Faith bounded through the front door, exhaling excitedly and she stepped
into the open living room with a soft smile on her lips. She could see the
blonde sitting on the sofa, watching some stupid TV show and she quietly
walked up behind her, ready to jump over the back and greet her girlfriend
with a kiss when Buffy turned around. But instead of the smile the brunette
had been hoping to see, the cold stare she received made Faith shrink back
in worry. Had she done anything wrong? She couldn't remember, but she was
sure she hadn't done anything to upset her girlfriend.

"B…Buffy, what's wrong?" she asked softly, taking a small step forward as
the blonde got up and walked over to Faith.

"What, you're telling me you don't know?" Buffy asked coldly, crossing her
arms and the brunette had to keep from wincing. Buffy never liked it when
she winced.

"I…I don't know."

"I asked you to stop by Giles' to pick up that book for me. He was
expecting you, Faith. He called. We were both worried," the older girl's
voice sounded soft for just a second and it left Faith hoping that maybe
Buffy wasn't going to yell at her, but that hope was short-lived.

"I'm s…sorry, Buffy…I was out running and…and," she started, not knowing if
finishing the sentence would make it worse or not, and then realized that
it probably didn't matter as her girlfriend stepped up closer.

"Sorry's just not gonna cut it this time, Faith. How often do I have to
tell you to take responsibility. Stop being such a child and do something
right for once! It's really not that hard!"

Lowering her eyes to the ground the brunette fought the tears and brushed
some dark hair behind her ear before looking back up. She knew that saying
sorry wasn't good enough, there was nothing she could say to make it
better. She was a fuck-up and they both knew it; Faith was glad that Buffy
was still with her considering all the things she'd screwed up.

"I…I'm sorry…I won't do it again, I promise," Faith pleaded, swallowing the
tears that were collecting in her throat and looked into the hazel eyes of
her girlfriend.

Buffy scoffed and shook her head, then threw up her arms, "I just can't
believe you. You say that every time you screw up, Faith! You just can't do
anything right, can you? How hard is it to pick up a simple book, are you
too stupid to remember that or what?"

The blonde was ranting, walking past the brunette who stood frozen to the
ground, listening to the harsh words as if she deserved every single one of
them. Buffy had walked around the couch, looking for something on the
coffee table and she picked it up, walking back over to give Faith a
disappointed glance.

"Sometimes I just wonder why I'm still with you. I'm sure there's someone
out there who'd actually appreciate me…someone who isn't you," Buffy shook
her head and moved the keys in her hand from one hand to the other, then
sighed. She turned and went to walk away, but Faith just couldn't let her.
No matter how much insults the blonde could throw her way, Faith was never
going to let her go…she just wouldn't be able to survive without Buffy.

So the younger girl reached out, grabbing her girlfriend's shoulder lightly
in an attempt to keep her from leaving, and pleaded openly, "Don't leave
me…please Buffy, don't go, please."

Buffy turned around, pushing the cold hand away and looked at the pleading
eyes of the brunette, "Faith, don't touch me, alright. Just leave me alone.
I am so sick of your whining."

"Buffy please…I'll be good, I promise."

"Faith, shut up…I'm sick of it," Buffy rolled her eyes, watching as the
eyes of her lover filled with unshed tears. She was getting very pissed
off, it just wasn't a good idea to try and stop her if she needed some time
on her own. Faith always seemed to get her pissed off one way or another.

"Buffy…," the younger girl whined and the blonde felt herself explode.

"FAITH, I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!" Buffy yelled and turned back around,
determined to finally get away from the situation and pleading brown eyes.
But when she felt the hand on her shoulder again, there just was no holding
back. She whipped around, her right fist going straight for the brunette's
face in a roundhouse punch and Buffy backhanded her girlfriend with enough
force to send her to the floor.

For seconds the two girls only stared at each other, tears finally
streaming down the brunette's cheeks and the blonde ran a hand through her
hair nervously. Opening her mouth to speak, she shook her head, tried again
and failed. Buffy took another look at the destroyed look on her
girlfriend's face, then turned around and left the apartment. She didn't
look back once.

* * *

Joyce Summers heaved a sighed and leaned her hands against the kitchen
counter, closing her eyes. She'd just gone through an aggravating talk with
her daughter about what seemed to be a very rocky relationship. All Buffy
had told her was that her and Faith had gotten into another fight and she'd
decided to leave before things got out of control. According to Buffy,
Faith was irresponsible, immature, whining and a whole list of other
negative things that Joyce had heard a hundred times before.

But no matter how much she loved her daughter, she was no idiot. Faith was
a very sweet girl, with a heart holding nothing but love for her daughter;
Joyce had realized this even before the girls had decided to start dating
about two years ago. She'd seen them together, recently even, acting like
the poster-children for true love, and she wondered why their relationship
was such a rollercoaster. Many times over the past two years had Buffy come
over after another fight that left her complaining to her mother. Joyce
loved her daughter, it pained her to know better than to believe most of
what Buffy was telling her. She'd talked to Faith, she'd talked to Buffy's
friends…she just didn't want to acknowledge to herself that her own
daughter was abusing the girl she supposedly loved. She kept telling
herself that everyone had fights, some couples worked through them and
others broke up. That it wasn't abuse if there was no visible bruises, that
if Faith was being hurt by Buffy that she could simply walk away.

Opening her eyes, the older woman walked into her living room, rubbing a
hand across her forehead. Buffy was currently upstairs showering and Joyce
was grateful for the break. She knew Faith would be here soon, pleading
Buffy to come back and not leave her. It was always like this, Buffy would
come over after a nasty fight, rant to her mom, go up to her room until
Faith got there to beg her and they usually just fell asleep in Buffy's old
room. Joyce shook her head…she'd been lying to herself all this time. Buffy
had a problem and she probably needed help, not to mention she should talk
to Faith, make sure the girl was alright. She'd grown to love the brunette
like a daughter and she just didn't want to see her hurt anymore. Joyce
hoped that maybe she could talk to them when Faith got here, hoped that she
could save Buffy before she made the next step in being abusive.

Sighing, Joyce walked to the door as she heard the soft knock. Usually
Faith just gave her a worried glance and ran upstairs to Buffy, but the
woman promised herself she wouldn't let the girl rush past her this time.
This had gone on for too long. She opened the door, ready to say something
to the girl, but the sight of Faith made all words vanish from her mind.
The brunette stepped into the house reluctantly, looking at her shyly, a
dark bruise covering the girl's right side of her face and Joyce couldn't
help but close her eyes at the realization of what it meant. She was too
late…she'd let it go on for too long. Her daughter, her own flesh and
blood, had done this to the girl she loved, there was no denying about it.
Even Joyce knew that only another Slayer would be able to leave such a
vivid bruise, no matter how many vampires Faith claimed to have been
attacked by.

Resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, Joyce sighed, "Faith." She wasn't
sure what to say, whether to let the girl know it wasn't really her fault.
Faith's eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly, "No…I just wasn't
paying attention when sparring. Stupid me…I got blindsided, y'know?"

Joyce wanted to say something, scream maybe to get the girl to tell her the
truth, but what good was it gonna do? Faith was just gonna run upstairs,
beg Buffy to take her back and go back home to be beaten on. The woman
didn't want that, not for Faith and not for her daughter. Buffy needed
help, needed her eyes opened and she knew she wasn't the one to do it.
Sighing when realizing what she was about to do Joyce told herself this was
the only way…Buffy had stopped listening to her a long time ago. Their
relationship had been rocky, it had worked but it hadn't been perfect. And
it wasn't anywhere near close enough to have Buffy listen to her while
Joyce was telling her she was abusing Faith.

So she steered the confused girl towards the sofa, pushing her down gently
and smiled nervously, "Buffy's in the shower. She'll be out in a few. Do
you need some ice for that?" The girl shook her head softly, her eyes
questioning and Joyce wished Faith didn't look like an innocent child. The
large bruise made her eyes look even more haunted, not to mention that they
were puffy and red. Nodding, the woman indicated she had to make a call and
she walked into the kitchen, picked up the phone and took a deep breath.
Then Joyce made the hardest call she probably had in her life she called
the police.

* * *

Buffy took one last glance in the mirror and stepped out of the bathroom.
She usually didn't spend this much time getting ready for anything anymore,
but she knew Faith was probably waiting for her and she wasn't ready to
face her just yet. Sure, they'd always had their fights, some bad ones
too…but Buffy had never hit her girlfriend before. All that rage that had
been inside of her, she didn't quite understand it. Buffy couldn't quite
help feeling a little bit of remorse for hitting Faith, but the girl had
just gotten on her nerves. Sometimes Faith was just so…careless and joyful
it bothered Buffy. She wanted her girlfriend to care about the important
things, not just slaying and demons, but also the fact that Buffy's job
barely paid the bills and Faith didn't even have a High School diploma, let
alone a paying job. Or the fact that the brunette just wouldn't listen when
it came to things like buying the cheaper brand of cereal; Buffy felt old
around Faith just for those reasons.

Grumbling she opened the door of her old bedroom and then sighed. Love just
wasn't enough to keep them alive, sure it was nice and all, but Buffy
needed something stable. Like money, a job, a place to live. Things Faith
didn't seem to care about and it drove the blonde insane. In fact, it was
probably the sole instigator of all their arguments. Including tonight.
Sure, Buffy hadn't really cared too much about the book, but the fact that
Faith hadn't even remembered to either call her or Giles or just remember
to pick up the damn book…it just proved Buffy's point about how
irresponsible the girl was. Could you love someone irresponsible? No matter
how sweet that person was sometimes?

Buffy wasn't so sure anymore; Faith had gotten her pissed more and more
recently. Maybe it was time to lay down the facts, get some points across.
The blonde walked down the stairs slowly, knowing Faith was waiting for
her, when the doorbell rang. She knew it wasn't Faith, so she quickly
walked to the bottom of the stairs, watching curiously as her mom walked to
open the door. The blonde could see Faith getting up from the sofa and
slowly walking over.

Her mother opened the door and to her surprise there were two cops, hands
on the belts on their hips as they looked at the woman, "Are you the one
who called us, ma'am?"

"Yes, please come in."

The officer stepped inside the house, looking at Buffy and then Faith who'd
slowly emerged from the kitchen. The blonde wasn't quite sure what was
going on, however she had a very ungood feeling about this. "Mom…what's
going on?"

The woman turned around, smiling sadly at her daughter, "I'm sorry Buffy,
but…I just can't let you keep doing this. I can't just stand by and watch
you do this to Faith. I'm so sorry, honey."

Buffy looked at her in confusion, then to her girlfriend who wore a similar
expression and then the two cops. She wasn't sure whether to say something,
not that she wasn't totally speechless, but the male cop spoke before she
could.

"Miss," he directed at Faith, who winced instantly, "did she hurt you?"

The brunette's eyes widened and she shook her head, tears filling her eyes
quickly, "No…no…you gotta believe me, she didn't hit me! Really, I swear!"

The cop sighed, shaking his head and walked over to Buffy, pulling his
handcuffs out of his belt, "It's mandatory that we take you in overnight."
The handcuffs snapped shut around her wrists and the cop was almost pushing
her out the door.

Buffy swallowed hard, she'd never expected this, this wasn't supposed to
happen. She gave her mother a cold stare and let her eyes wander towards
Faith who was crying now. But as the policeman led her out the door, the
brunette started pleading again, only this time it didn't annoy Buffy as
much. It made her feel a little better, at least Faith still loved her.
There's nothing anyone could do to her if Faith didn't want them to.

"Don't take her away…no, please…Buffy…please let her stay…please…Buffy,"
Faith cried, but Joyce's strong hands resting on the girl's shoulders
didn't allow her to run after the blonde. The woman just wasn't going to
let her, so instead she pulled the brunette close and let her cry into her
shoulder long after Buffy had been taken away.

* * *

Faith sat on Buffy's old bed and wiped her eyes. She should've been out of
tears hours ago, but she just couldn't help it. She loved Buffy, she didn't
want her to be put in jail because of her. Buffy hadn't really done
anything wrong, Faith had deserved every word. Although, Buffy had never
hit her before and the brunette couldn't deny that it'd hurt…physically as
well as emotionally.

Joyce had explained to her that she didn't want to see the younger girl get
hurt anymore and that Buffy needed help. Faith had listened and she
understood that maybe Buffy had been a little harsh to her. But people just
had their bad moments, Buffy did too. She couldn't deny the fact that she'd
ignored the blonde's plea to get a job or just get a GED or do something
productive. Faith had aggravated the circumstances and brought all that
fighting on herself.

But that didn't mean she couldn't wish for an apology, for a smile and a
kiss from Buffy saying that everything would be alright again. That Buffy
would come back from jail and realize maybe she'd been a little hurtful and
just wrap her arms around Faith. Faith couldn't help but hope for a
special, fortuitous world where things like that happened. Where people had
changes of mind within a night, where everything was alright in the end and
everyone lived happily ever after.

And she fell asleep, dreaming of exactly that.

* * *

She was sitting at the counter, eating the expensive brand of cereal that
Buffy would kill her for if she ever bought again and studying the comic
section of the morning paper, when the door was almost beaten in. Turning
her head she observed cautiously as Joyce opened the door, but sighed in
relief as a familiar face greeted her. Faith swiveled around in her chair
and watched as Buffy walked over to her in a quick pace, her face showing
practically no emotion and grabbed her arm.

Joyce could only watch in dismay as her daughter marched past her without
as much as a glance at her and then grab Faith's arm to pull her off the
stool. Buffy pulled her girlfriend towards the door, ignoring her mother
completely. She had no intentions of speaking to the woman who had tried to
ruin her life, her relationship with Faith, not to mention that she felt
betrayed beyond any words.

Faith was waiting for the blonde to just turn around and smile, to kiss
her, to act like she did in her dream. But Buffy did no such thing. The
older girl held onto her arm tightly, pulling her out of the house and down
the street in direction of their apartment. Buffy seemed angry, maybe she'd
yell again and Faith shuddered. Joyce had told her that Buffy needed help,
that she probably didn't know she was doing something wrong. That Faith had
to be strong and stand up to her, that she didn't need to take the abuse.
And it had all made sense last night, crying in the woman's arms. But now
in the harsh light of day, feeling Buffy's hand on her arm, looking at the
cold face of her girlfriend, Faith realized something. She loved Buffy,
she'd never loved anyone before. She couldn't be without Buffy, couldn't
lose her. And if that meant not pissing her off, Faith would do her best to
please her. And if she did, then maybe…maybe Buffy would apologize.

But in the end, she never did. And Faith, knowing that she could never stop
trying, realized that this is, after all, just an ordinary world.

THE END