Be My Valentine, Be My Girl

by Erin Griffin

Rating: PG

Summary: Cordelia and Faith get together for Valentine's Day

Pairing: Faith/Cordelia

Disclaimer: I don't own Faith or Cordelia or anyone in this story for that matter. I can't even keep their storylines gay.... Oh well.

Author's Note. This was an answer to Texlandia's Valentine's Day Challenge. I have been working on it since I saw it posted, but alas, I forget that today is Valentine's Day until I get to work, so what I'm going to do is post it now, while it is still V-Day, and hope those who are still up can read it and enjoy. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

"Okay, think Cordelia, think! It can't be that hard to write a decent note to put in a Valentine's Day Hallmark card, can it?

Well, it can be if you're writing to a Slayer..." I muttered. It's a habit I picked up from Xander and Willow, babbling and having constant conversations with myself. What DOES one write to a Slayer on a Valentine's Day card? Would this Slayer even want it? Would she read it? I would put my pen in my mouth while I think, but I'm not sure I would like the taste of it's green feathers. Instead I stare at it as if it would magically start spewing my thoughts into intelligable words for Faith to read. Again, would she even read it?

I mean, I am a girl, but then, she wouldn't mind that. But I'm Queen C, Queen Bitch of the Seventh Demension of Bitches. What could I write that would let her know that I am thinking about her in ways a woman shouldn't be thinking about another woman? It's not like she's my girlfriend. I haven't a clue what she really is to me. I mean, it was one date. One movie, one walk home, and one kiss on the cheek before leaving my doorstep. I don't know why that has me all in a knot. The hottest guys in California have done more with me and got less of a reaction. I don't get it.

"Cordelia, have you seen my Fantastic Four comic?" Xander.

The last person I wanted to see at this moment. I forgave him for all that stuff with Willow, I just didn't want him to get any ideas from my Valentine and go tell Faith before I get a chance to give it to her. "Hello?! Earth to Cordelia-"

"Shhh! Trying to think." I grunted absently to him.

"That's a surprise."

"Shut up, Harris. Your comicbooks were last seen with a certain vengence demon, now go away."

"Not again! Anya!" Xander walked quickly out of the room, almost tripping over his quirky beast feet slippers (each step making a noise that sounded like some dinosaur in heat, mind you), and I smiled.

"That'll teach him to imply I don't think." I sighed then looked back to the card. It wasn't that great of a card, really. It was maybe one step up from those Valentines Day cards you gave out when you were in elementary school. It pretty much said 'I'm thinking of you this Valentine's Day'. I guess it would have to be enough, since we aren't an item, and I couldn't say 'I love you' to her yet. I don't want her running for the hills, but I do want her to know that I want to be more than friends, which is weird. I never thought of myself with a woman at all. Well, I never really thought of myself really with anyone for more than a few months in a relationship. Xander, I guess, was the closest I ever got to thinking that maybe things might work for a while, but that was before the whole demony lifestyle we all got into, and I always thought that, if anything, when I died at the hands of a demon, I would know I was loved. Well, that didn't happen, and I still don't believe in happily ever after, but I do believe that I can be happy until Sunnydale blows up, and Lord knows when that will go down. "Well, I guess what I have on Faith's card so far will have to do." I finally muttered to myself. It isn't like I have any big plans with Faith. She hasn't asked me to stay with her tonight. I guess I will just drop by the motel room and slip the card under the door, or if I have the courage, knock on the door and give it to her in person, but not stay long enough for her to read it. Should I get her something to go with it, like candy or something? Every woman loves chocolate, no matter what day it is. Maybe a bag of heart shaped Snickers would do the trick... Man this is depressing. I just put my pen back in its hold her when my cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"C, come over tonight."

"What?" I felt my eyebrows turn to a confused frown.

"Come over tonight. In an hour. I'll leave the door open for you, and you can let yourself in." As if she was thinking I wasn't going to come, she added, "I've got a surprise for you."

I didn't know what else to say but, "Okay.", and I was left with the dial tone. She had some huge surprise to show me. Faith.

That was her thing. She'd call me and tell me to come over. No reason, no rhyme, just 'Cor, come over tonight' and then hang up.

So, of course I am shooting off in daddy's car to see what she's up to. This time she says she's got a surprise. What would Faith have done that would surprise me? Scratch that: What would Faith have done that WOULDN'T surprise me? Okay, walking up to me in the library after a Scooby meeting and saying I looked nice surprised me. Asking me out to a movie the next week surprised me. Her grabbing my hand and connecting our fingers surprised me. Walking me home and kissing me on the cheek like a gentleman and asking me out again surprised me... Alright, so Faith is full of surprises. The thing is, she is so spontanious that it wouldn't really surprise anyone to see her doing anything you hadn't thought she's capable of doing. Anyway, on the way, I see the drug store and hop out to get her the candy I had promised Faith in my head. Rows and rows of candy, cards and stuffed animals that sing Wild Thing is almost enough to sympathise and agree with those pessimists who insist that Valentine's Day was just an idea from these companies to sell more of this junk. I pass the heart shaped candy boxes and grab a bag of Snickers for Faith and Three Musketeers for me. On my way to the checkout line, I see a small bunch of tulips, red, orange and purple, and thought 'what the hell' and grabbed those too. I felt somehow like I was forgetting something. Like something should be added to the card or something along those lines. I shrugged off that feeling before I got back into my car, and continued on my way to Faith's hotel room.

Though Faith said that she would leave the door open for me, I knocked and announced my presence before entering. She was nowhere to be seen. I saw the door to the bathroom closed and tried to open it, but it was locked. "I'll be out in a minute, Cordelia." Just the use of my complete name makes me back away from the door. I look around for something to do while I waited for her, but there was nothing in site to entertain me but a red lava lamp, so I put her gifts down, sat on her bed and watched it, allowing myself get lost in thought and the globs that moved about.

I hear the door open, and Faith steps out of the bathroom slowly, and I look reluctantly away from the lava lamp to see a sight that makes my mouth drop nearly to the floor. "Faith-"

"You like it?" 'It' was my semi-sorta-not-really-girlfriend standing in front of me in a pair of open toed sketchers, faded jeans, a white T-shirt, a black leather jacket, and oh, a full head of pink hair. Yes, that's right... pink. Faith doesn't do pink. I've known Faith to die her hair, but usualy it is black or once it was just a lighter shade of reddish brown, but no, this time it was full, cotton candy pink. Her hair was almost as pink as the tulips I got her.

"Yeah, I like it," I lied. Faith scoffed, seeing right through my lie.

"And Bill Gates is my uncle. Come on, tell the truth. You don't like it, do you?" There was no hurt on her face or even in her voice, which makes me wonder what reaction she would have to my answer, whatever it may be.

"To tell the truth, I don't know how I feel about it. I guess I can get used to it. But... Why?"

"I don't know. I've never been in the mood to just mess with my hair. If it looked good once I combed it out, I was lucky. I never cared, but I was walking down the isles of the drug store and saw this Valentines day bottle of hair dye and I had to. It will come out in a few weeks, but I just wanted to try it out for a couple of days then dye it back." I nod my head, then chuckled.

"So, would you get mad at me if I started calling you Pinky?"

"Hell yeah I would." Faith said with a smile. I looked into her eyes for a few minutes.

"Seriously, I didn't actually think you'd ever dye your hair pink." I said, mostly as a way to break the silence.

" Neither did I. Are you busy tonight?"

"No, why?"

"I wanted to spend the evening with you, 'cause I don't wanna be alone on V-Day."

"I don't either." I said, and Faith looked relieved, as if I had better plans. I made sure there was nothing lined up, and I cancelled going to the Valentines day ball with Garry when Faith had taken me out that night over a week ago. I was hoping she would ask me to spend Valentine's Day with her, and I was almost about to cry when she hadn't asked me, but that was right before she called me and told me to come over.

Faith turned on the TV, and said, "I know they're havin' some chick flicks on tonight. Would you like to watch them with me?"

"I would like that." I said. "I don't know exactly where you stand on Valentin's Day, but I got you some... stuff." I leaned over and felt Faith's eyes on me as I retrieved the flowers, card and candy. "Uh, here." I couldn't help it. I blushed. I sounded so geeky. I never felt so weird about giving away a gift before. In my mind, I always thought that because I had money I gave away extraordinary gifts and people would always like them, and if they didn't, well screw them. No, I was worried that Faith would roll her eyes at the cheesy gifts.

"You got me a card?"

"Yeah... and some candy and... I wasn't sure if you liked flowers. I hope you like tulips." I looked at my shoes and made a mental note to buy more for the end of winter season. The next words that came from Faith made my heart start to pound.
"Tulips are the most beautiful flowers in the world." I felt I couldn't breathe after that. The way she had spoken, so hushed, and the look on her face made me want to gather her in my arms and hold her. I couldn't move, though, other than to sit next to her on the bed when she patted it. "No one has ever given me a Valentine's Day card before. Well, when they weren't required to. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I whispered. She then lay down on the bed, and I spooned with her and put my arm around her. She gave me a 'look', but laid her head on the pillow and opened her bag of candy, which we shared as the movie showed. By the end of movie one, both bags of candy were gone. Her head was on my shoulder, and I felt that the roles were reversed. Isn't that how those relationships worked? One was the 'man' and the other was the 'woman' in the relationship? I'm the one with the makeup case and the walk-in closets (yes I have 3) filled with shoes. I'm the one who spends hours in front of the vanity mirror getting ready just to go check the mail. Still, it felt good to be the one to hold her, as if I could do something to protect her instead of the other way around. By movie two, though, the blanket was wrapped around us, and I was running fingers through Faith's hair and her fingers were making slow circles around my belly button, driving me crazy. I think she knew this, because I'd look up at her every so often and she'd only grin in her cocky slow way that was only Faith's. By movie three, Faith was asleep, and I found myself looking at her and wishing she would wake up so I could just look into her eyes and see what she is thinking in her soul. All those cheesy movies and love songs and cliche's somehow started to make sense and as much as I hate to say it, for the most part how I feel is almost exactly like that. Well, no firesorks or anything, but the nervousness, and the wanting to be with her, if she'd have me. When I looked back down at Faith, her eyes were open and she was looking at me, which sort of creeped me out. She made no movements to indicate she was awake.

"Hey."

"You hungry? I ain't got much. Some cereal." I grinned.

"Sure." I said. Though I didn't really want to, I got up and looked at her cereal selection, which was just Cheerios.

"Damn it. Ain't got a lot of milk left though. Here, you use up the rest."

"No, you go ahead. Milk's too fattening anyway.

"As opposed to the two bags of Valentine's day candy we just ate?" I grinned again. She had a point.

"I'll have mine with water," I told her.

"Ew. Take the milk. Don't worry about it."

"What's wrong with Cheerios and water?"

"I suppose if you ate the Cheerios and the drank the water to wash it down, it would be cool, but in a bowl together? It sounds gross."

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

"I'll pass on that." I laughed and took two of the Gladware bowls and handed one to Faith, who took it and poured cereal in hers, then mine. then I went to the bathroom sink where hair dye reminence was still there and put some water in it. As Faith watched me eat, she winced.

"Hey," I protested. We ate our cereal in silence after that, me laughing everytime Faith wince after I took each bite. When we were finished, I was at a loss of somthing to say. Should I excuse myself and go home after thanking her for a nice afternoon with her and let her have her privacy, or should I ask her if she would like to get some real food somewhere else?

As if to be thinking along the same lines, Faith said, "You know, it is getting late-"

"I know, I should get going-" Faith took my hand, which made me stop talking.

"No, I was going to say it is getting late. Why don't you stay with me tonight. You know, the vamps will be out preying on any couples that are out and about, and I don't want you to get hurt." I was about to say something. This may not be a good idea, but I really didn't want to leave, so I nodded.

"Yeah, it is dangerous out there on the most romantic day of the year, isn't it? Willow was trying to do some sort of anti-love spell thing this mornig, but it didn't work, and Anya kept telling her that it should be mathier... or something like that. Anyway, I'm sure some weird demon will pick up on her magic and attack the Scoobies, and do I wana be a part of that? As fun as that sounds, I'd have to vote for no-" Faith's sudden movement startled me, and I found her lips upon mine.

"You should really leave the babbling to Red," Faith said before she captured my lips again. If it had been anyone else, I would have found it rude that they used a kiss to get me to shut up, but I found that I didn't mind it with Faith. For her, it seems actions are all she really has to express how she feels, and simply telling me to shut up isn't really her style. I like that about her.

We resumed our positions on her bed where we continued to make out.

After a while, Faith was the one who broke away. "This is going to sound really lame after everything that has already been said and done, but Cordy, you wanna be my girl?"

"You're right, that dies sound lame, but I would really like that."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

I kissed her on the nose, just because it was there, and she looked so cute. It just felt like the 'kiss on the nose' moment. "Happy Valentine's Day, Faith."