The Courtship of Buffy Summers

“Don’t be nervous, they’re gonna love you,” Faith says and Buffy turns her head to look at her. She gives the brunette a ‘whatever’ type of look and Faith can’t help but smile a little bit. “Come on, Buffy, don’t be like that.” Buffy tries not to smile when Faith leans in real close and gives her the ‘baby face’. “Please just calm down. Pweeeeeease?” ‘I can’t believe she’s acting like this. If only Willow and Xander could hear her now. They wouldn’t believe their ears.’


“I can’t help it. This is your family. I want them to like me. What if they think I’m really weird? Or not good enough for you and they say we can’t be together?” She’s in full panic mode right now and there’s almost nothing that can pull her out of it. Faith goes from cute and playful to dead serious in less then two seconds. ‘Jeez, I’m surprised I didn’t get whiplash from that,’ she thinks and waits for Faith to say her piece.


“Rabid Grizzly bears couldn’t keep me away from you,” ‘Awww, she’s so damn sweet,’ the blonde thinks, and plants a little peck on Faith’s lips. It only lasts a few seconds before they pull back. “I only have to live with them for another year. Just one more year then I’ll get my own place, and we can be together whenever we want.” Buffy gets a little pang in her heart at that. She her face falls a little and Faith notices right away. She brings her hand up and lightly caresses Buffy’s cheek. “What’s wrong?” The blonde looks into her dark brown orbs that are full of love and concern, and she feels guilty.


“Nothing, it’s just something my mom said to me the other night.” Faith raises an eyebrow and Buffy knows she isn’t going to get off the hook that easy. “She doesn’t think it’s a good idea for us to be together right now because senior year is going to start soon. She thinks it would make ‘the transition to college easier if my heard has had time to heal’ or something like that.” Faith gets a confused look on her face, and her hand leaves Buffy’s face and returns to her side.


“And you agree with her? Is that what this is?” she asks, sounding nervous and a little scared. The dinner at Faith’s house doesn’t start for another two hours, but Buffy wanted to meet with Faith early at the park. At first Faith thought it was just to spend some alone time together, but not she isn’t so sure. Buffy sees the look on Faith’s face, and feels stupid for not explaining further.


“No, no, no. That’s not what this is. I love you, and I’m not going to leave you just because she thinks it would be easier.” Faith instantly looks relieved and Buffy’s glad that she dodged a bullet. The last thing she needs right now is getting into an argument before she has to go over to Faith’s house for dinner with her family. “But at the same time, I can’t help but think that maybe has a point.” Faith gives her an odd look, and even though it’s killing Buffy she needs to explain it some more.


“It’s just what if I get into a great school that’s on the east coast? Are you going to move with me? Are we going to try the long distance thing? Or do we break up until I graduate and then see where we stand?” All of these questions have been haunting her for the last three days, and it’s been eating her up inside. She wants to be with Faith so bad, she’s never felt this way about anyone before, but she does need to think about her future. She only has one more year to think, and then it’ll be time to act.


“I don’t know. I never really thought about it. I’m more of a ‘live in the now’ type of person,” the brunette says and smiles a little bit. She wants to comfort her girlfriend but she doesn’t know what to say. She doesn’t know how to calm her down and reassure her hat everything is going to be ok, because now that the issue has been brought to her attention she isn’t sure if they are going to be ok or not. “Let’s not talk about it right now, ok? We have enough on our plate with the dinner.” Buffy furrows her eyebrows a little bit and gives her a questioning look.


“I thought you said they’re going to love me, and I don’t have anything to worry about?” she asks with a little bit of suspicion in her voice. Faith smiles and rolls her eyes a little. She holds onto Buffy’s hand and gently caresses the back of it with her thumb. The touch does calm Buffy down quite a bit, just like Faith knew it would.


“They are going to love you, but that doesn’t mean the kids won’t mess with you a little. I’ve seen it a lot. Whenever Amy would bring a boyfriend home to meet us the others would give him a lot of shit. Brian and Lauren are going to ask a lot of questions about us being together because we’re both girls, and they don’t know any other lesbians.” Buffy nods her head a little bit and makes a mental list of things to remember. ‘Ok, so expect a lot of questions, got it.’


“Tanner isn’t going to like you. He’s the littlest and I’m his favorite. He’s mad enough that I spend my weekends with you, and I don’t get home until dinner time during the week. He’ll glare and not talk to you, and he’ll want to sit on my lap and if you sit too close to me he might kick you.” ‘Avoid the little one, ok.’ “Marcus might joke around about having a threesome with him, but he’s harmless. Just tell him ya don’t drive stick and he’ll back off after a while.


“I don’t know what Natalia is gonna do. She never really paid attention to Amy’s boyfriends. Well, except with one guy but he was a hottie. Even Judy was givin him mooneyes.” Buffy raises her eyebrow at that and Faith back paddles like there’s not tomorrow. “You know what I mean, Buffy. For a guy he was pretty hot, but you know I’m all about the female persuasion.” The eyebrow is raised a little higher and Faith sighs a little bit. ‘When did I get so damn whipped?’ “I’m all about your female persuasion.” She runs her hand up Buffy’s thigh, and the message is perfectly clear.


“Damn straight you are,” she says with a little smile. She looks down at her watch and sees just how much time they’ve spent here and her eyes get a little wide. “Oh no, we’re going to be late.” She stands up from the bench and Faith is up only seconds after her. She looks down at her own watches and curses under her breath. “They’re going to think I don’t care about this or that I’m not taking them seriously. They’re going to hate me forever now.” Faith wraps her arms around Buffy from behind and gives her a gentle squeeze.


“They are going to understand when I tell them we got caught up talking and weren’t paying attention to the time. B I’ve never been on time for a family dinner in my entire life. I’ll take the heat for this one ‘cause I’m the one with the car. So let’s get going before the guys eat up all the food while Judy isn’t paying attention.” They walk to the truck and the drive to Faith’s house is silent, and a little tense. Both of them are getting nervous now, even though they won’t admit it.


‘What if they’re so mean to her that she doesn’t want to be with me anymore? She’s already talking about going off to college and leaving me behind, and what if this just gives her the perfect excuse to break it off early? See, this right here is the fucking reason I never wanted to date anyone! I get attached and then they get ripped away!’ You don’t really mean that. Being with Buffy is the highlight of your life. ‘Stay out of my fuckin head, douche bag. Nobody asked you.’


‘I don’t care how callous Faith tries to act, she needs her foster family. Their opinion does matter to her, and what if they think I’m not good enough? Our relationship isn’t perfect, it’s getting better, but there’s room for improvement. What if she thinks I’m just not worth it? I probably freaked her out with all that talk about going away to college. What if she panics and decides that we shouldn’t be together anymore. Or maybe she just doesn’t want to be with someone who is so high maintenance? Why do I always have to fuck everything up?’


Faith parks along the curb, which has been her parking spot ever since she got her license, and they both climb out. Buffy waits until Faith walks around to the other side of the truck and she looks over at her girlfriend with a very nervous expression. Faith looks a little nervous too, but she’s trying to hide it, Buffy can tell. The brunette reaches out a hand and Buffy takes it. They entwine their fingers together and walk towards the house. When Faith opens the door and they step inside, both of them smile at what they see.


“Now you three are going to be nice to her, do you understand me?” Judy asks, her hands are on her hips and her voice is very stern. Her three biological children are lined up side by side in the living room and looking up at her with a little fear. They nod their heads, but Judy still isn’t convinced they’re going to listen. “This girl is very important to Faith and you are not going to be mean to her. And Tanner, Faith isn’t yours so you need to leave them alone ok?” The little redheaded boy nods his head and he looks a little sad.


“I’m sure they’ll be just fine,” they hear a voice say. They all turn their attention to the direction it came from and they see Faith standing there, smiling but trying to look serious. “Besides they know if they’re they’ll have to answer to me.” She holds up a fist and tries to look menacing. But it’s obvious that none of them are afraid.


“Faith!” Tanner yells and runs towards her. Buffy smiles at the excited look on his face and she lets go of Faith’s hand so the other girl can pick him up. “Where were you?” He sounds so…hurt, at the fact that she wasn’t home and Buffy understands what Faith meant by ‘I’m his favorite’. ‘I thought she was just exaggerating so she wouldn’t have to say something mean like ‘Tanner’s a brat and he won’t be nice to you’. But I guess I was wrong.’


“Well, little man, I had to go get my girl so she can eat dinner with us.” Faith looks over at Buffy and the little boy looks over too. Buffy suddenly feels like she’s on display or something and she doesn’t like the strange feeling. She waves a little bit, because she isn’t sure what to do. Then she sees Faith lean in and whisper something in the little boy’s ear. When she pulls back they look at each other and he nods his head yes. Then Faith sets him down and he runs off.


“Everyone this is Buffy,” the brunette says before Buffy can ask her what that was all about. “Buffy this is Judy, Brian, Lauren and you just met Tanner.” They all exchange hellos and waves. Judy even reaches out and shakes Buffy’s hand. It’s a little surprising to the blonde, but she doesn’t mind it. Her mother is very…motherly when it comes to Faith, and now that she’s in the room full of people she can definitely see herself as just another member of the family if all goes well tonight.


“I’m sorry but dinner won’t be ready for another hour and a half. It would have been done five minutes ago, but Lauren decided to try and be Iron Chef, and the main dish didn’t survive.” She pauses for a few seconds to send a little glare to her daughter. The little brunette girl slinks back a little and Buffy can’t help but smile. ‘So far this isn’t so bad. Maybe they’ll start acting the way Faith said they would when they get used to having me here or something.’ “Buffy is lasagna alright? You’re not allergic to anything in it?” Feeling a little panicked for reasons unknown to her, Buffy starts to babble.


“Lasagna’s fine. We don’t have it a lot at my house because my sister is doesn’t like it, but I like it.” All eyes are on her and she feels like a side show freak at circus. Especially with the way Brian is trying not to laugh. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. It’s nice to finally meet all of you.” Both Judy and Buffy give Faith a little look and the brunette avoids eye contact. Judy smiles and walks further into the house. Faith holds onto Buffy’s hand and they follow the older woman.


“You’re welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you too. To be honest I was feeling a little put off because Faith has been to your house so many times but she’s barely said a word about you.” They watch as the older woman starts putting the dish together in the glass pan. “I was starting to think she’s embarrassed by us.” She gives Faith a little sideways glance and the brunette instantly feels guilty. She lets go of Buffy’s hand and stuffs her own in her pockets.


“Why don’t you show Buffy your room?” she asks and the two teenagers give her an odd look. “Leave the door open though.” And that was what they were waiting for. Even though Judy is acting pretty cool they both knew they wouldn’t be able to go back to a bedroom without some type of motherly warning. They walk through the living room and down the hall. Buffy is looking around as much as possible, taking it all in, and trying to figure out why Faith would be embarrassed about living here.


“So, this is my room,” Faith says and opens the door at the end of the hall. “Well, not just mine. I share it with Natalia.” She leaves the door open about three inches and Buffy walks further into the room. There are two beds, against the wall to her left, and the other against the back wall. Against the wall to her right is a dresser that’s covered in jewelry and make up, and Buffy has a feeling that one is Natalia’s. ‘Unless Faith wears a lot of pink when no one else is around,’ she thinks and watches as Faith sits down on the bed against the back wall.


“This is mine. It used to be a bunk bed but after Amy moved out they took the top one off. I don’t think they’re going to be getting another foster kid any time soon since they have their hands full with us.” Buffy sits down on the bed about a foot away from Faith. She doesn’t want to sit too close because she really doesn’t want to get caught making out on her first visit to the Doriann’s. “That dresser there is mine.” Buffy looks over where Faith is pointing. The dresser is about five inches away from the door, and on the other side of it is the closet door.


“It’s not much, but it’s nice. I lucked out big time. The things that happen to girls who go into foster care sound like horror stories or something. This is Natalia’s fifth one, and she’s had some fucked up shit happen to. She doesn’t talk about it but I heard Judy and Bill talking about it when Natalia first got here. She wouldn’t talk to anyone. All she wanted to do was sit in here on her bed and be left alone.” Buffy gets a little sad at that, but she isn’t going to dwell on it. Faith explained to her once that one of the big no-no’s is feeling sorry for a foster kid. They want love and a safe place to live, not sympathy.


“What about Marcus?” Buffy asks and scoots a little closer to Faith. She has a feeling that this one is going to be bad. Judging by the look Faith has on her face now. She reaches out and links her hand with Faith’s, their fingers entwine and suddenly they both feel a lot better. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just a little curious. We can talk about something else if you want.” Faith shakes her head no and stares at something on the wall. Buffy knows whenever she does that it means the story is most likely going to be long.


“His parents were drug addicts. I mean hardcore meth heads. It got to the point where they couldn’t afford to buy it so they’d cook it up themselves. Meth is so powerful that the smoke and chemicals can burn skin, and that happened to him one day. His dad was showing him how to make it, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt because they were all dirty, and the smoke burned his chest. He has these fatty scars now. He dropped out of school when he was fourteen. His parents didn’t have jobs, so the only way his mom could make money was to turn tricks.” There’s a long pause while Faith tries to focus on the next part.


“He told me that one day he went with her to make sure she was ok, and some guy pulled up, flashed a wallet full of hundreds and said he wanted two hours with Marcus, and his mom said ok.” ‘Oh my God, I can’t even imagine what that would be like.’ “He said it wasn’t so bad, that the guy was nice enough, and afterwards he even bought him some dinner. So that’s what he started doing. Whenever his mom would leave to go hook he’d follow her and get picked up at least twice a night.” Faith pauses again, longer this time, but Buffy knows better then to talk right now.


“One night Marcus left to go stand in his usual spot even though his mom stayed home. Her and his dad made up another batch of meth but something went wrong. It exploded, and the fire took the house with it. Cops said his parents were killed instantly, so there’s nothing anybody could’ve done.” Faith looks over at Buffy and she has tears in her eyes. Buffy reaches out and softly caresses the brunette’s cheek, and they’re both quiet. Until Faith takes in a deep breath, and then lets it out very slowly.


“When he came here he was so…broken. He loved his parents, and he had a hard time with their death. You’re probably not gonna like this part.” She looks over at Buffy with an almost bashful look on her face. ‘Yeah, ‘cause the rest of this story has filled me with giggly joy,’ she thinks and just listens. “One night I got up to use the bathroom and I heard him crying. It was like three in the morning and everyone else was asleep. I went in his room to see if there was anything I could do. I just couldn’t stand seeing him like that.” ‘Ok, I think she’s getting to the part that I’m not going to like since she’s staring at her shoes now.’


“I tried to comfort him the best I could. I sat down on his bed and hugged him. I just let him cry against me. He calmed down and looked into my eyes and…it was like his soul was just broken. It made me so sad. I kissed him, and one thing kinda led to another and…it was kinda like when they do cuts in movies. One second we’re kissing, and the next I’m on my back with him on top and we’re both naked and moving around.” Buffy watches Faith’s expression change a few times from sadness, to anger, then shame, and then finally back to neutral and Buffy can’t tell what the other girl is thinking.


“Well, we already agreed not to talk about the other people we were with but I’m not mad, if that’s what you were afraid of. You saw a wounded human being who had just lost everything and you did what you could to try and make him feel better for a while.” Buffy watches as Faith lifts her head up so she’s looking directly at her and she has a look of surprise on her face. She about to lean forward and kiss those soft, inviting lips, when there’s a knock on the door.


“Dinner’s ready you two,” they hear Judy say. They both let out two big sighs and get up from the bed. Faith holds onto Buffy’s hand again and they walk out of the room together. They join the others in the kitchen and Buffy is introduced to the rest of the people who occupy the household. As dinner goes by, and everyone gets to talk Buffy figure out she had nothing to worry about in the first place. She’s a big hit with everyone, and after dessert when the two teenage lovers have to leave so the blonde can be home on time, even little Tanner is sad to see her go.