Chapter Seventeen
They had killed seven demons so far and were nearing the area where the ritual would need to be performed. It seemed they’d eliminated all of the perimeter guards, but the real battle would be taking place further along the way, and that battle belonged exclusively to Buffy and Faith.
“Okay, this is where we part company. Kennedy, you, Jackie, and Shonda protect Will. We’ll try to keep any from getting past us, but if they do…”
“No worries, Buffy. We won’t let anything touch her.”
Buffy smiled. Despite being a powerful Slayer in her own right, Jackie still always blushed whenever she spoke to Buffy.
“I know that, Jackie. Will?”
Willow was already setting up:
“Ten minutes maybe, probably closer to fifteen. You guys be careful.”
“You too. Let’s go, Faith.”
Buffy strode off without even a glance and Faith followed without a word. They made their way unimpeded to the portal area, eyes and ears open as they got closer.
“Feel that, B?”
“Yes, it’s like the air is thicker.”
“They must be close…Shit!”
Demons suddenly appeared, seeming to emerge out of thin air as they quickly surrounded the Slayers. All told there were eleven of them, and Buffy and Faith immediately went back to back. Buffy spoke softly:
“Remember, we just have to hold them off and wait for Will.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t mind killing a few in the meantime.”
“Faith…”
“Gonna be good.”
A snort of disbelief was Buffy’s only response.
The demons seemed to be studying them, as if they couldn’t quite comprehend how anyone would dare to enter their lair. Faith’s voice was barely audible, her lips moving just slightly:
“This is great. Maybe they’re just gonna stand there ‘til we can demolish their pet rock.”
With a great combined yell, the demons charged.
“Or not.”
Buffy didn’t answer, already immersed in the thick of it. The Slayers stayed back to back as they fought, and Faith saw firsthand how tough these guys were.
These were the Masters of the clan, and the sentries they’d fought their way past, although tough, were nothing in comparison. These creatures were taller and thicker, with long talons that could slice through leather as if it were butter. They were also incredibly fast, and the Slayers were barely holding their own.
Faith knew before the Scoobies had come up with their current plan, Buffy had taken on five of these things at once, and gotten her ass kicked but good. She couldn’t help but smile; Buffy’d also killed three of them and another had lost an arm. Still, if the rescue party hadn’t arrived when it did, Buffy wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale.
“B, how long’s it been?!”
“Maybe three minutes!”
“Fuck!”
They continued battling, but the demons were closing tighter around them.
“Not working, F!”
“I know. Split!”
Faith leapt high into the air, clearing the demon circle and whirling to face them. Buffy rolled low, scooting quickly between the legs of her nearest opponent. He swiped at her, but only managed to rip the back of her shirt as she slid to relative safety.
She kicked out and the audible snap of the demon’s knee was loud despite the noisy roar of the surrounding battle. He fell back in pain, stumbling off balance into his compatriots, knocking them all to the ground. They struggled to rise to their feet, but they were all tangled up and not having much success.
Buffy had no such trouble. She was already standing, her battleaxe a blur as she delivered death and pain. The demons recoiled from her for an instant, scrambling back as they attempted to re-gather themselves for the charge.
Faith had her own problems. Her group of demons numbered six and they had finally turned to face her. They began backing her up despite the two severed arms which quickly fell between them and her, and she grudgingly took one step back.
That one step unfortunately became another and another, until she found herself in full retreat. Despite every instinct screaming throughout her body, Faith made herself stand still, refusing to step back another inch. She delivered a powerful swing, the blade of her axe sinking deeply and satisfyingly into the nearest demon…until she began struggling to pull it free.
She narrowly managed to avoid a talon strike aimed at her head as she finally succeeded in yanking her weapon free. Unfortunately the blade remained in the now dead demon’s thick chest, leaving her with just the handle as she squared off against his comrades.
“Fuck.”
She used the handle well, striking out and literally pulping the first unlucky demon’s head. It didn’t matter, her remaining foes kept advancing, driving her backwards, pushing her off balance.
Her back brushed up against a tree, and suddenly there was nowhere left to go. She straightened her shoulders, determined to stay alive until Willow finished the spell and Buffy destroyed the channeling stone. She grinned as she stood there, essentially defenseless:
“Well, c’mon! Gonna take you fuckers with me.”
She gave as good as she got, pushing forward a step and swinging the axe handle with every ounce of her power against the neck of her nearest opponent. He was dead before he hit the ground, the handle snapping in two and leaving her with virtually nothing left in her hands. One of the remaining demons delivered a blow that lifted her off of her feet, slamming her hard back into the tree.
She collapsed to her knees, still fighting, but they had her. The demon actually seemed to smile as he prepared to deliver the killing blow, and then his head was separated from his shoulders. The axe slammed into the trunk of the tree just inches from Faith’s cheek.
The smile on her face said it all. She took advantage of their shock to pull the axe free, using the momentum to sever the leg of the demon standing closest to her. He fell, blood spewing everywhere, but Faith didn’t have time to savor the sight.
Springing to her feet, she kicked him right in his brand new stump, and the squealing sound he made seemed to indicate he was out of the fight for some time. The last remaining demon was staring at her, its eyes glittering with a hatred that was easy to see.
“Mutual, pal.”
She turned away from him before his head had even hit the ground, charging over to enter the remaining fight.
The Slayer was now weaponless, her axe grasped firmly in her partner’s hand. She did have a stake held at the ready, and the sight of it almost made Faith laugh out loud as she rushed to get to her. Exactly what the hell did Buffy think she could do with a stake? It wouldn’t even come close to penetrating the thick hide of…Oh.
Buffy rammed the stake into the eye of the demon who was grabbing for her and he went down, not dead, but blinded and in excruciating pain. Buffy’s attention was already on the four demons surrounding her, and Faith winced when one caught her with its talons, scraping a deep and bloody groove along her arm.
They tried to take hold of her, but Buffy was kicking and squirming as she eluded all attempts to pin her down. She threw her stake into the eye of another demon, then jumped and kicked it all the way in. He hit the ground without a sound, clearly dead for good.
Then they had her, her arms held helplessly at her sides, death just moments away…for them. Faith leapt into the whole pile, knocking everyone to the ground. Buffy hit hard, still restrained as she landed on top of her captor. She reverse head butted him, and his hold loosened just enough to allow her to break from his grasp.
Faith used her elbows and knees to work herself clear, somersaulting away from the pile, Buffy’s axe still clutched securely in her hands. She popped to her feet and began hacking at every demon part she could see, not caring where her blows were falling. Buffy was punching her way free, finally achieving enough space to roll away from the demon bloodbath.
It lasted a good two minutes, and when Faith finally stopped, it didn’t look like any of the demons had ever been anything except bloody pieces of a disgusting puzzle. The axe blade was covered with all manner of fluids, but there was surprisingly little on Faith.
She was breathing heavy, her eyes dark and deadly and scary as she stood there looming over the carnage she’d just created. She took several deep breaths, her eyes finally losing their blackness as she handed the axe back to Buffy with a grin:
“Thanks, B. Couldn’t have done it without ya.”
Buffy couldn’t do a thing except smile back, but before they had time to celebrate, the portal began glowing as twelve more demons emerged.
“C’mon, Will…”
The demons looked around at the massacre on the ground, then swiveled as one to focus their attention on the two young women standing in the midst of it.
“B?”
“It’s got to be any minute now.”
“Yeah, well it better be, ‘cause one axe ain’t gonna get it done.”
“We just have to…”
Then they felt it, a surge seemed to flash between them and the surrounding area began to shimmer. The channeling stone was now in sight, and Buffy never hesitated as she quickly brought her axe down on it, shattering it into hundreds of harmless pieces.
The portal flared brightly, then snapped shut abruptly, leaving a severed arm and leg behind as another demon tried to cross over at exactly the wrong moment. And then just like that, their entrance into the Slayers’ reality was gone, and it was gone for good.
The remaining demons looked shocked, but they recovered quickly. They angrily charged the Slayers, well, those that still could did. Some were already down on the ground and rapidly disintegrating, while most of the others seemed weak and disoriented. There were still four who seemed to be at full strength and they kept attacking.
Faith let Buffy take the lead, she had the weapon after all, but she went right with her as they met the final charge. The fight was just starting to heat up when one of the demons began shaking and shuddering before it fell to the ground. Then another two dropped and they all knew the jig was up.
Buffy felt like yelling out her joy. She’d spent three long months dealing with these demons, three deadly months which had seen the loss of two Slayers as well as a beating so severe, it had nearly killed her.
It had been three months of constant worrying that the world was going to end all because she wasn’t good enough to protect it, but now that concern was just gone as if it had never existed. The world was safe, she had done her job, and she felt like singing and dancing like a fool.
Faith grinned as the last demon staggered blindly away from her, its eyes unable to focus as it fell to the ground. The last four survivors were shaking in what looked like agony until Buffy brought the axe down and beheaded them, one after the other.
She wiped the blade as clean as she could on the grass, then turned to Faith:
“I think that’s all of them. “
“Yep, looks like we changed the locks for good.”
Faith’s smile was fading a little with uncertainty as the moment was winding down, but Buffy graciously held up her hand to offer their standard high five, and Faith never hesitated. The sound of their palms slapping together made her laugh.
“Fuckin’ kicked their ass!”
“That we did.”
It was a warm moment, a good moment, but all too soon Buffy’s wall came back up.
“All right, we’ve got two hours to get through, then you can leave for good.”
She sat down and leaned back against a tree, squirming around a bit as she tried to get comfortable.
“B?”
“What?”
Faith crouched down in front of her:
“I get that you hate me right now.”
Buffy looked her directly in the eye:
“I don’t hate you, Faith. I don’t care enough about you to…”
Faith stood up:
“Would you just fucking talk to me? Or let me talk? I know you’re hurt, okay? I fucking get it, but goddamn it, Buffy…how’s this getting us anywhere?!”
Buffy got to her feet as well:
“It’s getting us right where I want us to be: nowhere. Maybe you can’t grasp this concept, but I am through. There is no us, not anymore. You left me for two and a half years, did you really think I’d just welcome you back whenever you felt like showing up? Well, fuck you!”
Faith reached out to her, but Buffy angrily slapped her hand away:
“Don’t touch me, don’t you ever touch me!”
“Would you calm the fuck down? I just wanted to…”
“What, comfort me? Well I don’t want it, not from you. All I want from you is to make sure that when you leave this time, it’s for good.”
Faith could feel her own temper rising:
“Well that sucks for you, ‘cause I’m not goin’ anywhere. I realize I made a mistake and I’m staying put…”
Buffy hit her then and the punch sent Faith reeling. Before she could recover, Buffy hit her again, this time nearly knocking her to the ground.
“No, you’re not staying. You aren’t welcome here, you’ll never be welcome here.”
“Maybe not, but I’m still staying.”
Buffy swung at her again, but this time Faith was ready. She caught Buffy’s fist and used her momentum to swing her around, yanking her arm up uncomfortably behind her back and pushing her up against a nearby tree.
“Already gave ya a coupla shots. Gonna draw the line at three.”
“Take your hands off me.”
“B…”
“I’m not going to tell you again.”
Faith leaned in, her lips just inches from Buffy’s ear:
“So what are you gonna tell me? How much that fight worked you up? How wet you are? How good it feels to have my hands on you again, my tits pressed up against your…”
Buffy almost broke loose, but Faith perfectly anticipated her move and just managed to stay in control. She shoved Buffy forward, pressing her hard against the tree, her body weight keeping her effectively pinned.
Despite all of her efforts not to move, Faith could not stop herself from swaying slowly against Buffy. Her increasingly husky voice rumbled low as her breath sent shivers down the trapped Slayer’s spine.
“I want you, B, more than I ever did. I still love you, I never stopped and I’m never gonna. You want me to spend the rest of my life makin’ it up to you, I will. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but I won’t leave you, B. Not again, not for anything.”
She laid a gentle kiss on Buffy’s cheek, then released her.
The hazel eyes that greeted her as Buffy spun around, were beyond angry. Faith took a few cautious steps back, but Buffy merely followed like she was cornering a vamp who’d just killed a puppy. A mean look crossed her face and then…
Her hands began blazing a tantalizing path down her own body, and despite struggling not to, Faith’s eyes followed closely behind. The look on Buffy’s face contained more than a hint of cruelty in it, and although it should have served as a warning, Faith found it turned her on way more than it did anything else.
“So is that what you want, Faith? Me all horny and wet, just begging for your touch? Want me moaning and shaking, calling out your name as I come again and again?”
Faith did want every one of those things, and there was nothing she could do to hide it. She stood there frozen as Buffy approached, her touch becoming more intimate as she glided closer.
“Answer me, baby…”
Buffy’s fingers were rubbing and squeezing, a sexy purring noise emanating from between her wet lips.
“…is this what you want?”
Faith opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out except a soft moaning noise that made it sound like she was being tortured. Buffy smiled when she heard it.
“Oh come on, F. You had plenty to say a just second ago. Tell me what you want.”
“W…What I want is for us to…”
Buffy was nearly a blur as she moved in, Faith’s head gripped none too gently as she pulled her in for a punishing kiss.
Their lips crashed together, their teeth banging as they basically collided, and Faith wanted it, she wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. Still she tried to pull back, her heart pounding in her chest, but Buffy had other ideas.
Her tongue was exploring every familiar inch of Faith’s mouth as one of her hands began caressing the hardness she felt poking up beneath the bra and shirt in her way. She nipped gently at Faith’s lip, then harder while she trailed her hands downward, hitting every tender spot Faith had with exactly the right touch. She had her moaning and shaking already, and Buffy kept right on going.
Her touch became rougher, one hand pulling and pinching a nipple that was straining to reach her, the other hand unbuttoning Faith’s pants and sliding into the warm wetness that was now flowing freely.
Faith nearly collapsed, her legs weakening and making her cling to Buffy just to remain upright. The sound that escaped her sounded nothing but desperate and wild.
“Mmm…Is this what you want, F? My lips and teeth at your throat, my fingers sliding inside you…”
She teased Faith as she spoke, nearly entering her before pulling away and rubbing and gliding just outside.
“Tell me, Faith…How many times do you want me to make you come?”
“B…”
“Three times? Five times? Ten?”
Buffy’s fingers were on her clit and the erratic tempo she set had Faith’s hips moving almost spastically as she tried to get more pressure where she needed it.
“’Cause you know I can do it. I can satisfy you until you can’t even move. I can make you come so hard you’ll pass out, and then I can do it all over again.”
Faith’s arms were already wrapped tight around her, and with a slight nudge of encouragement from Buffy, her leg lifted to hook around her waist.
“Do you want that, F? To feel me everywhere, my tongue rammed so far up you…”
Buffy slid three fingers in without warning, and Faith’s yell seemed incredibly loud in the empty forest. Her other leg wrapped around Buffy, clasping securely with its twin as she thrust against her, but Buffy pulled out and sank to the ground, taking Faith right with her.
Faith’s back hit the grass hard, but she was barely aware of it, her attention on the knowing fingers that kept tormenting her with the promise of more. Then Buffy’s voice was right there, whispering softly into her ear, and the feeling of her breath sent Faith right into orbit.
“I’m the real deal, lover, not one of those girls you tried to pretend was me.”
She thrust in, and Faith cried out:
“Please…”
“I’m not some cheap imitation…I smell right, I know how to touch you, I know what you need…and my eyes aren’t blue, Faith.”
Buffy’s fingers pushed in deeper while her lips roughly gathered up a nipple. She sucked and bit, causing Faith to moan out once again as her arms and legs wrapped around Buffy in a viselike hold. She kept trying to pull her even closer, but Buffy’s strength was more than an equal match for her own.
Buffy drew back just slightly, her voice still all low and sexy:
“Say you know it’s me, Faith. Tell me what you want.”
Faith struggled to speak, to open her eyes. Her orgasm was coming and it was a monster.
“Tell me now, baby...”
The thrusts slowed, but did not stop. Buffy’s mouth kept whispering her demands, and Faith fought to answer her:
“B…Buffy, please…”
“Wanna come, F?”
“Yes…almost there.”
“I know…I can feel you.”
“God…B…I…”
And then Buffy was gone. She pulled out, and stood up, almost all in one motion.
“But the thing is, F…I don’t feel like making you happy.”
Faith’s eyes snapped open, her body taut and shaking, her skin flushed and sweaty.
“You can just do what I’ve had to do for the last couple of years. You see, I didn’t seek out every brown haired, leather wearing bitch I could find while you were gone. I learned how to take care of myself.”
With a contemptuous laugh Buffy walked off and sat down with her back against a tree, leaving Faith lying where she was.
There was no movement for a few minutes, but then Faith adjusted her clothing and buttoned her pants as she sat up. She said nothing for a long time, and when she did her voice came out way over on the hoarse side.
“Guess I deserved that, but don’t kid yourself, B. I could come over there right now and have you begging for it in thirty seconds. I’m giving you that one, but you pull a stunt like that again, neither of us is stopping ‘til we’re done.”
“You touch me and I’ll break your fucking arm.”
“Free to try, but I’m warning you: Yeah I fucked things up, not denying that. You gotta make me pay, I’ll pay, but you’re not gonna get to play ‘Kick the Faith’ forever. I’m not gonna roll over and just take whatever shit you decide to hand out. Probably should, you’re way within your rights, but that won’t help anything past a certain point. What we need to do is talk this out.”
Buffy’s eyes seemed to bore a hole right through her:
“You think so, do you? Well I tried to talk to you forever, and you refused. In fact, you wanted to avoid talking so much, you left me.”
“Wasn’t ready then. I am now.”
Buffy stared at her in total disbelief and shook her head in disgust:
“Well I’m not.”
“I’ll wait.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time, try like until Hell freezes over.”
Faith leaned her head back and closed her eyes:
“Seen stranger things happen. Doesn’t really matter anyways, I’ll wait forever if I gotta.”
