I want to thank the usual people: Kelly, ABC, and Frass for being such good friends and encouraging me to write.

A special thanks to Gina for coming up with another one of her stupid challenges. You're lucky I'm so in love with you.

Lastly, this story is for Sal. Thank you for the idea, the support, the editing, and the fun as hell friendship.

-Bobbi Manuel

Undercurrents

Chapter One

It wasn’t coming anywhere close to working. She was already on her sixth Jack Daniels and she wasn’t a bit happier nor was she remotely in the vicinity of forgetting. Big fucking surprise.

The waitress swung by again, clearly flirting and clearly not planning to give up any time soon.

“So, sexy…want another?”

She looked up after a beat too long and forced herself to smile. After all, it wasn’t the waitress’ fault. She was first-rate at her job, something that wasn’t all that easy in a place like the dive they were in.

“I’m good.”

“Oh, I’d say you’re way better than that.”

Said suggestively and with a slight bend over so that her impressive cleavage was on display.

“Maybe you’d like something to eat?”

“No thanks, wanna keep my guts on the inside tonight.”

The server leaned down even further, her lips brushing lightly against her favorite customer’s ear:

“My shift’s over in forty. Why don’t you come home with me and I’ll fill you up.”

It wasn’t even tempting despite the fact that the woman was smoking hot, but she smiled her best smile to take some of the sting out of it.

“Any other time, I’d take ya up on it. Not gonna happen tonight though.”

Knowing it was her last hurrah, the waitress spoke as enticingly as she could:

“No chance I can change your mind?”

Faith stood, tossing some bills down onto the table as she did.

“You got no clue how much I wish you could, but thanks for the offer.”

The waitress scooped up the money.

“Hey, this is way too much.”

“Keep it. I always appreciate a shit hot waitress.”

Faith reached down and polished off the rest of her drink, then winked and headed outside…where she deflated like a busted balloon as soon as her feet hit the pavement.

She stood there looking lost and alone, and a big chunk of her just wished she could head home. But that wasn’t a possibility, not tonight.

“Fuck this shit.”

She wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk for a while, finally entering a place just because she wanted to sit down.

It was way too bright, more like a club than a real bar, and she almost headed right back out. But the guy at the door had already waved her in without asking her for the cover charge and the band was playing a song she liked, so she decided it didn’t really matter. She’d have a few drinks, kill a little time, and then head on to someplace a lot better suited to her mood.

She stopped at the bar, paid for a bottle of bourbon, and found a seat off to the side and in what passed for darkness in a brightly lit yuppie joint. She had herself a cozy little table for two, and that made her laugh.

“Oh yeah, gotta have a table for two.”

Within twenty minutes, six people: four guys and two girls, had planted themselves in that empty chair only to find that it was like riding a bucking bronco. None of them lasted longer than fifteen seconds, and they all felt a little bruised and shaken when they left.

It wasn’t long until she had almost half the bottle gone and she knew she needed to slow down…Way easier said than done. The pain was still there, just as fresh as when she’d started trying to drown it, and she wasn’t forgetting anything. Every word was playing over and over in her head, every expression was still too easy to see.

It was fucked up. It had always been fucked up and obviously it always would be. She was nothing but a fool for thinking it could ever be any different, but she knew that given enough time to recover, she’d fall into the same stupid trap again. She hated herself for not being able to let go and she hated that no matter what she did, it was never anywhere near good enough. At least not for little “Miss High and Mighty”.

She poured another glass and raised it in a mocking toast:

“Here’s to the world’s perfect, untouchable bitch! Long may she keep that fuckin’ stick up her fuckin’ ass!”

She slammed back the contents of her glass and quickly poured another.

“And two guesses who that toast was to.”

Faith looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and no longer wondered how the night could get any worse.

“Queen C, ya slummin’ or somethin’?”

“In a way. I was out with some old friends, emphasis on the old. They’re so boring, I think they’re planning on playing shuffleboard and...”

“Sorry to hear it. See ya later.”

“Okay, rude much?”

“Much as I can be.”

Cordelia didn’t seem put off at all.

“Mind if I sit down?”

Faith’s legs instantly reached out to claim the chair opposite her, her boots resting comfortably on the seat.

“Yeah, I do, so why don’t ya go find…”

Cordelia shoved her feet to the floor and slid smoothly into the chair.

“Thanks.”

Faith took a swig of her drink and stared sullenly at the newest invader of her privacy. This one was more dangerous because she clearly didn’t care that her presence wasn’t welcome.

“Look, ya need cab money?”

Faith dug into her pocket, then casually tossed some bills onto the table.

“Here, just get lost.”

Cordelia looked down at the money in disgust.

“Wow, thanks for the way gracious offer. I mean, there’s nothing like being treated like a whore to make a girl feel special.”

“Great. Go feel ‘special’ someplace else.”

“Why don’t you drop the tough girl act?”

Faith splashed some more alcohol into her glass and knocked it back in one swallow.

“How ‘bout I beat the shit outta ya and kick ya to the curb instead?”

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

“Is this you trying to be all intimidating? Because it’s working in the way that’s not.”

Faith sneered at her, her eyes menacing.

“Yeah, figures you’d be too stupid to…”

“Blah, blah, blah.”

Cordelia reached out and grabbed the bottle off the table.

“Hey, put that down!”

“What is it?”

“Sure as fuck’s not cheerleader juice, so give it back.”

Cordelia read the label then took a swig straight from the bottle. She waited a second, then took another big slug.

To Faith’s surprise, there was no coughing fit, no gasping for air, no watering eyes. Cordelia just smiled and placed the bottle back on the table.

“Not bad. I haven’t had any of that in a long time.”

Faith had expected irritating girly sputters, not the silence of somebody who’d clearly done some booze in her time. She was surprised, but she made sure to keep her face neutral. She didn’t believe in giving anybody the upper hand, not if she could help it, and showing someone they’d surprised her was providing them with an advantage she didn’t ever want to offer up.

A waitress breezed by and Cordelia quickly requested another bottle and glass. With her order taken, she turned back to Faith.

“So?”

“‘So’ what?”

Faith’s question was gritted out with a clear threat, but Cordelia wasn’t remotely fazed.

“So she’s done it again, and all in a matter of what…three hours?”

“No clue what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Really?”

Another waitress brought Cordelia’s bottle and glass and was gifted with a dazzlingly white smile. She left and Cordelia poured herself a drink as she waited for Faith’s grudging response.

“Yeah, really.”

Cordelia said nothing, but her eyes remained locked on Faith’s. A minute passed in silence, and then Faith shook her head and laughed.

“Okay, you won the big stare down. What’s next?”

“I’m not sure, I’m just looking to have a little fun.”

“With me?”

“True, it’s not exactly ideal, but trust me Psycho Girl, it’s way better than what I had going on.”

There was another dazzling smile and Faith felt herself relaxing.

“Alright, but don’t piss me off.”

“Me? Now when have I ever done that?”

They both laughed and Cordelia poured them another drink from the new bottle.

“So what did Buffy do this time?”

Faith swallowed carefully before answering.

“What makes ya think she did...”

“Oh please, I’ve only seen you like this twice since you got out of prison, and both times Buffy was front and center. Given the fact that she’s in town, staying at the hotel and the two of you were yelling at each other just a few hours ago, hey, call me a genius, but I think ‘Little Miss Sunnydale’ has been spreading her special brand of good cheer…just like always.”

Faith downed her drink and poured another.

“She just pisses me off, is all.”

“Yep, that sounds like the Buffy I know. So what happened?”

Once she got started, Faith couldn’t seem to stop. Later she blamed it on the alcohol, but she knew that wasn’t really the cause. The cause was a gleaming white smile, long legs that went up to there, and not the slightest bit of resemblance to Buffy Anne Summers.

“…so then she jumps down my throat again and won’t even let me explain. I kept tryin’ ‘til I finally just told her to fuck off and then I hauled it. I’m not takin’ her shit anymore.”

Cordelia nodded understandingly.

“I don’t blame you. I walked in right after you left and when Angel could finally get a word in edgewise, he stuck up for you.”

“Yeah, Soulboy’s cool. So what’d B say?”

“Well, believe it or not, she actually shut up and looked a little on the guilty side. Maybe when you get back she’ll…”

Faith was squinting down into the empty bottle:

“No, she won’t. Never apologizes to me. Just spouts her shit, rips me a new one, then breezes back to her perfect little world of sight and lunshine…Light and shine sun. Meanwhile, my ass sits in the dark feelin’ like shit. ‘Great to see ya again, B, Thanks for the fucking help, you fucking bitch’!”

She hurled the bottle against the wall, just missing the couple seated at the nearby table. The noise was louder than it should have been since the band was on a break, and the bouncer standing at the bar heard it.

He turned around and when his gaze settled on Faith, she smirked and flipped him off with both hands. His eyes narrowed and as he began approaching the table, Cordelia shot to her feet.

“Excuse me…”

He shoved her aside without breaking stride and continued on his way.

“Okay, stop right there mister!”

The authority in her voice made him hesitate, and she quickly stepped around in front of him again.

“My friend is drunk. She’s had a really bad day and we were just leaving.”

“Damn right, she is.”

“So would you mind not going over there and challenging her because…”

“I’m not going to challenge her, I’m going to throw her bitch ass out!”

Faith made another rude gesture:

“Yeah? Better bring about fifty more shit for brains with ya!”

He started for the table again, but Cordelia managed to stay in front of him.

“Look, I get the whole macho thing, all right? But she’s just a girl who’s had too much to drink. All you’re going to prove is that you’re a big muscle bound freak who hits women. Wouldn’t it be a lot better for everyone if you just let us leave?”

“Let him bring it, Cor. Be way happy to smash his face to a ploody bulp.”

Cordelia gave him her best smile:

“See how drunk she is? Like she could even remotely hurt a big strong man like you. Pfft…women, right? Can’t live with’em, can’t smack’em around like the old days. I just don’t know how guys manage today with the constant rule changes.”

He looked at her then.

“Yeah, it ain’t easy. Alright, get the crazy bitch outta here and don’t come back.”

Cordelia was already on her way over to Faith.

“We have absolutely no problem with that. I mean, this is the kind of place that once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it enough for the whole rest of your life.”

He was trying to figure out if he’d just been insulted, but Cordelia didn’t give him a chance to ponder.

“It’s just so beautiful, you know?”

His confusion was obvious as he turned and walked away without another word.

Cordelia’s hands were on Faith’s shoulders and she encouraged her to get to her feet. Faith stood and instantly began moving towards the bouncer.

“Hey, where ya goin’, hot shot? C’mon, I feel like rearranging somebody’s face and it might help ya out since you’re so futt bucking ugly!”

He hesitated but kept walking, and Cordelia tightened her grip, sliding her hands around Faith’s waist from behind and practically bear hugging her to slow her down.

“Faith, if you don’t shut up and head for the door, I am personally going to kick your ass. Now move it!”

“Me? He’s the one who made a federal case outta…OW!”

Cordelia twisted Faith’s nipple…hard.

“Move!”

They made it safely outside with Cordelia clinging to her all the way, causing more than a few interested glances as they exited. She loosened her hold when the doorway was cleared, but her fingers still dug painfully into Faith’s bicep. As they successfully gained the sidewalk, Faith yanked her arm free.

“What the fuck are you doin’?”

“Stopping you from getting into big trouble.”

Faith glared at her while she weaved and bobbed in place.

“Wasn’t gonna be any trouble for me. Was gonna kick the shit outta that…”

“Wow, you really are not so bright. What were you going to do – beat him up and take on every other bouncer in the place?”

“Damn right, I was!”

“That’s just great. And where would that leave you?”

“Happy and in the ‘Winner’s Circle’.”

Cordelia was staring at her incredulously.

“You know it’s amazing that someone as ridiculously stupid as you even manages to stay alive from one day to the next. There is no ‘Winner’s Circle’, there’s just jail which is where you would have ended up on your way back to prison.”

They stood there staring angrily at each other until an exasperated Cordelia reached a decision:

“Come on.”

The hand was back, and although Faith could have easily wrenched her arm free, she didn’t.

“Where we goin’?”

“We’re going to my place.”

Faith leered in, flirtatious and suggestive as her sexiness fairly oozed out of her.

“Hey, if you’re lookin’ for a little slap and tickle, alls ya had to do was ask, baby.”

Cordelia flagged down a taxi, keeping a tight grip on an increasingly difficult to handle Slayer.

“If you don’t stop making this harder than it has to be, I’m going to take you up on the slapping part.”

Faith laughed and clambered into the backseat. Cordelia followed, giving the driver her address as she shut the door. In less than ten minutes they were idling at the curb outside her building and Faith thrust a hundred dollar bill at the cabbie. He lit up until Cordelia pulled it back and offered him a twenty instead.

“No, it’s not your lucky day.”

He took the money, but his eyes were all over Faith. He grinned when Cordelia’s arm grazed along two spectacular breasts as she reached across to open the door. She ignored him and pushed and shoved as hard as she could until finally Faith got the idea and stumbled out onto the sidewalk. She was swaying as she tried to keep herself upright, and Cordelia quickly got out and grabbed a flailing arm. Faith took it as a come on rather than a simple attempt to steady her, and she leaned into Cordelia.

“Mmm yeah, Cordy…can’t keep my hands offa you neither.”

She began rubbing her front against Cordelia in a manner that left no doubt as to her intentions. Cordelia stepped away, but Faith lost her balance and began falling forward. Cordelia swiftly moved back against her, their bodies meeting everywhere as she clutched Faith even tighter to her.

“Oh boy…isn’t this just so much fun.”

She could see the cab driver over Faith’s shoulder. He was practically salivating as he looked them both up and down, and Cordelia snorted in disgust:

“And it’s not my lucky day either, so don’t even think about it…or us…later… when you’re all alone…Pervert.”

Holding Faith to her just as hard as she could, Cordelia kicked the cab door shut, and began the long, slow walk into her building.

“Smell wicked great.”

The comment was muffled since Faith’s face was smushed against Cordelia’s throat, but Cordelia understood her easily.

“Thanks. And I’m really enjoying your drool production on my neck and shoulder. Now come on!”

*****

A slipper bounced off Faith’s head as she sat on the couch, and she turned to glare blearily in the direction it came from.

“Don’t start with me, fucker.”

There was only silence until the mate came flying at her, but this time Faith was ready. She snatched it out of the air and flung it back, at least that was her plan, but the vast quantities of alcohol she’d consumed had taken her coordination from her. That meant instead of catching the airborne missile, she merely waved at it feebly as it sailed by and smacked her right in the face.

“Ow! Look, already apologized like a thousand times and I meant it every goddamn time. Not gonna hurt her again, give ya my word. Gave it to her too, and obviously good enough or I wouldn’t be here, yeah? So could ya gimme a fuckin’ break, room’s spinnin’.”

There was no response, but both slippers returned to their original spot on the floor and Faith struggled out of her jacket. She leaned her head back against the couch just to rest her eyes, way more hammered than she’d been in a long time. Hell, she couldn’t even remember being so…

She must have nodded off because when she opened her eyes, Cordelia was sitting in a chair in her pajamas watching TV. There was a plate stacked high with sandwiches waiting on the coffee table, along with an unopened bag of chips and a huge bottle of aspirin.

Faith yawned and stretched, flinging off a blanket as she sat up straighter.

“Time is it?”

“You’ve been out for almost two hours.”

“Thanks for coverin’ me up.”

“I didn’t. Dennis did.”

Faith grinned as she looked around.

“Hey thanks, Kit.”

Cordelia headed for the kitchen.

“Do I even want to know how you came up with that ridiculous nickname?”

Faith grabbed a sandwich and took a huge bite before answering:

“Da Framum.”

Cordelia’s came back into the room carrying a couple of cans of Coke.

“‘Da Framum’?”

“The Phantom. Ya know, purple tights, guns, Devil, Fraka, Hero?”

“Are you still speaking English?”

Faith took one of the cokes with a smile, popping the lid and swallowing half the can and four aspirin in one go.

“That’s the names of his animal pals. Lives in Skull Cave and has these two bitchin’ rings that…”

“I don’t read comic books.”

Faith snagged another sandwich.

“He’s in the paper too. Bet Denny knows him.”

There was a loud bang on the wall.

“See? Dude’s kick ass, Kit knows.”

Dennis banged again and Cordelia rolled her eyes:

“Okay, well, whatever makes you two happy.”

Faith polished off the rest of the sandwiches, most of the chips and both Cokes. She leaned back again and noticed Cordelia staring at her.

“Yeah, I’m still drunk, but don’t worry. I never throw up.”

“Okay then, I’ll hold you to that.”

They watched TV for another hour and then Cordelia yawned loudly.

“I think that’s it for me, and you could probably use some sleep too.”

She stood and picked up a pile of linen from the nearby table, gesturing at Faith to get up as she began making the couch. She tucked a sheet under the sofa cushions and pulled it tight, then shook out a top sheet and a blanket.

“The only rule’s no sleeping nude on the couch.”

“We’re in luck, wearin’ underwear tonight. Just need a T-shirt if ya got one.”

“There’s one under there.”

Faith lifted the pillow and tossed it onto the end of the sofa just as Cordelia finished. She smiled as she picked up the shirt.

“Thanks, Cordy.”

“Well, what else can I do? Let you take your drunken ass back out there? I don’t want to waste all of our petty cash bailing you out.”

“Yeah, well why ever, I appreciate the place to crash.”

Cordelia smiled, her expression warm and friendly.

“Feel free to use the bathroom whenever you need to.”

“Maybe I oughta use it now, then I won’t wake ya up later.”

“Sure.”

Faith took the shirt and performed her nightly ablutions which included splashing cold water on her face to try and sober up. It didn’t work, it just made her wet. She dried off and stood looking at herself in the mirror, wondering just how long she was going to keep doing stupid stuff.

When she came out, Cordelia was already in her bed with the lamp turned off.

“Go ahead and leave the bathroom light on. Just pull the door closed, that way you’ll be able to see if you need to…

Faith hit the switch, instantly bathing the room in darkness.

“Slayer eyes, ‘member? I can see just fine, ‘less you want it on?”

“No, I like it black when I sleep.”

“Cool. Thanks again, Cor.”

“You’re welcome, Faith. Good night.”

“Night.”

And then she was gone, walking with the exaggerated care of a drunk back to the couch.

*****

Cordelia stood in the doorway as she studied the beautiful woman sleeping soundly on her couch. The slight glow of moonlight that filtered in through the curtains illuminated Faith as if it were made for her. It followed her curves and planes effortlessly, smoothly gliding over her just like Cordelia wanted to.

She’d tossed and turned for an hour, finally getting out of bed but then quickly veering away from the door. Instead she’d gone into the bathroom and switched on the light, hoping that the soft illumination would stop her from leaving the safety of her room. It didn’t, which was why she was now standing where she was…mesmerized by the sexy, drunken woman whose hurt was rolling off of her even in her sleep.

“God, what am I doing? Dennis, go wherever you go or pretend to go. I need some private time.”

She felt a breeze gently caress her face and she knew that was his way of telling her that he was “gone”.

Cordelia didn’t waste any time, not when her mind was made up, and she strode to the couch and crouched down beside it. Her hand slid lightly along Faith’s arm and she was surprised at how soft the skin was. She eased the covers aside and let one of her hands glide up and down the exquisite leg that was now on display. Her lips began placing feather light kisses on Faith’s shoulder.

Faith shifted, her voice rough from sleep and something else:

“What’re ya doin’, Cordelia?”

“I don’t know…I just know I want you.

“Not somebody you can count on.”

Cordelia’s mouth travelled upwards, inching itself along until it hovered above Faith’s lips, their breath mingling as one. She pushed the t-shirt up and out of the way as her hands sought out the now rock hard twin points of heat.

“This is just for tonight; no strings, no obligations.”

Faith laughed:

“Yeah, that’s what they all say.”

Cordelia kissed her and Faith shut up…except for the slight moan that escaped from her when they parted.

“Bet none of them ever kissed you like that.”

“Not that I remember.”

Cordelia smiled and kept at it, easing up on the couch and letting her body help with the seduction. She could feel it the instant Faith gave in, and she smiled when two strong hands grabbed onto her butt and yanked her even closer. Faith delivered her own kiss and she left Cordelia breathless as she pulled back.

Faith knew she should stop it before it went any further, but she couldn’t really think of one reason why…at least not when she was still drunk. She had a beautiful sexy girl with legs that went all the way to the floor crawling all over her…Why should she stop her?

She moaned again when Cordelia’s knee fitted snugly up between her legs, the sensation making her pull her even closer. She smelled so good...and nothing like Buffy. Cordelia was all spicy and Buffy smelled like flowers, but not. It was almost indescribable, it was just “Buffy”, the thing that made her uniquely herself, and it always sent Faith reeling the second she caught the faintest whiff.

She was gone in an instant when it hit her and she’d never even had the pleasure of anything sexual with Buffy. The closest she’d come was that time they’d danced at “The Bronze” and…

“OW!”

Cordelia’s sharp nails scored along Faith’s shoulder, probably drawing blood.

“Stop thinking about her. I’m right here and I’m not playing ‘stand-in’ for anyone.”

Faith looked her right in the eye:

“Sorry. You’re not a ‘stand-in’…well, least not any more than I am.”

Cordelia nodded and smiled slightly.

“Okay, point taken. But you’re not going to get lost in her, not when you’re with me.”

She kissed Faith hard and deep, and Faith groaned low in her throat as she went to take control. Cordelia had other ideas.

“No.”

“‘No’?”

“That’s what I said.”

Faith laughed:

“Sorry, baby, but I always run the show.”

“Oh really?”

Despite Cordelia’s best attempts to stop her, Faith sat up easily and lifted her into her arms.

“Yeah, really.”

Faith kissed her as she carried her into the bedroom, casually tossing her down onto the bed. She wasted no time in flinging the t-shirt and her underwear somewhere behind her, her eyes locked on Cordelia’s the entire time. She leapt onto the bed, straddling Cordelia as she pulled off her top, then tugged on her panties until she lifted her hips to help.

Faith smiled again, a wicked grin that made Cordelia smile back even though it also sent a chill down her spine. She wasn’t exactly sure what she had gotten herself into, but it was too late to worry about that now. The time for doubt had been when she’d left the safety of her bed and practically attacked her inebriated guest.

She reached out to Faith, but her wrists were quickly pinned over her head by one powerful hand. Cordelia struggled, but Faith didn’t relent, seemingly not the slightest bit concerned as she softly trailed her other hand leisurely along Cordelia’s body.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful...”

Cordelia’s breath caught in her throat as Faith’s gaze followed the path her hand was taking.

“…all long, lean, soft, hard…”

Faith’s mouth dropped to surround a nipple causing Cordelia to moan and thrust upwards to get more of the perfect warmth.

“…and so damn wet.”

Faith took her time, her fingers gentle but firm, exploring and teasing in all the right places. Cordelia wrapped her legs around Faith’s waist and began moving in time with the intimate touch.

“Ya like that, Cor?”

“Wha…What was your first clue?”

Faith kissed her again, more forcefully, pushing her hard into the mattress as her hand continued stroking all around.

“Faith…"

Cordelia’s voice came out in a gasp, her legs tightening uncomfortably snug, but it didn’t bother Faith in the slightest.

“Damn, you are one hot bitch.”

“Let go of my hands.”

“Why?”

Cordelia was wildly turned on, but even though her voice had an unfamiliar quiver to it, she somehow managed to remain her usual haughty self:

“Because I said so, and if that’s not enough, because I want to touch you.”

Faith smiled, letting go as she slid her way down the lengthy body.

“No prob, Queen C. Touch away.”

Faith buried her face between Cordelia’s legs before she had a chance to respond and Cordelia began speaking in tongues. Faith was speaking in tongues too, well, just the one, and she was incredibly fluent in the language. She had Cordelia coming in just minutes.

She rode it out, slowing but not stopping as she lost herself in the pleasure of going down on one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Her tongue worked in concert with her lips and teeth, and she drew out Cordelia’s ecstasy for just as long as she could.

When Cordelia fell back loose limbed, eyes closed and a smile on her face, Faith’s tongue still swirled lightly against her. It wasn’t long before that smile began growing bigger.

“Careful, you just might start something again.”

“That’s the plan, Queen C.”

Cordelia inhaled loudly as she felt Faith’s fingers sliding in.

“Okay…not bad….not bad at all.”

Faith laughed:

“No way. Gotta have a better response than that.”

She began thrusting while her mouth joined in, and Cordelia was soon writhing and swearing, her hands tangled in Faith’s hair as she urged her on.

Cordelia came fast and she came hard, her whole body rigid as it filled with warmth, and she knew without a doubt that Faith was just as good as advertised. She collapsed back against the mattress, tugging Faith up and away from her.

“Okay, stop.”

“You sure?”

“I’m positive. If I come like that again…Well, just as soon as my brain starts working, I’ll tell you what would happen.”

Faith kissed Cordelia’s neck and shoulder, then she dipped lower again.

“Fuck, these are some perfect tits you got.”

“I know.”

Faith laughed and Cordelia joined in.

“Well, they are.”

“No argument here, Cor. Could play with’em all night.”

Cordelia moaned her approval as Faith’s tongue wove its way around first one nipple, then the other, her hands each caressing a breast.

“So, got any ideas what else we could do?”

“Hmm, well I was thinking I’d just lay back and get some sleep.”

“Sure, feel free. Just make sure your face lands between my legs as ya pass out.”

Cordelia opened an eye to look up at her:

“You aren’t the classiest of women, are you?”

“What? Not gonna waste time fancyin’ it up for ya. Let the pussy eatin’ commence.”

“How do you know I even know how to do it?”

Faith reclined on her side, her head propped up on one hand as the other still stroked Cordelia’s breasts.

“Got a sixth sense. Knew you went both ways when I first saw ya back in Sunny D.”

“Well, with the general selection being as poor as it was, I didn’t see any reason to rule anybody out based on gender. There were plenty of other reasons to exclude them.”

“Absolutely. So?”

“So?”

“So either get busy or I’ll start gettin’ myself off.”

Cordelia smiled, her gaze lazily trailing up and down Faith’s nude form.

“Just so you know, that’s hardly an enticement to get to work. It’s not like I’d mind watching you abuse yourself.”

“Maybe later, but right now thinkin’ it’s time for some tat to go with the tit.”

Faith squeezed a little too hard, making Cordelia jump.

“Ow!”

“Don’t blame me, Cor. Was you who started this whole thing.”

“True enough, but that doesn’t mean I want to be manhandled.”

“Ya don’t?”

Faith lifted up until she was on all fours over her. She kissed her hard while she let their breasts touch and glide. When they parted, Cordelia licked her lips and tilted her head up to flick at Faith’s nipple:

“Mmm…I don’t seem to mind being woman-handled though.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Now let’s see you use that big mouth and wicked mean tongue for somethin’ ‘sides talking.”

Cordelia tried to push her down onto her back, but Faith didn’t budge.

“Sorry. Don’t let anybody on top of me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like it.”

“Then I guess it’s lucky for you…”

She slid down the bed underneath Faith, making sure that every part of her that could rubbed against every part of Faith. Her mouth followed hungrily, blazing a trail of kisses on every inch of quivering skin it could reach .

“…that I love a challenge.”

Faith felt the hot breath hit her first, then long fingers were grasping her hips to haul her down closer. Faith let herself be pulled and then without further delay, Cordelia was doing her best to do her fair share…and then some.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds before Faith was enjoying it immensely, and as Cordelia would confidently tell anyone at any time about anything: Cordelia Chase’s best was always way more than good enough. They didn’t call her “Queen C” for nothing.

Chapter Two

Faith walked into her room and closed the door, turning the lock as she stood there leaning against it. She was tired, worn out, rode hard and put away wet, although her fatigue was mainly all on the mental side.

She didn’t regret fucking Cordelia, especially not when Cordelia was so skilled in the art of fucking, and certainly not when she’d almost literally had her brains screwed right out of her head. But a big part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d somehow done something wrong.

She didn’t get it. It wasn’t like Cordelia didn’t know that their relationship was never going to go anywhere else, not ever. And it was perfect because Cordelia didn’t want that anyway, at least not with her. They’d had a good time, they might have more, and there was no downside or guilt attached to any of that.

And it wasn’t like Faith had cheated on anybody, there was nobody to cheat on. She didn’t have to answer to anyone for her actions, and she hadn’t hurt or even slightly taken advantage of anyone. She'd simply had mind-blowing sex with someone who'd wanted it for all of the same reasons she had, and it had been perfect.

It was what was called an “adult fuck”, correction: a "hot adult fuck". A mature coupling between two grown-ups who understood what they were doing and why. No guilt, no shame, no big drama, no trying to cling afterwards. It was perfect, just the way sex should always be, and yet Faith knew it wasn’t sitting right with her.

She tossed her jacket on the chair across from her bed and stripped as she headed for the shower. She was going to clean up and then she was going to crash for several wonderful hours until she had to get up and patrol or do some other “responsible” thing. She was all done thinking about stupid bullshit.

When she got to the bathroom, she left the light off and turned the water on just as hot as she figured she could take it. Her head was still hurting, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten as drunk as she had last night. Hopefully the pounding spray would take care of the pulsating pain.

She stayed in the shower for a long time and the heat did the trick. She could feel her muscles relaxing and her headache easing as she leaned under the water, comfortably balanced on one outstretched arm. Her thoughts went unbidden to the specifics of her romp with Cordelia.

Damn, was she ever sexy. Long strong legs that Faith could still feel wrapped around her waist, a flexible tongue she really knew how to work, and a mouth that could suck like a Hoover or nibble so delicately Faith could barely remember who or where she was.

And then just like that, the guilty feeling returned. It made no sense, but it was hounding her, and her headache started threatening a comeback as well. She struggled to focus her thoughts back on Cordelia – the way she looked when she came, the way her nails ripped grooves down Faith’s back, the way her eyebrow had quirked when she'd finally regained her senses, and the way she’d reciprocated over and over again.

Faith swore and shut off the water. There was no point in standing there and letting her hangover roar its way back. Better to crawl into bed and just sleep it off. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and even through the misty steam she could see that look on her face. She’d done something wrong and she didn’t know what it was, let alone why she was having the bizarre reaction she was.

She dried off and tossed the towel onto the shower curtain rod, then heard it slide all the way over and land in the tub. Whatever. Angel had some hotshot service for linens and towels, all she had to do was cram everything into a big bag and leave it outside her door on Thursdays. Problem solved, or at least shifted to somebody else.

The cooler air of the bedroom felt good as she headed for her bed, determined to stop thinking everything over like a big pussy. She got laid last night and she got laid well. She was a grownup, she had fucked a consenting adult, and she hadn’t cheat on anybody. This crap running through her head was bullshit, and she was all done with it.

“So you finally came back.”

Faith jumped and let out a tiny little scream as she whirled to face the chair.

Buffy was sitting there calmly, at least that’s how it looked, but Faith could easily read the anger in her eyes. She’d had plenty of experience with making Buffy mad and she knew exactly what it looked like in all its variations.

“What the hell are you doin' in here?”

Buffy didn’t move, but she looked away:

“Would you mind putting something on?”

Faith smirked. The little priss ass was uncomfortable? Tough shit.

“Hey, you busted in here without an invite. I’m gonna grab some sack time and this is what I sleep in. Deal.”

The anger flashed back and Buffy focused her gaze on Faith’s face this time.

“Where have you been all night?”

“What’s it to you? You my mom now?”

Buffy stood and took a couple of steps towards Faith.

“No, I’m not your mother. What I am is a Slayer who wonders where her partner’s been all night.”

“‘Partner’? In what, mouthy smackdowns?”

She placed her hands on her hips, looking entirely comfortable as she stood there nude.

“So what happened, B? Get your ass handed to ya by some lame as shit vamp and now ya need somebody to blame?”

Buffy’s face flushed, Faith’s zinger obviously too close for comfort.

“Nothing happened because thankfully Angel and his crew take their jobs seriously.”

Faith was mad now and she didn’t bother to hide it:

“Don’t fuckin’ piss on my turf and try to school me on the people I work with every fucking day. I don’t need you explaining how good they are at what they do, and I don’t need you bustin’ in here to slam me for takin’ a night off.”

“So is that what it was? You just ‘took a night off’? Because from where I’m standing it looks way more like you bailed again when things got too tough for you to handle.”

Faith’s fists clenched and she actually took a step towards Buffy before she made herself stop. Instead she walked over to her bed, picked up the sheet and wrapped it around herself as she tried to refrain from pounding the crap out of the Slayer.

“Yeah, you made it crystal clear yesterday what you think about me. Pretty obvious you didn’t want me around, so I left. Now ya wanna bust my balls ‘cause I wasn’t standin’ by your side? Maybe you oughta make up your mind what it is you want.”

Buffy rolled her eyes in disgust and shook her head.

“It always comes down to this, doesn’t it, Faith? It’s always ‘poor me' any time somebody dares to point out something you’ve done wrong. You make the mess and someone else always has to clean it up. You haven’t changed a bit, you’re still all about you.”

Faith knew the hurt flashed across her face despite her best attempts not to let it show, but she closed it off just as fast as she could.

“Well, you’ve sure changed, Buffy. You’re a bigger bitch than ever, which I woulda laid odds was fuckin’ impossible for you to pull off. You still think you got all the answers, that you’re way better than me.”

They stood staring at each other, the intensity crackling between them.

“Never gonna give me a chance, are ya, B? It’s always gonna come back around to the past with you.”

“Hold on, Faith, let me get my violin out.”

“Trust me, bitch, you’ll never be able to pry it outta your ass. You wanna keep kickin’ me, go right the fuck ahead, but I’m actually doin’ some good now. You don’t wanna let it go and gimme a chance? That’s your problem. Now get the fuck outta my room.”

Buffy stood right where she was and clapped mockingly.

“Wow, great speech, but I can’t see how your past is any different from your present. We needed your help last night, I needed your help last night, and as usual you were nowhere to be found. So what was it, Faith? Did you have an itch to scratch, a need to ride stick?”

“Yeah, after lettin’ you tear me a new one for a coupla hours, I decided maybe a down and dirty might be just the thing to make me feel better about bein’ such a useless cunt. And for your info, I got fucked every which way and it was great, not a stick in sight.”

The shock on Buffy’s face was almost funny.

“Are…are you saying that you slept with a woman?”

“Wasn’t much sleepin’ goin' on, but yeah, she was definitely all woman.”

Something weird settled on Buffy’s face, a look Faith had never seen before. It made her guilt flare up hotter than ever and she didn’t want that, so instead of trying to figure it out, instead of asking what it meant or just stopping things before they went any further, Faith let her sheet slide slowly to the floor and licked her lips lewdly.

“Want a demo, Buffy? Huh? Want the fuckin’ of your life?”

Buffy stood frozen, that same weird look on her face. She backed up, then turned away, but not before Faith saw the tears swimming in her eyes.

“B…”

Buffy’s voice came out softly:

“I didn't mean to…I just came here to apologize and say…I’m sorry I attacked you yesterday. I…Angel said you were…Anyway, what you do isn’t any of my business...I’m sorry, Faith.”

And then Buffy was out the door.

Faith struggled to wrap the sheet around herself and follow.

“B, wait!”

By the time she’d managed to stop fumbling around and make it out into the hallway, Buffy was nowhere in sight. Faith sighed and went back into her room, locking the door again for all the good it did.

She straightened out the sheet and blanket and crawled underneath, shifting her pillow in a vain attempt to get it just right. Her head was pounding again and her muscles were tighter than they’d been before the shower. She knew sleep wasn’t coming anywhere near her today.

And how was that at all fair? Buffy had busted into her room, been a big fucking bitch again, and then somehow Faith was the one left behind feeling guilty…and for what exactly?

So she’d had sex last night, she was allowed. Then she’d verbally defended herself in her own fucking room after Buffy had just barged in because she obviously had no respect for Faith’s privacy. All Faith had done was give back to Buffy some of the shit she’d been slinging, and there was no way that was wrong…not technically at least.

It was Buffy who was the asshole this time around, the one who was in the wrong….but somehow that wasn’t quite true and Faith knew it. She’d crossed a line, and even though she didn’t know what it meant or why, she knew she’d messed up big time.

She rolled over, smashing her fist into the most uncomfortable pillow ever made. Fuck it, all she’d done was stick up for herself and now she was the bad guy? No way was she taking that on. It was Buffy who was the bitch and she'd gotten exactly what she’d deserved. Faith wasn’t going to feel bad because she’d given Miss High and Mighty a little taste of her own medicine.

She wasn’t going to let it get to her; hell, she’d already thought about it for way too long as it was. Buffy had created the whole mess, let her worry about it if she wanted to. But Faith? Well, Faith was all done with it. She had a nap to take and a life to live.

She snuggled in determinedly, but when she closed her eyes all she could see were the tears brimming in Buffy’s. The hurt on her face was…

Faith’s eyes snapped open:

“Fuck.”

*****

The before patrol meeting was more than awkward. Buffy sat off to the side looking unhappy and Faith kept pacing and dangerously tossing her axe into the air, making Fred wince every time she caught it. Wesley and Gunn had already taken off and Giles was explaining the situation for the third time on the speaker phone.

“Buffy? Buffy, are you still…”

“Yes, I’m still here and I still heard you…all three times. I have to stay put until you guys finish the research.”

"It shouldn't be more than a few days, Buffy. Willow and I are pretty close, I think."

Buffy smiled at the unintentional double entendre and nodded warmly at Fred:

"I'm sure you are."

“I know you’d much rather be home, Buffy, but it’s imperative that you…”

She rolled her eyes.

“Giles, do not go over it again. I get it, all right? Now is that it, because we all have other things to do.”

He knew that tone, his Slayer was upset, but he couldn’t very well get into it with everyone listening in.

“Yes, I believe that covers everything. Buffy, rest assured that we’ll do our best to get you home as quickly as possible.”

“Well, it can’t be soon enough. Bye, Giles.”

"Goodbye, Buffy, and please be careful. Ms. Burkle, might we impose upon a bit more of your time? Willow wishes to consult with you about some of the materials you sent."

Fred's face lit up.

"Sure!"

She grabbed the phone and began heading for the stairs.

"I've got most of the texts in my room, so just give me a minute to get there."

Then she was gone and an uncomfortable silence descended upon the lobby. Angel kept glancing from one Slayer to the other, but each girl was firmly ensconced behind her protective wall. He knew both of them well enough to know they were not coming out any time soon, so he decided to just plow ahead with business.

“Okay, I guess we've finally got some good news then.”

Cordelia snorted from her seat on the counter.

“Maybe to you ‘Mr. Gloom and Doom’, but how does more waiting around…”

Angel was ready with his answer:

“Because just maybe there isn’t going to be anything happening that we have to…”

Faith was all done waiting around.

“We patrollin' tonight or not?”

“Yeah, I think we should stick with the plan, just in case.”

“Great. Later.”

She turned to leave, but Angel’s suggestion quickly stopped her.

“Wait! I think it’d be best if you and Buffy patrolled together.”

“What?!”

Said by two different voices so close together, there wasn’t even a slight echo effect.

He spoke to them as if they were brain damaged novices, and dangerous ones at that.

“Safety in numbers, remember? Just because we assume there’s no special danger right now…”

“I patrol alone all the time, Angel. I hardly think L.A.’s any…”

“Look, don’t need a babysitter, alright? You’re so worried about it, let her tag along with you.”

Buffy stood up then, everything about her revealing her fury.

“I don’t ‘tag along’ with anyone, so why don’t you just shut your…”

“Well, maybe that’s your problem ‘cause you sure could use some…”

“Hey!”

All eyes turned to Angel.

“Do you think you could be civil long enough to do your jobs? I have to meet up with Wes and Gunn, so that means you guys need to make sure everything’s like it’s supposed to be.”

Faith answered quickly:

“Fine, we’ll get more ground covered if me and the fairy princess split up.”

Buffy started for the door:

“That works fine for me.”

Angel was getting frustrated.

“Buffy, stop! I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but we don’t have time for this. I need to go, will you please stick together?”

Neither Slayer spoke nor did they look at each other. It was Cordelia who finally broke the silence.

“Oh for crying out loud, is it that time of the month for both of you? Stop acting like two bitchy girls and go be Slayers.”

Faith swore under her breath and still looked ready to bolt. Angel decided he had to force the issue.

“Please, Faith…as a favor to me.”

This time the swearing was loud and clear, but she turned to face him.

“…Yeah, okay fine. I’ll keep an eye on her, but I’m not takin’ a buncha shit neither.”

“Go to hell, Faith. If anybody knows how to hand out shit, it’s you. You’re the queen of shit.”

Then they were outside, their arguing lost as the door slammed closed behind them. Angel turned to Cordelia with concern:

“Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“From the things they find out there or from each other?”

He almost smiled at her.

“I’m not worried about what’s out there on the street, but I can’t say that was the most encouraging agreement I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, maybe they need a good fight, Angel. Just to clear the air.”

He began tossing some knives and a small sword into a large bag, his face puzzled as his eyes scanned the weapons case.

“Maybe…I just wish they’d give each other a chance. They’ve both changed so much, I think they could even be friends if they’d just calm down.”

“'Calm down’? The drama queens? Don’t hold your breath…Here.”

She reached under the counter and held up the axe he’d been searching for. He took it with a nod and a small smile of thanks.

“Call on Wes or Gunn’s phone if you need me.”

Cordelia folded her arms across her chest, her face stern and somewhat disbelieving.

“And why can’t I call you on yours?”

He looked like a sheepish little boy as he shouldered the heavy bag.

“Uh…because I lost it.”

“Again? Angel, you do know phones cost money, don’t you?”

He was instantly on the defensive.

“It wasn’t my fault this time!”

She stared at him as she waited for him to meet her eyes, and when he finally did his words came out in a torrent:

“It was Gunn! I mean, it was Faith! Faith and Gunn both! You know how they’re always…”

It was clear she wasn’t buying it, so he gave up and decided to throw himself on her mercy.

“Okay, it was my fault, but honestly, Cordy, I have no idea how it happens. One minute they’re in my pocket, the next they’re gone.”

“You are ridiculous.”

“Well, they shouldn’t make them so small. I can barely even hang onto them when I’m just standing still. How am I supposed to…”

“We’ll talk about it later, along with my bright and shiny new raise.”

His face now sported the confused look it often did when he was trying to deal with Cordelia.

“Raise? We don’t have the money to give you a raise.”

“I beg to differ. We seem to have plenty of money for you to lose a phone a week, so I think me getting a raise for a job, very well done I might add, sounds like a way better use of our funds.”

“But Cordy…”

She spun him around and shoved him hard from behind, propelling him along to the front door.

“You’d better get going before you’re late. And don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

He headed out into the night without another word, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. He tossed the weapons bag into the backseat and got in, muttering under his breath.

“I’m out here fighting evil…I don’t see how it’s fair to expect me to hang onto some tiny thing that doesn’t even work right half the time…”

The tires squealed as Angel peeled out, his latest missing phone sliding around happily under the driver’s seat with the previous two.

“…is what I’m saying. They could be lost in the sewers or in a hell dimension, for all I know. She’s being totally unreasonable and no way is she getting a raise. Stupid modern technology.”

*****

The patrol was now at an awkward and tense level, a definite downgrade from the violent and tense level it had started out at. They’d gone out the door of the hotel arguing and their rancor had all too quickly escalated.

Neither girl spoke about the issue currently boiling between them, their real grievances were buried as they always were. There was a difference now though, a real hurt running through Buffy’s insults and accusations, a wounded timbre that rode along with every mean and painful thing she said, and it was pushing just about every button Faith had.

She still felt guilty, and no matter how she tried to rationalize things, she couldn’t make herself stop feeling that way. The pain was still there in Buffy’s eyes, and Faith found she could not look at it for too long without feeling like shit. It didn’t seem fair, in fact, it seemed majorly unfair and more than a little crazy, but that was the way it was.

Faith finally forced herself to stop arguing, preferring to let Buffy say whatever she needed to say unhindered and unchallenged. Buffy carried on, but before too long the steam appeared to blow out of her and she fell silent, leaving them where they now were: tense, awkward, hurt, angry, and uncharacteristically quiet.

“B?”

“…”

“B?”

With a loud sigh, Buffy finally relented:

“What?”

“I don’t exactly know what I’m apologizin’ for, but I’m sorry you’re…”

“Just shut up, Faith.”

“What the fuck, Buffy? I’m tryin’ to…”

“Who was it?”

"…"

“Who was she, Faith?”

“What the hell does that matter?”

“It matters because I want to know.”

Faith tried to look casual, but inside everything was swirling and jumping.

“Well, ya don’t always get everything ya want, Blondie. ‘Sides, it’s none of your business anyway, so why the fuck are you…”

“It’s none of my…none of my business?”

Again that look was on Buffy’s face, but this time Faith decided she was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Yeah, it’s none of your fucking business who I screw. You got no claim on me and I don’t answer to you.”

Buffy said nothing and turned away, but Faith grabbed her arm and spun her back around. Buffy jerked away from her with a venom that was intense, even for them.

“Take your goddamn hands off me!”

“What the hell is this, B? Why ya got your panties in such a bunch?”

“I’m not talking about this anymore.”

She walked off, but Faith went right with her, getting in front of her and making Buffy stop again.

“So I fucked somebody. I fuck lots of people and it’s got nothing to do with you.”

“Yeah, you’re right there. It doesn’t matter to me how big of a slut you are.”

The contempt in Buffy’s voice hurt worse than the words, and Faith struggled to hit back.

“That the problem, Buffy? You’re some uptight bitch who can only fuck a corpse, so the rest of us gotta…”

The slap was loud in the silence of the night and it staggered Faith. She stumbled back two steps before she could regain her balance, and when she did, Buffy was just inches away from her.

“Don’t you dare talk about Angel like that. After all he’s done for you…God, you make me sick.”

Faith made herself sick too and her anger at Buffy dwindled.

“…B, I don’t know what this is, alright? I don’t know why you’re so pissed off.”

“I’ll tell you why Faith…because I’m sick of you! All you ever do is…”

“How can you be ‘sick' of me? You’ve seen me what, three times since I been outta jail? Most of the time you don’t even know I’m alive, so what the fuck are you talking about?”

Buffy had had enough. Faith had pushed all of her buttons and she was now right on the verge of blurting everything out. Faith wanted to know what was behind her hurt and rage, well Buffy was going to tell…and then they were attacked.

Faith was hit hard from the side and the loud growling in her ear and the strong smell of the leather uniform told her that her assailant was one of the demons they’d been worried about. She used her elbow, slamming it into the demon’s side as she put some space between them, rolling clear.

One demon was down, obviously dead with a broken neck, and Buffy was grappling with another. Faith kicked her demon as hard as she could in the head and was already whirling to help Buffy as she felt its skull caving in.

Buffy was giving as good as she took, maybe even better, but when another demon swung a club at the back of her head, Faith screamed out:

“Buffy!”

But Buffy had obviously felt the blow coming and she ducked at the last second, allowing the weapon to smash into the other demon.

It caught him directly in the face and he dropped instantly, dead or unconscious it hardly mattered. Buffy was already engaged with the club wielder as Faith crashed into him from behind.

They all went down with a loud exhale of breath, almost totally synchronized as one when they hit. The demon punched Buffy in the side of the head and she slammed painfully against the ground. Faith had the demon in a chokehold and she wrenched him back and off of Buffy.

Buffy was already up and on her feet, her expression slightly pained, but deadly nonetheless. The demon had spun within Faith’s grasp to face her, but Faith head butted him and then wondered if she’d given herself a concussion as her noggin collided with his hard as steel skull.

She staggered backwards, hooking him around the leg as she fell, pulling him off balance as she went. Buffy took advantage, grabbing him swiftly around the head and twisting with Slayer strength. His neck broke with a loud crack.

They heard a noise, a battle cry, and then the unpleasant sound of too many footsteps rushing their way. Both of them knew they had to move and move fast, and Faith stumbled to her feet dizzily. Her left leg seemed not to be working like it was supposed to, but she tried to shrug it off.

“Go, B! Right behind ya!”

She nearly fell as she took a step, but Buffy was there to catch her.

“Right."

Buffy hoisted her quickly, dangling Faith over her shoulder as she turned to run.

“B! Fuck, I can…”

“Shut up!”

And then Buffy was off, running at the limits of her Slayer speed, jarring and bouncing Faith uncomfortably all over the place, but uncomfortable was something Faith could handle…especially when there seemed to be at least eight to ten demons chasing them.

She was hoping against hope as she hung over Buffy’s back that she was seeing double, but she didn’t think she was.

“They’re gainin’, B!”

Buffy half slid, half ran down an embankment, then made a leap only an adrenalized Slayer could make. They landed hard, the impact clacking Faith’s teeth together as Buffy quickly wove around headstones and small trees. She veered out of sight behind a row of tall shrubs, then entered a nearby mausoleum through the open entrance.

She let go of Faith, leaving her balanced precariously on her shoulder as she struggled to close the door.

“B…”

“Shh…”

It wasn’t long before the sound of several sets of footsteps went running by as some stopped outside the Slayers’ hiding spot. They struggled to gain entry, pushing hard against the nearly closed door until finally they were in.

They searched the room carefully, even going so far as to slide the heavy lids off the four caskets resting in the center of the crypt. Their exploration revealed nothing except the moldering bones of the long dead occupants, and they left to continue the hunt somewhere else.

Buffy counted slowly to thirty, her arms shaking slightly as she hung from the small handholds she’d found in the chipped ceiling. Her legs were pulled up to her chest, Faith still draped over her shoulder as she tried to will herself into being lighter than the nearly dead weight she knew she was.

When Buffy’s countdown was finished, her legs slowly unfolded as she wrapped an arm around Faith’s waist, holding them both dangling with just her right arm. She waited, counting to thirty again before dropping and landing lightly on her feet…“lightly” being a relative term.

“Ow! Fuck, B!”

Faith yelled just above a whisper, aware that the door was still partially open and that their pursuers could still be in the area. Buffy placed her gently on the ground, then silently crept to the opening to peer out carefully. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and after another minute, she headed back over to Faith.

“Leavin’ it open?”

Buffy was already crouched down and tearing off the bottom of her own shirt.

“Yep, just in case they come back. I don’t want them remembering they didn’t close it.”

“Smart…Shit!”

“Sorry, it’s deep.”

Buffy dabbed at the blood, then wadded up the material and pressed it against Faith’s forehead.

“Can you hold that there? Use a lot of pressure, okay?”

She guided Faith’s hand and after making sure she could provide enough force, Buffy headed back to the doorway. She stood off to the side in the shadows, her eyes constantly roaming the darkness for any sign of movement.

“Anything, B?”

“…No, not yet. Hopefully they’ll think we made it out of the cemetery and they’ll just head back home.”

“That’d be nice. Think my head’s startin’ to clear a little, leg’s still fucked though.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, the tension from earlier having dissipated in the aftermath of the fight and flee. Buffy’s back was still facing Faith as she peered off into the night and she spoke softly:

“Faith, you were right. None of this is any of my business and I’m sorry for being such a bitch about it…and everything else.”

A noise sounded in the hedges outside and both Slayers tensed, but when Buffy relaxed, so did Faith.

“I get it, B. You still see me a certain way and maybe you’re right, ya know? But I gotta hope you’re not ‘cause I’m tryin’ to do somebody some good now. I don’t wanna be just a slutty fuck-up anymore.”

Buffy glanced back at her with a slight smile:

“I’m getting that. Everybody here seems to be crazy about you.”

“Yeah, they’re good people. Took me right in…course I never tried to kill any of’em either.”

She winced as she lifted the makeshift bandage from her head.

“Still bleedin’?”

Buffy bent down to examine it up close.

“Not really. Tilt your head that way…I think it’s stopped.”

“Good, ‘cause no way do I wanna keep holdin’ this.”

She tossed the bloody wad off into the blackness of the corner and started to struggle to her feet. Buffy’s firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?”

“Not gonna sit on my ass all night while…”

“Yes you are, at least for a while longer. We can’t leave anyway, so there’s no point in you not taking advantage of the down time.”

Faith barely had time to open her mouth.

“Don’t argue with me, Faith.”

“Would I do that, B?”

Faith grinned at her and Buffy smiled, her first real smile since arriving in Los Angeles.

“That’s a definite yes, F.”

“Nah, c’mon, not my style, Slayer.”

“Right, I must have you mixed up with someone else.”

Buffy returned to her previous post at the door, her eyes searching relentlessly.

They stayed in the crypt for another hour before Buffy made her move.

“Okay, you stay put, I’m going to go have a look around.”

She eased out into the darkness and was gone for several minutes, just long enough for Faith to start worrying. As she began trying to rise to her feet, Buffy walked back in.

“There’s no sign of them…or anything else except the vamp I staked climbing out of his grave.”

“Great, so let’s motor.”

Faith stood shakily, letting out a groan as she let her left leg bear some of her weight. She clenched her teeth, determined to grit it out, but after just a few seconds the pain became too much and she had to sit back down.

“Fuck, you’d better go on and bring back the troops. No way can I walk on this.”

“I’m not leaving you here so…”

“Go ahead, B, I’m cool and the bad guys are nowhere around.”

“I’m not going to take that chance, I’ll just carry you home.”

Faith laughed, scooting back against one of the coffins.

“Nah, no big. I’ll hang here ‘til you…”

Buffy was already lifting her.

“Hey! B, ya don’t need to do that. I’ll…”

Buffy cradled her in front of her like a baby, the sight ridiculous as Faith was bigger than a baby and bigger than a Buffy.

“We’re going together, that way we can both be back at the hotel safe and sound in twenty minutes. Stop trying to talk me out of it.”

“Yeah, but this ain’t Sunny D. Can’t just waltz around carryin’ me. Gonna be a shitload of people ‘tween home and here.”

“Okay, fine. When we get to where it’s populated, I’ll find a phone and somebody can come get us. Hey, wait a sec, don’t you have a phone?”

Faith looked embarrassed and somewhat defensive.

“Used to, but Angel took mine and lost it.”

Buffy nodded, understanding completely.

“I can’t hang onto them either. Giles finally put his foot down and won’t get me another one.”

“Things are just a bitch anyways. Angel blows through one a week.”

“Okay, so we’ll have to borrow someone’s or find a payphone. You don’t happen to have a signal flare thingy on you, do you?”

“Nope, and the Bat Signal’s out too.”

“Then I guess it’s 'Plan A’.”

They eased out of the crypt and after standing still for a minute, Buffy seemed satisfied that the coast was clear. She began heading toward the cemetery exit and Faith relaxed as much as she could.

“Least I’m not flipped over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes this time.”

Buffy barely even glanced at her, her attention firmly focused on their surroundings as she stayed alert for any sign of danger.

“Well, knock on wood we don’t have to run and you can stay in a comfortable position.”

Faith knew she shouldn’t risk the tenuous new peace accord, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“Fuck B, got lotsa other positions that are way more comfortable than this one.”

Buffy looked down at her, her eyebrow raised.

“Really? Well, why don’t you save that info for your whore.”

Faith’s laughter was unrestrained.

“Damn B, I’ll make sure to give her the message.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

CHAPTER THREE

It took Faith a couple of days to recover, but the new peace that had developed between the Slayers continued on without a hitch. They got along fine, just like the “old” old days before it had all gone so horribly wrong. They hung out together, they teased each other, they sparred together, and at the moment they were sitting in the lobby finishing their lunch together. It was all good. Nothing but good and together…and Angel was worried.

“Why are they acting like that?”

Cordelia looked up from his desk where she was balancing the books.

“What?”

"Why are they getting along?”

“Um, isn’t that what you wanted?”

Angel leaned in the doorway watching them before turning to Cordelia with a worried look on his face.

“Well, yeah…just not like this.”

She rolled her eyes and got up to join him, nudging him aside to make room for herself. She studied them closely for a couple of minutes.

"I see what you mean. Yeah, that’s definitely not of the good.”

“See? I knew something was wrong!”

She sat back down at his desk.

"Cordy?”

“Uh-huh?”

“What is wrong, exactly? They seem fine, great even, so what’s…”

She picked up her pencil and tapped it slowly on the desk, her focus already back on her work.

“Well, for one thing, Buffy’s faking. She’s got her: ‘I’m a dizty cheerleader’ act going, and despite the fact that I don’t really like her, she’s in no way ‘ditzy’ or clueless.”

Angel’s eyes were still on the Slayers, but his head was nodding along with Cordelia’s assessment.

“And Faith’s pretending to be relaxed, but she’s really just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She looks like all hell’s going to break loose at any second, and based on the way they’re both acting, I’d say she’s probably right.”

Angel took one last look, then sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Cordelia continued trying to get their accounts to balance or at least come within a hundred dollars, and Angel waited patiently. When almost five minutes passed in silence, he could no longer contain himself.

“So?”

She never even glanced up:

“So?”

“So what are we going to do?”

She put down her pencil with great care as she looked at him.

“We’re not going to ‘do’ anything. There’s nothing to do.”

“Cordy, if we don’t do something, they’re going to fight again!”

“Like that’s anything new? Angel, they’re big girls now, they have to work things out for themselves.”

He was shaking his head in disagreement.

“No, that never goes right. Somebody’s going to get hurt.”

“Probably, and here’s hoping it’s not me.”

She picked up her pencil again and got back to work. Angel sighed and went back to his post in the doorway.

“Now they’re laughing.”

“A definite prelude to disaster. Listen, Gunn’s home. Why don't you get him and the two of you can go kill things in the sewers for awhile. That always makes you feel better.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder.

“Do you think he’d want to?”

“He just got that new battle axe and that mini-crossbow thing. I think he’s dying to kill something.”

“…Maybe you’re right. You’ll keep an eye on them, let me know if anything happens?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks, Cordy.”

“Sure, glad to help.”

He left and when she was sure he was gone, Cordelia got up and closed the office door. As she sat back down at the desk, she muttered:

“I’ll watch them like a hawk.”

*****

The evening brought with it another call from Giles, and this time the news wasn’t at all good.

“They’re clearly mounting an offensive.”

A snort of laughter came from Faith.

“Is something amusing?”

“Uh…No, sorry, Giles.”

“Yes, well, where was I?”

Buffy immediately piped up:

“Something about an ‘offensive mounting’.”

This time Faith’s laughter was full blown and Buffy joined in.

“Girls, really. This is quite serious, and I’d appreciate a bit of professionalism, if not a healthy dose of outright maturity.”

“Sorry, Giles, we’re sorry. Faith and I will be good.”

“Yeah, and no unhealthy doses neither.”

The call continued without any more interruptions and by the end of it, no one felt like laughing. It was the end of the world again, unless they could somehow pull off another miracle.

When Giles hung up, Buffy took control:

“Okay, I think Angel, Gunn and Wes should take the South side, and Faith and I will take the North. Cordelia, Fred, you guys keep researching, there has to be some way to prevent this ritual from working. We just need to find it.”

She quickly glanced at Angel as she realized she'd perhaps stepped on his toes.

"If that sounds good to you, Angel?"

"Makes sense to me."

They exchanged meaningful looks as the boys were already grabbing their weapons of choice, and Wesley broached a question.

“Might I inquire as to the plan if we do happen to stumble upon their lair?”

“Fuck, Wes, back off like a pussy until we all hook up again.”

Buffy couldn't agree fast enough:

“Faith's right. Don’t do anything, we need to be at full strength if and when we attack. That means waiting for Will and her magic to arrive if we're going to stand a real chance at stopping them."

Gunn swung his axe, a deadly expression on his face.

“Wouldn’t mind thinning the herd a little though.”

Faith slugged him lightly on the shoulder as she passed:

“Be our herd that gets thinned. All you got's a vamp, you and Wes. Tough as you two are, still only make half a Slayer. Gotta play it smart, Chuck.”

“Damn, girl, tryin’ to insult me and Wes?”

She yanked an axe out and tossed it to Buffy, then grabbed one for herself.

“Hell no. Seen you boys fight, no better humans around. But even B had to run from’em, and I tagged along with her tiny ass.”

“Yeah, as I saved your life.”

“Tomato, B. Point is: these guys are tough and there’s a shitload of’em. I know you’re all man, but ya got a brain too. Use it and haul ass like a chick, yeah?”

He nodded:

“I hear ya.”

“As do I, although I must say it stings somewhat to be regulated to a mere quarter of a Slayer.”

Faith smiled at him as she headed back over to Buffy:

“Yeah, but it’s a choice quarter, Watcher.”

He blushed and cleared his throat.

“I must say, that’s an awfully nice…”

“Come on, Wes, you can cry about it in the car.”

Gunn wrapped his arm around his shoulder and steered Wesley outside. Angel paused, holding the door open.

“Everything you just said applies to you guys too. If something happens, you run like girls, promise?”

Buffy smiled in that special way she always did for him, her voice softening:

“We will, Angel, promise.”

“Jesus, just watch your own fucking ass.”

Faith's tone was sharper than she'd intended and everyone looked at her surprised.

"…Eyes peeled, Soulboy."

And with that she was out the door.

*****

The patrol was a bust in every way. The Slayers walked around aimlessly in an intense silence for a couple of hours, the night deader than dead. They decided to do some surveillance near where they had last encountered the demons on everyone’s mind, and settled down hidden in a small grouping of trees and bushes.

After a while, it became apparent that there was no one around but them, yet it wasn't as if they could just leave. It was still early and they had to be sure, so they waited to see what, if anything, would develop. There was nothing much to do except talk and despite the fact that Faith still looked out of sorts, Buffy just couldn’t seem to shut up.

Faith was irritated right from the start and as the chattering continued, she wanted to punch Buffy in the face, especially when she began talking about her love life. It wasn't like she was going on and on in great detail, but it was more than enough to make Faith squirm as she became increasingly furious.

“…and so that was that. I don’t know if I’m ever going to find someone. It’s always angst, pain, murder, secret identities…I just seem to have the worst luck ever. I mean, surely there has to be one person in the world who can understand what it means to be a Slayer and a woman. “

“…”

“I’ve looked everywhere, well, everywhere in the immediate vicinity, and nothing. I get that being with a Slayer might be a difficult thing to deal with, but doesn’t it seem like there should be somebody who can handle it? All I need is one person, you wouldn’t think that’d be so...”

It was then that Buffy trailed off, finally noticing the dark cloud that Faith had become. The angry scowl on her face, the bunched muscles, the slight flush visible on her cheeks all made it clear to Buffy that Faith was royally pissed off.

“Uh…so anyway, you haven’t told me anything about what you’ve been up to.”

“Nope.”

Buffy slapped at a mosquito as quietly as she could.

“Boy, if it’s not one bloodsucker after us, it’s another.”

"..."

That was it, not so much as a chuckle for her efforts, but Buffy plowed on anyway.

“This stealthy waiting’s sure the kind of exciting that’s not.”

“Yeah.”

“Think the guys are having any better luck?”

“Maybe.”

“…Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

Faith tried hard to ignore Buffy’s steady gaze, but she wasn’t all that successful.

“What’s with the stare, B?”

“I’m just wondering why I’m only getting one word answers all of a sudden.”

Faith shrugged and went back to looking straight ahead:

“No reason.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…”

“So?”

“‘So’ what?”

“What have you been up to?”

“Not much.”

Buffy was getting irritated and trying hard not to lose her temper.

“So you’ve what, been living in a bubble for the last few years?”

“Sorta.”

“Wow, you’re really quite the conversationalist.”

“Not tryin’ to be.”

“Faith…I thought we agreed that we were going to try and be friends.”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Well, you not talking and making me work for even the tiniest scrap of information isn’t the best way to go about it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Neither spoke for a few minutes until Buffy tried again:

“So say something.”

“Nothin’ to say.”

“…”

“And can ya stop with the staring already?”

“Sure, just as soon as you stop with the cold shoulder.”

“…Not givin' you the cold shoulder, alright, B? Just…I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I want you tell me what you’ve been up to.”

Faith looked increasingly uncomfortable and angrier by the second, and Buffy was baffled. She touched her arm and Faith jerked away.

“Wow Faith, I’ve had my shots, you know.”

“What do ya wanna hear? I was in prison, I came here, and now I work for Angel and try to stay on the right side of things.”

“And how’s that going for you? I mean, is it hard or has it gotten easier?”

Faith shrugged:

“I don’t know.”

“What about in the romance department? Anyone special or…”

“Listen Buffy, I don’t feel like gettin’ grilled, so…”

“‘Grilled’? I’m just asking…”

Faith turned to her, an angry sneer on her face:

“Ya wanna keep yappin’ about you, be my guest. Otherwise, shut up.”

And just like that, Buffy was furious.

"Why are you mad at me this time? What did I say?"

"…"

“God, you’re such a coward.”

“…What?”

“You heard me. I said you’re a coward.”

“Based on what?”

“This stupid non-conversation. I’m simply trying to get a little closer to you and…”

Faith leaned in, her expression making it clear just how pissed off she really was.

“I didn’t ask ya to get closer, and just ‘cause I don’t wanna talk about it doesn’t make me a coward.”

“You don’t want to talk about what?”

“Jesus, wanna give it a rest already?”

“Give what ‘a rest’?”

“…”

“Is this about you sleeping with that other woman?”

“Well what the hell else would it be about? You been angling everything that way tonight even worse than every other fucking night.”

“I have not!”

Faith waved her off:

“Gimme a break, B. All your bullshit about boyfriends and feelings…”

“Well, excuse me for sharing my personal life with you. I thought you wanted to hear…”

“Oh yeah, always love it when you go on and on about fucking somebody else. Can never get enough of that, not fuckin’ ever.”

Buffy was now confused along with angry.

“Are you going crazy…crazier? I was just telling you about my life since you’ve been gone. I'm wasn’t trying to steer the conversation anyplace special. Maybe it’s your guilty conscience that’s doing the 'angling' here.”

The tendons on Faith’s neck stood out as she strained to keep control of herself.

“Why the fuck should I feel guilty about banging somebody? You obviously didn’t have a problem screwin’ Captain Iowa.”

“And why would I?”

Faith tried to stop herself, but she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head:

“‘Cause he was so boring, I could barely stay awake when I fucked him.”

The slap wasn’t unexpected, but it still hurt and Buffy’s eyes were blazing with her rage.

“God, what was I thinking? You’re such a bitch.”

“Pipe the fuck down!”

Buffy stood up:

“You’re yelling at me to be quiet? Can you be any stupider?”

Faith grabbed her arm and yanked her back behind the bushes they were using for cover.

“Shut up, B! We’re on the job, try actin’ like you…”

“Oh, that’s rich. You’re going to lecture me on how to be a Slayer now?”

Faith laugh wasn't pleasant:

“Yeah,well 'scuse the fuck outta me for pointin’ out that you’re not perfect.”

“I never said I was.”

“Bullshit, Buffy, that’s your motto. Always lookin’ down your fucked up nose to…”

Buffy’s eyes widened.

“What’s the matter with you? Why are you attacking me?”

“Fuck this shit, I’m outta here.”

She tried to stand, but Buffy’s grasp was Slayer tight on her forearm.

“Faith, what’s wrong with…”

“Let go of me.”

“Would you stop making us fight and just…”

She shoved Buffy, knocking her back into the bushes as she stood.

“Take your ass back to the hotel. I’m outta here, Blondie.”

She stalked off into the night, Buffy sprawled in the bushes and watching her with a puzzled look on her face. When Faith was no longer in sight, Buffy stood, brushing leaves and dirt from her hair and clothes.

“And my nose is so not fucked up. Cute and quirky maybe, but definitely not...Bitch.”

*****

The pounding on her front door at…3:23…didn’t scare her, she knew who it was. She put on her robe as she headed for the door, and Dennis turned on the lamp for her when she reached the front room.

“Hold on!”

The banging didn’t stop and Cordelia almost got hit in the face when she yanked the door open.

“What is wrong with you? Normal people are asleep at this…”

The rest of her sentence was cut off as Faith’s lips pressed against her own, her tongue already playing with Cordelia’s.

She walked Cordelia backwards into the room, her foot kicking the door closed behind her as her hands began fondling every sensitive place they could reach.

“Faith…”

That was all Cordelia could get out before Faith's tongue was entwined with her own again. Dennis helpfully snapped off the lamp as they passed by it on their way to the bedroom, but Cordelia gestured with her hand for him to turn it back on. She shoved against Faith as hard as she could, trying to get a fired up Slayer to move back.

“What're ya doin’, Cor?”

Faith began moving in again, but the flat of Cordelia’s hand against her chest stopped her.

“That’s my question to you.”

“Thought it was obvious. I’m tryin’ to fuck you.”

“Uh-huh. Well, as sweet as that is: why?”

Faith quickly shrugged out of her jacket and lifted her shirt over her head, tossing both onto the couch.

“‘Cause you’re hot, I’m horny, and…”

“And you’re drunk again, and the last I saw you, you were with Buffy on patrol.”

Faith kicked off her boots and unsnapped her pants.

“Not drunk, just got a good buzz goin’.”

“Let’s slow it down here and...”

Faith shook her head and stepped out of her pants. She was now completely naked and Cordelia couldn’t help but look. She was stunning and so beautiful she looked like an illusion. Her breasts alone had Cordelia entranced, and she felt herself twinge at the thought of letting Faith have her way with her again. But she couldn’t…not without an explanation.

Faith grabbed for her and pulled their bodies flush, her mouth whispering seductively in Cordelia’s ear:

“Baby, c’mon. Remember how good it was? Gonna be even better tonight…”

Her tongue traced patterns along Cordelia’s neck, and her strong hands had a firm grip on Cordelia’s ass as she rotated their hips together. Cordelia tried to resist, but she was only human and she did remember the other night…all too clearly. The fact that all that separated them was the thin material of her robe wasn't exactly helping her either.

“Faith…”

“Gonna make ya…”

Faith’s hands suddenly slid into the small gap in the robe, opening it and making it slip off of Cordelia’s shoulders.

“…lose your fuckin’ mind, B.”

Cordelia froze, then shoved again, and this time Faith lost her temper.

“Jesus, what’s the fucking problem? You’re already so wet ya need a…”

“Wet or not, I am not Buffy!”

Her voice reverberated around the room and Faith looked at her shocked.

“Yeah, I know that. Why you goin’ there?”

“Because you just called me ‘B’.”

"No I fuckin' didn't!

“Yes, you fucking did.”

Cordelia gathered her robe, cinching it together as she walked over to sit on the couch. Faith slowly turned to face her.

“Cordy, I musta said ‘C’. Not my fault the letters sound alike.”

“Uh-huh, except you never call me ‘C’, not without ‘Queen’ in front of it.”

Faith finally moved, walking over and collapsing into the chair across from Cordelia.

“…Jesus…I’m sorry, Cor."

“It’s not that big of a deal, okay? Although if these weren't special circumstances…”

They sat in silence until Cordelia spoke quietly:

"Have you ever considered talking things through with her openly and honestly?”

“Yeah, considered it, but she’s just...ya know?”

“I know, Faith, but the thing is: I’d have sex with you, almost anytime, anywhere. But not when you don’t even want to…at least not with me.”

Faith nodded.

“I’m so screwed, Cor.”

“Yep, it sure looks that way. I’ll tell you what – I’ll go make us something to eat and we’ll talk things over. Maybe we can figure it out, okay?”

Faith looked at her gratefully.

“…Man, be wicked great if I was in love with you.”

“Oh please, I'd slit your throat one week into it.”

“Be a hell of a week though."

"Yes, it would."

She headed into the kitchen, then paused:

“Oh, and Faith?”

“Yeah?”

“Put your clothes back on. The 'couch' rule applies to the chair too.”

*****

She came dragging back to the hotel at 7:30a.m., a time way too bright and early for a hung-over and depressed Slayer. She was thankful no one was in the lobby and she made it to her room unseen.

Faith divested herself of her jacket and clothes and headed for the shower. She turned the water on hot and while she waited for it to heat up, she dragged the heavy dresser over and wedged it against her room door. She didn’t want any surprises this time around, she just wanted a shower.

The spray hit her and she leaned in under it, her hands bracing her against the wall as the water pounded down on her head and back. She sighed as she felt the liquid heat loosening her bunched shoulder muscles, and she offered a silent thanks to whoever invented pulsating showerheads with power.

She knew she had been an idiot last night. She’d overreacted, making a big deal out of nothing because she was all worked up over all things "Buffy". She didn't want to hear about the men Buffy had loved and slept with, and she sure as hell didn't want to see her look so lovingly and so "Buffy" at Angel. Not now, not when Faith wanted that for herself.

Buffy had asked her a simple question, but Faith couldn't give her the simple answer. Because the honest truth of it was: Faith had spent the past several hard fought and hard won years struggling to regain her sanity and trying to make amends, all while fucking small, petite blonde girls when she just had to have someone to be with.

Guys were now just a distant speck in Faith's rearview, they had been ever since Sunnydale. The last men she’d had sex with were Xander and Riley, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t had plenty of opportunities to make it otherwise. The problem was that Faith didn’t want anyone except Buffy, she hadn’t since she’d first laid eyes on her.

Anyone with any sense could see that she had it bad and she had right from the get go. No one but Faith knew, but when they’d parted ways that first night at the Bronze, Faith had picked up a tiny blonde girl, taken her back to the motel and fucked her brains out. She did that same thing over and over again, until finally bumping it up to Buffy’s best male friend and then taking advantage of her chance to do Buffy’s boyfriend of the moment.

Prison hadn't posed much of a challenge, at least not in the beginning. At first she had nailed several of the smaller blonde inmates and even a couple of the guards who fit the bill, but then as she began returning to the land of the sane, she forced herself to go without. She didn’t want to keep using sex as a way to escape herself; it was time to learn to live with who she was.

But even though she was on her own, Buffy was always with her. Faith thought about her constantly, wanting to apologize to Buffy, to somehow make it all up to her and restore the brief friendship they'd once had. She also wanted every inch of Buffy, and when she was alone at night in her cell, it was Buffy she always fantasized about. She wanted her in every possible way and as Faith came back to herself, she accepted that of all of the things in her life, that was the one constant that was never, ever going to change.

Buffy Summers was it for Faith, there was nobody else. She was in love, and it was a messy, fucked up, tangled web that was never going to get straightened out. She had been snared completely and she knew that there was no point anymore in struggling to escape. Love had found her – unwilling, unknowing, but it had found her nonetheless, and it was simply "game over". Point, set, match all went to the "Accept No Substitute, Original Chosen One".

And standing there in the warm, soothing shower, Faith Lehane made the decision of her life. She was sick of running, pretending, hiding, worrying. What she wanted was just a few doors down the hall and it sure seemed like maybe, just maybe, she finally had a shot at it. It was past time she found out.

"No guts, no glory, bitch."

CHAPTER FOUR

Buffy finally gave up on sleeping, glad the long night was officially over. She hadn't been able to get her mind to shut off, and although it should have been thoughts of the approaching apocalypse that prevented sleep from claiming her, it was instead Faith who had kept her wide awake all night long.

For the first couple of hours, Buffy had simply been mad. Faith had been a big bitch for no real reason after swearing that she wanted them to work on being friends again, and Buffy didn't appreciate her attitude, not in the slightest. She had tried to meet Faith halfway, pushing aside their past and her doubts as she did her best to focus on the here and now. Buffy had opened up, telling Faith all about her life, and the response she'd received? Faith had done nothing except look like she wanted to punch her right in the face, and Buffy didn't get it.

Faith had been fine for days and it actually seemed as if they were starting to get somewhere, but then all progress had stopped as Faith had turned into a snarling, non-speaking, confrontational jerk. It had made Buffy furious, but as the night had worn on, she just felt letdown, hurt and defeated. It seemed like no matter what they did it always came back to the same old things: anger, hurt, resentment, and mistrust.

Buffy poured herself a cup of hot coffee, glad she'd remembered to set the timer last night before she had begun her tossing and turning. There was no way she could face the long day ahead without coffee, and there was definitely no way she wanted to make it now. As it was, all she had to do was pour and add sugar, and that she could handle.

She sat down at the little table by the window to watch the glorious sunrise that was just beginning to make itself known. It was all pinky purple with tiny blasts of yellow, just beautiful, and Buffy wasn't seeing it at all. She was still thinking about Faith, wondering just where she had gone last night and who had been waiting for her when she got there.

It was doubtful she'd gone back to that woman. Faith wasn't exactly someone who did repeat performances, she was the "Get Some, Get Gone" girl. At least she used to be. And why it mattered so much to Buffy…well, she wished she could just stop thinking about that.

She took another sip of her coffee and knew without a doubt that she was jealous, and unreasonably so. She had no claim on Faith, she wasn't a cheated on girlfriend, and yet that was exactly what she felt like. Having sex with guys was to be expected somehow, they'd always done that, but sleeping with another woman? That seemed wrong, like a betrayal of something they had never spoken of.

Faith and Buffy had never been lovers, but there was an obvious attraction between them, a connection that Buffy only began to understand as the years went by. There was something there, a sexual chemistry that she had never felt with any woman before or since. Right from the start Faith had flirted relentlessly and Buffy had responded in kind. She was certain that if Angel hadn't returned from Hell when he did, she and Faith would have explored just what it was that snapped and sizzled between them. And maybe, just maybe, Faith wouldn't have gone completely insane and evil.

"Right, because I'm so hot I could have saved her. Shut up, Buffy."

When Faith was released from prison, Buffy had stayed away, preferring to sit back and wait to see just how things were going to play out. Faith merely went to work, earning nothing but glowing praise from both Angel and Wesley. Their regular reports on her progress were filled with respect, confidence, and a fondness that eventually grew into an unrestrained adoration. Faith, it seemed, had managed to turn herself around and she was now a valuable and trusted member of "Team Angel".

Buffy came to Los Angeles that first time with high hopes. She was determined to leave the past in the past and start over, but she expected something from Faith. While she in no way wanted her to grovel, Buffy expected some remorse, some explanation, a starting point from which they could build a new relationship, and instead she was greeted by the same cocky girl she'd always known.

There was nothing new, nothing different, and Faith's attitude took Buffy right back to the worst time of her life. She'd shut down instantly and raised her guard because there was nothing else she could do. The woman she met in L.A. was one she already knew intimately. She was the woman who had hurt Buffy and made her a victim, and she was the woman who had taught her that the fire between them was something to fear.

Buffy couldn't trust her and she lashed out whenever she sensed that old spark threatening to ignite. She felt that Faith owed her something after all of the horrible things she'd done; maybe time, patience, a chance to get a peek inside the person Faith was today, but Faith offered her none of that. Instead she chose to keep them in their old and tired roles, making Buffy play the superior "Chosen One" while she herself was the irresponsible Slayer who couldn't be counted on.

Even though Buffy knew there was much more to Faith than that, she got nothing from her except the all too familiar push and shove while they ignored whatever it was that was always there between them. Faith left her no alternatives, and Buffy responded by being the cold, unforgiving bitch of a Slayer they'd both come to expect.

Buffy knew everyone hated when she came to town, knew they all felt that she was being mean and unfair to Faith, but that wasn't the whole truth. Not by a long shot. Their assessment didn't factor in that Buffy had learned long ago that Faith could cause her the worst pain ever, no gypsy curse or soullessness required. All it took was Faith being Faith, complete with a desire to bring Buffy to her knees and the innate knowledge of just exactly how to do it. That fact was never far from Buffy's mind because Faith would not give her anything else to work with.

Her coffee was gone, the sun was up, and Buffy felt tired. She could keep going over and over it in her head, but the truth of it was that Faith didn't want to change, not when it came to Buffy anyway, and Buffy wasn't about to open her heart and the world's biggest can of worms just for more of the same old same old. That meant they would not be friends, they would not be lovers, they would just be enemies who sometimes worked together out of necessity. That was the reality of it and it hurt…a lot.

The pain seemed deeper this time around, as if something had shifted that could never be put back where it used to be. Faith had slept with another woman and that seemed like a huge betrayal of what neither of them had ever found the courage to talk about, but had understood was there waiting. Faith had stripped Buffy of something she'd always hung onto, a hope that she'd somehow managed to keep alive through everything that had happened, and now Faith had taken that away from her.

Buffy should have been that woman, they both knew that, and despite everything, a big part of her still wanted to be. She didn't know if she was gay, it was just a word anyway, but what she did know was that she wanted Faith. She'd been attracted to her from the start and nothing had ever changed that. Faith made her want to do things she didn't even know how to do, and lesbian or not, Buffy could totally go there when it came to Faith. Except she couldn't, she wouldn't, not when Faith wouldn't even meet her halfway.

And so it hurt and it made her angry, but that was just the way it was and apparently the way it always would be. There was nothing left for Buffy to do except repress, and fortunately for her she could repress with the best of them. She'd been doing it forever, and she could keep right on doing it forever. She'd given Faith chance after chance, but for whatever reason Faith wasn't interested in giving it the old college try. Faith wasn't even interested in giving it the old grade school try.

Instead she was just going to keep having sex with women not named "Buffy" all while refusing to open up even the slightest bit about herself. She was going to push Buffy's buttons whenever she got the chance, then she was going to play the innocent injured party every time Buffy retaliated. Faith was going to be a hard ass right to the end.

"Fine, just leave me out of it."

Decision made, Buffy stood and went to get ready for the day.

****

This time it was Buffy who was surprised when she emerged from the shower. She had a towel wrapped firmly around her wet body and was bent over slightly as she rubbed another towel against her damp hair. She clearly had no idea she wasn’t alone, and Faith didn’t make a sound to inform her otherwise.

She was riveted by the sight of water running down Buffy’s tanned skin, and then disappearing into the edges of the towel covering the most alluring body Faith had never seen enough of. The muscles of Buffy’s arms rippled strong and feminine as her hands dried her hair into a tangled mess, and Faith couldn’t stop the tiny intake of breath as the towel slipped slightly downward to reveal just the top of Buffy’s breasts.

She jumped and lifted her head at the slight sound:

“Faith!”

Faith said nothing, still leaning against the closed door in a daze that had her body heating up and threatening to bubble over. She forced herself to calm down, focusing her gaze on Buffy’s eyes and nowhere else.

“…Hey, I was wondering if maybe we could talk.”

“Talk? Like I tried to last night? Sorry, I’ve got better things to do with my time than…”

“B, please. I got stuff I need to say.”

Her tone of voice was unlike anything Buffy had ever heard before, and despite her determination not to, she reacted to it.

“Okay, just let me get dressed and then we can....”

“Got all the important parts covered, just lemme get the gist out, yeah?”

Buffy blew out an irritated breath, but she sat down on the bed. Faith paced for a minute, then stood in front of her.

“Last night, B…I was jealous.”

“Jealous? Jealous of what?”

“You were goin’ on about people you’d slept with, loved even, and I got jealous.”

Buffy nodded understandingly.

“Faith, I know things have been rough for you, but you’ll find someone soon. I wasn't trying to…”

Faith snorted in disgust.

“B, don’t do that. You know what I was jealous of, what I’ve always been jealous of.”

“…What are you talking…"

“We been dancin' around this for years and I’m sick of it. I know, you know, fuck, probably everybody knows.”

Buffy was shaking her head.

“No, we are not going there.”

“Already there, you started it this time.”

Buffy stood, indignant and something else:

“I did not!”

“Was you who busted in and freaked when you found out I’d been with a chick.”

“I was just surprised that you…that you did that.”

“Bullshit, B. You were hurt it wasn’t you.”

“That’s crazy! You’re crazy!”

She walked over to her suitcase and tossed it onto the bed, adjusting her towel even tighter around her and refusing to look at Faith.

“I’m not crazy at all, Buffy. I know you and I know what I saw. It’s the same thing you see in me, what we always see whenever we bother looking.”

“I know we…Faith, this isn't…”

“I didn’t want her, B. I wanted you.”

Buffy grabbed some clothes out of her bag, her voice shakier and louder than it should have been.

“Just stop, okay? This isn't making…”

“I just been drifting, waiting, hoping maybe somehow you’d see me and maybe like the view for a change. I fucked up so bad before, Buffy, you don’t gotta tell me that. But I’m not like that anymore and I can…”

“Faith, I don’t know if you’re drunk or high, but…”

“I’m nothin', just me, and I'm tired of pretending there’s not something between us. We can’t spend our whole lives dodgin' it, I don’t wanna.”

Buffy was all done with the conversation and she headed for the relative safety of the bathroom, but Faith stepped into her path. She gently ran the tips of her fingers up Buffy’s bare arm and the reaction was instantaneous. The goose bumps popped up and a tremor shot through Buffy as she edged back.

“Don’t.”

“Why not? You want me.”

“N…No, I don’t.”

Faith moved closer again, her hand gently pushing the hair back from Buffy’s face.

“B, I’m not gonna hurt you this time.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing…”

“I’m doin' what we shoulda done a long time ago. I’m yours, Buffy. I’ve always been yours.”

Buffy's eyes refused to look up, but if they had, she would have seen everything Faith felt. There was nothing hidden, all of her feelings were right out in the open.

“I wanna be yours, B, I’ve always wanted that. And I want you to be mine too.”

She linked her hand with Buffy’s, raising it to her lips:

“Just trust me. Gimme a chance to show you how I feel about you.”

Buffy stood still and unmoving and Faith leaned in closer, her mouth meeting Buffy’s in a soft kiss. It lasted forever before Faith pulled back.

“You’re so damn beautiful, B. I…”

The rest of the sentence was lost as their lips touched again.

Faith had never been so gentle, so calm, so right in the moment, and as her tongue mingled with Buffy’s, she felt herself springing alive. Her hand went to the back of Buffy’s head, losing itself in the damp, silky hair as she encouraged her to stay right where she was.

Buffy moaned out into her mouth and Faith felt her knees turn to jelly as the puff of air blew into her.

“Jesus…I could come just from kissing you.”

Her lips latched on to Buffy’s neck, her tongue sliding and following to place hot delicate swipes on every bit of skin she could find. She slowly worked her way up to Buffy’s ear and when she got there, her words had Buffy on fire:

“You taste so good, B…just like my girl.”

Faith lifted her into her arms their mouths crashing together. Buffy’s hands tangled in Faith's hair as she forcefully returned the kiss, and Faith staggered slightly as she made her way to the bed. When her knees bumped against the mattress she put Buffy down and went right with her, her body hovering over her as the kiss continued.

Buffy’s hands tightened as Faith lowered her body to press firmly into Buffy’s. She wanted to go slow, everything in her wanted to be gentle and make it last, but when Buffy’s legs bent up and clung to either side of Faith’s waist, she couldn’t help herself.

The kiss changed, becoming almost brutal in its passion. Buffy’s moan was loud and Faith’s hands slid shakily over her breasts, the terrycloth creating an unwelcome and disheveled barrier that Faith hurriedly pushed aside. The towel fell away and she froze, looking down at Buffy and trying to take it all in.

“Holy fuck…you're…you're perfect."

Buffy's entire body blushed, but her eyes never left Faith's. She simply stayed still and quiet, letting Faith look her fill. Her hands shook as they landed on Buffy's waist, slowly sliding up her sides and then back down again.

"So soft and smooth…"

She leaned down to kiss along Buffy's collarbone, her tongue exploring the hollow of Buffy's neck, and the squirming began immediately.

"Faith…"

"I love how deep it is right here."

Buffy cried out, and Faith grinned as she lifted her head:

"One hot spot down, a million to go."

She began kissing her way down Buffy's body slowly, exploring, mapping, remembering…every freckle, every quiver, every noise like buried treasure to her. She stopped at the breasts, each hand filling and then moving, massaging, squeezing, her thumbs lifting to brush against the nipples, over and over until Buffy began moaning nonstop.

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

And with those words her mouth descended, forcing Buffy's body to lift off the mattress to meet her. Faith sucked and licked and nibbled, first one breast and then the other, repeating endlessly until Buffy was babbling, her hands threading tightly through Faith's hair again as the delicious torture continued. It was a long time before Faith pulled away, her breath emerging from her in shaky blasts.

Buffy whimpered faintly at the loss, but Faith was already sliding down, her lips delivering soft, barely there kisses to the insides of Buffy's thighs, scarcely able to believe where she was. Buffy couldn't believe it either, nor could she think clearly. She was lost in a haze of ecstasy, everything she was centered on the woman between her legs.

Faith didn't waste any time. She gave a few tentative swipes, and after receiving the enthusiastic response she'd hoped for, she went to work. She was a master at it, she knew that, but she was determined this was going to be the performance of her life. She was going to give Buffy every ounce of pleasure there was to give, and she was going to show her who they were, what they could be together.

Based on Buffy's loud commentary, it was going perfectly and she lifted Buffy's legs to drape them over her shoulders. She paused to savor the moment: the sheen of sweat on Buffy's skin, the tangled blonde of her hair, the mouth that was calling out her name, and the most amazing thing Faith had ever seen spread out right before her, held in her hands and just waiting for her touch.

She didn't stop until Buffy had gone quiet and she felt the quivery little aftershocks that trembled their way through Buffy's body. She pulled out then and kissed her way back up only to find that Buffy's eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even, and all obvious signs indicating that she had fallen asleep.

Faith reclined on her side, lightly drawing patterns on one of Buffy's arms. She loved all of the little blonde hairs, so soft and so damn sexy. She leaned down, rubbing her cheek against them, enjoying the feel of them against her skin.

"Are you nuzzling my arm hair?"

"Yeah."

"Mmm…no one's ever done that before."

"Dumb asses lost out."

Buffy's eyes were still closed.

"That was…I don't even know what that was."

"Was me and you, B."

Buffy laughed:

"Yeah, I know, I…I just wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither. I thought we'd talk."

Buffy opened her eyes and rolled over to face her.

"Faith, I'm not going to lie to you. That was incredible, the best I've ever had."

Faith tried to look cool, but she couldn't. Her smile beamed out of her, and Buffy had never seen her look so proud of herself.

"But I don't know what it means yet."

The smile dimmed slightly, but it didn't disappear.

"That's okay, we'll figure it out."

"Yes, but…I know it's all backwards, but could we maybe date?"

Faith laughed until she saw that Buffy was serious.

"Date? Like dinner and a movie?"

"Yes, but maybe without the movie at first. I'd just like us to talk normally, in normal situations, like a normal couple. You know, just get to know each other again."

"Guess that'd be okay, but think I oughta warn ya: nothin' about us is normal. Never gonna be either."

Buffy laughed and nodded in agreement.

"I'm grading 'normal' on a curve when it comes to us."

"Always were smart as hell."

"But I'm not trying to play games, I want that clear. It's just…I'm not sure about you, I don't know you, Faith. I want to, I want to very much, but I need you to give me some time before we have sex again."

"I can do that, B, and I understand. Just as long as you're not shuttin' the door or pretending, I can deal."

Buffy smiled and began tugging at the sleeve of Faith's t-shirt.

"Why do you still have all of your clothes on?"

"'Cause I didn't have time to…B?"

"Hmmm?"

Buffy was busy pushing Faith's shirt up, her hand grazing along the skin of Faith's stomach.

"What…what are you doin'?"

"Well, I know I said we had to slow down, but it doesn't seem fair that I'm all satisfied and you didn't get anything."

Faith tried to stay still as Buffy unbuttoned her jeans.

"Yeah, well whatever. I got enough if you…"

Buffy nudged her, pulling her jeans and underwear off together and tossing them aside.

"I always wondered what it'd be like to be with you. Now that I know half of the story, I really don't wanna wait to learn the rest of it."

"Oh."

"So I'm thinking…"

The tearing noise was loud as Buffy ripped Faith's shirt off, then slid on top of her.

"…we do this now, then put sex on the back burner for awhile. Agreed?"

Faith could barely form a coherent thought, let alone words, as she felt Buffy's naked body gliding against her own. It felt like silk and chocolate and beer and sex and the Red Sox and...

"B."

*****

When Faith awoke, the room was suffused with sunlight. The angle was strange, different, and as she became more alert she remembered where she was. The smile on her face was lazy and satisfied, and her arm tightened slightly around Buffy as they shared the same small space on the double bed.

Buffy was still asleep, her arm and leg thrown across Faith's body, her head resting just above Faith's breast. Her breath was blowing along Faith's nipple and Faith had never felt anything so good. Her hand smoothed lightly along the skin of Buffy's back and shoulder, and she kissed the top of her head gently, not wanting to wake her.

She wanted Buffy to stay right where she was forever, and if she could have stopped the world in its tracks, she would have. She couldn't stop smiling, not that she tried to, and she brought up her other arm to fully encircle the woman sprawled on top of her. The sunshine was spilling all over them, illuminating Buffy as if she were a goddess, something pure and shiny and beautiful.

Faith sighed in utter contentment, refusing to let herself worry about what was going to happen once Buffy woke up. Instead she chose to remember what they'd done, how she'd made Buffy cry out in ecstasy, how she'd been the one to show Buffy something new and real, and how she'd made Buffy lose control over and over again.

And the fact that Buffy had reciprocated so amazingly, well, Faith understood firsthand how Angel had lost his soul because perfect and total happiness was what she had right now. She was so blissed out, she didn't even get pissed at the thought of Angel with her girl. The past didn't matter because right here and right now Buffy Freaking Summers was in her bed, in her arms, and Faith had finally revealed herself to the woman she loved.

Her cards were on the table and Buffy had dealt them back with equal passion. It had been perfect, and no matter what happened in the future, Faith had that to hold onto. She was in the game now and she was planning to win in the end. She didn't know which way the odds were skewed, but she was all in and feeling nothing but great about the hand she held.

Buffy didn't move for almost a whole hour, and as she began stirring, Faith kissed the top of her head and let her wake up slowly. She stretched and yawned, then slowly lifted her head and looked around like she was getting her bearings. She placed a small kiss on Faith's breast, then snuggled back in, her leg and arm tightening just slightly.

"Hi."

"Hiya, B."

"Did you sleep too?"

"Like a log."

Faith could feel Buffy smiling against her skin.

"So how'd you sleep?"

"No complaints, F…not about anything."

She stretched again while never letting go, and as she rubbed up and down, Faith made a noise somewhere between a purr and a growl.

"Keep doin' that and I'm not gonna have any either."

Buffy laughed.

"So, um…do you usually fall asleep right after sex?"

"Nope, usually too busy haulin' ass or shovin' somebody else's out the door."

"Not this time though."

"Not any other time either, B. Not when it's you."

Buffy shifted so that she could look at her.

"Is this really happening?"

"Yep, it's goin' down and I would be too if we hadn't put the kibosh on."

"You understand, don't you, Faith?"

Faith kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Absolutely, B. We're gonna take our time, let you see what you're gettin'."

"Thank you."

"Least I can do. Not like I been an open book with you."

Buffy's look was nothing but serious:

"Why have you been…why wouldn't you let me in?"

"I was scared, B. I thought you hated me, so I tried to act like I didn't give a shit."

"So what changed?"

"Got home this mornin' and when I was in the shower, I decided to stop bein' a pussy."

Buffy kissed her, but pulled back way too quickly.

"Where were you?"

Faith tried to stay relaxed, but her body tensed.

"Nowhere important."

"Were you…"

"…Yeah, but nothing happened. We just talked."

Buffy laid her head back down and they were silent for a couple of minutes.

"So what's her name?"

"Doesn't matter."

"No, I guess it doesn't, but…why her?"

"Just 'cause she was there and was nothin' like you."

"Oh."

Faith tilted Buffy's chin up:

"It didn't mean anything, Buffy, I swear to you it didn't. I was just hurting and I needed somethin', is all."

"You're not going to keep seeing her, are you?"

"…No, I'm not gonna see her anymore."

Buffy kissed her, then nestled comfortably into Faith's chest.

"Good."

CHAPTER FIVE

Only four were left grouped around the table, everyone else having dispersed some time ago to complete their various assigned tasks. Fred was looking through some books and Willow was shuffling through some papers, all while explaining the situation to Buffy and Faith. Buffy was listening to Willow's explanation, at least she seemed to be, but Faith wasn't even bothering to pretend.

She was leaning back in her chair, her feet resting on the table as she divided her focus between the knife in her hands and Buffy, and the intensity of it all was making Willow nervous. From the moment they'd both shown up at the table, it had felt like the tension between them could be cut with a knife…a big, sharp, glittering, parts cutting off, angry knife.

"And so in a nutshell, we just have to not get sliced up into tiny pieces in the lobby."

Fred nodded, then looked confused.

"Wait, what?"

Faith looked at Willow.

"That directed at me?"

"Uh, well, it's kind of hard to think clearly when you're all dark, broody, and playing with weapons."

Faith shrugged and sat the knife down on the table.

"That better?"

"A little, but…"

Faith slid the knife at Slayer speed across the table to Buffy who snagged it easily.

"Best I can do."

Willow winced at the force of the slide and catch, but she continued on.

"So where were we?"

Buffy pulled her gaze away from Faith with a huge effort:

"You were nutshelling it for us dumb kids."

"Right! Well, thanks to Fred's genius, I'm going to be able to use a binding spell even while I'm rending. That means they won't be able to regenerate, which changes everything for the better."

Fred beamed at the compliment and excitedly began expounding.

"It just made sense. Kantrell's whole theory on space and time co-existing in dimensional wedges…"

"… that can only intersect when introduced to a catalyst of equal linear value."

"Right! We really have to discuss the 'Pergamum Codex' before you head back to Sunnydale."

Willow was already nodding with enthusiasm.

"Absolutely! I found this whole section on quantum…"

"Will, unless that sentence ends with: 'Leap' and there are pictures of a shirtless Scott Bakula, can we please get back on track?"

Willow looked embarrassed at how quickly she'd gotten carried away.

"Sorry, Buff. Science geeks, you know?"

"Hey, I'm well-versed in the ways of the science geek. Don't tell anyone, but my best friend's one."

Fred jumped right in:

"But I thought Willow was your best…Oh."

Faith laughed and nudged Fred's arm with the tip of her boot. Fred smiled big, the biggest smile Buffy had ever seen her give anyone, and something in her warmed to see the shier girl so perfectly at ease with Faith. She filed it, along with Faith giving up her knife so easily, under: "Reasons to Trust That Faith Has Changed" and moved on.

"Anyway, Will, where are we at?"

Willow shuffled through another stack of papers with a slightly confused frown.

"Fred and I still need to speak to Giles, and Wesley needs a little more time to finish his calculations. I guess maybe we should have a group meeting to go over things in say…four hours?"

"That sounds good. Gunn and Angel should be done with the weapons by then too, and that gives me time for a bath and a nap."

Faith brought her feet down to the floor.

"Gonna go help out. Good to see ya again, Red."

Willow was clearly surprised, but she returned the comment.

"Me too, yes. It was. You, not me for me, you know?"

"Got it. See you guys later."

She walked off and Fred stood as well.

"Willow, I'll go get the table set up in the conference room. That way we can have everything spread out when we speak to Mr. Giles."

"That'd be great. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"I'll be there. Bye, Buffy."

Buffy smiled warmly and waved as Fred took off carrying a huge armload of books. She was barely out of sight before Willow spun around.

"Okay, Buff, let's hear it."

"Hear what?"

"Obviously something's going on with you and Faith."

"Well, it's not..."

"Buffy, don't bother trying to pretend. I know you, and the way you and Faith were so careful not to touch each other, the way she kept staring at you and then you'd glance up looking all 'Grrr'. I know exactly what's going on."

"You do?"

Willow nodded knowingly.

"Yep, you guys had another big fight and now you're trying not to kill each other, right?"

"Not exactly."

"I get it. I mean, it's hard to put things in the past. We just saw me not doing a very good job of it myself and…"

"Will…"

"…Fred told me about all the yelling and the mega-sized tension, which sounds..."

"Will, we're not fighting."

Willow patted Buffy's hand.

"And that's good, great even. It's real progress, Buff, and maybe one day you won't yell at her on sight and you'll learn…"

"We slept together."

"…how to co-exist and…What?!"

"Shh!"

"'Shh'? You're shushing me after telling me something like that?! Buffy, 'shushing' is so not an option! I'd say my head spinning around and maybe even exploding is the more…"

Buffy had to admit she had a point.

"Okay, maybe 'shushing' isn't exactly allowed, but nobody else knows yet, so could you please try to explode quietly?"

"How did it happen? When did it happen?"

"I'm not really sure how. I'd just made the decision that I was done with her and…"

"'Done with her'? When did you start with her?"

Buffy rubbed her hands over her face in frustration.

"Never, always, I don't know. It's just that thing we've always had…"

"You mean the sexual tension thing from Day One? I'm onboard with that, I'm just surprised that you guys finally did something nice with it."

"You and me both."

Willow waited patiently, but after a few moments of nothing from Buffy except staring out into space, she smacked her on the arm.

"Buffy, details!"

"Sorry. It was great, Will, even better than I'd imagined, and I've imagined some pretty amazing stuff over the years. But this was… well, besides her being the best ever, it just felt right somehow, like I was finally where I was supposed to be."

"I can't believe this! So what was she like?"

Buffy blushed:

"She was…God, Will, she should teach classes. And she was sweet too, very tender and loving. I felt safe and loved, even when it was…you know…"

She blushed even harder.

"…not so tender."

"Wow."

"Yeah, it was a definite 'wow'. But it's all happening so fast, so I asked her if we could slow down, maybe get to know each other again."

"That makes sense, but I'll bet she wasn't happy."

"I wouldn't exactly say she's 'happy', but she's fine with it. I thought she was going to be a jerk about it, but she actually listened and understood where I was coming from."

"Again with the 'wow'. So, what's the plan then? What are the rules?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

"Beyond stopping the end of the world again and keeping our hands off of each other, I've got nothing. I'm also not sure which one's going to be harder."

"I'm voting for the 'Slayer No-Touch' policy. The way she was just looking at you…"

"I know. Trust me, I know."

Willow began gathering her papers and books.

"Well, I guess if you're sleeping with her and Fred does nothing but sing her praises, I should try to accept that she's changed. She's still really sexy though, that seems to be just the same."

"I noticed that."

"Ya sure did, you big gaymo!"

"You should talk."

Willow's face was nothing but delighted, and she loved that Buffy actually looked happy.

"Hence, I am making with the verbiage and name calling."

"And you're making with it very well. Xander would be so jealous."

"He'll get his chance, but right now I get to live it up!"

Buffy laughed.

"I guess that's only fair, but could you not…"

"One 'BFF QT', coming right up, B!"

"Thanks. It won't be a secret for too long, I just want to get my bearings, you know? One second I'm not ever going there with her, the next she's in my room and we're going there several times."

"And I am so going to need more details somewhere soon down the line."

"We'll have a 'Girl Talk' night after the apocalypse."

"Deal. Okay, I'd better get this stuff to Fred."

Buffy smiled.

"Um…speaking of somebody being a 'big gaymo'…"

It was Willow's turn to blush.

"She is really cute, isn't she?"

"She's adorable. And sweet and smart and smitten. Kind of like someone else I know."

"Do you really think so, Buffy?"

"Well, based on the way she blushes whenever you look at her…"

"It's not that bad, is it?"

"Yes it's totally that bad, and stop looking so happy about it."

Willow grinned.

"I think we could be really good friends if nothing else."

"If you mean the kind with benefits, I definitely agree."

"And I think I'm ready, you know?"

"I know. Tara would want you to find someone, Will."

Willow's eyes saddened:

"She would…Sometimes I think I hear her yelling at me to get going."

"Knowing Tara, that's exactly what she's doing."

"Yeah…Well, here's hoping, for all of us."

Buffy hugged her and then kissed her on the cheek.

"Do you need me to help you with…"

"Buffy! I know you're new at this, but not all gay girls share their women."

"What?! No, I meant help carrying your books!"

Willow laughed at the panicked look on Buffy's face.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

"Meanie."

Willow began walking away, but she tossed back over her shoulder:

"You and Faith, Buff? Epic. Epically epic. Wow!"

Then she was gone and Buffy headed up the stairs to her room for some much needed alone time. She was lost in thought, smiling as she walked…It was kind of epic, her and Faith. Epically epic and well past time.

She could barely believe that it was happening and happening so easily – well, easier than things usually happened between them. They were actually going for it and they had a chance, a real chance, and that was something she just couldn't…

Buffy was yanked inside the room just three down from her own, the door closing shut just before she was slammed against it. She had no time to protest as Faith's mouth covered her own, her hands letting go of Buffy's arm to wrap their way through her hair. Her body molded itself to Buffy's and kept her pinned exactly where she was.

It took a couple of minutes, but Buffy finally managed to pull her mouth away.

"Faith…"

There was no response as Faith resumed the position, her tongue silencing Buffy's completely, one of her hands blazing a tantalizing trail of lust on fire down Buffy's body.

"Faith…Oh God, what are you doing?"

There was another delay, but Faith finally spoke up:

"Think I might be cheating."

"It kind of…it kind of seems that way."

"Yeah, but…"

Her lips went to Buffy's neck and her hand slid under Buffy's shirt and made its way up to her breast.

"…rulebook wasn't exactly clear."

Buffy's moan of pleasure was her immediate answer.

"So figured…might as well go for it 'til the ref stops me."

"Mmm…you are so…"

She jerked Faith's head up and crashed their mouths back together, their tongues slipping and gliding and fighting. Buffy's leg came up to wrap around Faith's waist, and this time it was Faith's moan that filled the air.

"You feel so fuckin' good, B."

"You do too."

"Want me to stop?"

Her sexy voice even sexier as it rasped intimately in Buffy's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"No, I don't want you to stop."

Faith kissed her again, then with a growl of displeasure, she pulled back.

"Damn, all I can think about is makin' you scream, ya know?"

Buffy smiled.

"Of course I know, and hey, I said I don't want you to stop."

Faith smiled, then dipped back in to deliver a quick kiss.

"Yeah, but you need me to, so I'm stoppin'."

Buffy's smile grew larger.

"You are so sweet."

"Sometimes, but let's keep that just 'tween us, yeah?"

"Slayer's honor, Sweet Girl."

They stayed where they were, Faith leaning on her hands that were braced on the door on either side of Buffy's head. Their bodies were just inches apart, the tiny space between them buzzing and alive.

"So, how's this work?"

"I'm not sure. We can kiss though, I definitely don't want to go without that. Otherwise, all I really know is that I want us to slow down a little bit. Maybe we can just make up the rules as we go along?"

"Sounds good, 'cause I think I'd go nuts again if I couldn't touch you at all."

Faith's hand came up and gently trailed along the side of Buffy's face, then shakily returned to the door.

They stood for a minute, neither moving or speaking as they simply stared and felt every single inch that separated them.

"So uh…I'm going to go to my room now."

"Lead the way."

Buffy laughed at the eager tone and the way Faith wriggled her eyebrows.

"Alone. I need a bath and a nap."

"Why? Ya all sore and tuckered out?"

"And what if I am?"

Faith grinned wickedly:

"Then I did my job pretty damn good."

"Yes you did, yes I am, and no, you cannot come with me."

"Sure I can, did that once already. Be more than happy to do it again."

She pressed her body against Buffy's and they both groaned.

"Faith…"

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll just imagine what you look like…all wet everywhere, your tits pokin' out through the water. Gonna be one of them girly bubble ones?"

"Of course. It's just not a bath without the bubbles."

"Figures, Princess. I'll see ya later?"

"Uh-huh. Maybe you could come by and walk me to the meeting."

"Sure. I'll pick ya up like fifteen minutes before, that way we can grope each other for a few."

Buffy smiled shyly, her voice coming out all soft.

"I'd like that."

"Then it's a date."

Faith kissed her on the tip of her nose, then reached around her to open the door.

"There ya go, virtue all safe and sound."

"I wouldn't say that."

"I'm gonna be thinkin' about ya, B."

"Me too."

"See? Always knew you were self-centered."

Buffy laughed and shook her head.

"See you later."

"Count on it."

Buffy walked out and was quickly at her own room. As she swung the door open, Faith called out to her.

"Hey, B?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Your nose is perfect, just like the rest of you."

With that, she sauntered down the hall towards the stairs, and Buffy watched her until she was out of sight.

She went into her room, closing the door and leaning back against it with a contented sigh. Faith was doing everything right, and Buffy was impressed with her maturity. So far there had been no complaining, no anger, no anything except a respectful, sexy playfulness. Faith was being nothing but considerate while making it abundantly clear that she wanted Buffy, and Buffy liked it, she liked it a lot.

She locked the door and began stripping as she headed for the bathroom, still lost in thought. Faith's reaction to Willow's nervousness had surprised Buffy. She hadn't gotten defensive or angry, instead she had done everything she could to put Willow at ease. It was all so different from the Faith of old, and as Buffy pushed open the bathroom door, she wondered how Faith had managed to…The sight before her stopped her in her tracks.

A bubble bath was already drawn, its fragrant aroma filling Buffy's senses as the bubbles frothed in the tub and beckoned her to enter into their relaxing warmth. The steam rose lazily from the surface of the water and a bath pillow balanced on the edge of the tub.

"Oh Buffy, you are in so much trouble."

With a smile she slid in, wishing the woman who had drawn the bath was with her.

Buffy still wanted them to take their time, but she knew she was also going to be measuring that time at an accelerated rate. The difference between dog and human years was a great starting point; there had to be something like that for Slayers. She was getting more comfortable with the "New and Improved" Faith by the second, and she knew that their history was actually starting to work for them for a change.

She already knew Faith, both the good and bad, and she was starting to understand just how different things were now. They had both changed, that was obvious, but what remained the same was that Faith was still someone Buffy was fairly certain she could fall in love with. Thirty minutes later when she slipped into the freshly made bed, smelled the mostly clean sheets, and read the brief note, all of her doubts were gone.

"B,

Hope the bath hit the right spot. Changed the sheets…except for my pillow.

F."

Buffy fell asleep in moments, her face buried in that pillow and smiling all the way.

*****

The rest of the week had gone smoothly in every way. Faith and Buffy had gotten closer as they'd taken their version of "time", Willow had managed to master the necessary spells, they had come up with a good plan, and Angel's contacts had pinpointed when and where the ritual was going to be attempted. It had all been perfect.

But perfect always had a way of not lasting, and right now in the thick of the battle, "perfect" had taken off for parts unknown to tease and torment someone else with its false promises. There was no time to ponder the philosophical meaning behind an unattainable word, there was only time to focus on the job at hand…a job that had started off as a dangerous one and had escalated all too quickly into a much more brutal battle than anyone had anticipated.

Willow was binding and rending, but the pace was a great deal slower than they had planned for, and that meant the fight was harder than anyone had expected it to be….'anyone' meaning people not named "Buffy Summers".

The Slayer had learned long ago to always expect the worst and she had rarely ever been surprised. They were winning, that much was sure, but they were still fighting for their lives and the lives of every other being on the planet. They had started off the very picture of organization, but that was long ago, and now all was chaos as they fought their way to the head demon and the silver talisman he was using to screw up the natural order of things.

"B!"

The shout had Buffy ducking and rolling, the axe blow aimed at her head swinging harmlessly above her. She kicked out and connected, knocking the demon she'd been grappling with back into his teammate as he charged the vulnerable Slayer on the ground. She was on her feet quickly and following, decapitating them both as they lay jumbled together on the grass.

She glanced at Faith who was handling her foes just fine, then spotted Wesley and Gunn fighting back to back. Angel was doing okay too, but then she saw it. As he engaged the two demons in front of him, one was sneaking up behind him, a wooden stake in its hand. There was no time to warn him; her cry would only make him turn around and the end result would be much the same. She instead flung her axe and the stake fell to the ground, still clutched in the demon's hand. Angel whirled at the sudden scream, slashing the now one-handed attacker across the throat and looking over at Buffy.

But she was no longer available to receive looks of gratitude. Her suddenly weaponless status had three demons leaping on her, tackling her to the ground as they attempted to break her neck, crush her ribs, and stab her in the heart. None of those things appealed to Buffy, and she not surprisingly fought back.

She pulled with both hands on the arm that had her in a chokehold, then reverse head butted her assailant until he loosened his grip even more. She slid downwards on her back, completely out of his grasp, her elbow ramming into his groin area as she went. She grabbed for the hand holding the knife and caught it cleanly before it could connect, but she could not stop the blow to her ribs. She did manage to raise her leg just in time, deflecting at least some of the impact. A couple of her ribs cracked, but none broke, and Buffy Summers blew right through that bit of pain as she continued to fight.

Suddenly she was holding the hand that held the knife because it had come loose from the demon's arm. His screaming left little doubt that he'd been targeted by Willow's "Rending" spell and as he began getting pulled apart, Buffy jammed the knife deep into the rib cracker's eye, then pulled it out and slammed it into the neck breaker's forehead.

They were dead, two bodies and several parts strewn around her, but Buffy saw none of it. Instead she saw Wesley down and about to be beheaded when Faith leapt over him, landing in front of him and just managing to get her axe up in time to take the full brunt of the blow with her weapon instead of her head. Her axe handle was cut away, but Faith just grinned as she threw the loose blade into the demon, caught his fully functional axe out of the air, then whirled to eviscerate another demon who was rushing her from behind.

Angel had Gunn and that meant Buffy had the head demon who was still frantically trying to finish his ritual. She ran towards him and he turned at the last second to meet her. They went down in a tangled mix of demon and human limbs, and Buffy reached back with her hand to try and knock the talisman out of the Sacred Circle. The demon punched her in the shoulder joint, almost separating it with the powerful impact, and she cried out with the pain.

They rolled together on the ground, each struggling for control of the other, and neither getting it. In desperation, the demon began clawing at her face, attempting to gouge her eyes out, and Buffy pulled her head back, then kneed him as hard as she could between his legs. He made a noise best described as a bellow and although his hands left her face, they merely slid down to her arms to restrain her.

But Buffy Summers wasn't an easy woman to pin down and she squirmed away, using her elbow to smash into his face as she back flipped quickly to her feet. The talisman was in reach, but as she went to kick it out of the circle, another demon came flying in from the side, tackling her back down onto the head demon. She was squished between them, preventing either from doing her any serious damage, but also preventing her from dispensing with the talisman.

It was beginning to glow and Buffy struggled to break free, but sensing that time was on their side, the demons stopped fighting with her. They clasped their arms around her in a sick imitation of a group hug, trapping her quite effectively in their embrace.

She continued to fight – breaking noses, knocking out teeth, biting anything she could reach, but Buffy could not get loose. Although the pain she was inflicting was causing their grasp to weaken, she knew it wasn't going to happen fast enough to stop the ritual from starting, and once it started…it would be unstoppable.

"Help!"

Her shout went unanswered.

From what little she could see, everyone else was embroiled in their own fight and had no idea that the apocalypse was truly at hand.

"End of the world if somebody doesn't get the talisman!"

The demon in front of her smiled like he knew what she was saying and then he was gone…lifted up and off of her.

Faith tossed him like a bag of garbage at the talisman, knocking it out of the Sacred Circle. There was a bright flash as it flamed on with an otherworldly intensity, only to turn to ash in an instant and also incinerate the demon who'd gone on his final ride with it.

The leader who was still holding onto Buffy sagged in defeat, and she pulled away and stood. He stayed on the ground, his eyes easily communicating his hatred of her. His bloody mouth struggled to form the words that were unfamiliar to him, but what came out was more than understandable despite the accent and the disgust.

"The Slay-er."

Buffy's eyes as they looked at him were cold, merciless, the eyes of death…the eyes of The Slayer.

"Call us 'The Chosen Two'. It's catchier."

She took Faith's axe and swung it down, severing his head quickly and cleanly. She stood staring at him for a moment, then handed Faith's weapon back to her.

"Thanks, F. Couldn't have done it without you."

Buffy turned to survey the damage.

They were all alive, although in various states of disrepair. All of them were bloodied and bruised, their clothing torn, and everything about them looking worse for wear. Buffy smiled at the beautiful sight.

"Is everybody okay?"

She knew the answer before she asked the question, but she wanted to hear everyone sound off. Faith subtly bumped her shoulder.

"I'm starvin', B."

"Is that your only complaint?"

"There s'posed to be somethin' else?"

"I'm hoping there is."

"Guess it depends on the rulebook."

"Screw the rules, Faith."

Faith laughed, her face bruised and scraped, blood trickling down her chin.

"Rather fuck you, B."

"I'd rather you did that too."

"Not gonna be a problem."

Buffy smiled, her eyes warm and happy as everyone else began gathering around.

"I'll draw the bath this time, F."

"I'll be there."

CHAPTER SIX

Giles' voice sounded apologetic and worried, but he had a job to do and he wasn't a coward. He was a Watcher and although he was sorry he had to deliver the horrible news, it had to be done.

"I am sorry, Buffy, but all of our research indicates that you'll need to stay there for at least the rest of the week. Whilst I don't believe there will be a renewed assault, the opportunity shall remain present over the next several days and we need you on site just in case…"

"That's fine, Giles."

There was a pause as he tried to understand the change in her attitude. Buffy sounded downright giddy that she had to stay, and Giles was baffled. Perhaps it was Willow's presence that made the difference, although as much as Buffy loved her, he didn't see how she could affect such a drastic change in his Slayer's demeanor. Buffy obviously couldn't be happier that she was stuck in Los Angeles.

"Yes, well I know you were very much looking forward to returning to your duties here."

"I was? I mean, 'I was'! So how are things there?"

"Surprisingly, quite well. Spike and the Buffybot have managed to keep things well under control. It's been most helpful that things are somewhat on the quiet side."

"Great, somebody's probably planning an apocalypse as we speak."

He sounded unconcerned.

"We've seen no signs or harbingers, so I think that most unlikely."

"I guess that's the good news. Okay, so Will stays here too?"

"Yes, I feel that would be the prudent thing to do."

Buffy glanced at Willow and Fred. They appeared to be competing to see who could smile the biggest. When she looked over at Faith, it was to see her whittling a stake, her feet up on the table in front of her and her face completely blank…except for the dimples that were just peeking out to show Buffy her pleasure at the news.

Buffy smiled outright, then directed her attention back to the phone call.

"Okay, so we stay put until we get the word from headquarters."

"Yes, that seems wisest. Is Wesley about? I'd like to apprise him of the situation and go over the protocols engendered by a situation of this magnitude."

"He's with the other boys playing in the sewers. But back to the most important thing…Will and I are on vacation?"

"I suppose one could call it that if they chose to, but Buffy…"

"And I am choosing to, Giles. I'm choosing and chosing and any other 'choo' word that applies."

He didn't laugh, but his amusement was apparent in his voice.

"Yes, well I suppose that's only fair. Could you please ask Wesley to call me as soon as possible? I don't want to risk any misunderstandings on that end."

"I'll tell him to place a Watcher to Watcher call ASAP."

"Thank you, Buffy. Enjoy your downtime and be safe, all of you."

And then he was gone and Buffy turned to the group.

"I've got one word for us…Party!"

****

The club was busy, but not packed. As Faith and Gunn went to get a round of drinks, Buffy, Wesley, Fred, Willow and Cordelia pushed two tables together. They got seated and Wesley looked around.

"I must say, I've not visited an establishment such as this in a long time."

"How come?"

He smiled at Willow.

"A lack of time, I fear, as well as feeling somewhat like a fish out of water."

"Dumb sayin', Watcher. Fish outta water's dead, and that didn't happen to any of us, least not this time around."

Gunn held the tray and Faith plucked Wesley's drink off and handed it to him. He smiled at her as he took it.

"No it didn't, and I dare say that's due to some superlative teamwork and a job well done by both Slayers working in tandem."

"Yeah, me and B rock together."

Buffy blushed as she thought of just how they rocked together, and took a huge sip of her drink through the straw. She immediately began coughing, and Willow pounded her on the back.

"Faith, what the hell is in this?"

"Just what ya asked for, B, plus a little extra kick for them hard to reach places."

She grinned as she said it, then sat down and knocked back a shot of something. Gunn gave her a high five and laughed.

"Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Cordelia took a sip of her drink, chewing on some ice.

"Believed what, Gunn?"

"That somebody tough as Buffy could be such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol."

"Told ya. B gets drunk on just a whiff. Next drink's on you."

"Yeah, I know I lost the bet, but…"

His cell phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the text.

"Aww…hell no."

He texted a reply and then received one back way too fast.

"Damn. Gonna have to bail, I got someplace I need to be."

"Need help?"

He smiled gratefully at Faith, placing his hand on her shoulder as he stood.

"Nah, it's just some old school crap.'Sides, you know how the boys feel about you."

Faith leaned back in her chair.

"Yeah, but they oughta let bygones be gone by now."

"With ya there. You guys have a good time. The Slayer gets my drink."

Faith smiled big as she reached for it, but he stopped her.

"Uh-uh. I mean: the real Slayer."

Faith laughed.

"Damn, Chuckles, that's cold…even for you."

"You taught me everything I know. Night, guys."

Then he was gone, the house band ended their break, and Wesley decided to liven things up.

"Cordelia, could I perhaps interest you in a twirl around the dance floor?"

She smiled across the table at him.

"Sure, the night's young. I should be able to salvage my reputation after."

He stood and offered his hand while she gulped down the rest of her drink for courage.

"I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised. I was voted 'Best in Waltz' three years running at…"

The rest of his sentence was lost in the music, and Willow sat there turning red.

"Um…Fred…uh…would you like…"

"Yes!"

And it was Fred who led a slightly stunned Willow out into the crowd.

The Slayers watched them for a minute, then Faith slid around to sit in the seat next to Buffy.

"Hi, B."

"Hi, F."

"So we're out on a full-fledged kinda date."

"We kinda are."

"And you're gonna be here longer than we thought."

"Yes, I am."

Faith toyed with her glass, the amber liquid sloshing right up to the edge but never spilling over.

"How do ya do it, B?"

"Do what?"

Faith met her eyes.

"Be the Slayer day in, day out, year after year."

"I don't know, I guess I don't have a choice."

"You got a choice, B, just like me. Difference is, you choose the right one every time."

Buffy reached for her hand.

"Not always, Faith. Sometimes I choose the very worst possible choice and I regret it – every single minute of every single day since then."

Faith's hand squeezed Buffy's tightly.

"I more than had it comin', B. I was nuts, a total loose cannon."

"I still should have done something else."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"But I…"

"Hey, listen up, now. I'm an expert on this shit, spent a lot of time tryin' to shake it offa me and bottom line's this: We did what we did, nothin's ever gonna change that. But that's not all we are, B, it's not all we can have. We gotta let it go and move on."

Buffy stared down at the tabletop, her fingers playing slowly with Faith's.

"You're right, I know that. It's just hard."

"Yeah, it is. But maybe together we got a shot at turnin' the tables and hittin' that liitle fucker back for a change."

Buffy looked up, a smile beginning to work its way onto her face.

"I vote for that."

They stared at each other, the feeling alive and electric as it sparked between them, and Faith lifted Buffy's hand to her lips.

"Then consider it…"

"My, that didn't quite turn out to be the experience I'd planned for."

They looked up to see a flushed Wesley looking like he had just run a marathon.

"Too much for ya, huh?"

"Apparently so."

"So where's Cor? Ya have to kill her to save yourself?"

"I wasn't that far gone. She simply chose to remain on the floor with…"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, I see'em. Damn, Wes, she's crampin' the lovebirds' style."

"Pardon me, Cordelia's what? Cramping lovebirds?"

"Be back in a few, B."

And then she was gone, expertly threading her way up to the three girls and grabbing Cordelia's arm. She spun her away from Willow and Fred, Cordelia's back bumping hard against her front as Faith's arms encircled her from behind. Faith whispered something into her ear which caused Cordelia to laugh and throw her head back.

"…don't you agree, Buffy?"

"What? Oh yes, I agree."

"Then perhaps when you return home you can convince Giles? Despite everything, he still persists in seeing me as the…"

The beat had changed to a low, insistent one, and Buffy's eyes were riveted on Faith and Cordelia. They were moving together, hips swaying and seeming to chase each other in a perfect rhythm. Buffy wasn't surprised, Faith always danced as if she were having sex, but this seemed different somehow…almost intimate.

As she sat there watching and sipping her drink, she saw Cordelia's eyes close as her right arm reached up behind Faith's head and pulled it down until Faith's mouth was against her cheek. Faith's hands went to Cordelia's hips and began moving, sliding slowly up and down as they moved back and forth, then her left hand slid around to Cordelia's stomach, pulling her back until she was flush against Faith and being held there.

"…and given time and circumstance I believe we all change in ways…"

Buffy was up and moving without a word, and Wesley was stunned by her abrupt exit.

"Yes, well, lovely speaking with you too, Buffy."

Buffy didn't consider herself a jealous person. Sure, she liked to keep what was hers, but that didn't make her jealous or possessive. And she knew what Faith was like when she danced, that it didn't really mean anything even if she went a bit too far. But watching Faith and Cordelia paw each other on the dance floor with a familiarity that set off alarm bells, well that made Buffy a jealous person.

As she got to within hearing distance, the words that were being said didn't calm her down, not in the slightest:

"…fuckin' hottest woman on the planet."

Cordelia giggled, thrusting her ass back against Faith.

"Are you sure about that?"

Faith pushed forward, her eyes closing.

"Mmm…fucking positive."

"Well, good fo…"

And then Cordelia stood alone, her dance partner held in the firm grasp of the Slayer.

"Let's dance, F."

Buffy stood behind Faith, her arms wrapped around hers, pinning them to her sides most effectively. The song had changed, but the beat was still the same…only now there seemed to be a danger to it, a sexiness that somehow seemed threatening. At least that was Faith's interpretation of it, but she was still a little dazed at how fast she'd changed positions and partners.

Cordelia watched for a few seconds, then with a small smirk headed back to the table.

"Ah Cordelia, I took the liberty of ordering you another drink as well as a bottled water."

She smiled at him appreciatively as she drank some of the water.

"Thanks. Dancing with Faith always makes a girl hot."

He glanced at the dance floor.

"I'm not sure I see why, she merely seems to stand in place."

"Yeah, well I think maybe when this is over, she's going to need some water."

"Really? I'll order her…"

He lifted his arm to gain the waitress' attention, but Cordelia pulled it down.

"Never mind, Wes. She won't be coming back to the table and neither will Buffy."

"And how do you know…"

She pointed out to the dance floor and his eyes widened.

"Oh my, yes…well then."

He gulped his drink as Willow and Fred returned to the table, nearly skipping in their happiness. They collapsed into their seats, going right for the unopened bottles of water.

"So did we miss anything good, you guys?"

Cordelia laughed.

"Nope, I'd say your timing's impeccable."

"Where are Buffy and Faith?"

Fred had been scanning the club and she excitedly pointed them out to Willow.

"There they are! They're......oh."

"So they're danc…Goddess."

"Yep, I think that sums it up."

Wesley remained silent as he signaled the waitress for another drink, and they all sat back to watch the show.

*****

Buffy was pressed against Faith, her hips rotating slowly against Faith's ass, her hands just under her breasts, and her voice whispering seductively into her ear.

"What were you doing out here?"

A tremor shot through Faith as Buffy's breath blew into her ear, and she struggled to speak coherently.

"J…just…I was dancin'."

"I saw."

Buffy's hands slid up a little higher, cupping the undersides of Faith's breasts.

"I didn't really like it, F."

Faith tried to turn to face her, but Buffy's arms tightened.

"Uh-uh, you stay right there."

"What are you…Shit!!"

Buffy's fingers squeezed a pair of nipples, then returned to their "almost there" position.

"So what were you going to do, Faith? Have sex with her right here?"

"Stop…stop bein' ridiculous."

Buffy's response was to begin kissing along Faith's neck and shoulder, making sure to pay close attention to the sensitive spot a few inches below her ear.

"Does she know about this spot, F?"

"…"

"Does she?"

"…No…"

"Does she know how you like someone else on top?"

"…No..."

"How you like it rough sometimes?"

"Buffy…"

"Because I know, Faith, I know all of those things…and I also know just what to do to make you come."

"So maybe we could…"

She tried to turn again, but Buffy still wouldn't let her. Instead she began moving, this time a little harder and a little faster, her sighs and gasps and moans all releasing themselves right into Faith's ear.

"Mmm…I'm so horny tonight."

"Buffy, c'mon. There's a million people here."

"Are you shy now, Faith? You seemed just fine with the PDAs when it was you and Cordy."

"Okay, so I guess I got a little carried away, but…"

"Your ass feels so good…against me."

"Oh hell…Least lemme touch..."

"Mmm…my nipples are so hard. Can you feel them?"

"…"

Buffy bit her neck.

"Shit!"

"I said: 'Can you feel them'?"

"Y…yes, I feel'em. B, please…"

"But I thought this is what you like. You didn't have any problem rubbing all over Cordelia."

"I wasn't…I didn't…Oh fuck…"

"Or maybe you only like it when it's you doing the rubbing."

Buffy moved them off to a corner underneath some stairs where it was relatively dark, and her hand slid down to the front of Faith's jeans. She unerringly found the spot and began moving her hand slowly, pressing the seam of Faith's pants back and forth in a tantalizing motion. Faith jumped, then moaned from down low in her throat.

"B…you gotta…I mean I gotta…"

"Do you think Cordelia's hot, Faith?"

"…"

"Do you think she's sexy?"

"Not like…not like you, B."

"Would you fuck her?"

"N…no."

They were on dangerous ground, but Faith could barely think straight, let alone try to keep a secret. Buffy's movements sped up and Faith's legs became quivery as she struggled to remain standing. Her head flung back to rest on Buffy's shoulder, her eyes closed tight and her breathing erratic.

"But you'll fuck me."

"Y…yes..."

"Because I know how to make you come…"

Faith was right on the verge. Everything she had was focused on Buffy's hand between her legs, Buffy's center moving against her ass, Buffy's nipples rubbing against her back, and Buffy's seductive voice whispering into her ear.

"…and I know how to leave you hanging."

And with that Buffy was out the side door and into the alley. Faith staggered and almost fell, but she somehow managed to stay upright. She stood stunned at the loss for nearly a minute before she followed Buffy outside.

She was there waiting, leaning casually against a wall with an angry look on her face.

"That wasn't nice, B."

"Neither was fucking another woman."

"I wasn't fucking Cordelia."

"It sure looked like you could or maybe did."

Faith approached her carefully, unsure just how mad Buffy really was.

"You know how I get when I dance, B. Cor's just a friend."

"Better make sure it stays that way."

"Or what?"

Buffy reached out quickly and snagged the loop of Faith's jeans, pulling her close.

"Or maybe I'll tie you up and torture you like that for hours."

Faith pressed their bodies together and kissed her.

"Maybe at some point we could do that anyway."

"If you don't stop fondling women besides me, I think you can count on it."

"I'm sorry, B. Kinda new at this, but no more sexy dancin' with anybody but you."

Buffy didn't say anything, but Faith could tell her anger was dissipating and she pulled her closer, thrusting her leg between one of Buffy's thighs.

"Kinda got me all heated up here."

"Too bad."

"What's the rule 'bout fucking you in an alley?"

"It's not going to happen, F."

"Wanna head back to the hotel and lemme make it up to ya?"

Buffy's hand slid down on the outside of Faith's pants to the familiar rigid seam.

"Want me to get you off right here?"

Faith's answer was a loud groan as her eyes closed and her hips began moving to the rhythm Buffy set.

"Jesus, B…you shoulda come with a warning label."

Buffy leaned in and whispered:

"Now why would I want to do that when I can come with you instead?"

With a final rub, she nipped at Faith's ear.

"Wanna get a cab?"

"Rocket ship's not gonna be fast enough, but yeah, let's grab a cab."

****

The room was finally still and quiet, but it had taken hours to get that way. Two turned on Slayers: one jealous, the other feeling guilty, and both lusting after the other with everything they had…It took time to exact the appropriate pound of flesh, to reassure, to bestow and receive forgiveness, to get back on equal footing.

Faith was on her back, her head resting on a pillow as Buffy's head rested comfortably on her chest. Buffy's hand stroked slowly along Faith's breast, the intent not to incite, but to soothe and calm.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"We are so good together."

Faith tilted down slightly to kiss the top of Buffy's head.

"We're fuckin' off the charts good together."

"I don't just mean the sex."

"Me neither."

"Although that's crazy good too."

"The best, B."

All was quiet again, and Faith could tell that Buffy was drifting off. She was becoming heavier, the stroking of her hand was slowing, and Faith tightened her arm around her. She was happy, warm, and content and ready to give in to sleep as well when Buffy mumbled her final words of the night:

"I love you."

Faith's eyes snapped open. Her body tensed and her breathing stopped.

Love. The big word had been uttered and she didn't have a clue what to do, what to say, who to be. She stayed still hoping she wouldn't be seen or noticed, that Buffy would just continue on her way to sleep, but no, Buffy was lifting her head and her eyes were searching for Faith's.

"Faith?"

Eyes riveted to the ceiling, arm like an iron band, Faith's body was stiff and ready as if she were headed into battle.

"Hey…"

Buffy was sitting up all the way now, her face concerned, worried, but not hurt…not yet.

"…what's wrong?"

Faith knew she had to speak, she was making it all worse by remaining quiet, so she forced herself to say something.

"Nothing."

Buffy leaned over and kissed her softly, pulling back when she received little response.

"Okay, I'd get a better reaction from a dead person than that…and I don't mean Angel."

She had said that deliberately; a reference to Angel would always stir up something in Faith, but not this time. There was no anger, no jealousy, no affection, no laughter, no anything.

"Faith, you're scaring me."

Her eyes flickered then. She didn't want to scare Buffy, not ever again, but she was nearing a panic herself and couldn't think clearly.

**I love you.**

Faith sat up abruptly on the side of the bed, her back to Buffy.

"Sorry. I need …"

Buffy touched her back, her hand sliding warm and tender on Faith's naked skin.

"Is this because I…"

Faith was up, pulling her clothes on so roughly, she almost tore her shirt.

"It's…B, it's not you, okay?"

"That's a little hard to believe. One second we're all happy and snuggled up, the next you've turned into a block of ice who won't even look at me."

Faith forced herself to face at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. I thought we were at the same place."

"We are. I'm not unhappy, Buffy, I'm not. I just need some air."

"Air?"

"Yeah, just a quick walk."

Buffy didn't exactly look sold on the idea, but she nodded.

"Okay."

"Thanks, B. I won't be long."

Buffy nodded again as she sat there alone on the bed, her head bent down. Faith turned to leave, but she saw the tear hit the sheet and knew that Buffy was just barely hanging on.

"B…please, don't be upset. I just…"

"I don't want you to leave."

"B…"

"Stay with me, Faith. Don't go."

Buffy stood up and kissed her, pushing her jacket off as she did. She began placing soft kisses all over Faith's body, removing clothing as she went, murmuring:

"So beautiful…so strong…so soft…so Faith…"

Faith could do nothing except stay where she was, her body reacting to Buffy's attention like it was made for it. Every touch, every kiss, every word seemingly designed just for Faith as it reeled her in and made her feel safe, made her feel loved. If Buffy could not tell her, she would show her, and she did, one sweet, loving gesture at a time.

It lasted forever and when it was over, they were right back in the same position they'd started off in. The only difference this time was that Buffy never said a word as she fell asleep, and Faith was nowhere near Slumber Land as she lay there with her arm wrapped around her.

She stared up at the ceiling, willing herself to stop thinking.

**I love you.**

Said with such surety, such confidence, as if Buffy thought it was the most natural thing in the world to say. Maybe she was just delusional or maybe Buffy was just naïve, but Faith had never heard those three words before and she was terrified. Buffy's body was crowding her, suffocating her, holding her helpless with its intimacy. She needed space, she needed to move, and she needed it now.

She slid out from under as slowly as she could, which was hard to do in the panic that had come for her again. She controlled herself the best she could, praying that she didn't wake Buffy. She felt like cheering when she got free and clear, but instead focused on dressing quickly and quietly. In moments she was done, and she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed out into the night.

****

The pounding on her door surprised her, but Cordelia knew who it was. It was the "why" of it that had her puzzled. She quickly slipped on her robe and hurried to let her in, Dennis helpfully turning on lights and unhooking the chain.

"Hang on!"

She opened the door, confused when Faith didn't just barge in and instead stood there waiting with her face tilted down to the floor. There was no movement from either girl until Faith let out a shaky breath and raised her eyes to meet Cordelia's.

"Can I come in?"

Her first instinct was to say yes, but a woman in love with a vampire was a lot smarter than that.

"Do you need an invitation now?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not inviting you in, Faith."

"Please Cor, I got nowhere else to go."

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"I can't invite you in, how stupid do you think I am?"

It took a second, but then the realization finally hit Faith, that much was clear by the relief on her face. She strode in and began pacing in front of the sofa as Cordelia closed and locked the door. She stood where she was, wondering what had happened.

"Faith?"

"I…Fuck this, I shouldn't have come here."

She headed for the door, but Cordelia still stood in front of it and wasn't about to move.

"Why not?"

"I don't belong."

Cordelia took hold of her arm and steered her back over to the couch.

"Come on, just sit down for a minute."

Faith finally did, looking like she was going to bolt at any second. Cordelia waited for her, but she showed not the slightest sign of talking.

"Okay, so what did Buffy do this time?"

Cordelia knew full well that Buffy had not done anything, at least not like anything she had ever done before. Faith looked scared, not angry or hurt, and it didn't really make a lot of sense.

"Faith?"

"It's not…I'm…"

She looked up again, and Cordelia was shocked to see the tears brimming in her eyes. She instantly pulled Faith into a hug, doing her best to comfort her.

"What's wrong? Is Buffy okay?"

"It's not B, it's me. I'm all wrong, and somehow I forgot that."

She began sobbing and Cordelia held her tight, whispering the meaningless words everyone whispers when there's nothing else to say.

It took a long time, but finally Faith's tears slowed to a trickle, complete with sniffles. Cordelia grabbed the Kleenex box from the coffee table and gave her a handful.

Faith wiped at the tears on her cheeks, then blew her nose.

"Jesus…I'm sorry, Cordelia. I…I oughta go."

"I don't want you to go, I want you to tell me what's going on."

"You were sleepin' and ya don't need this shit. Fuck, I don't need it either."

A throw blanket left a chair and wrapped around Faith's shoulders. She smiled.

"Thanks, Kit."

"Faith…"

"I can't keep comin' here."

"We're friends, Faith, you're always welcome…although it'd be nice if you'd stop in before 3:00a.m. sometimes."

That earned her a small chuckle.

"Can I maybe get a drink?"

"Of course, but you have to promise you won't leave the second my back's turned."

"Got my word."

"Okay. Beer? Coke? "

"Water sounds good."

Cordelia smiled.

"I just bought some today. I'll be right back."

When she returned, Faith was standing by the door looking irritated.

"What are you doing?"

"Was tryin' to leave, but Dennis keeps flippin' the lock before I can get the door open."

"He must be pointing out what a big fat liar you are."

"Yeah."

Cordelia sat back down on the couch.

"Well, here's the water you asked for."

Faith turned the deadbolt and then grabbed for the doorknob with Slayer speed. The lock reengaged a split second too soon…again.

"Fuck!"

She gave up and sat down in the chair across from the couch. She drank half of the water in one long go, the sides of the cheap plastic collapsing in and making the bottle crackle.

"Guess I oughta clue you guys in then."

"That'd be nice."

Faith took another small sip.

"B said she loved me."

"That's great, Faith! Congrat…Okay, so not the face I expected."

"Me neither…I freaked."

"You 'freaked'? What's that mean?"

"I snuck out, just left her there sleepin'."

Cordelia looked relieved.

"Okay, so she doesn't even know you're gone…except that she's Buffy and probably woke up just to make this more difficult. Whatever, right? So why exactly did you freak?"

"Nobody's ever said that to me before, not ever…and B just said it like it was nothin'."

"You mean like she didn't care?"

"No, she means it, but it's like nothin' to her. She thinks it's normal, somethin' you just say whenever ya wanna."

"And it's not?"

Faith stood and began pacing again.

"I don't know. I don't have a clue when ya say it or what ya say when ya hear it."

"Well, generally you say it back unless it's not true, which isn't the case here."

"…"

Cordelia leaned forward, her eyes burning into Faith.

"Faith Lehane, are you seriously going to stand there and tell me you don't love Buffy?"

"…No."

"Okay, good because I was seriously going to have to smack you."

Faith sat back down and finished off her water.

"Can't even remember not lovin' her. At first I didn't know that's what it was. I just knew I hated Angel more than I ever hated anybody in my life…and that's sayin' somethin'. Then I hated Riley and…Plenty of time to think it through in the joint and yeah, I know I love her."

Cordelia stayed quiet and let Faith vent.

"And I finally did it, ya know? I went after her and I got her. And she's everything I ever wanted, everything I need, and I'm scared shitless, Cor."

"Of what?"

"That I'm gonna hurt her, that she's gonna hurt me, that we're gonna fuck it all up."

Cordelia laughed, the sound more resigned than mirthful.

"Well, welcome to the exciting world of romance! Everybody's scared of that stuff, Faith. Ask Buffy, she is too. Now granted, you probably have more reason than the rest of us, but that doesn't really matter. You're in love with her, she's in love with you, and you guys have a real chance of making it work. You just have to accept that and man up here."

Faith still looked scared, but she was listening.

"The way you freaked when she told you? That wasn't real, Faith, that's not how you feel about her. That was just an old habit, a bad habit that you don't need anymore."

Faith nodded:

"And the thing is…it's so easy with her. She makes me feel so good, makes me a better person. I don't even have to try or think about it, it's just there. Even let her top me without blinkin' an eye and that's never happened before…leastways not since I became a Slayer."

"And I think all of that means a lot more than anything else ever will."

Faith tossed the bottle into the kitchen and right into the recycling bin.

"I'm so tired of this."

"Of being in love?"

"No, of bein' a fuckup, of always lookin' for ways to screw myself. I want her, Cor, I do. But I just…Fuck!"

She leaned forward, her head in her hands.

"Why can't me and you hook up? You don't make me feel anything but horny, and I can handle that, no problem."

"Gee, you sure know how to charm a girl."

"Yeah, I'm a real fuckin' catch."

Cordelia laughed.

"The funny thing is…you really are. And most of the time now, you're even sane."

"Yeah, well it's those in-between moments ya gotta watch out for."

"So you're a work in progress. Buffy knows what she's getting."

"Hope so. Can I crash here?"

"Sure, I'm still determined to keep our petty cash for something other than your bail money."

Faith sighed.

"I'm such a fuckin' fuck up…all the way around."

One of Cordelia's slippers gently hit the side of Faith's head.

"Yeah, I hear ya, Kit."

"He's got a point, you know. How big of a fuck up can you really be when you have a job you're great at, friends, dead and alive, who care about you, and a woman like Buffy who loves you? It's way more than most people ever get, and I think it's just time for you to grow up and stop being so stupid."

"Yeah, we'll odds of that are…"

The other slipper lightly whapped her on the forehead, and Faith nodded.

"I mean, sounds right."

"Come on, I'll get the sheets and blankets. You can use the bathroom and change."

Faith put on the familiar oversized t-shirt, and when she went back into the front room, Cordelia was just putting the finishing touches on the couch.

"There you go."

"Thanks, Cor."

"You're welcome. Try to get some sleep."

Faith got under the covers and Cordelia actually tucked her in, all complete with a kiss on the forehead.

"It's going to be okay. You might blunder around for a while, but you and Buffy will work it out and live happily ever after."

"Can ya gimme a guarantee on that?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I can. So there. Do you want me to make us breakfast tomorrow?"

"That'd be nice, but I won't be here when you get up. Gonna head back early."

"That's probably for the best."

Faith looked nervous.

"Plus B was already pissed about us dancin' tonight."

"Yeah, I guess maybe we went a little too far."

"I told her we were just friends."

"And that's exactly what we are. Goodnight, Faith."

"Night, Cor."

She turned off the light and was almost to her room when Faith called out.

"Hey?"

She looked back.

"Uh-huh?"

"You're one helluva woman."

"Of course I am…I'm Cordelia Chase."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Faith made it back to the hotel bright and early. She hadn't slept well at all and was up and ready to go shortly before sunrise. She was quiet, not wanting to wake Cordelia after the late night she had caused her, and she eased back the deadbolt. This time Dennis let her open the door.

She turned around.

"Kit, thanks for lookin' out for me last night. Means a lot."

She felt a coldness touching her cheek and she grinned.

"Hey, didn't say you could cop a feel. Man, you guys are all alike."

There was a slight thump on the wall and Faith laughed.

"Catch ya later, yeah?"

She closed the door quietly behind her, then heard all three locks engage.

"Dude's good at that."

She headed back to Buffy, hoping to get there before she woke up, before anyone did. She made it through the lobby unseen, but Buffy's room was empty. That wasn't the best news, but it didn't have to be tragic. Faith thought of just slipping into bed and swearing that she'd been there all night, that Buffy just hadn't seen her when she'd gotten up, but that had a snowball's chance of working. Besides, Faith didn't want to start off her new honesty campaign with a lie, and a dumb one at that.

It gave her a pit in her stomach when she thought of just how mad Buffy might actually be, but she could handle it. She was all squared away again…well, maybe that was going too far, but she definitely had her head on straighter than she had last night. Talking it out had helped, and Cordelia had given her some good advice.

Faith did love Buffy, and no amount of anger, hurt, or tension between them could ever change that. She was going to get through whatever came up and take it from there. It was going to be hard; love was new to her and it wasn't something she had a handle on yet, but she'd deal. She was going to be awkward and freak out from time to time, but it didn't matter. She would learn what to do, how to act, and Buffy would be the one to teach her.

She felt the tension building in her shoulders and decided to take a shower. She went down the hall to her own room to grab some new clothes, then quickly headed back to Buffy's to do the actual cleaning up. She wanted to be there when Buffy returned, there was no sense in delaying their meeting any longer than it had to be delayed. She was also anxious to see just how bad the damage really was, and she was hoping she could get Buffy to cut her a little slack…at least this time.

When she emerged from the bathroom, the woman she was waiting for was sitting on the unmade bed.

"Mornin', B."

"Morning."

There was a definite chill and Faith braced herself as she began getting dressed.

"So where ya been?"

Buffy's eyebrow shot up and she looked at Faith like she thought she was a total idiot.

"Where have I been? I needed air, Faith. Hours and hours of air."

"Yeah? That's weird 'cause I did too."

Buffy was clearly not amused.

"So this is funny to you?"

"No. Just tryin' to lighten things up a little."

"…"

"B, I know you're upset, and there's nothing funny about that. Honest."

Buffy walked over to stare out the window.

"When I woke up, you were gone. I waited for you to come back."

"Yeah, sorry. Didn't think I'd be that long."

Buffy looked at her fully.

"So where were you?"

Faith didn't have a clue what to say, which way to play it. She wanted to tell the truth, at some point she was planning to tell Buffy everything, but she was pretty sure now wasn't that time.

"I did a lot of thinking last night and I…"

"Where?"

"What?"

"Faith, don't make me ask you again."

"I was at Cordelia's."

Buffy didn't move or say a word for way too long a time, and when she finally did, Faith was less than reassured.

"Well isn't that interesting?"

Faith grabbed her arm as she tried to walk past, stopping her exit from the room.

"Nothing happened except I figured out some stuff."

Buffy laughed.

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"B…"

Buffy pulled her arm loose.

"You said you needed air. Okay, I didn't like it, but if you needed space, fine. But you didn't just get 'air', you went to somebody else even though I was right here for you."

"I didn't plan it out, okay? I was wanderin' around and I ended up there. She's a good friend, B, and I'm not gonna apologize for that."

"And I'm not asking you to. What I am wondering though is why just hours ago you were humping your 'just good friend' on the dance floor, we argued about it, then made love, and you decided to leave me in the middle of the night to go to her. Then the first thing you do when you get back is shower. How am I supposed to feel about that, Faith?"

Faith got it, she totally understood Buffy's point of view, and the thing she hated about it was that what Buffy sensed was sort of true. Except it wasn't, but the longer Faith waited to tell her the whole story, the worse it was going to be.

"Buffy, I was just fucked up and Cordelia helped me get some shit straight in my mind."

"And you couldn't even try to figure it out with me?"

"I know you want me to say I shoulda at least tried, but this is all new to me, B. I can do it though, I can make it work."

Buffy walked back over to the window and sat down on the radiator.

"Yeah, you're off to a great start for sure."

"Gotta agree with you there. But B, even though it looks bad, I've changed. I'm not that psycho I used to be, I'm not a slut, and I don't wanna hurt you. Please, just gimme a little time and I'll prove that to ya."

She could tell Buffy was still upset, but she could also tell that she was no longer mad and was trying to understand.

"All right, maybe I'm overreacting. I mean, waking up alone always sets me on edge. And it's not exactly fun to tell somebody you love them and have them run away from you."

"I mighta run away, but I came back, B."

"True. I guess that's a good thing."

Faith edged closer to the radiator and nudged Buffy's legs apart so that she could stand between them.

"It's definitely a good thing."

She nuzzled into Buffy's neck.

"Mmmm…you smell so good, B."

"So do you."

Faith kissed her then, and they were both lost…just that fast. Buffy's hands tangled in Faith's hair and Faith grabbed Buffy's hips and yanked her to the edge of the radiator, pulling their bodies flush with each other.

"Faith…"

"Goddamn, I want you, B…"

"Faith…"

Faith reluctantly lifted her head after planting a series of kisses on Buffy's lips.

"Yeah, I know. We gotta talk about last night first."

"Yes, we do."

"Okay. So here's an idea. Meeting's in three hours. Wanna catch a few Zs first? Then we can go to the meeting and after, grab somethin' to eat and talk at the beach. Be nice and open, plus you can have all the air ya need."

Buffy knew she shouldn't laugh, but it was funny and she did.

"Shut up, you idiot."

Faith's smile was huge.

"So?"

"Okay, I like the plan, but don't try to get all sneaky in bed."

"Nope, just gonna hold ya, all right out in the open."

"And we are talking about last night right after the meeting."

"Slayer's honor, B."

Buffy sighed and began stripping off her clothes.

"I guess I can wait a few hours before we clear the air."

Faith laughed as she got undressed.

*****

They headed downstairs two hours and forty-five minutes later, holding hands as they went. Despite the big intimate talk that was approaching all too fast, Faith felt good. She was scared and nervous, there was no denying that, but she was confident that things were on the right track. It also helped that she was feeling calmer and more optimistic about everything. Holding Buffy for almost three hours solved a lot of problems, and that feeling of suffocation from the night before was gone.

It had been Faith who had pulled a reluctant and uncertain Buffy over to rest on top of her.

"I don't want to crowd you."

"I wanna feel ya all over me, B."

Buffy had let herself be pulled and after some initial squirming, she had made herself comfortable. She fell asleep first, and this time Faith wasn't far behind. When they awoke hours later, Buffy's smile preceded her awakening as she felt Faith still beneath her, warm and welcoming.

She opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at Faith.

"You're still here."

"Figured I oughta stay put this time."

They stepped down into an empty lobby. Apparently Angel's crew, just like the Scoobies, were not big believers in arriving early for meetings. Buffy went to sit down while Faith poked her head into Angel's office.

He was seated at his desk working on some paperwork.

"Knock, knock, Soulboy."

He looked up with a smile.

"Hi, Faith. Is it time for the meeting already?"

"Almost, but just me and B are out there."

His attention was already back on the pages in front of him.

"Can you let me know when we're ready to start?"

"Will do."

Buffy was nowhere to be seen, but then Faith heard her grunting from behind the front counter.

"B?"

"I'll be right there. Fred swore this counter's uneven and you can see it from the couch. I'm just…jamming this stake…underneath it."

"Need help?"

Buffy's face appeared above the counter for a second.

"Nope, just grab us a good seat while I do all the work."

"Sounds good to me."

She disappeared again and Faith walked over and sat down on the almost circular plush couch closest to the door. If the meeting got too boring, she was hoping they could slip out unnoticed. She grinned at the thought, and how life finally seemed to be going her way.

Cordelia entered the hotel, and after a quick glance around the deserted lobby, she smiled.

"Perfect, the coast is clear!"

She reached into her oversized bag and pulled out Faith's jacket.

"I've had this since our first night together, and I keep forgetting to give it to you every time we hook up."

Faith looked at Cordelia like she’d suddenly grown a second head, the emotions flashing so quickly across her face it was hard to keep track of them. First there was panic, then terror, then anger, and finally a defeated resignation as she took the leather coat from Cordelia’s hand.

The shock was all too apparent on Buffy's face and Faith was already on her feet. Cordelia had yet to see her.

"What's the matter? Where are you go…Oh shit."

Buffy’s Slayer-like stare fixed itself to Faith as she walked around the counter to stand right in front of her.

“Cordelia? Cordelia is your whore?”

“Whoa, Little Miss Sunnydale! I know this looks bad, but I'm in no way anybody's whore."

“You slept with Cordelia Chase?”

Faith said nothing, busying herself with examining her jacket like it was the most exotic thing she’d ever seen. Buffy waited a generous four seconds before she yanked the jacket from Faith’s shaking hands and hurled it across the lobby.

It sailed an impressively long way before landing in a crumpled heap, and Faith watched it go wondering if it would cushion her impact when she followed it all too soon.

“You fucking bitch. You said I didn’t know the woman you were with. Well, newsflash, Faith, I know Cordelia...all too well.”

She stood looking off into the distance until Buffy’s hand grasped onto her forearm, jerking her forward and making her face her. Faith’s eyes drifted up to meet Buffy’s, then quickly slid away.

"You just told me there was nothing between you."

“Yeah.”

“………Yeah. “

Then there was only a tense silence, and Cordelia approached Buffy.

“Buffy, I know what I just said made it sound…”

Buffy turned to look at her, and even Cordelia Chase couldn’t quite hold her ground. She took an instinctive step back from the obvious danger focused on her.

“Don’t even think of speaking to me or I will beat your slutty ass all over this hotel.”

Cordelia didn’t doubt one word of Buffy’s threat. She knew her well enough to know that she was hurt and outraged and just looking for a reason to lash out. Cordelia didn’t say another word and after an intense stare down, Buffy swung back to Faith.

“I guess that’s it then, isn’t it? You kept swearing you‘d changed and fool that I am, I actually believed you. Here I thought you were the crazy one all this time, but it turns out it’s me who needs my head examined.”

“B…”

“So what, Faith? Did you leave my bed and head right to hers? Did you two have a big laugh about how gullible I am? And here I thought I was pretty effective at scratching all of those hard to reach places, I guess a big slut like you needs a lot more, huh?”

Faith looked up at her.

“I haven’t been with anyone since me and you, not like that anyway.”

“Right, let’s split hairs. Did you or did you not get up out of my bed and go to Cordelia?”

“…”

Buffy stepped closer, her voice soft and low.

“Answer me, Faith.”

“…Yeah, I did.”

The sound of the slap filled the lobby with hurt and anger.

“Congratulations. You fucked me over again, only this time literally. I hope it’s everything you dreamed it would be.”

She stood there staring at Faith, the tears swimming in her eyes, but Buffy refused to let them fall.

“Angel?”

He stood in the doorway of his office, drawn out by the yelling, his face disbelieving and his voice rough, like he hadn’t used it in years:

“Yes, Buffy?”

“Would you call me a cab, please?”

“But you can’t just leave. You have to be here in case there's another…”

“I can do my job from another hotel. I’m not staying here any longer than it takes to pack my bag.”

Angel saw the pleading look Faith shot him, but he couldn’t help her, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to.

“I wish you’d stay, but I’ll call right now.”

“Thank you.”

And with that she went up the stairs. She just made it to her room and shut the door before the tears came fast and furious. She couldn’t even make it to a chair, instead sliding weakly down the door to sit on the carpet as she cried her heart out.

****

“What are you doing?”

“Nothin' to do.”

Cordelia grabbed her arm.

“You’re not even going to talk to her?”

“Nothin’ to say. She thinks I cheated on her, nothin' I can do about that.”

“Is this some Slayer thing? Why are you both so stupid? Faith, you didn’t cheat on her. Tell her that!”

Faith shrugged Cordelia off and walked over to get her jacket.

“Already told her, she doesn’t believe me.”

“I doubt it even registered with her. Go up there and explain it.”

Faith slipped into her jacket and flipped her hair out and over the collar.

“No point.”

“‘No point’? ‘No point’? Did that slap jar your brain loose? Faith, stop playing the misunderstood victim and…”

“Listen, I appreciate everything, okay? But me and Buffy? It’s a train wreck, it’s always gonna be a train wreck, and I just been kiddin' myself it was ever gonna be anything else.”

“Coward.”

Both girls turned their head to look at the man leaning in the doorway.

“What’d ya say?”

“I said you’re a coward.”

“Angel, stay outta this.”

He laughed bitterly as he straightened up.

“How am I supposed to stay out of it? You slept with Buffy and Cordelia, do you really think I can 'stay out of it'?”

“Maybe not, so let's try: 'Back the fuck off'.”

“While you what, Faith? Hurt Buffy? Drag Cordelia into a big mess? Set things up to hurt yourself? I think I’m already right in the middle of it.”

Faith walked over to him.

“Yeah, okay, so I fucked both your women. Wanna piece of me now?”

Cordelia’s gasp was loud, but neither of them seemed to hear it.

“No, I don’t want a 'piece of you'. Buffy hasn’t been my woman for a long time and as for Cordy, I guess the nicest way for me to put it is to tell you to shut your stupid mouth.”

“Or what? Gonna make me?”

She placed both hands on his chest and shoved him back.

“Come on, Angel. Make me pay, you know you wanna. Stop bein’ such a pussy and do somethin'.”

She shoved him again and this time his vampire face made an appearance.

“Gotta be killin’ ya to know I got everywhere you wanna get and can’t. And lemme tell ya: it’s all just as sweet as…”

He moved fast and had her by the throat. She didn’t resist, not even when he lifted her off her feet. Cordelia rushed at him, yelling for them both to stop, but again they still didn’t really hear her.

“Okay Faith, buttons pushed. But you know what? You acting like an idiot doesn’t change a thing. I’m still your friend, I still love you, and I’m still not going to be the one who helps you hurt yourself.”

His face turned back to human as he put her down and let go.

“Your sex life is none of my business, you hurting everyone I care about is. That includes you, by the way. Instead of walking out or trying to get me to beat the hell out of you, go upstairs and make Buffy understand.”

He turned and went back into his office, slamming the door behind him. Faith and Cordelia stood staring after him, feeling like the last survivors of a violent war.

“Yeah, so guess that covers it.”

“What are you going to do?”

Faith sighed and took off her jacket.

“Gonna head up and get my stupid ass handed to me on a platter.”

Cordelia nodded.

“Probably. I'm sorry I was so stupid, Faith. I had no idea she...”

"Not your fault, Cor. Shoulda explained us to her a long time ago."

"At least from that reaction, you know she loves you."

“Or just hates gettin’ played for a fool. What about you guys?"

Cordelia looked back at the closed door.

“Well, you know how it is. It’s easy to offer advice, it’s way harder to take it."

“Pretty clear to me he’s got a thing for ya.”

“Is it? All that seems clear to me is that I love him."

"Cor, trust me…Soulboy’s not upset about me and B.”

Cordelia smiled and looked hopeful.

“Really?”

“I’m positive. Go talk to him, see what you guys can hammer out.”

Cordelia hugged her tight, and when she pulled back she kissed her on the cheek. She inhaled a huge breath, let it out slowly and began walking towards Angel’s office.

“Faith?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”

Faith tried to smile as she started for the stairs.

“Hope you’re right.”

“I am…and I promise to visit you in the hospital.”

*****

“So you just gonna hightail it?”

Buffy didn’t answer, didn’t even look in Faith’s direction as she packed her bag.

“B, don’t you think I at least deserve a chance to explain?”

Buffy zipped the bag closed with such force, the zipper tore apart.

“You want a chance to explain what exactly, Faith? How you fucked me, then hopped out of my bed to run off to your other woman? How you lied to me over and over again? Sure, go ahead: explain.”

She stood there with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes full of fire and fury.

“All that’s true, B, ‘cept it’s all wrong. I did leave you after we did it and I did head to Cordy, but not for the reason you’re tryin' to make out.”

"I believed you. I trusted you. I thought you'd changed, that you really cared about me."

"I have, I do."

Buffy laughed.

"Tell me, Faith: how long have you been planning this?"

"What?"

"To hurt me, break me, humiliate me? You guys must have laughed and laughed when I told you I loved you."

"B, you're talkin' crazy! This wasn't a set-up, okay? Me and you are real, I wasn't…"

"Just save it, because even if that's true, which I doubt, I'm done. You're a liar, a player, a fucking bitch on wheels. I thought…God, I thought you were…"

Faith stepped forward.

"B, you're blowin' this outta proportion. I shoulda told you about Cor, but I didn't. I made a mistake, a big one, but that's all it is – just a mistake. I'm not runnin' a con or fucking with you…you know I'm not."

Buffy shouldered her bag.

"You go to Cordelia and have a big laugh at how stupid I am, how easy it was to make me fall in love with you. You guys can find somebody else to play with, I'm done."

Faith reached out to touch her, but Buffy stepped back.

"B, you're not even makin' sense. Why would Cordy wanna hurt you?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I just know you do and did, so congratulations. Now get out of my way."

"Don't go, please, B. Let's do what we planned. We'll go to the beach and talk it out, or we can talk right here if ya want. Please B, nothin's like you think it is."

"Get out of my way, Faith."

"I'm not gonna let you walk outta here like this. I know I fucked up, okay? I fucked up bad, but B, you've forgiven me for way worse stuff. Just let me explain how it all went down and…"

Buffy hit her then, a right uppercut that sent Faith sailing onto the bed.

"Go fuck yourself. Go fuck Cordelia. Just stay the fuck away from me."

And then Buffy calmly opened the door and walked out.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Buffy put the phone down with a sigh. She had just called to have her dinner cart picked up, only to be told that it could be over an hour before someone showed up. Room service was something that had always made her act like an excited little kid…except not now or any of the other times she'd ordered it during her current stay. She just wanted to eat when she was hungry, she didn't care how the food arrived. Even when her morning pancakes had shown up covered in an old fashioned silver lid, Buffy had felt nothing except hunger. There were no flashes back to happier days, no excitement at all.

"Great. Faith's ruined my fun times with room service too."

She was glad to be heading home in two days time. Willow had already gone, the window for a re-apocalypse closing forever, at least one created by an incinerated silver talisman. Buffy had been more than ready to escape back to Sunnydale too…until Angel had asked her to stay for a few more days.

There had been a huge battle brewing between two rival demon groups, but the word on the street was that the gangs were open to negotiation. Before all hell could literally break loose in L.A., Angel had stepped in as arbitrator. His reputation as tough, but fair had made him acceptable to both groups, while the alternating Slayers by his side at every meeting had helped to keep the peace. With the treaty now signed, all that was left was to see if it took.

Buffy patrolled where Angel told her to. He was expecting trouble from some of the younger gang members, and although there were a few scuffles, mostly it seemed as if the treaty had worked. And that was great news because in spite of her willingness to help, Buffy was counting the minutes until she could head for home. She had forced herself stayed put when everything in her had wanted to go, and she was longing to return to her old life.

She couldn't believe she had stayed as long as she had, but then it was Angel who had asked for her help and there was no power on Earth, at least none that she was aware of, that could ever prevent her from responding to him. Even though their romance was long over, she loved him as a friend and would always be there whenever he needed her. The meaning had most definitely changed, but Buffy was still and always would be "his girl".

When he'd asked her if she could stay, his nervousness had almost made her laugh.

"So…um…I know you want to get home, but I already um…spoke to Giles…not behind your back or anything like that! I just wanted to know if you guys could maybe swing it and…I could really use your help for a few more days, and Giles said if Willow was back in Sunnydale, that would help a lot with keeping things in line until…"

"Angel, of course I'll stay and help. What's going on?"

The look on his face as they had talked it over had been adorable, and she remembered when she had been so sure that he was her soul mate. She was incredibly young back then, naïve and filled with the first real passion of her life, but in a way she'd been right. Angel would always have a place in her heart, just not the place…which was exactly what he had tried to address after getting her promise to stay in L.A. for a few extra days.

"Buffy…"

"No, we are not talking about her."

"That's fine, you can just listen then."

"Angel, I'm not going to…Fine, but if you keep wasting the 'sad puppy dog' eyes, one day you're going to need them and you'll be barking on empty."

He smiled at her then.

"Trust me, I've got a huge supply."

He didn't go on long, simply and directly telling her that Faith was hurting and sorry.

"She's a good person, Buffy, and she didn't set out to hurt you."

Buffy listened, smiled and then told him to let her know when he needed her. He'd left reluctantly, clearly wanting to say more, but knowing there was no point.

Back in the here and now, she stretched out as she waited for someone from the hotel staff to show up. She couldn't wait to get back home and into her own bed. She was tired of L.A., tired of hotels, and tired of feeling…There was a knock on her door.

"Wow, that was fast."

She pushed the cart along with her, a five dollar bill in her hand for the tip as she opened the door.

"Gee, I had no idea you thought I was that cheap."

Buffy looked at the five in her hand, then back at Cordelia.

"What do you want?"

"To talk to you."

"I can't imagine you'd have anything to say that I'd be interested in."

Cordelia slid in between the food cart and the door.

"I think that's one of the things I've never liked about you. You've never had a very good imagination."

"I could throw you out."

"You could, but you won't."

"Really? What makes you think that?"

Cordelia sat down at the table by the window.

"Because you don't want to miss your last real chance to tell me off."

Buffy sighed and rolled the cart out into the hall, throwing the five on top of some cellophane. She closed the door and sat on the edge of her bed facing Cordelia.

"Make it fast, I've got plenty of other things I'd rather be doing."

"Fine, right to the point then: You're being stupid, even stupider that I'd expect, and trust me – when it comes to you, my expectations are pretty low."

"Cordelia, as much as I can tell I'm going to love revisiting all of the old high school putdowns…"

"She loves you, Buffy."

"Does she? Wow, and it's so great to hear you say that."

"So is that it? You're mad because she hasn't said it to you? God, Buffy, are you really that self-centered?"

"Excuse me?"

Cordelia leaned back in her chair, shaking her head.

"Have you ever read Faith's history?"

"No."

"It's nothing special. Drunken, abusive parents. Her father died when she was six, so drunk he just walked out in front of a car. Her mother was a neglectful tramp who screwed anybody for the drugs that eventually killed her when Faith was twelve. She was in various foster homes until she ran away to live on the streets at thirteen. Her Watcher eventually found her, and you know the rest."

Buffy did everything she could to look like she didn't care.

"That's too bad, and?"

"Points for effort, but your eyes teared up and you flushed."

"It's a sad story, for sure, but why tell me?"

"No one's ever said 'I love you' to her before. Never, not once, not in any context. So she freaked and she ran. She was scared, Buffy, she didn't know what to do, how to act."

"Cordelia, none of this is…"

"So she showed up at my apartment scared, crying, happy, excited, terrified, and telling me she didn't want to mess it up."

Buffy stood, the anger plain to see on her face.

"And maybe we could have handled all of that just fine if she'd have…"

"Buffy, you've had a lifetime of people loving you. You don't expect anything else. People see you, the real you, but Faith very rarely gets that. Toss in her going mental and trying to kill everyone, well, you know. But this is different for her, you've always been different for her."

Buffy sat back down.

"She's stumbling all over the place: keeping things from you that don't need to be kept, taking off when she should be staying, reacting crazy when she gets what she wants, but she's dealing, Buffy. She's figuring it out as she goes, and as crappy as that is for you in some ways, so what? She's a quick learner and she's adapting and doing it willingly. She wants you, she just has to learn how to have you and make it work."

"You and her…How was that not a set-up?"

"Oh please, there's no way you're that stupid. First of all, I don't care enough about you to go through the trouble of trying to hurt you. It's true we don't like each other, but I didn't even do stuff like that in high school."

"Look Cordelia…"

"No, you look. I don't like you, but I do respect you. You're a hero, no two ways about it, and you've saved my life several times. Being you can't be easy and I've seen firsthand how hard it's been on you. I appreciate what you do, Buffy, I'm amazed by you, but at the same time sometimes you can be such a big baby."

Cordelia rolled her eyes:

"We did not set you up and you know it. Faith would never do that to you, not now. She's not who she was and you know that too. She didn't tell you we slept together because she thought you'd freak, go figure, so I'm going to tell you now. I slept with Faith once, and we haven't done it since. It was really good, but she thought about you the whole time and we both knew it. There's no way I'd ever have sex with her again. You two are in love and I have way too much respect for that and for her. I guess when it comes right down to it, I have way too much respect for you too."

Cordelia walked over and opened the door.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"Just an aside…Faith wouldn't let me on top. She said she didn't like it and had never let anyone on top of her, not since she's become a Slayer. I think we can figure out what that means, and reading her bio makes it pretty clear. Anyway, I'm willing to bet that's not the case with you. You're the one person in the world she trusts enough."

And then she was gone, leaving Buffy staring after her.

*****

Buffy was out on patrol. It was her last night in L.A. and her last night in a lonely hotel room. She hadn't seen Faith for five days, nor had she spoken to her, but she had heard her smoky voice. The three messages she'd left sent a pang through Buffy each time she played them back.

"Hi B, it's me. Was hopin' maybe we could talk? Call me back or just show up. I'm in all night."

"Hey, it's me, B. Guess you know that. Look, I really need to talk to you. I could come by there, any time works for me. Please call me back, yeah?"

"Me again. Jesus, B, can't we at least talk? I don't want ya goin' home and leavin' it like this. Just call me, I'll meet ya anywhere, anytime. Just say when…please, B?"

Buffy had almost called back at least fifty times, but what would be the point? She was going home and how would a long distance relationship work between them anyway? And there was also the whole lack of trust issue and the fact that Faith didn't know what it took to be in a relationship.

But a voice in the back of Buffy's mind kept saying: "So, teach her."

There were other problems too, the biggest being that every time Faith lied or hid stuff, it took Buffy right back to when Faith was crazy and dangerous. It forced her to remember every bad thing Faith had ever done, and just how unfair was that…to both of them? It was no way to fall in love, and Buffy wasn't about to set herself up for that kind of heartache.

The voice was back, sounding a lot like Cordelia, and she heard it loud and clear:

"Too late. You're already in with love her."

Yes, she was, but love wasn't enough. At least not this time. Buffy had no doubt that it would be better for everyone concerned if she just headed home and forgot everything that had gone on. There was no real point in her doing anything else.

She walked around a particularly large crypt and there were three vampires ready to snack on a young woman.

"Hey, is this a private party or can I join in?"

She dispensed with them quickly, except for the last one because she chose instead to beat the living hell out of him. Obviously she was working out some issues, and why not? The almost victim had taken off long ago, all safe and relatively sound, and it was just Buffy and one vampire. He had to be good for something.

Ten minutes of whaling on him was the limit before it all suddenly became boring, repetitive and pointless. Buffy wasn't sure but she thought he thanked her as she dusted him. Then all was quiet in the cemetery except for the sound of clapping behind her. She turned quickly to see Faith sitting on top of a headstone finishing her cigarette.

"Nice B. Got some quality rage goin' there."

Buffy wanted to turn away, but against her will her eyes drank in the sight of Faith. She didn't want to miss a thing, not when it all looked so good, so beautiful, so stunning, so sexy, and so damn…

"What are you doing here?"

"Just go where I'm told, Angel sent me."

"Me too. I guess this is his way of…"

Faith hopped down.

"…gettin' you to talk to me."

"Well, you can tell him it wasn't very effective."

Buffy turned and walked off, but Faith kept stride with her.

"What is this, B? Why you bein' such a hard ass?"

She stopped walking and turned to look at Faith incredulously.

"'Why am I being such a hard ass'?"

"Yeah. I get you're upset, but you've thought it over by now and you gotta know I didn't cheat on you or set ya up. So why you still actin' like…"

"I'm not getting into any of this with you. It's not going to work between us, Faith, and that's it."

Buffy walked off, but stopped again when she heard Faith's question:

"Thought it was you who didn't wanna play games?"

"Well let's just say you started playing them first."

"I didn't mean to, Buffy. I didn't know what to do and I made a mistake."

"And you made it several times."

"No argument here. I fucked up. So what? Gotta punish us both forever?"

Buffy could feel it. She was weakening because the truth of it was: it had been just a mistake. A big, dumb, painful mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. Faith hadn't told her who the woman was and she had kept lying and avoiding the truth because she didn't know what to do or how to do it.

It was just that simple, and with Faith standing in front of her laying it out that way, Buffy could see it. But it also still seemed bigger than that to Buffy, much bigger, and she didn't want to let go of it.

"I'm not trying to punish either of us, and I'm not going to…"

Faith stepped closer.

"Every day I can't touch you, smell you, look at you, hear you cry out for me, it's fuckin' torture, Buffy."

"Faith…"

Faith's hand slid along Buffy's bare arm.

"And don't try to pretend you don't feel the same way. I'm sorry, B, I shoulda told ya right off the bat. I won't ever hide shit from you again, even if it gets me killed. Please B, just gimme another chance…"

Her breath was blowing against Buffy's neck and her body was just an inch away, and Buffy felt the shiver shake its way down her spine as she stood in place battling with herself.

"B…"

Faith's lips lightly brushed Buffy's jaw.

"…I messed up, but I…care about you, you know I do."

It was the slight pause that did it, and Buffy saw red.

"Yeah, and the last time I bought that, you tried to torture me to death and end the world."

Faith stepped back, and then Buffy did because Faith was furious and not bothering to hide it.

"You fucking bitch."

"Oh, so is this where the 'real' Faith comes out?"

"Might as well, since the 'real' Buffy's showed up. This how it's gonna be? Anything goes down, you're just gonna throw my past back in my face?"

"I don't have to 'throw' it anywhere. It's right here day after day."

Faith could not hide her hurt, and it blazed across her face for anyone to see.

"And here I thought we were movin' on. Gonna hit that little fucker back for a change."

"That's kind of hard to do when you keep acting the same old way."

"Me? I'm acting the same old way? Oh man, why don't you take a look at yourself? All high and mighty like your shit don't stink. Well guess what, Buffy? It does, fucking smells like shit, just like everybody else's. You waltz around thinkin' you're all better than me, and what? You say you love me, then dump me 'cause I can act like a dumb ass. I'm sorry, I fucked up. But I didn't cheat on you, I'd never fucking cheat on you."

"Right. Well excuse me for having trouble…"

"I hid the fact that I fucked a woman you hate, a woman you got a history with, and I lied about it 'cause I didn't wanna mess up the great thing we had goin'. I went over the line dancin' with her, but fuck me, B. She coulda been Xander and I'd have danced like that."

"Yeah, and you had sex with him too."

Faith grabbed her own hair and bent over, only to straighten up with a scream of pure frustration.

"A million goddamn years ago! And I shouldn't have done that either! Just like I shoulda never fucked Riley, but B…"

"No, I'm not going to listen to this."

She turned and walked off, but Faith grabbed her roughly by the arm.

"Yeah, you are gonna listen."

Buffy hit her right on the chin and Faith staggered back.

"You don't tell me what to do."

With that, Buffy stalked off, only to be grabbed again, this time much more powerfully.

"Somebody's gotta. You're way too stupid to…"

Buffy swung again, but Faith was ready. She ducked the blow and dragged Buffy right up against her. She paused, then kissed her, slamming her back against the door of the crypt. The impact caused it to swing open and they both fell through, landing hard on the floor.

"Ow! Shit! B, you okay?"

Buffy was on the bottom, staring up at Faith and not saying a word.

"B? Fuck, did you hit your head? Are you…"

Buffy's hands grabbed Faith's hair, pulling her mouth down into range as her own head lifted to make the journey shorter. Buffy's teeth grabbed onto Faith's bottom lip, drawing blood. When Faith tried to pull back, Buffy's hand went behind her neck and held her right where she was. It hurt, but it made Faith groan in pleasure too.

She didn't let up right away, her hands hard and insistent as they prevented Faith from moving away. Her legs came up to squeeze her sides, and Faith groaned louder. Her hands sought out Buffy's sensitive spots, but it wasn't easy to do. Buffy had her trapped against her and unless she wanted to rip her lip off and get her ribs crushed, she had to stay right where she was.

It took awhile, but Buffy's hands finally loosened their grip. They began caressing, her fingers untangling themselves as they stroked through Faith's hair. Her teeth let go to be replaced by her tongue that began skimming along the bite tenderly as she murmured words of comfort. Her legs eased their pressure, allowing Faith movement, not that she went very far. Her body shifted, her hands found Buffy's breasts and her lips met Buffy's with all the pent-up desire that was coursing through her.

"B…"

That was all and it was everything. One simple letter of declaration, of passion, of life, and Buffy rose to meet her.

Their clothes became obstacles they couldn't get around fast enough, yet it took forever because they could not bear being apart for even one second. They rolled around, each one fighting to gain control, then when finding themselves victorious, they took what they wanted before relinquishing their power once again. Over and over their cries sounded out…cries of pleasure, pain, anger, surprise, love.

It was violent and tender, soft and hard, rough and gentle, Slayer to Slayer, and when it was over and they were finally sated, one thing was crystal clear to both of them: they belonged together.

Buffy's voice was shaky as she struggled to breathe normally:

"Okay, that was…"

"Was us again, B."

"And once again totally unexpected."

Faith laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Ya mean ya didn't plan on an angry fuck in some old crypt?"

"No…at least not tonight."

They stayed where they were for a couple of minutes, lost in the feel of each other.

"B?"

"Uh-huh?"

Faith sat up, taking a protesting Buffy with her.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but I'm layin' on a dirty concrete floor."

"Oh, but I was on you and all comfy and clean."

"Now, but you did your share of rollin' around."

"Guilty as charged."

Faith smiled.

"Okay, so I got another idea."

"Oh boy."

Buffy was nuzzling into Faith's chest making it hard for her to concentrate.

"B…"

"What?"

"What're ya doin'?"

"Just seeing if I can get you so turned on you'll lie back down."

"Little shit. Of course ya can, but I got this great idea."

"…Okay, I'll stop."

And she did after a last swirling swipe and a sharp nip.

"What is it, F?"

"Well, I know we still gotta talk from before and then a buncha crap got added to the list."

"Yes, we do and it did."

"But it's your last night here before you gotta go back."

Buffy stood up and began putting on her clothes.

"I have to go back, Faith."

Faith jumped up and Buffy could have watched the way her breasts bounced all night long.

"No, I know that, B. I mean, we already had extra days."

Buffy shook her head:

"How is this even going to work?"

"What?! No, we're gonna be fine, B! We…"

"I just meant the long distance thing."

Faith went to her and wrapped her up tight in a hug.

"I don't know 'how', B, I just know it's gonna work ."

"I guess we just need to figure things out, but…"

"Exactly!"

Faith began dressing quickly.

"And that's what I was thinkin' before. See, we can't really figure anything out now, we don't have enough time."

"No, I guess we don't."

"So my idea's that we should go back to your room, grab a shower together, order room service, and do it all night long."

"And this solves our problems how exactly?"

Faith grinned as she tucked her shirt into her pants.

"Because we can be together and happy tonight. That other shit's why they invented phones and weekend visits."

Buffy thought it over for a minute, her brow furrowed, her nose scrunched, and as cute as she looked, Faith was ready to go back down on the floor and Buffy in any order there was.

"I guess that makes sense. But we will talk things over, Faith. I can't do this without that."

"I swear to ya, B, I'll talk about whatever ya want, whenever ya want. No more secrets or lies. I want you, and I'll do whatever I gotta to get you."

Buffy walked over and helped her finish tucking her shirt in, lingering and dipping down a little further than was required.

"You've got me, Faith. I just want you to keep me."

"Me too."

They clasped hands and headed out into the cemetery. The night was quiet and they'd gone maybe five steps before Faith stopped her, turning so that they faced each other.

"I love you, Buffy. More than I've ever loved anyone or anything."

Buffy's eyes misted instantly and she delivered a huge kiss, followed by several little ones.

"I love you too, Faith. You make me feel everything, all the time. You always have."

"Well the goal from now on is to make'em just good things."

"That'd be nice, but probably impossible. Don't worry about making mistakes or upsetting me. That's normal, Faith. As long as you don't hide things from me, we'll be okay. And I promise you: I'll try not to get jealous every time you're with Cordelia, but if I ever catch you dancing like that with her again…"

Faith held up her hands in surrender.

"No worries there, you made yourself pretty clear."

Buffy smiled as she entwined their hands again.

"So, we're in love and working on a relationship."

"Definitely are."

Buffy leaned her head on Faith's shoulder.

"Tell me again."

"I love you, B."

"God, how are we going to manage being apart?"

"Gonna be tough, but not like we gotta wait a year or somethin'. We'll work it out."

Buffy laughed.

"Okay, I guess that's good advice. We are 'The Chosen Two', after all."

"Damn straight we are! They can't stop us, B."

CHAPTER NINE

One Year Later

Faith was sound asleep. She hadn't moved in thirty-five minutes, at least not that Buffy could tell. She hadn't even stirred when Buffy had accidentally rammed the tray she was carrying into the door jamb. Which worked well for her because she wanted it to be a surprise…Faith loved breakfast in bed.

Buffy sat the tray down on the desk, then adjusted her outfit. It was a pink, sort of gauzy negligee, something she would have never picked out for herself, but she had to admit that it was pretty. And the see-through quality of it had made Faith incredibly happy, which well, Buffy had seen no downside to that at all.

The biggest challenge had been for Buffy to keep the expensive lingerie in one piece. First from Faith, then from herself when she'd nearly been set on fire cooking them breakfast. She was such a klutz in the kitchen, but as Faith always said:

"Can't be perfect, B. Even you gotta have some kinda flaw."

She climbed up on the bed and if it hadn't been for the sound of Faith's soft snore, Buffy would have been worried that she was dead. She was sprawled on her back, her arms thrown over her head, her legs flung out, one hanging slightly over the edge of the bed. Looking at her now, Buffy wondered how she ever found enough space to squeeze in beside her. Sometimes it came in handy that she was small.

"Faith…"

Nothing. It was still the sleep of the dead.

"Faith…"

This time she pulled back the covers and began placing small kisses up Faith's leg.

"Baby…time to wake up."

"…B?"

"You were expecting someone else?"

Faith smiled, but her eyes never opened.

"Five more minutes."

"No, come on, F."

Buffy let her tongue explore Faith's upper thigh, then her navel came under intense scrutiny.

"B…"

"I made us breakfast. All my specialties."

Faith smiled again.

"Damn…Okay, can I go back to sleep after I eat?"

"Uh-huh."

She opened one eye and looked down at Buffy.

"Promise?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Lemme piss and I'll be right back."

A final kiss on her stomach and Buffy was up and over by the tray.

"Perfect! Hurry up."

Faith did her business, washed her hands and brushed her teeth. When she got back to the bedroom, Buffy was in bed with everything ready.

"Get back here, I'm starving."

Faith slid in carefully, then suddenly lunged for Buffy who squealed like a girl as the tray tilted. Faith didn't stop until she'd captured her prey, her mouth hovering over Buffy's.

"Give it up, B."

"Faith!"

Their lips met, tongues sliding and playing until finally Faith pulled back.

"Relax, Princess, nothin' spilled and I got the toast."

She withdrew with three slices held in her hand, the strawberry jam slathering the side of her palm.

"Wanna lick it off?"

Buffy complied with a swipe, then handed her a napkin and pushed her back towards her own side of the bed.

"Stay over there. I want us to eat this, I worked hard on it."

Faith craned her neck to get a better view.

"Fuck yeah, ya did! Toast, cereal, juice, Eggos. Looks great, B!"

"There was bacon, but it tried to kill me, so I threw it away. Now you just sit back and let me pass you a plate."

They ate in a companionable silence with a few errant items needing to be rescued off of Faith's body, and a few kisses needing to be delivered between bites.

"That was delicious, B. The magic you can do with cereal."

Buffy sat the dishes down on floor.

"Laugh all you want, but you ate it, didn't you?"

"Not laughin', B."

She moved over, pulling Buffy downward on the bed and rising up above her. She fingered Buffy's lingerie.

"How'd this get back on?"

"You didn't expect me to cook breakfast in the nude, did you?"

"Why not? Everybody's cleared out and we got the house to ourselves for the whole weekend. Cookin' in the raw's gotta be in there somewhere."

"In that case, F, I can't wait until you make us lunch."

"Hmmm…this thing's buggin' me."

Buffy knew what that meant.

"No, Faith! I'll take it…"

The ripping noise was loud and Faith tossed the remnants over her shoulder without looking.

"Nah, it's cool, I got it."

"You're awful."

"Hey, can I help it if I like touchin' you?"

"Not anymore than I like you touching me…Faith…"

"See, B? We're perfect for each other. Now hold on baby, I wanna touch everywhere."

*****

Buffy was happily lazing in bed, watching as the sun trailed its way across the room. Faith slept next to her, an arm and leg flung over her, her head resting on Buffy's shoulder. She was once again out cold and Buffy felt so at peace. The world was moving outside their window, and yet they were still and safe and together. It was a perfect moment in time and Buffy was relishing it.

They had been together for one year as of yesterday, and Buffy had never been happier. It hadn't been easy to get where they were, but they had made it and life was beautiful. She had Faith…finally….and Buffy loved her more than ever. Their love seemed to expand every day with every glance, every touch, every word, and although she had no idea how it was possible, she knew that it was true.

Faith had jumped into their relationship at full force and she had been as good as her word. She had talked fully about everything, explaining what she could and trying to make sense of what she couldn't. She was a fast learner when it came to being in a relationship, and when she made mistakes, she owned up to them right away.

She played no games, didn't even bother trying to hide how she felt about Buffy.

"What's the point, B? Ya already know."

At first they had to work out the logistics and hammer out the immediate problems, not always an easy thing to do on the phone. One night after a particularly difficult discussion, Buffy had lost her temper and hung up on Faith. She refused to answer when Faith called her back, and it was less than three hours later when she heard Faith's motorcycle pulling up in the driveway.

Buffy had apologized right away for acting like a brat, but Faith had waved off her apology.

"It's a shitty sitch, B. But I'm here for the whole week, so let's get it fixed, yeah?"

That simple gesture had convinced Buffy that Faith was committed to her, and their relationship shifted literally overnight. They were a couple, a duo, a team, and they were somehow going to make it work.

The obvious solution was for Faith to move in with Buffy because the Slayer had to stay in Sunnydale. The Hellmouth was still there, along with every monster known and unknown to womankind, and that was just the way it was going to be. But Faith wouldn't budge from Los Angeles, even though she wanted to.

"I can't leave Angel in the lurch like that."

"I know, but…can't we at least talk to him and see what he says?"

"He'll just say it's no problem 'cause he wants us to be happy. Not gonna put him on the spot."

"I get that, but…we hardly ever see each other."

"I know, B."

They both agreed they couldn't do what Willow and Fred were doing, which was taking it slow, so slow that Faith called it:

"Lesbian bed death 'fore they even fuck once."

"Faith…"

"I mean, what the hell? I'll be fuckin' you more than that when I'm dead."

"They're just being sure, and it's cute and romantic. Besides, they sleep together."

"Yeah, that's probably exactly what they're doin'."

Yet surprisingly, it was Willow and Fred who solved the problem. Fred had arrived in Sunnydale for a Saturday visit, and just a few hours into her stay, she and Willow had nervously approached Buffy.

"Hey, Buff."

"Uh-oh, what'd I do?"

"Do? You didn't do anything."

"Then why the 'Serious Willow' face?"

Fred laughed as Willow rolled her eyes.

"I have no such face."

"Uh, yes you do. I've been seeing it for years, and it's as plain as the face on your face. Even Fred knows about it."

"Buffy's right, Will. You always…"

"Traitor. You're supposed to back me even when I'm lying."

Willow looked at Buffy with a huge grin:

"She just doesn't know the rules yet, Buff."

"That's funny, she told me the same thing about you."

They all laughed and Willow linked her hand with Fred's.

"So, um…I…we have something we want to talk to you about."

"Aha! I knew it! Okay, so what is it? A spell went wrong, you broke…"

"We wanted to talk to you about the living situation."

"Oh, well my position on that is I want us all to keep doing it as long as we can."

Fred laughed, but Willow smacked Buffy on the shoulder.

"Buffy, this is serious!"

"Aha! I knew it! Okay, I'll be good now."

The proposition was simple: a trade. Willow for Faith. They had already spoken to Angel and he had agreed, saying it was a great idea. Willow's magic offset the loss of Faith's slayerness, and Faith's Slayer power compensated for the loss of Willow's magic.

"And as for the book stuff, we can do the research on the phone, unless I need to come back, just like sometimes you guys have to go there."

It was the perfect solution, although privately Buffy and Willow mourned the loss of each other's daily company.

"I just wish we could all stay here."

"Me too, Buff. It's going to be so weird not to see each other whenever we want to."

"It sucks, is what it does."

"Yep, it the suckiest of the sucky. Who knows though, maybe one day we'll all move here…even Cordy."

Buffy laughed.

"On second thought, you guys stay in L.A."

"See why I'm your best friend? I can put a positive spin on anything."

"That you can. Seriously though, Will – it'll be good for you to leave. You can get a fresh start and make a whole new life."

"Yeah, that is gonna be nice. It still feels weird having Fred here, you know?"

Buffy nodded as she took Willow's hand in her own.

"I know. But you have to remember: Tara's screaming at you to go for it."

"Yeah, I know she wants this for me. Hopefully one day that's all I'll feel. And Fred's been really great with the understanding. She's so good to me."

"I like her a lot."

"Hey lady, watch it. You've got your own woman now."

Yes she did, and that woman was extremely reluctant to go along with the plan.

"Soulboy, I'm not gonna leave."

"Faith, it'll be fine. I'm going to miss you, but it's for the best. Buffy needs you."

"Yeah, but you had first dibs. Told you I was gonna stick with ya, and..."

"And you are and you will. All I have to do is pick up a phone…if I can find one…and I know you'll be here."

She was already shaking her head.

"Angel, c'mon. This feels all wrong, like I'm ditchin' you for the first pretty girl who…"

"You are, but what a girl. It's Buffy, Faith, and there's no one who understands what that means better than I do."

"But I'm s'posed to be payin' you back for everything you did for me. Can't do that with my ass in Sunny D."

He wrapped her up in a hug.

"Faith, you are paying me back. Seeing you turn your life around, watching you find love, knowing that you make Buffy happy…I think your debt's paid in full."

"Yeah, but…"

"Don't worry, I'll be calling in markers for the rest of your life, no matter where your ass is. Now go be with your girl."

Buffy smiled as she thought of how much the move had changed their lives. Buffy had never been happier, Faith was everything she'd always wanted – kind, funny, smart, passionate, dangerous, and madly in love with her. Everything she did made that clear, in fact Faith had no trouble at all showering her with love. She told Buffy regularly and easily with words just how she felt, and then her actions backed up every bit of it.

She also had no problem letting Buffy love her. She ate up the affection and attention like she was starving, and just the sight of Buffy made her light up. Happiness had never been Faith's thing, but now she was wildly happy and living a life she had never even imagined was possible. Every morning when she woke up with Buffy, she said a silent thanks that she was being given another day with the woman who owned her heart. Life was good and both Slayers were living it to the hilt.

Faith stirred, but it was only to snuggle in tighter. She was exhausted, and Buffy couldn't stop smiling when she thought back to just what it was that had so tuckered out the normally inexhaustible Slayer. All it had taken was another Slayer, some Slayer proof restraints, and a magically strengthened bed frame that could withstand hours of...activity.

Buffy had planned it out well, and when the time was right, she had attacked. Before Faith knew what had hit her, she was tied securely to their bed. She merely laughed at first.

"B, what the hell are you doin'?"

"What's it look like?"

"Like we're gonna role play or try some kink."

"Kind of right, but kind of wrong."

"Okay, so what's the sitch?"

"Remember that time you danced with Cordelia?"

Faith's was obviously confused.

"Sure, how could I forget it?"

Buffy ran her hand along Faith's arm.

"Remember what we said in the alley after?"

"Yeah, you were mad and…"

The look on her face said she remembered.

"That's right. So I thought what better way to celebrate our anniversary and maybe lay some ghosts to rest."

"…Uh…"

"Unless you're too scared."

The reaction was instant and exactly what Buffy had known it would be.

"I'm not scared! Bring it on, Twinkie!"

Buffy smiled and the sight of it made Faith nervous.

"What's the safe word, F?"

"We need a safe word?! I mean, uh yeah."

Buffy wanted to laugh when Faith's voice raised and then cracked slightly. This was going to be all kinds of fun.

"Hmmm, let's see…How about: 'Travers'? I can't imagine a scenario where you'd call out his name."

"Yeah, okay. Let's get it goin'."

Buffy sat down next to her with a pair of scissors and calmly, slowly began cutting off her clothes.

"Two things, Faith. First: you don't tell me what to do. I'm in charge now and you'll be doing what I say. And second: I'd suggest you conserve your energy. You're going to need it over the next several hours."

They went through everything, from Faith cursing her, praising her, begging her, yelling at her, refusing to make a sound, until all she could manage was an incoherent babbling before she was finally released and fell into a well-deserved and exhausted sleep. Buffy let her rest for a couple of hours, then woke her and made her take a shower while Buffy busied herself with changing the sheets.

By the time Faith returned to the room, Buffy was in bed waiting for her. She was wearing her pink nightgown and Faith somehow found the energy to make Buffy very happy before she drifted off again. It had been a good night, a wild night that neither of them would ever forget, and Faith was still trying to recover from it every chance she got.

"B, what time's it?"

The question was mumbled into Buffy's breast.

Buffy glanced over at the clock:

"3:53."

"Wake me at 4:00."

And just like that she was back asleep, like seven extra minutes were going to make any difference.

Buffy let her rest until 4:30, then with a soft kiss began waking her up.

"Faith…"

"Hmm?"

"Time to wake up."

"4:10, B."

"Baby, it's already 4:30."

"Shit…Okay."

She yawned, then rolled off of Buffy as she stretched.

"Why'd ya let me sleep so long?"

"Because you're tired."

Faith looked at her.

"Gotta be so smug about it?"

"Yes, I do."

Faith swung around to sit on the side of the bed.

"After I grab a shower, I'll grill us some steaks. Think you can boil some spuds up, maybe throw a salad together?"

"Are you insulting me?"

"Would I do that, B?"

The grin she tossed back over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom left little doubt that she would.

"You're just so funny."

"I know. Hey c'mon, take a shower with me. Gotta conserve water when we can."

"No."

"Awww, B, don't make me walk all the way back over there and get ya."

"I'm not taking a shower with you."

Faith turned and made a move for the bed that had Buffy scrambling to get up.

"Okay, but no funny business."

"Nope, bein' funny's not what I had in mind."

They soaped each other, fondling and rubbing as they went, but they got out and dressed in a reasonable time. Supper was delicious, and afterwards they sat side by side on the couch as they flipped through the channels.

"Guess we oughta get out there, B."

"Nope, Spike's taking over tonight. We're staying in."

Faith smiled and sunk back down into the sofa.

"Works for me, didn't really feel like patrolling tonight."

Buffy leaned in and Faith's arm wrapped around her. They didn't speak as Faith used her free hand to change the channels, inexplicably stopping on a "7th Heaven" rerun.

"Hey, B?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Was Heaven anywhere as good as this?"

Faith was really asking, as if it were a question instead of the most romantic thing Buffy had ever heard.

"It was nowhere close, Faith."

And then Buffy kissed her, and Faith kissed back.

When they parted, Faith scooched around, stretching her legs out and reclining against an arm of the couch. She pulled Buffy back to her, her arms wrapped around her waist, their legs entwining.

"That good?"

"Perfect. I'm all comfy and cozy."

Faith kissed the back of her head, her hand sliding under Buffy's shirt and caressing a lazy circle on Buffy's stomach.

"Mmm…that feels good, F. Let's never move."

"Deal."

Faith smiled and kissed her head again, then looked at the TV.

"Jesus, who the fuck watched this pukefest for fifty years?"

Buffy sighed as Faith's hand kept moving at just the right speed.

"Well, I did watch a very special episode once."

"On your head then, B."

Faith began squirming and moving, and Buffy wasn't happy.

"Stop moving. You're ruining my nirvana moment."

"Sorry."

She stopped, but before long she was in motion again.

"Faith Lehane, what in the world are you doing?"

"The remote's on the floor."

"Oh. Well just leave it. We can put up with it for another seventeen minutes."

"Yeah, but the hot chick's not even in this episode."

"I'm surprised you even know about her since you've never seen the show before."

"B, it's me. I know where the hot chicks are at all times…OW! On TV, I mean!"

"Keep it that way."

All was still again…for a couple of minutes. The peaceful calm was suddenly interrupted by a rapid series of violent jerks. Faith's "Gotcha!" was then followed by: "Crap!" as they both toppled off the couch to land in a tangled heap on the floor.

"Faith!"

"Fuck."

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"They were gonna sing Bible tunes, B!"

"Do you have the remote now?"

Faith held it up triumphantly.

"Yep, little fucker's secure."

"Let's just stay down here then."

"Works for me."

Buffy was on top and it didn't take long for her to make herself comfortable. Faith found a movie that looked good and they were all set…until Buffy felt her moving again.

"What is it now?"

"Relax, just grabbin' a pillow and I got it first try."

Just as they'd gotten all settled in, the phone on the end table rang and Buffy lunged for it. Her knee accidentally dug into Faith's ribs as she leaned up, make Faith curl up defensively and shove Buffy off. Except Buffy didn't go far, her focus on the phone.

"OW!!!"

"Sorry! Sorry!"

She laid back down on Faith, the phone clutched firmly in her hand.

"I've got it!"

"Terrific, but the remote's over by the TV now."

"Hello?"

"And somehow the bitch is back on the 'Best of Jesus'."

"Angel, can you speak up? Faith has the TV blasting."

"Yeah, Angel, you know how much I dig 'Bringin' in the Sheaves'."

"That's so sweet! We're having a great time."

"Ask him what a 'sheave' is."

"Uh-huh…uh-huh…I'll tell her. Do I have to? Fine…"

"Maybe some kinda shrub? 'Bringing in the shrubs, bringing in the shrubs…Good God Al-fuckin'-mighty, we're haulin' the bitches in!"

"Hi, Cordelia. Thank you, yes, it's been very nice. No, she's not drunk, just filled with the spirit of the Lord. Hold on…Faith, it's Cordelia."

"Yeah, I got that when you called her 'Cordelia' and started talkin' like you had a stick up your ass."

She took the phone and smiled:

"Cor! How's it goin'?"

Buffy snuggled back in to watch the show, smiling when Faith's arm wrapped around her without delay.

"Yeah, just fuckin' around…if ya catch my drift. Only problem's B's watchin' this show about Mormons. Huh? You know me, whatever she wants. Any progress on…That's great, you and Soulboy are gonna be gettin' some soon. Yeah, well Red, Wes, and Fred ain't exactly small fry in the brains department. Yeah, okay, and tell Angel thanks for callin'. Later."

Faith hung up and wrapped both arms around Buffy.

"Nice of'em to call."

"Very nice."

"One whole year, B."

"Yep."

"And you even talked kinda nice to Cor."

"I try."

"I appreciate it. I know it's tough, but hey, she's got Angel, so no reason to be jealous, right?"

Buffy was silent.

"Oh brother, what?"

"Well, it's just…don't you think it's creepy how she goes after all of my lovers?"

"Just means ya got good taste…or that she's single white femalin' ya."

"See, that's what I was thinking!"

Faith rolled over until she was on top.

"Buffy, Crazy Town called and they said you got voted Mayor."

"Fine. Let's go back to the part where you were all appreciative of my tryingness."

"I appreciate everything about you, so the 'trying' thing just fits in."

They kissed, and when it ended, Faith glanced at the TV.

"Fuck, it must be a marathon!"

"So let's get the remote."

"Gotta get up to do that, so I say let's just go back to bed. We can watch something up there and sleep and screw."

"It's okay with me."

Faith stood and pulled Buffy to her feet.

"Look B, next up it's a doubleheader of 'The Waltons'."

"I loved that show when I was little! I used to…Fine, no 'Waltons' tonight."

They turned off the TV and the lights, then headed back upstairs.

"Tell ya what, B. I'll screw ya now, then take a nap. You watch 'Jimbo' say goodnight to everybody in the world, then wake me up in between shows. I'll do you again, then go back to sleep. You can watch the last show and we'll call it a night."

"Wow, it sounds like heaven."

"You're tellin' me."

Once upstairs they did their thing, and after, they retreated to their own side of the bed. Buffy used the extra pillows to prop herself up, then looked on her nightstand for the remote control.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

Her voice was already drowsy and even though she was facing away from Buffy, it was easy to tell that she was almost asleep.

"Could you hand me the remote?"

"Huh?"

"It must be on your nightstand, so could you…"

Faith roused herself.

"Damn, I was layin' just right."

She leaned up, looked around, then snapped on her lamp and looked again. Her head and shoulders disappeared for a second as she peered under the bed as much as she could.

"Not here, B."

"Well, I don't have it."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Faith, I'm sure."

Faith's eyes scanned the room.

"Crap."

Buffy looked where Faith was looking and instantly saw the problem.

"That's not good."

"Why's it on the fuckin' TV?"

"Probably because you carried it over there like you always do."

"I do not!"

"Then why is it there?"

Faith thought it over.

"Some kinda spell maybe?"

"Well whatever the cause, it's way out of reach."

Faith sighed and threw back the blankets.

"Things I do for you. I'm tellin' ya, B…nobody else would get outta a warm bed after the sex we just had to get you a remote control."

"I know."

Faith picked it up, then hit the "On" button, flipping through the channels as she walked back to the bed.

"What number was it on? 666?"

Buffy laughed:

"Something like that."

Faith got back into bed and handed her the remote.

"Here ya go, Princess."

She snapped her light off, then pounded her fist into her pillow.

"Faith?"

"Yeah, B?"

Buffy was suddenly there, her face right next to Faith's.

"I want to kiss you."

"Don't know why, but go for it."

"You are the most wonderful woman in the world, and every day I feel so lucky that you love me."

They kissed and Faith's smile couldn't have been any bigger.

"Ya know, I'm not even sleepy anymore."

"You're not?"

"Nope."

She leaned into Buffy.

"Let's watch 'The Waltons'. Who knows, maybe I'll like it."

"Really?"

Buffy's excitement made Faith grin.

"Probably not, but gonna give it a try."

Faith hung in there for a long time, but by the end of the first show, she was drifting off. Buffy wasn't far behind, her head dropping, then jerking up before she finally gave in and slid down the bed to wrap an arm around Faith.

"Goodnight, Mary Ellen."

"Goodnight, Jim Bob."

"Yeah, night, B."

"Goodnight, John Boy."

"…Goodnight, F."

The remote hit the floor, but neither girl moved, sound asleep as the TV blared on.

THE END