Title: True Lies

Author: Casandra

Email: rozwellrulz@aol.com

Disclaimer: Well unfortunately I don't own them. That right belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and other people that aren't me.

Rating: PG-13, just for slashy content and some naughty language.

Warning: If the thought of two consenting woman being in a relationship bothers you, this isn't your cup of tea.

Distribution: You can find my work at Realm Of The Shadow (www.realmoftheshadow.com) and my own archive, No Other Way ( http://bwnootherway.cjb.net ) Anybody else who wants it, feel free, just drop me a line to let me know where you're taking it.

Feedback: I'll give you a cookie. Ok, well maybe not, but I'd love to know if you liked it. Or not so much. So drop me a note.

Spoilers: Actual dialogue taken from 'Touched'. But anything tends to be open for me to reference, so if you're spoiler-phobic, be forewarned.

Pairing: Dawn/Faith

Summary: Going directly from the dialogue of a scene with Faith and the Mayor/The First during the middle of 'Touched'. I'm going AU from one particular line and everything after should change because of it.

Author's Note: I've actually gotten really good responses to Faith and Dawn's appearance together in my latest Buffy/Willow fic. And I know I promised to write a follow-up with just them post series finale, but this germ of an idea crept up and won't let me alone. So here it goes. Told from Dawn's POV.

For the millionth time tonight I can't help thinking we all made an incredibly huge mistake. I mean here I am, the one person arguably that has the most to thank and appreciate Buffy for. And what do I do? I turn on her. I'm a traitor, plain and simple. I mean sure, she was being rather unreasonable lately, but given the circumstances.......................

The person that most surprised me was Willow though. I have never *once* seen her not side with Buffy. In anything. From the tiniest little arguments to the huge things like Angel and his re-souling. And yet there she stood, backing her new girlfriend as opposed to the person she's been in love with forever. Yeah, she probably thinks she hides it well. But not from me. For a person that spent the better part of her adolescence being ignored, I've learned to be very observant. And Willow is just so obvious sometimes it's not even funny. And that's what made it even more shocking when she didn't stick up for my sister. But I really need to stop thinking about it if I'm going to get any amount of sleep tonight.

Somehow Kennedy managed to talk all the potentials into sleeping down in the basement. She made up some lame story about getting used to conditions of battle. Of course only about half of them actually 'got' it. Kennedy isn't subtle either, especially when it comes to her lust for my sister's best friend.

As I'm debating about whether or not I should sleep downstairs with Giles, Xander and Anya, just to protect myself from the moans and groans of certain new girlfriends, I hear what almost sounds like arguing coming from Buffy's bedroom. Faith's bedroom now I suppose. Not that I mind of course. The idea of Faith living, sleeping, about 10 feet from my own bedroom is enough to send chills of teen lust straight up my spine. Ok, so I have a little crush on the dark Slayer. Well, maybe not so little. More like drowning in my adoration of her kind of crush. Ever since I can remember actually. We used to be pretty good friends back during the time before she decided to work for the Mayor. And at first I thought it was just idolization, but then I realized I didn't feel that way at all about Buffy. And she was a Slayer too. It was only after I got to high school, and I noticed I was checking out the girls just as much, if not more, than I was ogling the guys. So bisexuality was something I learned the meaning of pretty quick. And I realize now that it all started with Faith. Who is still talking to someone. A male someone.

"Deep down, you always wanted Buffy to accept you, to love you even. Why do you think that is?"

Ok yes, I knew Faith lusted after Buffy. I'm sure that's one of the main reasons that Willow was so jealous of her. And why Faith went after Willow first and foremost. They recognized each other as competition right off the bat. But who the hell would know that? A guy no less.

"You a shrink now?" That's my Faith, don't listen to whoever this jerk is, give him that Bostonian sarcasm.

" You keep looking for love and acceptance from these people, these “friends” of yours, but you’re never going to find it. The truth is nobody will ever love you. Not the way I love you."

Ok, I've had just about enough of this guy, whoever the hell he is. Without thinking I go storming into the bedroom. 'That's not true!"

"Dawn, get out of here now!" Faith looks almost panicked when she sees me. And then I get a good look at just who she's talking to, and I see why. The Mayor guy, who tried to eat Buffy's entire graduating class. The same one who Buffy blew up. Ok. Oh wait, I get it now. The First. Well I'm not going to let him, it, whatever, talk to Faith like that. I don't want her even considering it, let alone believing it. What he felt for her wasn't love. Demons can't love, and he was definitely a demon if I've ever seen one. And The First isn't going to pull Faith's strings if I have anything to say about it.

"That's not true, and you know it!" I'm sure it does know that *I* love Faith. If it can sense her insecurities I'm sure it can tell that I've been in love with her for years now. Even if it's only recently that I've really realized what it was I feel towards her.

"Dawn please! You don't know what you're dealing with, just go downstairs with the other girls." Faith is trying to usher me out of the bedroom, but I stand my ground. I know she could move me if she really wanted to, but she doesn't want to risk hurting me in any way, so she only halfheartedly struggles with me.

"Now now Faith, don't tell the young lady what to do, it's rude you know." I stop my struggling against Faith's grip and turn around to glare at him.

"Don't tell *her* what to do either!" Ha, how's that for turnabout? Of course it sounded completely childish too.

"I see you got yourself a little firecracker Faith, I always wondered what you saw in those Summers' girls. I'm beginning to understand it now." Girls, as in plural? Does that mean she liked me too? Ok, focus Dawn, you're standing not five feet away from the ultimate evil, and you're worrying about if Faith liked you 4 years ago? Yep, I'm definitely a teenager.

"Shut the hell up!" Wow, Faith sounds pretty pissed. That's never good. Too bad this guy is incorporeal, she'd really kick his ass.

"Is there really a need for that sort of language? I was just telling the truth. Tell me you've never told her the truth Faith?" The truth about what?

"I said shut up!" Faith's turning almost purple now.

"Would you just get out of here already? We know what your deal is, and we're not falling for it, so what's left to do, talk us to death?" Well yeah, The First's game plan seems to be with it's verbal assault as a strong tactic. So why am I just egging it on?

"Well I probably could do that if I really tried hard. You young people nowadays have no patience whatsoever. But tell me Dawn, just what did you mean when you came charging in here, guns a blazin'?" Oh I knew I shouldn't have provoked, this can't be good. I'm being baited by The First Evil.

"Would you just leave her the hell alone!" Faith, still all red, trying to protect me.

"Faith, my gosh, where did all those manners go that I taught you? Such an abrasive personality for such a pretty girl." This thing really knows how to annoy someone, if the look on Faith's face is any indication.

"I said that it wasn't true, what you were talking about. You...." I pause to correct myself. "Mayor Wilkins never loved Faith. At least not the way she deserves to be loved, should have been loved. And you're wrong, she will be, she *IS* loved. More than you could even possibly imagine." Because really, I don't think something made of the purest evil ever known to man could even comprehend love, let alone the depth of which I feel for Faith. I may be young, but I know, I can tell. And I can't explain how I know, it's just a feeling, deep down inside my soul, and it touches every part of my being. And now I *really* sound like a lovesick teenager.

"Oh really?" God, could he sound any more taunting?

"Duh! Why would I have said it?!"

"Dawnie come on, please, I want you to get out of here right now, let me handle the asshole." Aww, she called me Dawnie! She hasn't done that in, man, I can't remember how long.

"Come on Faith, don't you want to know who loves you? Your little firecracker here seems to have it on pretty good authority."

"I love her! So there!" Ok, well I really didn't want her to find out like that, but geeze, I was getting so annoyed. You know you're doing something wrong when you're annoying more than scaring your intended victims.

"Well golly Faith, it looks like it's reciprocated." What?

"Dude, what the hell are you getting out of all this? I mean what do you stand to gain by getting me to admit I'm in love with her...............shit...." I'm pretty much in a catatonic state of shock at the moment, but I can still see the chesire grin on The First's face. But really, not caring at the moment.

"Well actually, I got her to admit she was in love with you, the other, well, you did that all by yourself my dear Faith." He smiles broadly at her, which goes completely unnoticed because she's too busy staring at her boots, refusing to meet my gaze. "As for what I get out of it, well lets see. First of course there is her sister Slayer who has less than fuzzy feelings for you Faith. I'm sure she'd just love to hear about her arch nemesis lusting after her baby sister for the better part of 5 years. And an angry Slayer, is a reckless Slayer." I cringe at that one, because yeah, Buffy would not be pleased in the least bit. "Second of all, since I'm planning to kill you soon, it will be all that much more painful to watch each other die if you're aware of your feelings for one another. And of course that adds to my enjoyment." God, I can't even bear the thought of losing Faith now, let alone actually even contemplate that it very possibly will happen. Soon. "And lastly, if you're so consumed with Dawn here, you'll let everything else pass by the wayside, thus giving me an even easier victory." And with that he flashed out of the room, not so much as a speck of dust left in it's wake. At least anything visible that is.

Faith pulls me into a tight hug, the first we've shared in almost four years. It's like coming home again. "Are you ok?" She mumbles it into my hair that I have to concentrate just to make out the jumbled words. I nod my head in response and tighten my hold around her, increasing our contact, if that were even possible. She's already practically breaking my ribs, but I really don't care.

I pull back a little bit, having no clue how much time has passed that we've just stood here, embracing each other like there's no tomorrow. Which in actuality there might not be. But I try not to think about that. "Did you mean it, what you said?"

For a moment I think she's going to try to deny it. Or try and bolt out of the room, she has that deer trapped in the headlights type of expression. For all of two seconds. She shyly looks down at her boots again, until I tilt her chin up with my fingertips. "I meant it." She stumbles a bit before continuing. "I love you Dawnie, I have for a long time now." She giggles a bit. Faith actually giggles. The world really must be ending. Of course I don't care about that either right now, because I don't think I've ever seen her look so beautiful. "In fact, that's how I got into a couple of fights in the pen, some of the girls wanted to take your picture outta my bunk. Hell, they made a nasty remark and I'd flatten them." She blushes a bit at that. Another first. But wait, she had a picture of me with her in prison? That's just, well, kinda creepy to think I was seen all around a penitentiary, but to think she kept my picture all this time. Makes me love her even more.

I cup her cheek in my palm, pulling our bodies closer together again. "I love you too Faith." And not giving her any time to resist, I bring our lips together for the very first time. It's pure bliss, that's about as far as I can describe without getting completely tongue tied. She's a fabulous kisser to put it mildly, but I can tell she's holding back a bit, making sure she's not forcing me into anything. Much too soon I can feel her pulling back a bit, just as the kiss was starting to progress to the now or never stage. I'm definitely going with the now.

"Dawn wait, we can't do this. If you keep kissing me like that , I'm never going to be able to stop."

"Who says I want you to stop?" And I don't. Nothing has felt more right in my entire life. I want, no, I need, to give this to her. Before she can vocalize another protest I take her palm and place it against my cheek. "Forget about tomorrow, forget about everything. This is tonight. This is us. I love you Faith, and I want to share this with you." That seemed to do the trick, because we're kissing again, more passionately this time, fusing our bodies together and becoming one. It's amazing. And for now I won't think about the future, and the fact that most of us probably don't have more than a few days left of it. Right now I'm in the only place I've ever really belonged, and that's all that matters.

The End.