A/N: I wasn't going to update this early but all the awesome reviews gave me a major happy! I'm so glad you guys are liking the story, honestly. I was kinda iffy about posting it here because a lot of people don't like f/f relationships, not to mention I haven't posted to since like 2001. But you guys are making me feel right at home. So thank you very much!
Chapter Four: Gossip Girl
Three days later brought the weekend, and the Scoobie Gang plus about ten others found themselves at the beach, basking in the warm rays of the sun. It was a balmy Saturday afternoon with not a cloud in the sky, and where as most beaches would be crowded to the max, this one was not. Out of all the things a vampire CEO would never need, his own private piece of where the sand met water was probably number one on the list. Begrudgingly, his friends told him that they would make sure to put it to some good use since he couldn't. Then they giggled.
The usual suspects were out and about of course. Gunn stood on a grassy area, showing off his grilling skills while Dawn, Andrew and Vi played in the crashing waves. Willow and her new buddy Fred were working on a sand castle with a glowering Kennedy in-between them. Naturally Wesley and Giles had opted to stay behind at the office to go over more Council plans; they were considering having headquarters all around the world and not just based in England. And since bursting into flames was not on his to do list today, Angel remained at the hotel as well.
Earlier they had all went to visit Cordelia in the hospital, and that is where Xander chose to remain for a while. Though he promised to meet up with them later.
Sitting on her knees with a bottle of suntan lotion in her hand, Buffy turned her face up to the sky and smiled. She was in a black tankini bikini, her long golden hair pinned up in a messy bun. After her talk with Kennedy, she'd vowed to have a similar talk with Faith to straighten things out. That didn't happen. She was coming to the conclusion that she was a liar, even to herself. Although the rich chick had kept her word and not told anyone, the smug looks she threw just screamed 'I have a secret'.
She had planned of course several times to bring up the subject...casually while they hung out. She could defeat whatever baddie came her way, but with this she was the biggest chicken that ever lived. But spilling your heart to the object of your affections was a big deal and it was okay for her to be a little...freaked. Rejection sucked, which reminded her of stupid Parker. The point being she liked this comfortable space that they were in right now.
After getting everyone to the Hyperion and being faced with the decision to no longer be bed buddies, Buffy had used the excuse that since Angel's room was the best they should just share. To keep things equal. Faith agreed and they were still roomies. Thursday night they took some of the newbies patrolling, and then stayed up watching b-horror movies on cable. Friday everyone went to the arcade, and watched Andrew beat a bunch of thirteen year olds at Dance Dance Revolution. When some random guy remarked that Faith was 'too pretty' to be able to beat him at some shooting game, she wiped the floor with him and gave the stuffed animal she won to the blonde. He would now forever be Mr. Gordo jr.
"Check those two out." Faith nodded her head in the direction of where Andrew was picking Dawn up to toss her into the water. "Think they'll hook up?"
"What? No way." The Californian laughed. She let herself admire the rainbow colored two piece suit that her friend wore. "I always thought he was gay anyway."
"Maybe. Though he's prob just the uber virgin I think." She snickered, adjusting her black sunglasses. "Kid just looks up to Xander and 'em because they are the shit and he's a nerd. One day he might grow outta it."
"Heh well even if he does I don't think he's Dawn's type. Besides she's only seventeen she shouldn't have a type at all. Oh my god what if she gets pregnant?" Suddenly her green eyes were shooting daggers at the laughing pair. "I'm way too pretty and young to be an Aunt!"
"B, chill. Andrew would have to actually know where the pussy is for that to happen." Resting back on her elbows, she winked. "And somethin' tells me he couldn't find it even if we drew him a map." A beat. "Though the brat is hot, and she is gonna do it someday. Maybe you outta...I don't know...have the talk or some shit."
Scratching at her soft cheek, the former Sunnydale resident made a face. "She's not a little girl anymore and I'm sure they had sex ed. And-and Dawn is smart. She wouldn't go out and get herself into that kind of trouble. She has college and stuff to think about." Playing with the cap to the bottle in her hand, she tilted her head to the side. "So um, do you have enough of this on? Just 'cause we heal fast doesn't mean you wanna get all burnt like a lobster."
The brunette yawned and arched a brow, but flipped onto her stomach. If Buffy wanted to do it there was no way she was going to stop her. "Aight, you can do my back. Untie the strings first. And no ooglin' my goodies unless ya plan to buy me dinner afterwards."
Gulp. Pushing the dark hair off of smooth shoulders, she yanked loose the colorful ties, making them fall to either side. Dumping a nice amount of the liquid into the palm of her hand, she exhaled and began to massage it all over olive toned flesh. In the past whenever she'd idly thought about how Faith's skin felt, she'd pictured something a bit more rough because that is how she behaved. She didn't appear to be one for moisturizers or body gels, but you couldn't tell it by the silkiness that she was currently rubbing.
"I ain't gonna break, B." The Bostonian remarked in her whiskey on the rocks voice. "You can go at it harder than that..."
"Oh um, I just, sure." Flexing her slender fingers, she applied more pressure, surprised to find tension in the muscles. "Someone is still wound pretty tight."
"Yeah well, a vibrator only has three settings."
"Really? I've never...ya know."
"Seriously? You a five finger kinda girl?"
"Faith!"
Looking back at the blonde's blushing cheeks, she chuckled and propped her chin up with her hand. "Ever little miss tightly wound. I'd think you'd be more into the naughty shit after bein' with what's his face. Chains, handcuffs, whips; that kinda shit."
Buffy continued with her caresses. "I'll admit those few times with Spike opened my eyes to...rougher activities but it wasn't really anything to enjoy."
"He obviously won't doin' it right." She snorted. "Not surprised..." She was a firm believer that sex felt better with a warm body.
"Heh um, hey guys." Neither had noticed Willow coming over until she plopped down in the sand. "You two lookin' mighty cozy wozy. Everythin' going good?"
"Yup." The Boston girl wiggled on the towel underneath her. "Just lettin' B get her rocks off by fondlin' me a little."
"She wishes." The blonde smiled at her best friend. "What's up?"
"Well...I was just wonderin'...ya know 'cause that's what I do. Wonder; where do you guys plan to go? I-I mean I was thinking about Brazil maybe." She shrugged. "I'm sure there are new Slayers there who are all...hey, what, huh and wanting to know what is going on."
"Oh...yeah that sounds cool." A pause. "It's weird though to think of us all split up or something. I mean we've been together for seven years. I might be a little lost without my buds."
The red head patted her shoulder. "Aww Buff you're gonna be fine. You can do whatever you want whether it's get a real job or become a professional party person. And you know if you need me I'm just a poof away! But, that spell we did was massive and we have to be prepared for what is to come."
"I know." Her friend replied, then went back to the task at hand. Touching Faith. "Being faced with actual choices is something I have always wanted but now find strange. I might get a major case of the freakies and end up in a metal hospital for real. What if I can't hack it as a normal joe? What if not killing something every other day makes me go postal?"
"You think too much." The Wicca chuckled. "Just enjoy being you and the rest will fall into place." A beat. "What about you, Faith? Any prospects?"
The Boston girl thought for a moment. "Nope. Guess wherever B goes is good enough for me."
Buffy tried to hide her grin but it filtered through anyway. That sounded like such a cool idea, and perhaps having the brunette around would keep her grounded in a way. After all someone had to be the rebel and someone had to conform; it just so happened that conformist clothes flattered her shape more. "I think that's neat because we do have alot of lost time to make up for."
"I'm glad you two are getting along so well." Willow's bright blue eyes flashed. "Cause the hittin' and the slappin'...not so much fun for the rest of us."
"We're over that." The oldest Slayer giggled. "From now on it's going to be like we are in a buddy cop movie."
"Yo! Faith!" Gunn yelled, waving his tongs, breaking their conversation. "If ya want one of these kick ass burger ya better get cha ass over here!"
"Just bring it to me dawg!"
"Who the hell do I look like? Jeffery from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air?"
Snorting out a laugh, she retied her top and pulled herself up. "I'm gonna get some grub." She turned her attention to Buffy. "When I get back I'll do you, aight?" Without waiting for an answer, she stood and headed for the handsome black man.
Watching her go and anticipating the massage she was going to receive, she blinked as she realized Willow was staring at her with an amused expression. "So um, Brazil huh? That sounds really cool. You know I've always wanted to go to Italy for some reason. I think it would be interesting, what with the culture and the fashion and...pizza." A beat. "Hey you and Fred have been having some fun adventures lately. Didn't know you guys were that close."
"Hm? Oh well Fred is a special kind of girl. She reminds me of Tara in a way..."Trailing off, the red head pulled at her straw hat. She still missed her former lover everyday. "And we got lots in common on the magic front. Us hanging out though puts Ken in a poo poo mood. Don't know why..."
"Duh, she's jealous." Buffy stated, figuring she knew that already but pretended otherwise. "She's just a Slayer, she doesn't get the mumbo jumbo that you guys probably go on and on about."
The witch waved a hand. "Fred and I are just friends. Besides I don't think she is even a little bit gay. Not th-that if she was I'd-I'd make a move or anything. Say, let's talk about you and Faith."
"Nothing to talk about."
"I beg to differ. I'm differing!"
"Why is everyone so interested in Faith and I?" The Californian chuckled. She knew why but that was no reason to let on. "Okay so-so once upon a time we had some relating problems. And I did stab her and-and she did steal my body but that is in the past. Water under the bridge. Actually there is no water; the river dried up. That is how over everything I am."
"Wow Buffy I think that's really cool. I was a little iffy when it came to bringing her back to Sunnydale to help but, well, we were in dire straights. She wasn't too worried though." Untying and retying her orange sarong, she looked around. "But betcha by golly wow, you guys are like two peas in a pod. Sleeping in the same bed and...hanging out all the time. Heehee."
"Heehee?" The former Sunnydale resident shoved her lightly. "I thought you guys would be happy I don't wanna strangle her. It has to mean something that I'm trusting her. Something spiffy."
Willow glanced to where the brunette in question was chomping on her burger, licking ketchup off her fingers. Should she bring this up? Eh, why not. "You know, Kennedy and I were talking last night..."
Jerking her head up, the blonde swallowed hard. She knew, she just knew that the rich girl had totally blabbed what they talked about in confidence! Why did she ever think she could trust her? She might have been great in battle but when it came to gossip, most girls were alike, and sitting on a huge secret was something none of them could do for long. Especially when their significant other said those three magic words; what's going on? The part of the brain that kept the secret automatically started twitching then, dying to release what it knew.
Taking her hair down and dragging her fingers through it, she decided to play dumb. "Oh? What about?"
"Just um, random stuff. The scythe and other Slayers that are all over the world." Wetting her lips, the witch searched for the right words. "Relationships and how th-they change. Or-or grow. And people change and...grow...and change." A pause. "Some people probably thought Kennedy wasn't my type but look at us now. And heh we all thought Anya was wrong for Xander...and I guess in a way she kinda was but point being, they were happy for a while."
Grumbling, Buffy stuck out her lower lip. "She told you, didn't she? Tramp."
"It's okay. I kinda...drug it outta her." She giggled, showing her bright smile. "But I'm sort of mad that you didn't talk to me about this. I mean we're best friends, we've talked about everything together. We've killed hundreds of evil friends from beyond the grave."
A groan. "I know! It's just hard because-because you know me so well. You know how things went with Angel, Riley, even dumb Parker. I didn't want you thinking I was weird."
"Hello? Gay." The Wicca pointed to herself. "Granted when Kennedy told me you were having snuggly wuggly feelings for Faith I was shocked, but in a way I kind of wasn't. Yeah it's weird and strange like a three legged dog, but once upon a time that dog probably had four legs. And he probably couldn't control the harsh car accident that made him lose it."
Blinking her emerald eyes slowly, she nodded. "Um...okay."
"I'm just saying that Xander and I noticed how you guys used to be when we were in high school. Well, Cordelia in her less tactful way pointed it out during lunch."
"What do you mean?"
"Well Faith was sexy and sarcastic, and you were outraged yet giggly. But there were looks."
"Looks?"
"Yep. Looks. Sometimes they were normal yet other times it was like 'I'm undressing you with my eyes'."
Wow, she never realized she'd been doing that. "So you don't think it's just a phase or whatever? You think I really like her?"
Willow nodded with a grin. "Okay I'm gonna say some things that may upset you-but just remember you're my friend and I-I love you." She wet her lips and then continued. "You and Angel were great together, but it was kinda doomed from day one. He's a vampire who can't have sex with you or he loses his soul. You're a vampire Slayer who is supposed to kill his kind. He'll be young and hot forever and one day you're gonna sag in interesting place."
"Hey!" Her friend gasped, looking down to her breasts. "Shh! They can hear you."
"Hehe, I'm just saying." A beat. "Then there was Riley, who was sweet and nice, and in no way exciting enough for you. He was the stable guy and you rebuffed him, because in the end you needed fire. And lord, I don't even wanna bring up Spike but I have too. That was a disaster in the making. Sure you were totally depressed because you'd been ripped from Heaven and total happiness. But Spike? Really?"
"I was in a bad place." Buffy shrugged. "And he was always around when I was miserable. It just...happened. Gah, please tell me you have a point because this relationship memory lane we are heading down is seriously freaking me out."
"Sorry. My point is, is that none of those things worked out. It's like with me and Oz. I loved him so much and he was the greatest person in the world, but-but in the end he wasn't right for me. Yet he helped me realize the truth when he left, 'cause then I met Tara and-and suddenly everything made sense." Grinning, she drew little designs in the sand. "So maybe you and those others didn't work out because...well because it just didn't make sense. If you really think about it though, even with all the crap you and Faith have been through, you kinda make sense."
Buffy tilted her head to the side, confused. She didn't see it. "How so? We-we tried to kill each other and hated each other for years." Then again so did she and Spike, and look how that turned out. But this was different because she was in a good place now...and Faith had a pulse. And a soul.
The red head flicked a bug off her ankle. "True. But you have the Slayer connection, a-and there has always been this weird chemistry between you guys. We saw it. Angel saw it that night you guys were partying together. Besides Buffy, some things are just meant to be and can't be explained with logic. Somethings you just feel."
"So what do I do?"
"Well you either approach her and see what happens. Or you just stay in the background. Alone."
"You'd have no problem with her and I being more than friends? Not even after all the badness?"
"Nope. I went evil and filleted a guy alive, yet everyone forgave me. So now I'm all for forgiveness and second chances."