Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Buffy v. Dracula especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

1. Wait

They lay on Faith's bed, Buffy's head rested on her stomach as Faith absentmindedly played with her blond hair, careful not to stray too close to the puncture wounds on her neck.

Buffy had spoken for hours about him. Faith had drifted in and out, having spent most of the afternoon looking out of her bedroom window. Buffy had spoken about only two things all afternoon; Dracula and coming out. Given that she'd spent the summer trying to get Faith to tell people about their relationship, she should have been pleased that Buffy had finally discovered another topic. And yet.

Her jealousy of the vampire seeking out Buffy was only momentary, especially when she considered that she too had sought her out.

Diana had spoken about little else as she'd trained with Faith back in Boston. Like Harry Potter, Buffy was girl 'that lived'. Buffy was legendary; she'd fought Lothos, the Master and countless other beasts, demons and forces of darkness. It was hardly surprising that someone as legendary himself would choose to seek her out.

Faith's frustrations lay in the knowledge that Dracula understood her power – their power – better than Buffy did. As the girl continued to lay on her stomach, continued to talk, Faith couldn't help but think that Buffy's own issue was her self. Buffy had had a Watcher since she was fifteen, if she didn't understand her power by now it was because she had been too stubborn to learn.

The fact that Buffy was obsessing, though, was the issue that Faith was having the hardest time dealing with. Whenever she tuned back into the blond girl leaning on her, she worried that she was going to take Giles away from her. Faith was the active slayer now, Giles was hers. Buffy had missed her chance. She almost wished that Buffy would go back to telling Faith to come out.

She rearranged herself so that Buffy fell away from her. Buffy shot up and looked confused before Faith explained that Giles would be back soon they should probably head back downstairs.

"I know he's old and British but he's not stupid." Buffy told her eventually as they settled themselves onto the sofa and in front of Passions. Faith merely shrugged searching down the back of the couch to find the remote. "I've spent practically every day here all summer!"

"So, we hung out a lot back when you were in high school – you know, before Angel." She shrugged once again turning up the volume.

Buffy chose to ignore the look Faith had briefly given her when speaking of the vampire. "Do you honestly think he doesn't know we're in a relationship?"

"We're not in a relationship." Faith responded quietly, not turning from the television in front of her. "We hang, we have sex. Its no biggie."

"No, you're right, its no biggie." Buffy nodded, standing slowly to straighten her skirt. "I'm going to go home. Check in with Mom." She saw the vaguest signs of regret on the younger girl's face and a small apology forming on her lips. She had no intention to press it though. "When Giles gets back, tell him I want to speak to him."

"B…" Faith started to follow her but realised she wouldn't know what to say even if she could get the other girl to stop and listen to her.

"Are you up for desert?" Joyce asked her daughter realising she'd barely touched her food. "We could take a drive, get some ice cream."

"No," Buffy replied continuing to push her meal about its plate.

"Okay, you're not eating your dinner meaning something's wrong, but you don't want ice cream so its not about a boy. Last time I saw you this evasive, you and Faith were going through that massive fight, when you were still in high school." Buffy looked up from her plate and at her mother. "Bingo."

"How did you get to be so astute?"

"You're my only daughter…" Joyce smiled at her. "Has this got something to do with you two being practically inseparable all summer?" Buffy merely shrugged. "Why don't you call Willow?" she offered as she started to clear the dishes.

"Willow? Why, why would Willow be able to help?" Buffy asked her, a little too quickly, as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Well I assume you've told her?"

"Told her what?"

"That you and Faith are fighting again."

"Oh, that. No."

"I'm going to miss these hearts to hearts we have when you return to school." Joyce sighed, watching as Buffy made a start on the dishes clearly trying to avoid her conversation.

"We'll do it again when school starts." Buffy offered with a half smile. "Make a regular date night."

"Yeah," Joyce smiled back as she started to dry, "one day I might even learn what goes on in that head of yours." She dropped the dish cloth and turned her daughter towards her, "Thank god you're an only child." Her mother held her close and ignored the wet hand prints slowly growing on her back from where her daughter returned the hug.

Giles returned and dropped his parcels on his desk before offering Faith a cup of tea.

He was still pottering about in the kitchen, getting a couple of bits together to form a supper for the pair of them, when he felt her eyes upon him. He turned and found her leaning against the arch that led to the small room. He asked her if she was going to help and was unsurprised when she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said eventually.

"For preparing baked potatoes?" he questions as he pricked the vegetables. "Its quite an arduous task but I think I've risen to the occasion."

"You know what I mean."

"In this instance, I'm afraid I don't."

"For looking after me, giving me a home, getting me back on my feet. Literally." She added after a moment's thought.

"The pleasure was all mine." He smiled at her, rising from the oven and setting the timer.

"I can get out of your hair when ever you want you know, I'm 18 now."

"I know," he nodded, "but you're not in my hair. You never have been."

"Thanks."

"Is this all an elaborate plot to get out of uniform shopping with me tomorrow?"

"No." she shook her head. "Well, if you could send me to a normal school with boys and the freedom of clothes, you know, that would be appreciated."

She had lost this argument months ago, though. She knew that he had to prove that she was receiving an education for him to be allowed to remain her guardian, but she was 18 now it didn't matter. She knew how disappointed he'd been in her when she'd dropped out of school… again.

He had built their relationship up from scratch, worked with her to show her that she meant something; to him even if not to herself. After England he'd worked tirelessly to show her that she wasn't just a slayer. She wasn't just an instrument. She was a person, a girl, a child.

School.

An education.

A future.

A thousand and one other things, he offered her that no one else had ever tried to. But he was still disappointed in her. Within Miss Potter's he saw the structure and discipline that she so desperately craved. She just saw frilly uniforms and rich kids. She would come round though.

He watched her simply leaning against the archway and wondered what had come about her. Realising that she was unlikely to tell him any time soon, he tried to change the subject, however, he was soon interrupted.

"I think I'm kind of bisexual." She looked up at him, realising that that was not the conversation he was probably having with her. "I think I'm kind of in seeing B."

"Damn." He sighed without thinking.

"No, you're right its cool. I'll stop." She ran a hand through her hair and turned to leave.

He grabbed her arm before she had time to flee, "I meant, damn: I owe Xander ten dollars." He said simply pulling her close and into an embrace, she pulled back and frowned up at him. "I might have," he let go of her and instinctively started to clean his glasses, "bet him some money that you wouldn't tell me about your, uh, relationship with Buffy for a while longer."

"You guys have been talking about us?"

"No, well, yes." He felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "It's been a slow summer."

"Thought you and Red had that project going?" she gestured over to Willow's abandoned computer in the other room. He merely shrugged awkwardly. "You are spending way too much time with teenagers." She smiled at him.

He moved past her, into the living room and started to tidy away the parcels he'd picked up, but he found that she was still watching him through the serving hatch.

"I'm pleased you finally trusted me enough to tell me, but you and are Buffy are quarrelling," he said without looking up from his task, "I assume that's why you're telling me now?"

"Quarrelling? No, we're fighting." She missed the roll of his eyes. "If Buffy was to say," she hopped on to the counter and swung her legs round, "…want you back…" he looked up at her, "to be her Watcher again."

"You think I'll suddenly stop being yours?"

"You're using the tone that's trying to make my sentence sound crazy."

"Is that why you and Buffy are fighting? Because you're worried I'm going to abandon you for her?"

"That and that you… you know." She tried to gesture with her hands but eventually gave up and dropped them back to her sides. "My dad, my first dad," she continued when she realised that Giles wasn't going to say anything, "he didn't like gays. Or the Polish, for that matter."

"I don't know your father," Giles said softly, "but I imagine he and I would differ about a great many things." He removed his glasses and placed them on the counter besides her. "Love is love." he eventually said.

"Woah!" she jumped down quickly from the counter and held her hands up. "Who said anything about love?"

He merely shook his head, replaced his glasses and returned to his parcels. "Go talk to Buffy."

"What about my potato?"

"You can reheat it."

She walked slowly to Buffy's house, smiling at the familiarity of the home that was she was rapidly approaching. The summer had been spent either at the beach with the others or at her own home. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to Buffy's house, she thought it was that snowy Christmas eve, but she wasn't sure. She suspected she'd probably been a couple times in-between but it was the Christmas that stuck in her mind.

She knocked on the door and was relieved to see that it was Buffy who answered the door.

"Hey."

"Hi…" Buffy folded her arms before her.

"I was a jerk before."

"Yeah…" the blond nodded, closing the door softly behind her and inviting Faith to sit on the swinging chair besides her on the porch. "…nothing like hurtful words to be… hurtful."

"I told G." she swallowed as she tried to gage Buffy's reaction. "I told him that I thought I was bisexual and that I thought I might be in a relationship with you."

"That's a lot of thinking you did."

"I figured I should practise before school starts up."

"Cool."

"That's it, cool?"

"For now." Buffy moved in and brushed her lips against the side of Faith's cheek before taking her hand and pulling her to a stand. "Come on, we'll catch a movie." She opened the front door and stepped back into the house and bellowed for her mother. "Faith and I heading into town for a bit."

"If you're going out," Mrs Summers' head popped round the corner of the upstairs wall, "why don't you take you sister with you?"

"Mom!" both of her girls cried back in unison as Dawn came running into hallway to join her sister in her protestations.

As I said thank you very much for all your support with the first story. Please let me know what you think of its sequel. Many thanks, Circus.