Staring at herself in the mirror, Buffy tried to get control of her raging hormones. It wasn't easy, and she didn't even know if she should bother with the struggle; they both wanted the same thing, so it wasn't bad or wrong. Still, she didn't feel entirely comfortable just jumping into a sexual relationship so soon. She wanted to be sure it was for the right reasons. . .and she couldn't do that yet. Faith was still lingering in her mind. Still mocking her and confusing her.

Faith with her dangerous dark eyes and bad attitude, her sexy swagger and voice; calling to her though the haze that Tru had created. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss Faith. To touch her the way she'd almost touched Tru. There would be no waiting or holding back with Faith – it would be all fire and passion and big huge mistakes in the making. Buffy knew she was doing the right thing waiting with Tru. She knew because it wasn't what she would do with Faith in the same circumstance. . .and things with Faith had always turned out badly.

Buffy found her resolve and walked back out of the bathroom. She smiled as soon as she saw Tru, and knew she was in trouble. Tru was everything she wanted right now. Even if she wasn't Faith, she looked like her, and she was far easier to get on with. It was easier being around her. Easier thinking of her in the way she was. Just easier all round. Did that make it less exciting? She had to concede that maybe it did, but right now she didn't care. It was nice being around her, and nice knowing they could be headed towards something really good.

Of course, Buffy tried not to think of the fact wanting something at all with Tru was going to turn her life upside down. She couldn't even imagine telling her mother or being out and open in the middle of Sunnydale with Tru; it was all just a little too strange and surreal to think about.

“You ok?” Tru asked, sitting on the edge of the couch.

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, just tired I think,” she said. “Maybe we should go to bed. I mean, not together, just. . .yunno, sleeping.”

Tru chuckled and shook her head before standing and moving closer to Buffy.

“I know,” Tru said, her smile warm and comforting. “I'm not gonna push you into anything. I'll be sleeping on the couch.”

Buffy felt herself blushing, feeling silly for being such a dork. It wasn't like she didn't do sex; she'd done a fair bit of sex and wasn't a prude by anybody's standards, but she still felt completely shy around Tru in that respect.

Tru walked past her towards a cupboard and pulled out some sheets and a pillow for herself, as Buffy took her bag into the bathroom to get changed. When she came out again, Tru was already laying on the sofa. Things felt a little awkward and Buffy played with a button on her pink, teddy bear pyjamas before making her way to the bed.

“Night, Tru,” she said as she crawled under the soft sheets, watching as Tru made her way towards the light switch on the wall by the door.

She was wearing a small tee shirt and some very small shorts. Buffy couldn't help but stare, watching the subtle movement of Tru's leg muscles as she walked, letting her eyes wander over the bare skin and wanting to touch, to feel those legs wrapped around her.

Forcing her eyes away, Buffy did her best to keep her thoughts pure, but it was like battling against an army of demons wielding large red signs that said “shoe sale” on them – not something easy for Buffy to ignore.

Tru said goodnight and turned off the light before walking back and getting onto the couch. Buffy tried to detect a note of anger or annoyance in her tone, but there was none. Tru just wasn't going to push her she guessed. It was a good thing, but somewhere deep inside Buffy had the niggling little sensation that she actually wanted Tru to come bounding over the back of the couch to just take her. Tru wasn't that girl, however. She was glad Tru wasn't that girl. . .even if there was the slightest doubt roaming around in her head.

Snuggling down into the plush pillows on the large bed, Buffy tried to close her eyes and sleep. She did feel tired, but she couldn't relax. The pyjamas had been a mistake; she was hot and bothered and feeling the urge to strip down to her panties. It seemed that Tru couldn't relax either as she shuffled around on the couch.

Taking a peek in her direction – though she couldn't see much more than the back of the sofa - Buffy noticed that Tru's feet were hanging off the end. She didn't quite fit and was wriggling around to try to get comfortable. Buffy felt instantly bad, chewing on her bottom lip and wondering what she should do. She didn't want Tru being all uncomfortable while she was all snuggly.

“Tru?” Buffy called out, instantly wishing she hadn't.

Sleeping in the same bed was going to be. . .well, it certainly wasn't going to be the same as the few times she'd shared with Willow that's for sure. This was entirely different, and totally making Buffy's butterflies pinch at her insides.

Tru peeked over the top of the sofa, her dark hair looking a little tussled from where she'd been tossing and turning. It was cute, but also hot. It was distracting and Buffy had to remind herself to speak.

“Am I keeping you awake? I'm sorry,” Tru said, pushing some hair from her face.

“No,” Buffy said, getting all caught up in Tru's dark eyes. “Actually I mean yes, but not for the reason you probably. . .what I mean is. . .” Buffy took a deep breath, taking control of herself, “you should come to bed.”

She pulled the covers back and smiled at Tru.

“Buffy, you don't have to. . .I'll be fine on. . .I just need to get. . .”

It seemed Buffy's stuttering was contagious, and she felt her heart warm towards Tru as she tried to explain that she was ok on the small sofa.

“Seriously, we can share the bed. We'll just. . .I dunno, keep still and not let our hands go under the sheets. And anyway, it's huge and I'm only small,” Buffy said with a chuckle, feeling a little more at ease now she was being the one in control.

“Small and adorable,” Tru said a little huskily, a hint of desire clinging to her words as she left the couch and made her way towards the bed.

Buffy could feel herself getting warmer as Tru approached. They'd be in bed together, and it wasn't just in a friendly way. It couldn't just be in a friendly way, as friends didn't usually make out and want in each other's pants – mostly. This was another step. This was getting closer; burning the edges of reality away as Buffy found herself immersed in something she'd ran from so many times with Faith.

“Are you sure?” Tru asked as she stopped by the side of the bed, a hand running through her hair – such a Faith-like gesture that made Buffy's stomach flip.

“I'm sure,” she replied, a little shakily.

Tru slipped in beside Buffy and pulled the covers over herself, not laying too close, but close enough for Buffy to feel her heat and smell her scent as if it was being poured over her. Buffy filled her nostrils with Tru, devouring the scent of her skin and the subtleness of her perfume. She had sensitive senses, and though Riley's man-sweat had put her off sometimes, Tru's hot skin did nothing but arouse her. She smelled good enough to eat, and somewhere in the aroma was the slight but distinct scent of how turned on Tru had gotten when they were kissing. Buffy could smell Tru's arousal and it made her wet.

She tried to ignore it and flopped down onto the bed on her back after turning from Tru. It was going to be hard enough dealing with her raging hormones with Tru laying close to her, but now all she could think of was what Tru smelled like, and how she might taste.

Buffy had never really thought about things like that before. During her little fantasies about Faith - and now about Tru - she hadn't really gone into smells and tastes. Now it was all she could think. The idea of tasting Tru was a little weird – never having allowed herself to think too much about having sex with another girl – but it was also exciting, and way too hot to think about without driving herself crazy with lust. Sleep wasn't going to come easily if she couldn't get her mind out of the gutter.

“Is it hot or is it just me?” Buffy sighed, feeling her pyjamas clinging to her.

“It's hot,” Tru replied, shuffling a bit beside Buffy.

Buffy glanced over at Tru, their eyes snagging and holding, the atmosphere becoming heavy with anticipation as Tru licked her lips all sexy and slow.

It didn't take long for Buffy to lose her grip and turn towards the girl beside her, moving closer before she could stop herself.

She paused just before kissing Tru, taking in more of her scent. “It's not just the air that's hot,” Buffy said a little breathlessly, “you're hot. Totally hot.”

Closing the gap between them, Buffy kissed Tru, holding herself above her just slightly as she gently held her face with the hand not resting on the mattress. She hadn't meant to do it, but her lips were drawn to Tru; her body seeking her out under the sheets.

Tru's hands made their way into Buffy's hair, holding her as they kissed again. It wasn't helping Buffy cool down and her pyjamas were clinging even more. She had to stop, or it would be too late to.

“Ok, that's way too addictive,” Buffy said breathlessly as she pulled away just enough to look into Tru's eyes.

“There are worse addictions,” Tru stated with a little grin.

It was a grin that reminded Buffy of Faith too much to ignore. She settled back down beside Tru, facing her still but knowing she had to cool down and get her mind in order.

“This is all so confusing for me,” Buffy said quietly, her hand resting on Tru's hip as she found it hard not to want to explore with it.

Tru tucked Buffy's blonde hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering for a while before she placed her hand on Buffy's hip so they were mirroring each other, laying close but not too close.

“I'm sorry,” Tru said, her brown eyes gently regarding Buffy.

“It's not your fault, I'm just. . .trying to let go but. . .”

“You don't have to explain,” Tru pointed out.

Buffy smiled and shook her head. She felt so comfortable with Tru most of the time, even if it wasn't a situation she was used to. Even though she gave her head too much to deal with.

“I do,” Buffy stated. “I want to be honest with you.”

Buffy realized being completely honest would probably be a bad idea, but she wanted Tru to understand why she was reacting the way she was. She needed Tru to trust her, and to like her. She didn't want to push Tru away in any way. That would leave Buffy without either her or Faith, and she didn't want to think of that prospect right now.

“I've only ever like one other girl before, and I didn't even acknowledge that properly until. . .well, until I met you,” Buffy said, her heart beating faster with the confession.

Tru smiled and began stroking her fingers softly over Buffy's hip, just enough to feel good and not distract Buffy too much.

“She didn't know, and our friendship was never easy,” Buffy continued. “We hurt each other. We screwed it up but. . .I never really stopped thinking about her. I think I was kind of in love with her there for a while.”

Buffy could feel a lump beginning to form in her throat. She hadn't really talked this way about Faith before, but something about Tru made her feel she could. She'd never said the 'in love' words out loud and now she had she knew it was the truth. She'd fallen for Faith. She'd been swept up by her and her attitude and sexy aura; unable to stop herself from reacting, from wanting. It wasn't easy accepting that, and it was harder saying it.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek before she knew she was crying.

“Hey, it's ok,” Tru said, soothing Buffy and pulling her closer so she could hold her.

Buffy accepted the gesture and found herself being wrapped up in Tru's arms, her face snuggled in close to Tru's neck. A hand was slowly moving over Buffy's back; a caring touch that made her feel worse for still thinking about Faith.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to. . .”

“It's ok, Buffy. I understand,” Tru said, her voice low and gentle.

“I don't feel that way about her still,” Buffy made clear, not wanting to worry Tru. “It's just hard talking about it. And I don't want you to think I don't want to be with you 'cause I do.”

Buffy really didn't know how she felt about Faith now. There was still anger, and hurt – lots of hurt – but knowing there had been more and could have been more made her unsure about a lot of things. She didn't have a clue how she'd react or feel if she saw Faith again. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like now that she'd accepted how she'd felt.

Tru kissed Buffy's forehead softly, her lips only lingering for a short while but making their presence felt as Buffy relaxed into her arms. There were still a few tears squeezing their way out, but she felt safe with Tru – on many levels. It was like opening up to Faith in a way; getting the chance to be held by her, to be cared for by her. It wasn't Faith and never would be, but it was a good substitute. Maybe even better given the fact even trying to have a friendship with Faith had been impossible.

But then maybe friendship alone had been impossible because of everything else going on under the surface. Buffy didn't know, she just knew she had to get over it and move on. Being with Tru probably wasn't really moving on much at all, but she liked her. She truly liked her and was drawn to her in the same way – the same but only different.

“Go to sleep, Buffy,” Tru whispered as Buffy felt herself doing just that. “And don't worry, it'll be ok.”

It's all Buffy needed to hear. She felt some kind of peace. She felt at ease with Tru and how she was feeling. About how she'd felt about Faith, and what that meant with regards to the beautiful and sensitive girl now holding her.

They both fell asleep, snuggling close despite the heat. Buffy wanted to be held, and she was happy it was Tru. It felt good.

When she woke to the feel of the sun on her legs where she'd kicked off her pyjama bottoms in the night and shoved back the blanket, Buffy didn't feel as awkward as she was worrying she might, especially after confessing what she had and then crying. And it wasn't every night she snuggled up to another girl to sleep, but she felt happy, and more free in some ways.

Buffy realised Tru wasn't in bed with her, but she could hear her nearby clattering quietly in the kitchen area – the smell of coffee making Buffy open her eyes. She rubbed at her eyes, pushing stray blonde hair from her face as she tried to focus.

When the sleepy fog cleared, Buffy watched as Tru made her way around the kitchen making coffee. Her hair was tied up messily and she was still only in her shorts and tee shirt. Buffy suddenly felt very lucky to be right where she was. Tru was an extremely attractive girl, and even though she wasn't quite as sexy as Faith she was still hot, and she still had an effect on Buffy that just couldn't be ignored.

Stretching and rolling out of bed, Buffy left her pyjama bottoms on the floor and checked to make sure her top at least covered her ass. It did, so she confidently got up and made her way around the bed. She spotted some big fluffy slippers by the end of the bed and smiled before slipping her feet into them. They were cute, with floppy ears that stuck up and drooped down at the end. She could never envision Faith wearing such slippers, but the thought was kind of cute. She tried not to think about that as she made her way into the living area, leaving the bed sheets in a tangled mess behind her.

“Morning,” Tru said cheerily as Buffy approached. “Coffee?”

Buffy nodded and took the offered cup.

They'd stayed wrapped around each other all night and Buffy had slept better than she had in a long time. She hadn't felt the need to go out and slay, feeling just fine where she was with Tru's soft body against her.

“Sleep well?” Tru asked as they both sat down on the sofa with mugs in hand.

“Very,” Buffy replied brightly.

She couldn't stop smiling at Tru, feeling lighter and happier than usual – especially in the morning. She knew she could quickly get used to waking up with Tru, and knew it wouldn't be long before the night they shared was a little more eventful. She was less sure about being able to rid her mind of Faith so soon, but she was taking little steps.

“I had a really nice night, Tru,” Buffy said, sipping at her coffee. “Thank you.”

“I had a nice time too,” Tru told her. “It'd be nice to. . .do it again sometime if you wanted.”

Tru looked down into her coffee, her eyes shy, indicating that she probably wasn't certain that Buffy would say yes. Buffy couldn't blame her – she had spent some of last night crying on her over another girl after all.

“I definitely want to,” Buffy clarified. “I'm over Faith. It's history.”

She paused as she was about to take a drink, realizing she hadn't told Tru Faith's name until then. It probably didn't matter, as long as Tru never found out the real truth – that Faith was in fact her twin sister. That wouldn't be good. That would be so un-good Buffy didn't want to even think about it.

Tru nodded and placed her mug down as Buffy did the same. She turned towards Buffy, crossing her legs in front of her as she sat sideways on the sofa.

“So. . .we're dating then?” Tru asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

“Dating is good,” Buffy replied with a matching smile.

“Wasn't sure how you'd feel about it,” Tru continued. “I mean, I know this is new to you, but I could get used to you being around. I'd like to get used to you being around.”

“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” Buffy asked, feeling bold as she looked up through her eyelashes at Tru.

It was weird saying it let alone wanting it, but she did want it. She wanted Tru as her girlfriend, not just as somebody she was dating now and then, or as nothing. She felt the need to grab onto her and not let her go; wanting to make sure she stayed with her, unlike Faith.

“Would you be?” Tru questioned, obviously not wanting to push Buffy.

Buffy didn't have to think about it. Thinking about it and panicking could be done later, so she replied, “Yes.”

“That's good, 'cause I wouldn't let just anybody wear my bunny slippers,” Tru remarked, grinning as she nodded towards Buffy's ever so comfy feet.

“Then I guess I'm safe,” Buffy giggled, wiggling the bunny ears.

She felt her insides go a little mushy as Tru leaned forward and kissed her. They kissed slowly and softly, and for once Buffy didn't think about Faith.

She managed not to think too much about Faith for the rest of the day – only now and then slipping and finding herself comparing them both. It was hard not to wish it were Faith that she was now the girlfriend of, but she knew deep down that she could never have that with Faith. Faith just wasn't the relationship type, and they didn't get along enough to even attempt it. No, there was no point in thinking about Faith that way. She had Tru, and that was enough, though worrying about what she was going to tell her friends and family made it bitter-sweet.

After spending some time together at a lovely park, relaxing in the sun, and then having lunch, Buffy made her way home on the bus. She was sad to go – back to reality and away from Tru's lips – but she had to be back to patrol and get ready for the next day's classes. Tru had offered to drive her, but she wasn't ready to bring Tru to Sunnydale just yet.

They said goodbye at the bus station, but Buffy shied away from kissing Tru. She wanted to, but there were too many people around and she didn't feel comfortable with such a public display. Tru didn't seem overly upset, but Buffy could tell she would have liked just a little goodbye smooch.

When she arrived home, Buffy checked her phone for messages, finding two from Willow and one from Dawn. Willow was eager to know how things went, and Dawn sang a rude limerick and then apologised for ruining one of Buffy's shirts by spilling ketchup all down the front.

“Ugh, she's so paying for that,” Buffy muttered before dialling Willow's number and arranging to meet her.

It wasn't too late yet and she was hungry so she agreed to meet Willow for something to eat before she went on patrol for the night. She was antsy and needed to slay – her hormones all in a flutter over Tru and making her feel particularly charged and ready for some action.

She hastily showered and changed and made her way into town with Willow.

After getting over the formalities of “hello” and “how are you?” with her, they sat down to make short work of some greasy burgers and fries. Buffy felt famished and wondered if the raging hormone thing was why Faith had always been able to eat twice her bodyweight in food in one sitting. She didn't dwell on it, doing her best not to recall how cute Faith could be when she ate after slaying – getting crumbs and ketchup all over herself and laughing it off if Buffy pointed it out or called her gross.

“So there was no. . .yunno?” Willow asked, wiggling her eyebrows comically. “I mean, after all the making out and the sharing the bed thing.”

Buffy had told Willow about the date and about how swept up by Tru she felt. She'd blushed when explaining how she'd bolted for the bathroom when things had gotten a bit heavy during their make-out session.

“No, there was no. . .sex,” Buffy said, whispering at the end so nobody around them would hear.

“Wow,” Willow exclaimed, her eyes a little wide. “You didn't do the deed even though she's all hot and sexy, and all kindsa sweet and exactly what you want right now? You need a medal. A shiny one with a star on it.”

Buffy ran her finger around the rim of her coffee mug, wondering how she'd restrained herself when Willow was right – Tru was hot and sexy and totally sweet. But it hadn't felt right to just jump in like that. She needed time. Time for what exactly she wasn't sure, but some of it revolved around not knowing what the hell to do with another woman in bed. It wasn't like she had any kind of experience with that and she didn't want to make a fool of herself or have Tru think she was really bad at it.

“I guess. . .I want to be ready,” Buffy said, trying to explain herself. “I don't want to think about Faith, and I don't want to be all fumbly and not good.”

She fought back the urge to blush, feeling a little uncomfortable talking about sex with Willow even though she was her best friend. It just wasn't something they normally spoke about. Their conversations usually involved monsters and vampires, and witchery. . .not the finer details of getting wriggly with a girl. If Buffy wanted to feel comfortable with Tru though, she knew she had to ask Willow's advice on a few things.

“I'm sure you'd be fine, Buffy,” Willow said, absently stirring her mocha with a spoon.

“How do you know? I could be terrible and she might think I'm really lame,” Buffy mumbled.

“Well, it's not like you've never done it before, it's just. . .different, but not so different you'll be totally lost.”

“It feels like I'll be totally lost,” Buffy sighed as she thought about it. “She's so gorgeous and just kissing her gets me all worked up, so I'm bound to make a fool of myself. It's just something I do.”

“And she'll think you're adorable for it,” Willow pointed out. “They always do.”

“They? Who's they?” Buffy asked suspiciously.

“Everybody that ever liked you like that,” Willow replied with a chuckle.

Buffy furrowed her brow, unsure whether Willow was being kind or sarcastic. She had no reason to doubt Willow's loyalty and kindness however, so she let it go.

“I just want to be good for her,” Buffy continued. “Is there anything I should yunno. . .know or do?”

She spoke quietly, trying not to look in Willow's eyes so she could get the words out.

“You're asking my advice about sex?” Willow asked, sounding a little shocked.

“I guess,” Buffy responded. “Yes.”

Willow glanced around the tables close to them, fidgeting in her seat as Buffy waited.

“Here?” Willow asked, sounding on the verge of panicking.

“Sure,” Buffy replied. “I mean, you don't have to go into detail, just give me some pointers. Like, what's normal?”

“Normal?” Willow repeated, her eyebrows disappearing into her hair. “I don't know if I could define normal. What's normal for me might not be normal for you. It's not like I even know what's normal myself – I've only ever been with one girl.”

“Ok, calm down, Will,” Buffy said, chuckling as Willow pulled a face that clearly conveyed her discomfort. “There must be something you could tell me at least.”

She really hoped Willow could help as she felt totally out of her depth with Tru, and she was a proud kind of girl that liked to please.

“Ok, well. . .” Willow took a steadying breath and looked down to Buffy's hands. “You should make sure you cut your nails a little. They're a little on the long side and if you're gonna. . .” She coughed, covering her mouth slightly with her hand to muffle the words in case anybody was listening. “Well, if you're gonna touch her in intimate places you don't want to be all stabby with your nails.”

Buffy looked at her fingernails and nodded slowly. They were a little on the long side, but not overly so. Still, she guessed Willow was right as she could see how getting intimate with another girl with long nails could be a little worrying. She'd noticed that Tru's nails were short and neat but hadn't thought about how it could equate to sex.

“So I'll cut my nails. Anything else?” Buffy pressed.

“I guess, well. . .if you plan to. . .there's definitely. . .” Willow's face turned red and her gaze dropped to the table as she stuttered.

“Tell me,” Buffy said, really needing to know what was so important that it had made her friend go as red as her hair.

Leaning forwards towards Buffy and whispering as she glanced around, Willow continued. “If you're planning to let her. . .” Willow blushed even more before stumbling the rest of her sentence out, “go down on you, then it's nice to be kinda neat and tidy in that general area.”

Willow sat back upright and fidgeted with a spoon as Buffy's mouth fell open.

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Buffy asked, stuck between wanting to giggle like a little girl and feeling kind of turned on about the thought of Tru doing that to her.

“Well, you did ask,” Willow stated firmly, her brow furrowed resolutely.

“Yes I did and. . .thank you,” Buffy said, swallowing past the embarrassment. “I'm always neat and tidy down there so I think I'll pass that test,” she added.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before either girl spoke again. Buffy knew they'd get over it, but talking about sex was new territory for them.

“So,” Buffy began after glancing at her nails one last time, “anything else?”

Willow cleared her throat and fiddled with her hands before shrugging. “Can't think of anything. Or at least. . .not anything I'm willing to talk about in the middle of a diner, or under any circumstances that don't involve large amounts of alcohol.”

As Willow didn't actually drink alcohol on any grand scale Buffy knew she'd pushed her far enough. It was time to let the subject drop.

They chatted for a little while longer and Buffy found herself talking animatedly about Tru on several occasions, earning her a grin from her friend. She couldn't help it if she was already becoming somewhat smitten, there just seemed to be no stopping it.

After they talked about getting together with Tara and Xander for a night at the Bronze sometime during the week, Buffy finally made her way out into the night to find and fight some vampires. The streets of Sunnydale became a little emptier as she walked towards the nearest cometary. Most residents didn't needlessly stay out late unless they were going to the movies or going dancing – they knew that bad things happened if you found yourself alone in the dark.

Buffy loved the dark – the night in all its ominous glory. It was her time to prowl, and prowl she did as she stalked through one of Sunnydale's large graveyards, her ears searching keenly for noises, and eyes looking sharply around.

At least, normally she was keen and sharp, but tonight she was lost in her thoughts; ambling along the path and hoping she didn't have to get dirty during a fight because she needed to do her laundry and only had one pair of clean pants left to wear. She didn't notice the two demons scurrying up behind her until one of them was charging at her full throttle.

“Oh crap,” she mumbled as she spun around to find a very large, very ugly blue demon headed directly for her.

He tackled her and sent her flying to the ground with a hard thud. She hit the back of her head on the concrete of the path and instantly knew there was going to be blood, and lots of it.

“Well that's just. . .” Buffy winced as the second demon landed on top of her and they both began jumping on various bits of her anatomy, “great.”

Using all her strength, Buffy managed to hurl one of the demons off her so she could roll away, but the other slightly smaller demon had other ideas. He grunted in some kind of monster-like language and grabbed Buffy's shoulders, pinning her to the floor. She squirmed and wriggled, and the demon laughed - globs of oozing saliva dripping from some rather nasty looking fangs.

“Ew, do not bite me with those,” Buffy grunted as she pushed upwards and finally freed herself. “You seriously need a Tic Tac or something.”

She got to her feet a little wobbly, her head spinning from the blow it had taken. The demons grunted between themselves and one of them gestured wildly as Buffy tried to look convincingly tough with her fighting stance. They seemed spooked, and Buffy watched as they ran off into the night, leaving her baffled and feeling a little faint.

Taking a few steps, she realized the knock to her head had been pretty bad, even for a slayer. She hadn't been on her game, her mind on everything but slaying. She hadn't been able to roll into the fall and prevent her head from making contact with the floor, and she was about to pay for it. Hitting the ground with a resigned plop, Buffy felt the world spinning and growing dark. She knew she shouldn't be laying on the ground in the middle of a cemetery, but there was no getting away from the fact she was about to black out.

Not knowing how long it had been, or how safe she was, or if she was in any shape to move or stand, Buffy eventually came round. A wave of nausea hit her from the pounding in her head and she forced open her eyes.

“Don't try to move,” somebody said above her. “I've got ya.”

Buffy tried to focus; tried to filter out the pain and the disorientation in order to asses the situation, but it wasn't coming easy. She wasn't alone, she could tell that much.

“You got a nasty hit to the head. Gotta get you some place safe.”

Forcing the world to become a clearer place as she strained to see who was talking to her and touching her softly - in order to lift her she supposed – Buffy did her best to listen and understand what was happening.

“Tru?” she asked as the voice finally became clear to her and the face above her came into focus. “What are you. . ?”

“No talking, you're hurt.”

Buffy reached out, touching long locks of brown hair as she was lifted. She found herself being cradled gently and carried to the street just outside the cemetery gates. Her mind was still hazy and dazed as she wrapped her arms around Tru's neck. But what was Tru doing there? She didn't care and couldn't find her voice to ask right now; allowing herself to be taken to safety.

“I'm glad you're here, Tru,” Buffy mumbled, sounding drunk and confused. “I was missing you already.”

She buried her face into Tru's neck, breathing her in as they left the cemetery behind. She smelled good – better than good – and Buffy couldn't help but kiss the soft skin of Tru's throat, even in her woozy state.

“Careful, B. Don't wanna drop you on your ass and break that too.”

Buffy closed her eyes, immersing herself in the scent of the girl whose arms she was in as she sought the less painful option of being passed out. She didn't quite understand why Tru was suddenly calling her B, but it didn't matter – it just felt good to be close to her again. It felt comforting, and she drifted into darkness with the overwhelming sensation that everything would be fine now that Tru was there. She felt it buzzing through her body and smiled against the hot skin she was nuzzling at as everything faded once again to black.