Chapter Twenty-Three: Declaration
Faith was thumbing through a magazine in the living room, her feet hanging over the edge of the loveseat, when Kennedy walked in, her gaze swinging around before noticing her and coming over. Standing over Faith, Kennedy asked, “Who’s going out tonight?”
“Couple of the older ones, B, you and me,” Faith replied, closing the magazine and laying it on her stomach.
“Big group,” Kennedy raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, well, B’s getting antsy about avoiding the Kartuk,” Faith shrugged.
“I get it,” Kennedy nodded, before switching topics, “Wanna hit up a bar after patrol?”
Faith’s brow crinkled and she glanced away, “My recent track record is screaming ‘no’.”
Kennedy nodded, “Are things getting better?”
Faith shrugged again, “Yes and no. I’m officially back in the bedroom, but the space between us on the bed is huge.”
Kennedy sighed, “Give her time.”
Faith snorted, “I doubt she’ll get a happy over a Rolex.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant. I just, I know, everyone says to give her time. I’m doing my best,” Faith replied, sighing and putting her hand over her eyes.
The two women fell silent, and Kennedy shuffled her feet a few times before finally opening her mouth to speak upon thinking of a more neutral topic, “When are we heading out?”
“Nine,” Faith replied quickly.
“Aiight, I’ll see you later then,” Kennedy smiled gently before leaving as Faith waved her out. No that wasn’t awkward at all.
Faith limped along behind the four other women, coming to a stop when she caught up with the rest of the group outside of a large mausoleum.
“Vamp nest,” Kennedy stated and pointed, where three vampires walked into the mausoleum.
“Just when I thought tonight would be dull,” Faith muttered, adjusting her ripped t-shirt, angry at the damage the last pair of demons did to her from the earlier slaying that night. The shirt was a dark gray, splattered with red blood from Faith’s nose and green blood from the demons, a black crisscrossing harness holding the ripped parts together as well as supporting the sheath on her back where she kept her broad sword.
“Flanking positions, Faith and Aggie, stay out here,” Buffy glanced back at Faith, causing her to smile gratefully, her knee throbbing from the earlier contact it had made with a tree trunk.
Falling back, Aggie and Faith did a circular recon of the mausoleum before returning to Jack, Buffy and Kennedy.
“No other exits, you’re good,” Faith informed them.
Buffy nodded and tilted her head, causing Kennedy and Jack to follow her silently down into the inhabited tomb.
“How do we know if they need back up with all the fighting in there?” Aggie asked.
“You’ll learn to notice the difference between whether they’re winning or losing with experience. Either that, or you’ll hear them yell for backup,”
Faith replied dryly.
“So,” Aggie began, glancing into the doorway upon hearing a female grunt followed by the sound of a body hitting the wall inside.
“That was Ken,” Faith interjected, then, off of the girl’s look, “You’ll learn.”
As the scuffle began to die down inside, Faith heard a twig snap nearby and turned her head. A flash of movement in her peripheral vision accompanied the sound of something being thrown. Ducking on instinct, Faith turned towards Aggie to tell her to drop, when a rock hit the young slayer in the head.
“Aggie!” Faith yelled, and sprang up, ignoring her knee screaming in pain, and began to move over to the crumpled body.
As she neared the door to the mausoleum, where the young slayer lay, a figure came running into Faith, hitting her around the hips like a bull, throwing off her balance. Before she could recover, the being snarled and rammed her again, throwing Faith into the mausoleum where she fell down the stairs in a heap. I had to hit my knee on every step? Faith thought as she groaned on the floor. A pair of small hands gripped her under her arms and dragged her back further into the mausoleum before she had a chance to sit up.
“What happened?” Kennedy asked as Faith finally sat up, a jagged cut over her brow the only outward sign of the fight that had just taken place.
“Kartuk. Aggie’s down. One of ‘em slammed me down here when I went to help her.”
“Guess they got tired of waiting for us,” Buffy sighed, her hand on Faith’s shoulder as she crouched behind the dark slayer.
“So they came for a fight?” Jack asked.
Faith felt Buffy squeeze her shoulder, “And now they’ll get one.”
“Wait, hold on, we can’t engage them,” Kennedy broke in suddenly.
A snarling at the entrance to the mausoleum caused the four women to look up.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice if we wanna get out of this trap,” Faith stated as Buffy helped her stand up.
Faith winced, knowing that at least one rib was broken, but stood up as straight as she could, slowly unsheathing her sword. Glancing around, Faith saw Jack and Kennedy pulling knives from either an ankle or thigh holster and Buffy putting her stake away, the only one preparing for hand-to-hand combat.
“Do you know how many there were?” Buffy asked, her eyes locked on the entrance.
“Only felt the one. Probably more, considering their size,” Faith replied.
No further question or commands were voiced, as just then, three demons entered and began descending the stairs. Three more followed, and Faith inwardly groaned, already aware of how tough they were to fight. Great.
“Help! We need some help! Someone get Sandra!” Faith yelled, as she carried Buffy’s limp form through the front door, where Jack flattened herself against the wall upon opening the door. Kennedy limped in behind Faith, Aggie’s arm over her shoulder.
“What’s…oh my God,” Willow stumbled back into the kitchen and hit the intercom, “Someone locate Sandra, we’ve got a triage heading to the basement now!”
Faith moved swiftly down the hall, allowing Jack to run ahead of her to open the door to the basement in the dining room. As she entered the doorway and started down the steps, she heard feet thundering down the stairwell to the first floor. Hitting the basement floor, Faith turned around and burst the double swaying doors of the trauma ward open, making sure Buffy’s head didn’t get hit in the process. At the first gurney she came to, Faith gently put Buffy down, her hand instantly putting pressure on the gaping wound on Buffy’s collarbone. The long sleeved shirt Kennedy had taken off to soak up the blood was soaked crimson, yet Faith kept it in place, her hands pushing on it.
The sound of the double doors being pushed open caused Faith to glance over her shoulder, “Talk to me Faith, what happened?” Sandra asked, her hands going to the giant sink and washing herself quickly before drying her hands and pulling on a pair of latex gloves.
“We got trapped in a mausoleum by Kartuk demons. Six came in; I don’t know how many stayed outside. It was a brawl. I was busy fending off four with Jess when I heard B let out this scream. Next thing I know is I’m pulling a severed demon head from B’s neck; and I’m getting sprayed by her blood. I got my back torn up when I abandoned Jess, but Ken came over to help her out and then they shielded me as best they could until the last demon was dead. He must’ve lodged his horn into the skin below her collarbone and just done as much tearing as he could do,” Faith replied quickly, her voice shaking.
“Move away,” Sandra commanded before gently pulling the soaked shirt from Buffy’s neck, “Shit. Why didn’t you take her to the hospital?”
“Do you want me to start that list of reasons?” Faith shot back.
Sandra was quiet a moment, assessing the situation, “Okay, I need help here. Get Willow, she’s the only one with any official medical experience.”
Faith nodded silently and left, only to see half of the house crammed down in the basement outside. “Uhh, Will? Are you down here?”
“I’m here,” Willow moved from the back of the crowd, “What’s going on?”
“Sandra needs you in there,” Faith explained, only to see the redhead pale.
Squaring her shoulders, Willow nodded and moved past her into the ward. Faith glanced back to see the doors swing shut before addressing the group outside.
“All right, there’s nothing you guys can do right now, so those of you with school tomorrow, head back to bed. Aggie, Jack and Ken, I want you guys to get cleaned up, so don’t run off,” Faith glanced around; watching most of the group disperse with quiet murmuring.
Her eyes fell on Xander, who paced back and forth, and Dawn, who sat on the floor next to Xander’s workshop, while Giles stood near her. Kennedy, Aggie and Jack moved over towards Faith, grim looks on their faces.
“What’s the deal?” Kennedy asked quietly.
Faith shifted her weight, and sensed the three other Scoobies attempting to listen in, “I don’t know.”
“She lost a lot of blood,” Jack murmured.
Faith nodded mutely, only to turn upon Willow pushing a door open with her elbow, “Dawn, how do you feel about giving some blood?”
Dawn stood and walked over without a word, her face drawn. Faith watched silently as the sister who was more than just a blood relation disappeared behind the swinging doors. It was only then that Faith realized that she was covered in dried blood. Swallowing audibly, Faith took a seat on the bottom of the stairs, her own wounds causing her to hiss in pain.
“Faith? Do you need some medical attention?” Giles asked, cleaning his glasses as he moved towards her.
“Hell yeah, but I want to make sure B is gonna be okay first,” Faith replied, glancing his way.
“Why don’t you let me take a look at your wounds, all four of you?” Giles glanced at the four slayers as they came closer, “I’m sure we’ll be kept well informed of the situation down here.”
Faith saw the questions in the other women’s eyes and nodded before standing up, “C’mon, let’s do this upstairs. Give them as much room as possible down here.”
“But…you’ll need stitches…” Kennedy interjected as they climbed the stairs. Faith stopped at the doorway to look back down, but didn’t reply.
“I can clean and dress the wounds enough so that you’ll be stable enough for Sandra when she’s done with Buffy,” Giles explained, his eyes meeting Faith’s at the top of the stairs, us two, we know far too much about wounds. Making them and fixing them.
Faith exited the basement stairwell and allowed Giles to take the lead. Giles motioned the group to follow him upstairs. The women followed him in silence, all of them lost in their own thoughts. When Giles motioned them into the third floor bathroom, Faith almost smiled. Second to the basement, this bathroom was the most heavily stocked for medical supplies due in part to being on the top floor, but mostly because Buffy preferred to take care of herself if she was able.
Claiming the toilet seat, Faith sighed as she sat down and slowly pulled off her boots. Looking up, Faith saw Giles washing his hands, Kennedy leaning on the doorframe. Glancing to her left, Faith allowed a small smile to appear at the sight of Aggie and Jess sitting in the tub just so they could get off of their feet.
“Now then,” Giles began, the sink filled with steaming water, “Who’s first?”
Faith sat beside Buffy’s bed in a pair of sweats and a wife beater, sterile gauze taped to her back from the stitched gashes the Kartuk had given her. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, a foot tucked under her while her free leg was bent at the knee, the foot resting on the edge of the chair, allowing her to lean her head against it.
“You should get some rest, you know. Give your body time to heal,” Sandra’s voice jolted Faith and she lifted her head and turned to look over at the other woman.
Faith eyed the brunette for a moment, regarding her as she calmly checked Buffy’s vitals. The storm had passed, Buffy had flat lined twice before stabilizing, and both times, Faith could feel the connection she had to her sister slayer wavering in strength. The first time, Faith was holding a towel to her chest as Giles pasted ointment on her back, and she had lost her balance at the sudden shock of it. The second time, Faith had been coming down the stairs in a clean shirt after Giles had finished with her, and she almost slipped down the entire flight. Now, it was a waiting game.
“It’s been eight hours, get some rest,” Sandra soothed.
“I’m fine,” Faith replied in a horse whisper.
Sandra sighed, “All right, fine.” Faith’s gaze returned to Buffy’s serene face as Sandra turned to leave. Pushing a door open, Sandra paused and turned to look at Faith, “If she’s not up in another hour, and you aren’t in your bed, I’ll make everyone in this house get you upstairs.”
Faith smiled gently at the attempt at a threat, “If she’s not up in an hour, I’ll sleep on a cot.”
The sound of Sandra sighing as she exited accompanied the swinging doors. Faith leaned closer to Buffy, placing a hand on the bed, her fingers lightly tracing the back of the other slayer’s hand. Pulling the chair against the side of the bed, Faith rested her head on the edge of the mattress.
“Why do you always have to be somewhere cold?” Faith turned at the sound of Buffy’s voice, a smile blossoming over her features.
“Not my choice,” Faith replied as she moved towards the blonde.
“This can’t keep going on,” Buffy continued, as if not even hearing Faith’s reply.
“What can’t?” Faith asked, and suddenly Buffy looked at her.
“It’s always coldest before dawn,” Buffy replied, but this too, Faith felt was not so much a response as another continuation.
Looking around, Faith took in her surroundings, suddenly realizing they were in Finland, one of her many European stops.
“Doesn’t that go ‘it’s always darkest before dawn’?” Faith replied jokingly, just waiting for the next piece of cryptic information as she turned around to look up and down the empty street covered in snow.
“No.”
Faith spun around, her eyes locking on Buffy’s.
“Morning sun will blind you from the horrors of the cold,” Buffy continued, “Time is not yours.”
Faith shot upright in her chair, a pulled muscle screaming in her neck from how she had slept. Rubbing it, Faith glanced over at Buffy, whose eyes were still closed. Leaning back in her chair, Faith rubbed her eyes, “Fucked up. Why the cryptic shit?”
“Where were we?”
Faith dropped her hands and shot from her chair, leaning over Buffy’s body, “Oh my God, Buffy!” Leaning down Faith kissed the blonde gently on the forehead.
“Faith,” Buffy murmured, “Where were we?”
Faith glanced towards the intercom before looking back down at the blonde.
“Call Sandra after you answer my question,” Buffy continued, and Faith smiled at the no-nonsense tone.
“Finland,” Faith replied. As Buffy opened her mouth to ask another question, Faith laid a finger on her lips, “After. Answers after.”
Faith felt a heat flush her body when Buffy kissed her finger, and pulled away.
“This is Faith in the basement, if someone can locate Sandra, inform her that Buffy is awake,” Faith spoke rapidly into the intercom, her usual drawl switching to a faster-paced Bostonian dialect in her excitement over Buffy’s reawakening. Turning around, Faith moved quickly back over to Buffy’s bed, clasping the blonde’s hand tightly between her two bigger ones, “I thought I might lose you,” Faith whispered, her voice cracking as the reality of the situation began to finally hit her.
“You’re hurt,” Buffy murmured back, her eyes focusing on the top of the gauze that made its way over Faith’s shoulder. Faith smiled softly and leaned in to kiss Buffy softly.
“You can’t die on me anymore, you got that?” Faith whispered against Buffy’s lips, feeling a weak nod as Buffy’s nose rubbed hers in agreement, “You can’t do that to me. Not when…”
Faith felt the words building up inside of her, preparing to finally tell the older slayer; pulling away just enough to look into Buffy’s eyes, Faith could see that Buffy knew. It was at that moment that Sandra pushed open the doors, jostling the pair apart. Faith stood ramrod straight, her face flushing with embarrassment, unable to glance at the blonde below her. It was only when she felt a reassuring squeeze on her still clasped hand that Faith looked back down at Buffy, and saw the ghost of a smile appear briefly. I know you know. But I need to say it anyway.
“Hey Faith, Buffy, glad to see you awake,” Sandra smiled, unaware of the moment she had interrupted, “Faith, Dawn was asking for you upstairs.”
Faith nodded, and watched as Sandra moved towards the wash basin, before turning to lean down to Buffy’s ear, Faith allowed her lips to tickle the blonde’s shell, causing a shiver to run through her body. Pushing down all worries and fears, Faith murmured gently, “I love you,” against Buffy’s ear before kissing it softly and standing and leaving without waiting for a response. She could feel the connection between the pair vibrating throughout her body as she proudly pushed the double doors open, the stare of Buffy’s eyes on her back causing her to grin as she began to climb the stairwell. Pulling open the door to the dining room, Faith saw Dawn look up at her from the table, a pile of books sprawled out in front of her, a notebook open to her right with blue notes covering most of the page. As she smiled gently at the younger Summers girl, Faith felt a tingling in her head. Weird, maybe Sandra was right about getting sleep… Faith shook her head, and suddenly gripped the frame of the door hard enough to hear it crack. As Faith’s vision blurred to nothingness, she heard Dawn’s chair hit the floor as she yelled out the rogue slayer’s name in panic.
The steady sound of a heart monitor blipping met Faith’s ears as she seeped back into consciousness. Exhaling painfully, Faith crinkled her brows together- the extent of her abilities for the moment. At the soft touch of a thumb rubbing over her forearm, sending goose bumps up her body, Faith attempted to open her eyes. The halo of blonde hair backlit by the bright lights of the trauma ward caused Faith to shut her eyes and groan in pain.
“Hey,” Buffy’s voice was quiet, soothing, and Faith allowed a sliver of a smile to appear briefly without opening her eyes, “I’m glad you’re up.”
Faith felt the question forming in her brain, but before she could speak, Buffy placed a cool hand on her forehead, brushing back strands of hair and kissed her softly, “You’ve been out for over 36 hours. It was the second life-force attack.” Buffy whispered softly, and Faith heard her sigh in discomfort as she settled back down into a chair. “You cracked another rib on the way down the stairs, and suffered a concussion from hitting the basement floor straight on.”
Thus the pain is explained away, Faith thought, furrowing her brow and nodding slowly.
“Get some more rest, I’m not going anywhere,” Buffy continued, her hand trailing along Faith’s arm.
When Buffy’s fingers made it to Faith’s hand, Faith grabbed on, lacing their fingers together. It was all she had, and after the shit they had just gone through, she wasn’t about to let go. Not again.
When Faith awoke again, she felt a warm body pressed up against her, a leg thrown over her lower half, and an arm pulling her tight under her breasts. Opening her eyes, Faith sighed contentedly up at hers and Buffy’s bedroom ceiling, thanking whoever moved her up here and out of the closest thing they had to a hospital in the basement. The ticklish feeling of Buffy’s nose pressing lightly against the nape of her neck as she exhaled in sleep brought a warm smile to her lips. If this is the closest I’m gonna get to heaven, I’m good to go. Faith turned her head to glance out at the open patio door, seeing the remnants of the day fading into the blue of twilight. The slight movement caused Buffy to shift in her sleep, her hand creeping up to cup one of Faith’s breasts, and Faith felt her body tense at the innocently sexual touch.
It had only been a short time that the pair had been truly intimate, and yet, it was as if they had been building towards it for years, hell, we probably were. When admittance was finally doled out, and the tension got so high, Faith closed her eyes, remembering learning every curve and crevice of the blonde beauty lying beside her. Feeling the guilt wash over her at her most recent screw-up in their extensively screwed up relationship, Faith sighed painfully, knowing just how easily they could hurt each other, it’s the best thing we know. Fuck, will we ever learn? Faith sighed again and opened her eyes, her gaze making its way to a rather intricate cobweb in between the light fixtures in the ceiling. Cocking her head to one side, Faith smiled curiously up at the art, busy little guy.
The brush of a thumb over her nipple brought Faith’s focus back immediately, and against her recovering will, felt her body flush at the not so innocuous touch. Faith had learned many of Buffy’s unconscious mannerisms in relation to her body; that was all you, B, Faith thought, smirking down at the blonde head just visible below her eye line. Faith didn’t need to voice her knowledge of the touch, seeing as her body had already betrayed her in the stiffening of her nipple. Turning her head towards the crown of Buffy’s, Faith kissed the soft hairline, “You keep that up, you’re gonna hafta follow through.”
“Kinda the plan,” Buffy murmured back, a smile spreading across her face as she lazily opened her eyes and looked up at Faith.
Faith quirked an eyebrow, a smile playing at the edges of her lips. As her eyes fell shut, Faith glimpsed Buffy leaning up to seek out her mouth, capturing it a moment later in a soft kiss. Lifting her hand to splay across the blonde’s lower back, the tank top riding up at the touch, Faith smiled inwardly as Buffy cupped her cheek softly, her tongue slowly making its way into her own mouth. As the kiss meshed into a second one, Faith pulled Buffy more astride herself, her other hand finally coming into play to make its way into the tangles of blonde hair falling about the older woman’s face. As Buffy pulled away slowly, Faith sighed softly, and opened her eyes to dark green ones.
“That was nice,” Faith murmured before feeling her breath hitch when Buffy leaned down to her ear, her lips dangerously close to touching her.
“That was a promise,” Buffy replied quietly, her tone tinged with want.
Faith furrowed her brow and moved enough so that Buffy would pull away and look at her directly, “What?”
“So much has happened,” Buffy continued, and Faith noticed the look of sadness in her eyes.
“Whoa, B, what’s the matter? Are we not okay yet? I mean, I thought…” Faith stammered, attempting to scoot up in the bed, only to stop when she felt a twinge in her ribs, fuck the broken ones.
“No, we’re okay,” Buffy replied, “Sorry, no, I’m sorry,” Faith shook her head in confusion and Buffy shut her mouth before smiling sheepishly, “Sorry. We, you and I, we’re okay.”
“Okay,” Faith replied, I’m not confused at all, “Then what’s the deal?”
Buffy looked hard at Faith for a moment before sighing and leaning onto one elbow, falling off of Faith enough to allow herself to run a hand through her hair. Faith shifted a bit to remain close, her eyes focused on the other slayer.
“You said you loved me,” Buffy revealed quietly, in a whisper, as if saying it any louder would break it into irreparable pieces. Faith felt her confusion melt away, and shut her eyes as she took a deep breath through her nose. “Did you mean it?”
Faith’s eyes snapped open at the quietly fearful question, and she felt worry seep into her veins, why would you question this?
“Why wouldn’t I?” Faith replied, dropping her gaze as she felt the old distrust seep into her system. So easy to hurt.
The look of a woman without an answer to a question that should never have needed to have been asked encompassed the pair before Faith shifted slightly and broke the intimacy of the moment.
“Faith, I…” Buffy began, her fingers lifting to trail along Faith’s forearm. Faith tensed at the touch, refusing to look at the other woman, “I’m sorry.” Faith snorted, “Look at me.”
It was the powerful pull of a thumb and forefinger yanking Faith’s chin over to force the dark slayer to look the original Chosen One in the eye, “We’re not good at conveying our emotions correctly to each other. We don’t talk well and we turn into enemies like it’s a habit we’ll never kick. We need to work on this. You and I cannot just go back to being stubborn and sulky with the occasional fist-fight like we used to,” Buffy commanded Faith’s attention, letting out a shaky sigh at the end of her statement, finishing softly, “Not when there’s so much emotion involved.”
“You just get that memo?” Faith shot back, frustrated at the fact that Buffy had finally pointed out the obvious.
“Fuck, Faith! You ever think I might be in love with you as well? You think this might be difficult to get out, considering our past?” Buffy threw up her hands and spun to get out of the bed.
Faith, suddenly grasping the fragility of the situation, moved quickly, grabbed Buffy’s wrist, and spun her back around to face her. It was without words that Faith claimed Buffy’s mouth, without apologies, without permission. This was more than want, take, have. This was claiming, reclaiming and moving forward. The hiccupped gasp as Buffy caught her breath before returning the kiss was all Faith needed to know that the woman had been on the verge of crying. It was with a sudden tenderness that Faith slowed the passionate kiss down into a tender nip at the corner of Buffy’s mouth, gently pulling the woman back onto the bed, a slender, yet powerful thigh sliding over each of her own, straddling her.
Slowly, lazily, Faith trailed her lips along the delicate jaw line before flicking her tongue out at a sensitive spot behind Buffy’s ear. The sharp inhalation next to her ear sent jolts down between her legs, and Faith began to feel the oh-so familiar throb begin to build. Breaking for a moment, Faith dropped her head quickly to the exposed skin of Buffy’s neck; claiming Buffy her own as she bit down on the scar that Angel had left behind so many years ago. As she did so, the blonde’s body went rigid before grinding down hard into Faith. Rising to meet the thrust, Faith let out a quiet groan of desire before a hand lifted from her shoulder and pulled her face back up level with Buffy’s.
Dark green eyes met what Faith knew were probably a pair of almost black eyes. Faith waited, expecting Buffy to say something, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she held Faith’s gaze as she leaned into her body, pushing herself against Faith, who hissed at the contact, and ground down a second time. Faith rose to meet her and the pair groaned together. Faith felt Buffy release her hold on her shoulders, and before she knew what was happening, watched, openmouthed, as Buffy pulled her tank top over her head before dropping her hands to Faith’s wife beater. Faith reacted slowly, her eyes wide at the aggressive nature in the blonde, and feeling herself getting wetter at witnessing this more assertive and obviously turned on version of Buffy.
“Faith,” The name was said in a low growl, and Faith felt her hips jerk at the tone, fuck me, she is unhinging me faster than I thought possible. The knowing grin crawled across Buffy’s features as she watched Faith’s reactions, “Lift up your arms.”
The command was kept low, the tone leaving no room for argument, and Faith complied instantly. Her shirt was thrown wildly, and before Faith had a chance, Faith was flat on her back, fully enjoying going along for the ride as Buffy took charge. Lifting her head, Faith met Buffy in a kiss that pushed her head back down into the mattress, the blonde’s tongue slipping forcefully into her mouth, seeking out her own, claiming her. It was when Buffy’s hand moved from the side of her face to her breast, pinching a nipple between her thumb and forefinger that Faith broke the kiss to hiss. Raising her knee to meet Buffy’s downward motion, Faith closed her eyes as Buffy’s lips slid to her neck, nipping and biting their way to her clavicle. It wasn’t until those same lips slid over an areole, a tongue delicately twirling around it in a way that was making Faith arch her back into the other slayer’s body that Faith felt the hand leave her other breast and trek slowly, yet deliberately down her body.
“God, Buffy,” It was the full name, and Buffy stopped momentarily, her eyes meeting Faith’s, understanding the weight of the moment before her hand slipped inside the waistband of Faith’s shorts.
When a delicate finger slid along the edges of her wetness, Faith let out a strangled moan, her hand coming up to tangle in Buffy’s hair. She will be the end of me. It was the last coherent thought Faith had before two of Buffy’s fingers slipped between her folds, entering her swiftly, the desire and passion driving the pair to reach the culmination faster. Faith pulled at Buffy desperately as an expert thumb moved in circles around her clit, gasping when Buffy finally released her nipple from her mouth and crashed into a kiss. As her tongue twirled around the Rogue Slayer’s tongue in synch with her thumb’s movement, Faith arched her back, tearing her mouth from Buffy’s as her orgasm shuddered its way through her, her body clenching Buffy’s fingers, holding them inside of her. Buffy eased her back to Earth with light kisses along her jaw and neck, her thumb slowing its movements, but not stopping completely.
“B…Buffy,” Faith groaned, feeling a second orgasm building, “Fuck…”
The second was less powerful, but equally potent, and Faith felt herself trembling in the aftermath. Lifting her hand, she pulled Buffy’s mouth back to her own in a sated kiss that said so many more things than words could. Buffy had taken her in a way that Faith had never let anyone ever do so before, and she had loved every second of it. Pulling away, Faith felt Buffy pull her fingers free and lift them to her mouth, her eyes never breaking contact with Faith’s, the dark green twinkling as she sucked her two fingers into her mouth licking them clean. Faith felt the desire uncurling yet again in her stomach, and growled low as she pulled Buffy’s hand free and lifted her head to kiss Buffy, tasting herself on the blonde’s lips as her tongue moved within the small mouth.
Pulling away, Faith started to roll them, to take the lead, but a sharp pain in her side caused her to wince and pull back. Oh my fucking God.
“Your ribs?” Buffy asked, her voice full of concern, the moment of lust put on pause.
“Yeah. Fuck. Of all the bad timing…” Faith trailed off, her eyes lifting to catch the other woman’s.
“It’s fine, Faith,” Buffy replied, a devious smile spreading across her face as she placed at hand on either side of Faith’s head and moved her half-naked body over the brunette’s, dropping her head to the other woman’s ear, her voice deep with lust, “Slayers heal real fast. Pretty soon you’ll be able to hold me up off the floor and fuck me against a wall for as long as you want.”
The visual was now burned into her brain and Faith shuddered, “Fuck, B, you can’t just go and say things like that…”
“And not follow through?” The tone was playful, and Faith felt herself getting wet all over again. The blonde glanced down the length of their bodies, before speaking again, her tone rueful, “So many clothes.”
“Take them off,” Faith growled, lifting her head to suck on Buffy’s neck.
“That’s the plan,” Buffy replied, her tone hitching as Faith flicked her tongue out to sooth the red flesh, the mark would remain on Buffy for some time, even with Slayer healing.
“I like that plan,” Faith replied her tone a mixture of desire and playfulness, “I say full steam ahead to that plan.”
“Well then…” Buffy began, only to flinch when the buzzer sounded on the speaker.
“Buffy? If I’m waking you, I’m sorry, but we have some important… guests that you and Faith should come down to see,” Willow’s voice sounded apologetic, and Buffy hung her head, her forehead dropping to Faith’s shoulder.
When Willow didn’t continue, Buffy thanked the woman silently and lifted her head to look down at Faith.
“You know, their timing sucks worse than my injuries,” Faith replied, smiling up at the blonde, “And also, I don’t need to be healed to get you off. You being on top is a perfect position.”
As if to prove her point, Faith quickly slipped a hand between them, sliding a finger along Buffy’s slit outside her panties. The blonde shuddered, dropping her head to Faith’s shoulder again, grinding into the hand.
“Fuck, Faith, you keep doing that and we’ll never get downstairs,” Buffy whispered, her tone dangerously animalistic.
Faith felt her body shiver at the tone, and replied in a quiet growl of her own against the blonde’s ear, “That’s the point.”
Without waiting for permission, Faith tugged Buffy’s panties to the side and slipped two fingers inside of the practically dripping sex.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” Faith groaned against the blonde’s ear, feeling her shiver at the words. Slipping her thumb inside the interfering panties, Faith roughly dragged it over Buffy’s clit, knowing the best and fastest way to get the other woman off. Slow would come later- much, much later, and preferably for a very long time. For now, Faith wanted to return the primal release that the other Chosen One had given her so ferociously just minutes before. Lifting her thigh, Faith pushed her hand harder against the blonde, who was meeting her thrust for thrust, her breath coming out in quiet gasps against Faith’s neck.
It wasn’t too long before Faith felt Buffy increase her pace, before her back stiffened and she let out a loud moan that Faith knew Slayers would hear as it traveled out the open porch door. Buffy clamped down on Faith’s fingers, pressing her body hard against Faith as she rode out her orgasm, her body trembling in the aftershocks. Lifting her head after Faith pulled out of her, Buffy kissed Faith gently, the tone of the kiss conveying her thanks, her quivering body expressing its thanks in being sated.
“Thank you,” Buffy said quietly when she pulled back to look down at Faith.
Faith smiled gently, “My pleasure.”
“Mine too,” Buffy replied, before frowning, “We need to go downstairs though.”
As if knowing her thoughts, the buzzer sounded again.
“Okay now we definitely know you’re awake,” Willow continued, “And while I would like to say- ignoring the approaching apocalypse- that was a nice sound effect, we really need you to come down here.”
Buffy flushed red, and Faith chuckled.
“Oh you’re never gonna live that down,” Faith laughed as Buffy rolled off of her and went in search of some actual clothes.
Faith got up slowly, her ribs twinging in pain as she bent to pick up her wife beater. Buffy came up behind her with a bra, and snapped it together once Faith pulled it on. Silently, Buffy helped Faith into her wife beater, herself only in a bra and the white tank that had been discarded earlier, a pair of shorts completing the causal outfit. Buffy had pulled her hair into a ponytail and cupped Faith’s cheek gently before leaning in and kissing her softly.
“I love you,” Buffy stated quietly when she pulled away.
“I love you,” Faith answered just as quietly, her body and brain a mixture of awe and love as the declarations were made in the post-coital calm.
Slipping her hand into Faith’s, Buffy cocked her head to one side, “C’mon.”
They walked slowly and silently down the hall, the scent of their recent activities clinging to them, and Faith felt a grin spreading across her face.
As they went down the stairs, Buffy glanced at her, “What?”
“Nothing,” Faith shook her head, “Just… everyone’s gonna know exactly what we were doing.”
“Not my problem,” Buffy replied, smirking, and Faith cocked an eyebrow, well, haven’t you grown in the years since I first knew you, B.
“Proud?” Faith prodded, still grinning.
Buffy stopped on the second to last landing, the room below not yet in sight, “Definitely.”
Faith smiled into the soft kiss Buffy planted on her lips before they continued down the stairs, only to stop suddenly at the people standing in the room right below the stairwell, everyone looking up at them in mixtures of surprise and amusement.
Faith knew her jaw dropped slightly even as she felt Buffy tense beside her.
“Hey.”
“Angel,” Buffy replied, her voice expressing the surprise and, Faith turned to look at her, a bit of embarrassment. Well, ain’t this just a big ol’ reunion.
“So, what brings you here Big A?” Faith inquired as she sank sideways into the plush chair in the living room, Buffy standing beside the chair, her arms crossed under her chest.
Angel glanced between the pair and Faith cocked her head to one side, giving him a look that blatantly stated “don’t go there” while waiting for him to respond.
“Willow gave us a call after you had the final life-force attack, thought you could use all the help you could get,” Angel answered, his eyes catching the look Faith gave him and nodding imperceptibly at her.
“Us?” Buffy asked, her tone sharp.
Angel shifted his feet, his body giving off a sense of discomfort. Faith flicked her eyes to the other people in the room, and saw a knowing look in Willow’s eyes. Xander was staring at the floor, and Giles and Dawn were watching Angel and Buffy respectively. Andrew was staring at his hands and Kennedy was picking this moment of all moments to tie her shoelaces. Weird.
“Spike’s in the barn,” Angel explained, and Faith saw Buffy stiffen. Shit.
“Was he invited in?” Buffy looked towards the rest of the group.
Xander shrugged, “Didn’t have a chance, he’d already stalked off by the time I opened the door.”
Buffy nodded but didn’t reply, “So is everything tied up and okay in L.A.?”
“We have a few things going on, but nothing the others can’t handle,” Angel didn’t elaborate, and Faith found it interesting that no one pursued the subject.
“Have you been caught up?” Buffy asked, switching topics.
“Willow told us the general situation, but nothing in heavy detail,” Angel answered.
“Giles, Andrew, Dawn and I can catch you up,” Willow interjected, her eyes meeting Buffy’s in a silent conversation.
“I’ll go see Spike,” Buffy sighed, and Faith knew this was not something she wanted to deal with right now. So much water under that bridge.
As the group began to break apart, Faith touched Buffy’s arm, causing her to turn and look back at her, “You me to come with?”
Buffy smiled gently, “No, it’s okay. I need to do this alone.”
Faith nodded and watched her exit the living room before entering the dining room. Turning towards Angel, she smiled and hugged him, “Hey big guy, nice to have you here.”
“Thanks, you look…happy,” Angel commented, before a twinkle appeared in his eye, “And not just because of what I heard.”
“Fuck, you heard?”
“Everyone heard down here,” Angel smiled openly, “I’m happy for you, the both of you.”
“Really?” Faith squinted her eyes, and tilted her head to one side.
Angel became serious, “Yeah. I’m glad you’re happy.”
Faith nodded before turning to let Angel pass when Willow asked if he was coming. Looking up, Faith watched Xander and Kennedy come over to her.
“Wanna shoot some pool? You know, since we hafta wait for everyone to finish catching up?” Kennedy asked, and Faith nodded.
“Sure, let’s go.”
As they descended the stairs, Xander piped up behind her, “You guys have got some serious vocal chords.”
Faith laughed, “Fuck.”
“Yes indeed,” Kennedy replied, causing the three of them to laugh.
“You know you’re never gonna live that down, right?” Xander continued.
“That’s what I told B,” Faith commented.
“You weren’t exactly quiet either,” Kennedy stated, snickering.
“Fuck, seriously?” Faith’s eyes widened.
“Oh yeah,” Kennedy nodded her head as she racked up the balls.
“Never gonna live it down,” Xander stated again, grinning. This is gonna be a long game, Faith thought as she shook her head, smiling.
