Chapter 13: Girl Talk
Buffy had waited for a couple of hours for Faith to return, but the day's exhaustion had eventually gotten the best of her. Then she'd awakened just a couple of minutes ago, feeling the younger Slayer's presence. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she paused and rolled her eyes as the tingles faded.
"Chicken," She muttered and shook her head as she made her way towards the kitchen.
It was apparent that she'd taken too long getting dressed, giving Faith ample time to escape. Guess I'll just have to wait a little longer to finish our conversation. She sighed and flipped the light on, pausing as a sound reached her ears. Her eyes immediately found the source of the noise and she raised her eyebrows.
"Where did that—" She broke off as a scrabbling sound reached her ears and then a soft thud was heard just as the box moved slightly down the counter.
She approached slowly, her sensitive ears picking up a soft, rhythmic breathing. Her gaze took in the plastic bag and then she noticed the air-holes on top of the box. She picked up the envelope, immediately recognizing the bold, slightly messy handwriting that formed her name in red ink. A curious half-grin creased her lips as she used the nail of her left index finger to open it.
She slipped the folded sheet of notebook paper from inside and unfolded it. She read it, pausing halfway through as she closed her eyes and laughed. Then she re-read it a few more times, scarcely believing it was from Faith. The wording, however, convinced her that it was.
Hey, B –
The other night at the bar you came up with substitutes for sex and convo. But you never said anything about the problem of something to hold. I think this'll fit the bill. But if she ain't enough, I could probably be bribed to hug you.
F
"I'm sure you could," Buffy muttered wryly.
She snickered as she set aside the paper and then she pulled the lid off the box, her eyes immediately finding the small kitten inside. Her mouth dropped open and she gasped, "Oh my God, it's so cute!"
The kitten sat in the middle of the box, looking around curiously. Buffy picked her up and held her close to her chest, gently brushing her fingers over the thick, soft fur. A rough tongue licked her fingers and she giggled. Then she rolled her eyes and glanced at the envelope.
"I can't believe she did this." Her eyes returned to the kitten. "Can you?"
Buffy bit her bottom lip and studied her. She'd never had a pet, though she'd wanted to at one point in her childhood. Her father Hank hadn't wanted an animal in the house and by the time it was up to her mother, she'd gotten past that. Now the question was if she wanted the responsibility.
The kitten propped her chin on the blonde's breast and looked up at her, their eyes meeting for the first time. Buffy felt her heart clench at the soulful expression and smiled ruefully. I'm so going to kick Faith's ass later.
She lifted the kitten and placed a gentle kiss on her head. "Welcome to the family. Now what on earth am I going to name you?"
Not having any idea, Buffy shrugged in answer to her own question. She gently settled the kitten back into the box. Hearing a protesting meow, she arched an eyebrow at her.
"You'll get over it." She glanced at the bag. "Now let's see what that so-called badass bought for you."
She opened the bag and looked inside. Finding the expected litter pan, a small bag of litter, a small bag of cat food, and a couple of cans of soft food, she nodded. Looks about right, She mused as she removed the items. A soft jingling reached her ears and she smirked, immediately finding a bag of brightly colored plastic balls in the litter pan.
What's gotten into her? I know she's changed, I've seen it happening over the years. I mean, I've seen her show a lot of maturity and empathy when dealing with her charges and some of our friends. But I just never expected to be treated to it myself.
I think it's more likely that I never thought she'd want to show me the softer side of her. She shook her head at herself and retrieved the kitten before it could fall out of the box. Grabbing the supplies, she turned to leave the room. I think it's about time I stop underestimating that woman before it gets me into trouble.
Buffy was sitting on the living room floor with the kitten, still attempting to figure out a name for her when Dawn returned home. She entered the house, a familiar figure following behind. Buffy sighed and closed her eyes briefly, offering a plea for strength to whoever was listening.
"Hey, Buff," Willow said awkwardly.
"Hey," She muttered as she started to stand.
"Oh, don't get up," She said hurriedly and at the blonde's startled expression, she added, "You look comfortable where you're at."
"Where'd the little ball of fluff come from?" Dawn asked, crouching down to hold out a hand to the kitten.
"Believe it or not, Faith left it here. She bought some basics for her, too."
Willow gave her an odd look and then shook her head. She took a seat on the other side of Buffy and cleared her throat awkwardly. She'd been considering how to bring the subject up ever since she'd decided to come over, but she hadn't had any luck. With a mental shrug, she chose the nonchalant approach.
"So, anything you want to talk about?"
Hazel eyes lifted from the kitten rubbing against Dawn's hand to meet Willow's green ones. She searched her longtime friend's features to judge how determined she was, finding the familiar resolve face firmly intact much to her chagrin. She sighed and her expression darkened.
"I'm going to have to talk about it, aren't I?"
"Well, uh, no, you don't have to. It's not like I can physically force you to," Willow babbled. "But I am your friend and that's what friends are supposed to be for."
"Where's Ken?" Buffy asked, stalling for a little time to decide what to say.
Blinking in confusion, Willow answered slowly, "She's on patrol with her team. She's going to drop Renee off at Xander's before she comes to pick me up."
"Oh," She muttered. "Good, that's good."
"I get that you don't want to think about it, but you all ready are, so what would it hurt to just go ahead and tell her?" Dawn asked, exasperated.
The blonde closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath as she tried to center herself. Then she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Leaning her cheek against her knee, she started speaking.
"So I came home from patrol last Sunday and Satsu's sitting at the table. I didn't think anything about it as I went about my normal post-slay routine. I was fixing myself something to eat when she told me with no warning whatsoever."
"I've been cheating on you."
The butter knife hit the floor with a clatter, splattering mustard all over the white ceramic tiles. Her heart was shattering even as she turned to look at her lover. Satsu wouldn't even look at her, keeping her dark gaze on the tabletop. Buffy's eyes traced the familiar features, the guilt and self-hatred in her expression finally registering.
"What did you say?" She asked incredulously, the words so soft she could barely hear them over the thunderous sound of her heartbeat.
The dark head lowered even further. "I met her a little over three months ago when I went on that mission in LA." She finally lifted her tortured gaze to meet her partner's. "I swear to God, I never meant to hurt you, Buffy."
Her nostrils flared as she sucked in a harsh breath at the jolt of pain that shot through her chest. Her throat tightened and she clenched her teeth as she fought back the tears burning her eyes. Then she turned her back on Satsu, unable to look at her any longer if she wanted to maintain her composure.
It took a long moment for her to finally speak. When she did, they were the most painful two words she'd ever had to utter.
"Get out."
She heard the chair scrape across the tiles. Then she felt the other Slayer approaching her and she let out pained half-sob, half-growl.
"I said, get out!"
"It was a mistake, Buffy," She whispered hoarsely, reaching out to grasp Buffy's shoulder.
Before her hand could make contact, Buffy spun to face her. The expression on her face spoke volumes to the other woman. She was sneering at her with the same amount of disgust and vitriol she'd give a vampire just before she'd stake it.
"Touch me and so help me God, I won't be responsible for what I'll do to you," She hissed.
They just gazed at each other for a long moment before Satsu nodded reluctantly and left. The sound of the front door shutting signaled the onslaught of her tears.
Buffy hesitated. She wasn't about to tell them how she'd lain on the kitchen floor crying until she vomited. There was only so much degradation one person could handle in a single week. She opened her tearful eyes to be greeted by Willow's sorrowful expression.
"I couldn't handle staying at the house, so I went to a hotel later that night. Then when I tried to sleep I couldn't get my mind off of it, so I went out to a bar." She winced in memory of that first night.
It was one thing to get so drunk you got sick when there was someone to take care of you. But it was a completely different matter when you got sick and woke up all alone in an alley. She shrugged off the thoughts in discomfort. After that, she'd taken precautions so that it didn't happen like that again.
"After a couple of nights of that I ended up calling Dawn. Faith pretty much told you the rest."
Willow looked down as the kitten stumbled towards her. She reached a hand out and gently rubbed her fingers over the kitten's head. Lifting an eyebrow, she glanced up at Buffy. Noticing the blonde wiping away a few stray tears, she decided a change of subject was in order.
"Yeah, Faith's just full of info, isn't she?" Willow asked, her eyes glinting in amusement.
Chapter 14: Hugs 'N' Kitties
"Oh God," Buffy groaned. "Don't tease me, Will. I don't think I'm up for it."
The redhead looked at her contemplatively for a moment and then smiled. "All right, I'll go easy on you for now."
"That's as good a promise as I'm going to get, isn't it?" She muttered.
"Afraid so," Dawn giggled.
"It's Faith we're talking about," Willow answered easily. "You've only yourself to blame for any future comments, teasing, and "I told you so" attitudes."
"There's nothing going on between us other than friendship," Buffy whined.
"Uh-huh," Her friend mumbled in disbelief. "That's why Ken said she could smell you all over Faith and why Satsu flipped."
The blonde's shoulders slumped and she gave Willow a pained look. "I've been upset off and on today and Faith was there for me; she was just being a friend, that's all there was to it. She didn't do anything you wouldn't have if you had been here."
"What sent Satsu off on a tangent, then?" She asked gently.
Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and rolled her eyes. "I'd just woken up a few minutes before she arrived. I'd barely had time to brush my teeth and I don't think Faith had been awake much longer than I had. Faith was in her PJs when she opened the door and I was still wearing last night's clothes when I came downstairs."
Willow winced. She could just imagine what Faith's PJ's were. Blinking to clear her mind of that interesting imagery, she shook her head. She questioned hesitantly, "Do I even want to know what the two of you were wearing?"
"She had on boi shorts and a T-shirt and I was wearing a leather mini and a tank top," She answered sheepishly.
"Ohh, not good, Buffy," Dawn hissed.
She turned her head and shot her sister a look that said, 'no, you think?'
"Enough with the evil looks, B," Faith's husky voice interrupted.
She jerked her head up and looked over the back of the couch, startled to find the brunette leaning over it. She sat frozen for a moment and then scrambled to her feet. Before Faith could react, she came around the couch and pulled her into a tight hug. Then she pulled back slightly and looked up at her.
"Where'd you find my new friend?"
What the fuck? Faith blinked dazedly, stunned by the sudden body contact. A soft snort jerked her out her stupor and she glared at Dawn briefly before she returned her attention to the woman still wrapped around her. She frowned as she tried to remember what she'd been asked and then her expression cleared.
"Uh, found her in a vamp's crypt after I dusted him."
She pulled away from Buffy and leaned over the couch to gently take the kitten from Dawn. Then she straightened and brought her close to her chest. A soft purr vibrated in the kitten's chest as the brunette's fingers stroked over the gray and crème colored fur. Carefully keeping her gaze off the blonde, she shrugged indifferently.
"The vamp killed her brothers and sisters. I didn't think it was a good idea to just leave her for another one of those bastards to get and I didn't know what else to do with her, so I brought her here."
Buffy watched her in confusion. The nervous note in her voice was easily discernible, along with the flush of embarrassment flooding her face. She's trying to downplay her gift, She realized suddenly. She briefly contemplated calling Faith on it, but the rapt audience of two made her realize it would be better to wait until later.
She closes herself off when she's uncomfortable around me. If I comment on how sweet she's being in front of them, it'll just destroy the progress we've made. She gave the brunette a reassuring smile as she reached out to stroke the kitten.
"Well, thanks anyway. She's great."
"You named her yet?" Faith asked curiously, relaxing as relief rushed through her.
"No," She answered with a slight pout. "I can't really think of anything good."
A look of what she could only describe as childish glee appeared on Faith's face. Oh my God, I don't think I've ever seen her look that... innocent before. She waited, unconsciously holding her breath, to see what the brunette was about to say.
Faith lowered her gaze and asked quietly, "What about the name "Cookie"?"
The blonde glared at Willow and Dawn, warning them not to make a sound. She could tell by the amusement on their faces that they were just dying to laugh as they quickly covered their mouths. She returned her gaze to Faith, trying not to giggle herself.
"May I ask why?" She choked out.
"I always thought it was kinda cute for a pet's name and she's almost the same color as those Cookies and Cream bars that they sold in Sunnydale too," She mumbles, blushing hotly.
Fuck, I should've stayed gone longer. She sighed in annoyance as a few snickers greeted her hearing.
"Forget it," She snapped as she set the kitten on the floor.
If I don't get outta here, someone's gonna get hurt. Without glancing at the other three women, Faith stomped towards the kitchen.
"Shit," Buffy muttered as she hurried after her.
She caught up to her just before she could open the back door. She gently grabbed Faith's elbow and tugged her back around. Eyebrows furrowed, she studied the other woman's stormy expression.
"Hey, I'm sorry. The way you were acting was just so cute," She said contritely.
"Whatever," She grumbled. "Lemme go, B. I don't wanna fight."
"Then don't," Buffy replied simply. "No one was ridiculing you in there. You're the only one who thinks you have to maintain this outer badass persona. You said earlier that you wouldn't think any less of me if I cry, well we won't think less of you if you show a little emotion every once in a while."
"I'm not being a bad—" She cut herself off as she realized that she'd been doing exactly that. Her shoulders slumped and she grimaced.
"I thought I was past that," She muttered despondently.
"Faith," Buffy said softly. "I don't think any Slayer can ever actually get past that. We just have to try to correct it when we realize we're closing ourselves off."
The blonde heard the front door open and then the faint sound of Kennedy's voice reached her. She tuned out the conversation going on between her and Willow and kept her attention on Faith. She sighed at the conflicted expression, wishing she could do something to help the younger Slayer. The look gradually faded and then the brunette looked up at her with a sheepish smile.
"So you like the kitten, huh?"
"Yeah," She chuckled, nodding in acceptance of the apology lurking in those words. "She's adorable, and I really like the name Cookie for her. Thanks for the idea."
"Yeah, yeah," Faith muttered, rubbing at the back of her neck in discomfort.
"Don't worry, I won't hug you again if that's what you're afraid of," Buffy chuckled.
"Fuck you," Faith replied, the grin twitching the corners of her lips giving away her amusement. "I think you just wanted to cop a feel."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, 'cause a hug is just a great vehicle for groping."
"Fuck yeah, it is. Your tight little bod was all pressed into mine," Faith rejoined, finally smirking. "And I could've sworn I felt a hand grab my ass."
"Now that's just wishful thinking on your part, Faith," She chuckled dryly.
During their conversation, the two women had unconsciously moved closer. Unaware of what she was doing, Buffy lifted a hand and placed it on the brunette's belly. Her fingers absently traced the lines of muscle beneath the cotton tank top as she gazed up at Faith. A coy smile played over her lips in answer to the knowing look she was given.
A throat cleared, interrupting the silent exchange. They turned their heads in unison to look at the redhead standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened at the intensity in their gazes and she stepped back instinctively in response. Then she shook her head and quirked an eyebrow at them.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. I could leave if you'd rather have some privacy."
Nothing other than friendship, my ass, She mused. They might not be ready to act on it yet, but there was something there. A blind man could see the connection between them, and it wasn't just the Slayer bond. If it was a Slayer bond, then Willow figured other Slayers would behave the same way.
Buffy glanced down, blinking as she finally registered where her hand was. Sighing in exasperation, she jerked her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest. Then she rolled her eyes at Willow.
"There's nothing for you to interrupt," She grumbled. "Now what do you want?"
The redhead narrowed her eyes at her for a moment and then snickered. "Dawn wants to have a Ben & Jerry's night. We were wondering if you and Faith were interested in joining us."
"What the fuck's a Ben & Jerry's night?" Faith asked curiously, ignoring the woebegone look her blonde counterpart was giving Willow.
Sensing pending victory, Willow happily explained, "It's just a girl's night. The point of it's to try to cheer up someone who's just gone through a breakup. We'll get to talk about our own breakups, and relationship disasters, pig out on ice cream, and the best part is it's a free-for-all on who can make the most inventive insults for Satsu."
Buffy glanced at Faith warily. Seeing the mildly interested look, she sighed and rolled her eyes. She was dreading it, but she couldn't turn it down if Faith was interested. The brunette probably hadn't had the chance to do things like that often, if ever.
"We can if you want, Faith," She said softly.
Faith tilted her head a little, considering her and the idea. She wasn't usually one for the whole girly slumber party type stuff, but it seemed like something that might be good for Buffy. The slightly fearful look on the blonde's face decided it for her. She smirked and returned her gaze to Willow.
"Sounds fun, you can count me in, Red."
Buffy's shoulders slumped and she looked at Willow. She hadn't given in with any of her other breakups, and she didn't quite understand why she was doing it now. Seeing the expectant look, she nodded reluctantly.
"Fine, I'll let you torture me this once."
Willow smirked. She wondered if her friend even realized she hadn't once considered letting Faith join them alone. Then she decided it was doubtful. Looking at Faith, she realized that the brunette was probably suffering from the same bout of denseness.
Goddess save us from lovesick Slayers, She snickered internally.
