The Birthday That Should Not Have Been
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Faith/Buffy focus, mention of other pairings
Summary: "You're just... thirty. That's not ugly, just old."
Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutan Enemy.
Note: This is for Knuffles' plot bunnies. And the cookie I am going to eat later... BTW, you owe me a fic. I will be back later to collect.
She sensed her lover long before she came into the bedroom as clumbsily as a Slayer could be, carrying a tray with a foot-high stack of pancakes, a plate of bacon and eggs, and a pitcher with orange juice on it. She set the tray down gently on the bedside table and stole a peice of bacon before going to the curtains and opening them. A groan was heard from under a mountain of blankets, which still held the scent of the two of them as they came together a couple of hours ago for a birthday romp. "I let you lay in for long enough. You cannot avoid your big day forever, B," Faith said, grinning as Buffy moved so that her eyes were away from the glare of the sun.
"No. You can't make me," came the small rumble against pillows. Had Faith been anyone else, she woudln't have been able to decipher what had been said.
"My dear, I do believe that I'm the only one in this house who has the stength to make you," Faith said, climbing into the bed and crawling over the blonde. She placed her body onto Buffy's and left a kiss on the older Slayer's forehead, right on the scar that ran across her nose, ending on her left cheek. "It's getting close to noon, and we still have to par-tay. Xander brought Andrew, and Willow's going to be here soon with Kennedy and Vi, Dawn has her boyfriend... Tim or something... They're waiting just for you to get your ass out of bed so that the shindig can go down. What do you say?"
"I say 'No, you can't make me.'," Buffy said again, attempting to pull the covers back over her, but they had been stopped by Faith.
"Even though I made you breakfast in bed?"
"You know that Andrew made that," Buffy argued. "I smelled smoke earlier."
"Yes, you caught me. I'm eating this if you aren't," Faith threatened, and she smiled when she heard the faint sound of Buffy's stomache reacting to the smell of the food. Faith moved the tray, and Buffy sat up. The brunette slowly placed the tray over Buffy's lap as the top half of the blonde's body was exposed. Buffy took a few bites, and then fed Faith another piece of bacon. For a moment, the two felt like they were in Heaven, and both having died at least once and coming back under Chicago's Hellmouthy circumstances, this was really saying something. After Buffy finished eating, Faith went to their dresser and tossed a couple of articles of clothing, but not before she held up Buffy's underwear with an 'Ooh la la', even though she had been there when Buffy tried them on in the store. Faith cleaned up the dishes from the 'breakfast' as Buffy began to change, and when she got back, she saw her love looking out the window, dressed, with the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.
"I... I can't believe that I am here. I should have died at least twelve years ago." Faith joined Buffy at the window and wrapped her arms around the blankets settled around her lover's shoulders.
"Same here, but... we've survived, B. We're here."
"Its nothing short of a miracle, really," the blonde went on, and Faith stared at the trees outside their house as they swayed in the breeze that accompanied the sunshine. The two Slayers remained in silence as they thought of all that they had been thorugh, the many things that led up to this miraculous birthday.
"Yeah," the brunette said a moment too late, not that Buffy seemed to mind. Faith turned her girlfriend around so that she was facing her, and she tucked a stand of Buffy's still messy hair behind her ears. Never had she seen a being more beautiful than Buffy Summers. She traced her finger along the scar on Buffy's face, glad that she had taken care of the creature that was responcable for it. She remembered reverting back to the evil in her that had cause so much of the early damage between them, only this time, she was able to control it, to tame it.
At Faith's intense gaze at her face, Buffy moved away. "Ugh, its official. I'm ugly."
"You're not ugly. Never ugly. You're just... thirty. That's not ugly, just... old." Faith grinned when Buffy hit her away.
"Beast. Go entertain the guests while I take a shower."
"Any chance I could join you?" Faith asked, raising her eyebrows slyly in hopes of defusing the situation a little, but it hadn't worked.
"Not after the 'old' comment."
"Aw, I promise to make it up to you, Grandma."
"Oh hell no," Buffy huffed, throwing the blanket on the bed and moving towards the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way. "After that, I might never let you touch me again."
"You know I'm messing with ya, B," Faith said. She was fast getting to her, but she knew that Buffy wanted to be caught. She wrapped her arms around her again, and left a kiss in her hair. "I love you, B. You know that. Be you thirty, forty, a hundred... I'll love you."
"And when you get all the wrinkles, I guess I will love you, too." Buffy said back. Knowing that she deserved that remark, Faith didn't respond to it. Buffy turned and kissed Faith, and then went into the bathroom. A moment later, when Faith heard water running, she left to go downstairs, where she saw the cake on the counter. She winced when she saw the inscription 'Happy Birthday to the oldest Slayer in the world' in light blue icing. She would deal with the consequence of her old jokes later, but she knew that she would do her best to make this, the birthday that should not have been, the best that Buffy ever had.