Title: Faithful

Rating: T

Description: Just a story about Buffy, Faith and their relationship. Femslash. Please read and review. No flames.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This is a story I originally had posted as 'My Hope, My Faith'. I have decided to revisit it and revamp it - excuse the pun! I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1: A Demon - Slime All Inclusive

Walking into the library, Faith announced her arrival long before the doors had closed behind her.

“Oh jeez, you’re telling me I have to slay that?” Faith grimaced, eyeing the picture Giles had just presented to her with disgust. Giles sighed, placing his briefcase and jacket onto the table in front of the stacks. Buffy leant over the Faith’s shoulder to get a better look at the photograph, ultimately letting her head fall to rest on the other girl’s collarbone as she studied the picture.

“Hm, big bad slime nasty. Nice.” She agreed with Faith; the demon was truly repulsive, and to add to things, it was completely made up of slime. Faith’s eyes flicked off of the piece of paper in her hands and onto Buffy’s face, her head still just beneath Faith’s. The brunette held her breath for a moment, fighting the massive urge to ravish the blonde slayer right there and then; the smell of Buffy’s kiwi shampoo was surprisingly alluring. Giles stepped forward and snapped the printed photo back out of Faith’s hands brusquely.

“Well I’m sorry it’s not to your liking, I’ll be sure to complain to the powers that be as soon as I get a spare waking moment.” Giles replied coolly. He surveyed the two slayers behind his glasses. Buffy felt her face grow flushed as Giles’s gaze burned into her; she lifted her head off of Faith, feeling like a little girl under his fiery glare. She couldn’t stop herself from having the unsettling feeling that this new testy Giles was a product of the earlier situation involving her and faith, and the big moment of their tongues having a wrestling match, that Giles had just happened to walk in on. Faith seemed indifferent to Giles’s irritation. She casually popped a bubble with her gum; her expression suggesting that she was in thought.

“What was that big tube thing for – you know, the one coming out of it’s arm?” She asked; her brows now furrowed with wonderment. Xander looked thoughtful, he sported a playful grin.

“A chute for happy things to come out of?” He inquired jokily. Willow nudged him gently, rolling her eyes, unsuccessfully managing to conceal the small smile beginning to play across her lips; she began tapping on the keys of her laptop furiously. After a moment she paused. Giles hurried around to have a look over her shoulder seeing that she might of found something useful.

“Oh.” Willow let out; she pulled a face and looked up at Giles, who nodded grimly.

“So I’m gonna’ make a random poke in the dark and say, not with the happy?” Xander asked. Faith ignored him, and moved around to the computer to.

“What is it?” Buffy waited for one of the three huddled around the whirring machine to respond to her question. She pouted and bulged her eyes, waiting. Xander shrugged at her, he being the only other one not at the computer and left also clueless to this new development.

“The Tetrobach demon has a large funnel shaped tube extending from its upper left arm, this is part of its self defence system. When a predator attacks the beast, the tube receptacle releases-”

“More slime?” Faith interrupted Giles.

Buffy raised her brows.

“Well as a matter of fact, yes, Faith.” Giles concluded grimly.

“I guess it could be worse,” Buffy said. Faith studied her; she made face.

“You think?” the dark haired girl said, surprised. Buffy nodded, poking Faith’s shoulder playfully. She turned to face Willow.

“Hey Will, remember that demon who had the heebies for collecting human waste-” Buffy began, but once more, Faith cut in. Buffy couldn’t help but giggle at the look of disgust once more on Faith’s pretty features.

“Yeah, ok. I’m happy with keeping my lunch inside of me B.” She glanced at Giles, “is there anything else we need to know before we head off and slay this thing?” Giles took off his glasses and gave them a quick clean, on replacing them, he answered. Willow and Xander listened, their eyes intently on Giles.

“No, no I don’t think there is. The demon is not equipped for being in water, but you already know that.” Giles concluded. Faith nodded, then looked at Buffy.

“Ready to slay B?” She asked her, Buffy smirked at her.

“Hell yeah.” Buffy glanced at Giles, no trace of friendliness seemed apparent on his wizened features, though a strange look seemed to be lurking in his eyes. She turned, feeling defeated. Had she lost Giles’s respect forever? She hoped that he did not hold her bizarre relationship with Faith against her. Surely he couldn’t be that closed-minded? He was a Watcher, guiding a vampire slayer after all!

The aging librarian bit his lip, watching Buffy begin to walk way. Giving in he reached out and placed a hand on Buffy’s shoulder loosely. She turned, looked up into his eyes, searching for something.

“Buffy, could I have a word?” Giles asked in a quiet voice. The blonde began to nod, as the library doors flew open. Principal Snyder stormed in, the gleam from the wall lights bouncing off of his shiny bald patch. He did not look happy, though, he rarely did anyway.

“You, why are all of you still here? Do you not have homes to go to?” He threw at the teens standing, ogling at his latest mood. Faith rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something back to Snyder, to test his wrath, but Buffy reached out and squeezed her arm gently, a warning. Faith seemed to go stiff at the touch; she smiled at Buffy, electricity dancing behind her dark brown eyes, causing Buffy to catch her breath in her chest, like she had felt that electricity pulse through her as well.

“Leave, go on, all of you. I have to talk to Mr. Giles in private” Snyder continued, gesturing for them all to leave the room immediately. Grabbing Buffy’s hand, Faith began to pull her out of the room, Willow and Xander in close pursuit. Giles’s gaze centred on their entwined fingers, not noticing Buffy staring back at him meaningfully. Something wasn’t quite right with him she queried.

Giles sighed. Snyder was talking but he was taking little of what was being said in, something to do with the PTA, and God knows what that had to do with Giles, a lowly librarian. His mind was on Buffy. More so, Buffy and Faith. He felt his cheeks suck in sourly as he thought of the way they had giggled like young foolish school girls before, making small efforts to touch each other and share secret smiles. Giles was an open man; he had to be with his line of work, but some things… It wasn’t so much that he was just old fashioned or overly religious or anything, he just- Mark the fact Rupert Giles was no homophobe. He had indeed had relations with both males and females before in his lifetime, but it was Buffy’s attachment to Faith that worried him. Faith was bad news, a rogue and a wild, dangerous girl. Wesley couldn’t see it, he insisted Faith was just a performer, liked to make out she was a rebel, play the wild card for attention that she had lacked from her previous Watcher. Giles couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Faith was like a wild animal, and he had the feeling that if he did not intervene with this ‘relationship’, everything could only lead to disaster. He had to save Buffy before it was too late.

“So I’ll expect to see you there Friday, 8 o’clock sharp. Don’t be late Mr. Giles, I do not accept tardiness.” Snyder turned smoothly on his heel, leaving Giles looking awkwardly befuddled in the wake of his clicking footsteps on the hard linen floor. What had that snide little man roped him into this time?