, all of Faith, for once and for always were in harmony with each other.

A small snort of laughter snuck out of her when it seeped into her brain that Faith's hair was littered with pillow feathers, in fact, there were pillow feathers all over the bed. Another snort of laughter escaped her when Faith's eyebrow rose in question at her seemly out of nowhere laughter. She tried to stifle the belly laugh that was creeping its way out of her but was unable to suppress it; she burst out laughing, small tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"What?" Faith asked which only seemed to make Buffy laugh harder. "What's so damn funny B?"

Instead of answering, Buffy propped herself up on Faith's chest and deftly plucked a few feathers from Faith's hair. She waved them in front of Faith's face and started laughing harder as a look akin to horror crossed Faith's face. "You killed the pillow." Buffy managed between bouts of laughter.

"Not my fault, it's yours the pillow is dead." Faith told Buffy, trying to keep her own amusement under wraps.

"Mine?"

"Yes B, yours and those stupid dumb-ass rules."

"Those stupid dumb-ass rules are yours Fai, or did you forget?" Buffy reminded Faith and smirked at the stubborn look on her Dark mate's face. "And you could have broken them anytime you wanted to anyway." Buffy's smirk grew a little bigger at Faith's garbled reply. "What was that Fai? I couldn't quite understand you."

"I said... you didn't break 'em, so I couldn't either." Faith huffed, then mumbled under her breath, "'Sides if I had broken them you would've stopped and I 'sooooo' didn't want you to stop."

"Believe me; I didn't want to stop either." Buffy paused and ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, "And I'm thinkin' the payoff for not breaking them was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself."

"Ego much B? Gonna have to buy you all new, bigger hats to fit that ego of yours in." Faith murmured, cursing silently when she felt the blush crawling up her neck and face. This blushing bullshit sucked.

"Well deserved if you ask me, considering that a certain Dark Slayer I happen to know told me she couldn't stop coming, disproving the rumor that multiple orgasms was just a myth." Buffy teased, loving the blush that had written its way across Faith's face and neck. It was so at odds with the sensual, sultry woman that was her Dark Slayer and it was just so goddamn endearing.

"Oh really B? If I remember correctly, it was that same certain Dark Slayer who disproved or rather quite thoroughly showed," Faith wiggled her eyebrows at Buffy a large shit-eating grin on her face. "... a certain Light Slayer personally, quite thoroughly, more then once might I add, that multiples weren't a myth and thus had already disproved that rumor." Faith teased right back, her voice low and sultry. This time, it was she who smirked at the blush that crept its way across her Light Slayer's neck and face.

"True, true. I must give credit where credit is due." Buffy leaned down and caught Faith's lower lip between her teeth and ran her tongue along the sexy little cleft in it. "I just wanted to return the favor Fai..." She whispered against Faith's mouth before capturing it in a purely carnal kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They both were boneless, but finally sated lumps on the bed. Faith was flat on her back, a shit-eating grin on her face. She started to laugh softly.

"What?" Buffy asked, too lazy and too comfortable to lift her head from her pillow, which currently was Faith's right breast.

"I was just thinkin', that the Energizer Bunny ain't got nothin' on us Giz."

"You're so bad..." Buffy said, poking Faith in the side, eliciting a soft grunt from her, which sent her into her own fit of laughter.

"What?" Faith asked this time.

"That noise."

"What noise B?"

Buffy poked Faith in the side again, eliciting another soft grunt from her. "That noise," then Buffy did a fair imitation of the grunting noise Faith made, only hers was a little deeper and longer. "You made that same grunting noise each time you came. It reminded me of the first time you were in Sunnydale and you used to make that grunting noise when we were patrolling and you staked a vamp or talked about sex - which was almost all the time, matter of fact, that's one thing about you that hasn't changed. And I remembered my comment to you one night, 'Again with the grunting! I'm not comfortable with the grunting!' Thing is, I'm way comfortable with it now, in fact, I think it's kinda sexy."

"Sexy eh?" Faith purred huskily and then burst out giggling; effectively killing the whole sensual air she was going for.

Buffy lifted her head at the joyful sound of Faith's laughter. Her breath caught at the look of pure delight and innocence that just lit up Faith's face. It should have been odd to see that look on Faith's face considering they had spent the better part of the last three days making love and 'fucking' like sex-crazed bunnies in heat on Viagra. But somehow it wasn't. Somehow it seemed right, was right. And Buffy was grateful that for Faith the act of making love and even when they 'fucked' made Faith feel this way, hell she was grateful that Faith could feel this way at all after all that had happened to her.

"OH SHIT!" Buffy yelled after catching a glimpse at the clock and seeing what time it was. She jumped off the bed, grabbed Faith's arm and all but dragged her from the bed with her. "Come on! We're gonna be late, real late."

"Late? For what?" Faith asked following Buffy towards the bathroom on very wobbly legs.

"Mars', we're supposed to be there in an hour! Shit!"

"I don't wanna go. Why can't we just stay here, B?" Faith whined.

"'Cause we promised, that's why."

"Right and I suppose it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Mars is doing an Angeline Jolie movie marathon for you tonight. Now, would it, B?"

"No it wouldn't. What's it matter anyway what he's showing? You jealous Faith?"

"Jealous. Hell no B! Please! She doesn't even come close to me on her best day!" Faith spat out, feeling a little bit insecure, which she knew was ridiculous as well as a little bit jealous of Buffy's fascination with Jolie.

Buffy stopped dragging Faith towards the bathroom and turned around feeling Faith's insecurity in an echo. She reached up and gently stroked the side of Faith's face, her thumb brushing along her cheekbone. Her heart fluttered when Faith leaned into her touch, "You're right she doesn't. You're the sexiest, hottest, luscious, most mouthwatering woman I've ever known. No one could hold a candle to you Faith, not her and not anyone, in any universe." Buffy told her and she meant every word as sappy as they were.

Faith gave Buffy a soft smile of appreciation, then her lips started to twitch at the corners. The twitching grew into a full-blown smile when she heard a bubble of laughter sneak out of Buffy. "Whoa, that rated a plus ten on the corny, mushy scale B."

"Couldn't help myself Fai. Sorry." Buffy laughed.

"Don't apologize," Faith said impishly, "Don't ya know B, that 'Love means never having to say you're sorry'?"

"Oh my God, tell me I just didn't hear you say that!" Buffy sputtered, not quite believing that Faith had just quoted from 'Love Story' the all time sappiest, corniest movie in the history of the world!

"Why? What's wrong with what I said?" Faith asked feigning innocence, batting her eyelashes rapidly like a butterfly on speed at Buffy.

"Please tell me you're kidding... and you know I think you just broke the plus twenty on the corny, mushy scale Faith." Buffy told her, then swatted her on the butt. "Now get moving you big ol' mush ball of mine!"

Faith rubbed her stinging buttock, "Hey easy there with the merchandise. Don't you think you've manhandled and abused my luscious, gorgeous, sexy body enough over the last few days you lust-crazed hedonist?" Then Faith took off running for the bathroom, Buffy hot on her heels.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~