Chapter 6

++++ Flashback +++++

London, England

Faith laughed as she watched her friend Jerry balancing on a stone ledge that ran the length of a small footbridge. The tall, gangly man had a penchant for unnecessary danger, which was probably why the Boston slayer enjoyed his company. The three friends had spent the evening doing an impromptu bar crawl in their neighborhood. With each new drink, Jerry became increasingly reckless.

"Careful, you wanker," called out their other friend, Sebastian, the voice of reason in their small group. "Fall in the drink and you'll ruin Faith's birthday celebration."

Faith laughed. "Actually, Jerry swimming with the three-eyed fish in this nasty river might be the birthday present I've always wanted."

Jerry looked at his watch and then jumped down from the stone wall. "Speaking of which," he stated with a toothy grin, "it's almost time for your birthday present, Faithy."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that, Jer?" Faiths scowled. "It makes me sound like I'm eight-years-old. And I don't need any presents, you guys." She frowned, showing her discomfort. "You know how I feel about that kinda stuff."

"Yeah, we know. Faith is anti-birthdays, anti-fun," Sebastian teased with a dimpled smile. "But I have a feeling you're really going to like this surprise. Who knows, it might be so good that it changes your life."

"Ha, I'd be surprised if your present would impact my life for more than just – how long does a good hangover generally last again?" Faith grinned. "It's been awhile, so let's say a day."

"Hey, we put a lot of thought into it," Jerry eagerly added, his dark blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Don't ruin all our fun, Lehane."

"What do ya say?" Sebastian pled. His handsome features looked boyish as he begged Faith's acquiescence. "We're just a few blocks away."

Faith rolled her eyes. "Fine," she reluctantly relented. "Where are we off to now?"

The two men grinned and elbowed each other. "Strip club!" they cheered in unison.

Faith fingered the tiny red straw in her Jack and diet. She casually looked around the ground level of the club that her two friends had dragged her to. The place was dark, just a few spotlights illuminating the space.

At the center of the strip-joint was a large, elevated stage with three dancer poles. Two minimally-clothed women currently occupied the stage, spinning and twirling around their respective poles in a choreographed strip-tease. Men in dress shirts and loosened ties surrounded the base of the stage area and fed tips into g-strings and thongs.

Surrounding the main stage area were small circular tables large enough for only two or three patrons. Cocktail waitresses in white tank tops and tight black boi shorts navigated the floor, serving drinks and connecting dancers to eager patrons. There were a few other women in the gentlemen's club, but unlike Faith, they appeared to be appeasing the whims of a significant other rather than genuinely enjoying the scenery.

The club turned out to be close to her London flat. Faith was surprised she had never noticed the business before, but with its nondescript building and lack of signage, it was the kind of place one could easily overlook.

"How come you guys knew about this place when I've never even noticed it?" Faith asked her two friends over the din of the club. For a Thursday night, the business was remarkably busy.

The two men exchanged a mischievous grin. "Let's just say it's a very private club, available only to a privileged clientele," Sebastian informed the slayer with a secret smile.

Faith didn't reply, only frowned. In her experience "privileged" usually meant "rich" or "supernatural." She frowned harder, realizing that she now fit in both of those categories.

The Bostonian suddenly stood up from the table and Jerry rose along with her. "Where are you going?" he asked anxiously.

Faith gave the man an odd look. "To the can," she laughed, eyeballing her friend. "Is that okay with you or do you need to use the lady's room too?"

"No, I don't," the British man pouted. "Just hurry back," he implored of the birthday girl.

The brunette slayer left the tableside and made her way back to the bathrooms. A burly bouncer stood outside the restroom doors, making sure that no men wandered into the female powder room. Faith nodded a greeting to the man whose face revealed nothing but displeasure.

Faith took a moment to peak under the other two tall doors to ascertain if she was alone when she entered the women's room. Finding herself alone in the bathroom, she stood in front of the mirrored vanity sinks. The lights were at a normal level and it felt refreshing to not be lurking in the dark of the club anymore. She turned on the twin faucets and washed her hands beneath the rushing water. As she scrubbed her hands clean, she looked at her reflection in the restroom mirror and checked the status of her make-up.

She hadn't really needed to use the bathroom, she just needed a little break from her two friends. She valued her friendship with Sebastian and Jerry, two men she'd saved while on patrol a few months ago. The two life-long friends had gotten kicked out of a local pub for trying to start a fight after an evening full of too much liquor. Faith had stumbled across the pair just as a Frovalax demon was about to attack them. They knew what she did and who she was at night, but beyond that, Faith shared little about her past with the men she sometimes grabbed a beer with.

Faith turned off the water and dried her hands before once again exiting out of the bathroom. She decided that she wouldn't stay out too much longer – just long enough to satisfy her friends who only wanted to make sure she had a good birthday.

Lost in her own thoughts and her eyes having not re-adjusted to the strip club's dim lighting, Faith failed to avoid a broad-shouldered man who bumped into her on his way back to the bathrooms. The Boston girl stumbled slightly and the toe of her boot caught on the leg of a chair, sending her falling forward.

The slayer would have fallen to the ground if not for the quick instincts of a woman standing near her. Faith felt strong hands catch her by the shoulders.

"Careful there," the other woman murmured, helping Faith back to her feet. "Wouldn't want to mar that beautiful face with a fall."

Faith looked up into the face of the woman who'd stopped her stumble. She was surprised to see it was one of the club's dancers, or at least assumed she was a stripper by her outfit. The dancer wore a simple outfit of black halter and black leather micro shorts that looked sexy, but not overly trashy on her thin, athletic frame. With her platform shoes, she was a few inches taller than the dark-haired slayer, but flatfooted they were probably about the same height and build. The nameless woman was in her mid-twenties with straight brown hair with blonde highlights that framed her delicate facial features.

Faith looked into the woman's startlingly green eyes. Contacts, she immediately assumed.

"Thanks," the Boston-born slayer said, regaining her balance. She barely registered that the club employee continued to lightly hold onto her wrist.

"Any time," the taller dancer purred. She flashed the Bostonian a warm smile. "However, if I have to keep on saving you, you might just have to buy me dinner." The forwardness of the stranger succeeded at luring a laugh from Faith.

"I swear I'm normally not so awkward," Faith explained with an easy grin. "I must be drunker than I thought," she laughed.

"Even if you're drunk, are you at least enjoying yourself tonight?"

"I believe so," Faith answered with honestly.

"Care for a private dance?" the club dancer proposed with slight hesitation behind her voice. Her fingers felt warm and dry on Faith's wrist.

Faith eased her hand out from the taller brunette's grasp. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer, my friends are waiting." She nodded towards where Jerry and Sebastian sat. "Thanks for the catch though." She excused herself and started to walk back in the direction of her friends.

The woman smiled after the slayer's retreating figure. "No, thank you," she said to herself.

Upon returning to the table she shared with her two friends, Faith sat down heavily in her chair. "So where's this surprise, you guys?" she sighed.

"Just a little bit longer," Jerry promised. His knee bounced under the table, a nervous tick Faith had picked up on in their short time of knowing each other.

"I'm gonna bail if you don't fess up soon, boys," Faith warned.

"C'mon, Faith. Don't be a party-pooper," Sebastian protested. "The girls here are hot, and Jer and I will make sure your glass isn't empty all night. Stick around a little longer," he urged.

Faith looked toward the club's exit. She shouldn't be drinking anymore – she was already drunker than she'd been all year. They were within walking distance of Giles' flat, but she never liked to be so intoxicated she wouldn't be able to protect herself and her friends.

Plus, she didn't like leaving Angel on his own for too long. She hadn't even planned on going out for her birthday because of that, but the souled vampire had begged her to have one night of fun. The laughs and carefree nights had been few since they'd left Sunnydale for London.

"We bought you a lap dance," Jerry revealed in a rush. "So you can't leave yet."

Sebastian scowled at his friend. "Way to keep a secret, Jerry," he complained. Sebastian looked back over at the impatient slayer. "This girl, she's, uh…in high demand," he explained, "so we had to reserve her ahead of time."

"I appreciate it guys, I do. But I think I should just head back." Faith reached for her leather jacket, which hung on the back of an empty chair, and stood up. Both Sebastian and Jerry groaned, and continued trying to convince the girl to stay, but Faith ignored their pleas.

"Go ahead and have my dance for me," she said, slipping into her coat. "I'll call you guys later and we'll hang out soon."

"But, Faith," Jerry whined. "We went to a lot of trouble to request this dancer for you," he complained.

"Stop it, Jerry," Sebastian commanded his friend. "Now you're just sounding desperate. Faith doesn't have to stay if she doesn't want to."

"This dance cost an arm and I'm not just talking pounds. Only the birthday girl is deserving of it. Surely I'm not willing to let it be wasted on Sebastian."

"If you feel that way," Sebastian growled, "why don't you take it then, mate?"

"Hah," Jerry deadpanned. "And die a gruesome death once the old bird at home finds out? No, thank you. Even if I could, I'm man enough to admit that I wouldn't be able to handle a dance from her."

Sebastian and Jerry's voices seemed to blur together, along with the heavily thrumming music blasting out the club's sound system, when Faith spotted a flash of unmistakable blonde hair on the other side of the bar. A feeling of dread and anxiety curdled in the pit of Faith's stomach as she watched a very familiar, slight frame cross her line of sight.

"No way…." she mumbled to herself.

Faith's gaze followed the flash of blonde hair as the barely-clad woman maneuvered across the room. When the woman in question paused to talk to a male patron, Faith was afforded a better view of her features. She felt her heartbeat quicken inside her chest. The familiar-faced girl laughed at something the man said and put her hand on his arm.

Forgetting her two friends, Faith left the tableside and strode in the direction of the blonde girl. She wove her away around dancers, cocktail waitresses, and ogling men. Every time she thought she was getting closer to the blonde girl, however, she discovered the other woman had changed locations again.

Faith started to get annoyed, but she wasn't about to give up so easily. She needed to see this woman – to make sure it was real and not just a hallucination. Because why in the hell would Buffy Summers be at a strip club, let alone one in London?

The brunette slayer caught a final flash of that unforgettable blonde hair as the woman disappeared behind a velvet curtain. Faith walked up to the curtain that acted like a wall between the main part of the club and the unknown. She hadn't even realized that the far wall of the club wasn't solid. The Boston woman hesitated. She reached her hand out and touched the plush material as if needing to make sure it was real.

"Suck it up, Lehane," she muttered. "It's not her, so why are you freaking out? There's no way it's her," she reiterated to give herself more courage.

Finally, sucking in a deep breath, she pushed the curtain to the side and walked in.

Suggested Listening: "Insect" - Die Warzau

The heavy velvet of the plush material fell back in place behind her, forming a wall once again that separated her from her friends and the rest of the club. Faith found herself in a smaller, darker room. The room was lit only with the aid of small LED lights on the separating walls that gave the room a starry-night feel. A dim pulse of light spilled over the curtain wall from the main part of the club. She let her eyes adjust to the room's dim lighting. With her Slayer abilities, she was able to do so faster than the average human.

Only a wooden chair with a red cushion seat and a platform with a pole coming out of the center decorated the room. Faith looked for the blonde, the woman she feared might actually be Buffy. But the room appeared empty beside herself.

Faith looked in the direction of the small stage when she saw movement. Another false curtain wall was located behind the pole area. A small hand appeared at the side of the plush material and the curtain parted to reveal a woman's silhouette.

The woman took a few steps closer to the brunette. Her hair was blonde, straight, and fell just below her chin. Her hazel-green eyes flickered in the LED lit room like candlelight. She wore a black leather halter top with matching micro shorts that looked like a second skin, and her height was exaggerated with the help of 4 inch spiked stilettos. Faith's heartbeat quickened in her chest.

"B?"

The attractive blonde's lips pursed. The corner of her mouth slightly curled up into a knowing smile. "Is that her name?"

Faith remained standing, as if frozen in her place. "I don't understand."

The other woman took a bold step closer. Faith's eyes immediately went to the thinly muscled legs and the delicate curve of defined calf. "Your friends bought you a dance, didn't they?"

Faith nodded, dumbfounded.

Buffy's face twisted into a smug, knowing grin. "Don't worry – I'm not really her. It's just my gift…to look like the one person you want the most. It freaks some of my clients out when I show up looking like the woman of their dreams," she lightly laughed.

Faith's eyes involuntarily flitted towards the velvet curtain through which she'd just come, looking for the closest exit.

"You shouldn't leave," the blonde woman stated as if reading the Bostonian's thoughts. "Your friends paid top dollar to reserve me."

The woman wearing Buffy's features stepped closer.

The face. The body. The scent. The voice. Everything about this half-naked woman standing before Faith, standing so dangerously close, was Buffy. The brunette felt the urge to bolt. The situation was too fucked up, even for her.

With amazing quickness, the blonde woman lightly caught Faith's wrist. Her hazel-green eyes bore into the Boston slayer.

"Stay."

Faith felt her breath catch in the back of her throat. Without even knowing her, this woman, whoever she was, had managed to capture her greatest fantasy. Not the part about being in front of a half-naked Buffy...although that was part of her dreams more frequently than Faith would like to admit to herself.

The actual fantasy was less NC-17. Buffy asking her to stay. Not wanting her to leave.

Despite her misgivings, the raven-haired slayer silently nodded and allowed the half-naked woman to draw her nearer to the single chair in the room.

The blonde woman straddled Faith's lap, not resting her entire weight on the brunette slayer's thighs.

"Have you done this before?" the nameless, but familiar-faced stripper asked the other woman. She pushed the black leather jacket off of Faith's shoulders.

"Gotten a lap dance?" Faith questioned, surprised at her ability to form words.

The woman wordlessly nodded. She reached behind her back and unfastened the one hook that kept her barely-there top covering her breasts. As she unhooked the clasp, the material fell away, revealing her naked torso. Her breasts sat high on her chest, tanned with no sunbathing lines.

Faith's jaw dropped. The woman even had the same freckles as the Chosen One. The copy was masterful like the most talented forgery. It was a work of art that the mesmerized slayer found herself curious to explore.

Surprising the Bostonian, the half-naked dancer grabbed her hands and placed them on her breasts. Faith released a strangled noise. It was arduous to not act upon the suppleness of the skin beneath her grasp.

Buffy's face smiled down at her. "I know it's against the rules," she noted, "but I wanted you to feel how real I am."

The stripper licked her lips and stared down at the bewildered woman between her taunt thighs. Most of her clients sought her out specifically because of her unique talent. Others, like Faith, were recipients of a surprise present. Part of the fun with those patrons was seeing their confusion. This girl, however, seemed more dumbfounded and tormented than anyone else.

"You can let go now," she said quietly.

Faith's hands immediately dropped back to her sides. "S-sorry," she stumbled. She felt like she could still feel the slight heft of the attractive blonde's naked breasts in her palms.

Buffy's features scrunched into a familiar half-smile that made the Bostonian's stomach flip-flop. "Don't be, it's okay. I enjoy the feeling of your hands on me," she softly reassured the other woman. "I just don't want you to get in trouble since touching isn't really allowed."

Her half-smile turned into a full-wattage, mischievous grin. "I take that back. You can't touch me, but I get to touch you all I want..,unless you wouldn't like that…"

The seat bound patron could only manage to shake her head in response.

The woman ran her smooth palms down Faith's arms and leaned forward as if to kiss her neck. Her warm breath tickled the brunette's neck, her hair, and sent a chill down her spine. Faith tensed her legs beneath the attractive blonde and clenched her fists at her sides. The other woman had barely touched her, and she was already losing herself to the multiple and conflicting physical and emotional strain.

The dancer stood up and Faith immediately missed the heat of her body and the scent of her skin. The woman wearing Buffy's face and body started to sway on her stiletto heels in time with the gritty industrial music thrumming through the P.A. system. Her hands ran along her taunt abdomen and moved up to cup her breasts. Her hazel-eyes closed as her fingers wrapped around her pert chest and she subtly squeezed her own flesh.

Faith swallowed hard, feeling simultaneously tortured and blessed to watch the show. Her eyes widened when she realized the woman was coming back to sit on her lap. The other woman's shin glided over her upper thigh and she settled once again on top of Faith.

"Miss me?" Buffy's voice tauntingly asked.

The Boston girl could only grit her back teeth and clasp her hands against the bottom of her chair. Her nails dug deep into the bottom side of the material sat beneath her. Over the years she'd witnessed too many of her friends getting kicked out of strip clubs for getting carried away and touching the girls. Even though it was killing her not to touch the soft, but firm flesh currently grinding on her lap, there was no way she was willing to potentially cut this 'dance' short because she hadn't had enough willpower.

The girl leaned in and brushed her soft lips against Faith's cheek and against the top of her ear. She quietly moaned and groaned into the Bostonian's ear and she worked her hips on Faith's lap.

The stripper's fingers snaked under Faith's shirt and tickled along her flat abdomen. It wasn't so much a lap dance anymore – more like pre-paid groping.

"Why does your body feel so good to me?" the woman wearing Buffy's features wondered aloud.

The nearly-naked woman ran her fingers through Faith's long waves. She dragged her short, polished nails into the brunette's scalp, pulling a quiet groan from her patron.

The woman swept Faith's loose hair away from her neck to suckle on her sensitive skin. She bit down gently, but firm enough to cause Faith's head to tilt backwards. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened as she sucked in a sharp breath. The hands of the blonde wandered the slayer's stiffened body as she continued to occupy her neck. Even through thick denim, the raven-haired woman could feel the nails of her private company scrape their way across the inner part of her thighs. The feeling sent a chill down her spine and promptly warmed her core.

Faith felt the other woman's fingertips slither to the outside of her legs and push their way to rest on her waist; it was there that they lingered teasingly. It was not long after that that her touch skipped up the slayer's ribcage; her thumbs brushed against the underside of the brunette's full breasts. The blonde dancer dared her fingers to go higher and to further push both of their boundaries; only stopping short of going through with the act due to the unwelcome eyes that observed their intimate deed from behind dark lens.

The woman seemed to grunt in frustration when she pulled her hands out from beneath Faith's shirt. "Bloody cameras everywhere," she complained bitterly. Buffy's voice sounded momentarily foreign with the English curse.

She stood once again and settled back on Faith's lap, this time with her naked back facing Faith's front. She held onto the armrests, keeping most of her weight off the Boston slayer. Her thin arm muscles twitched and tensed.

The stripped-down dancer ground her backside into Faith's lap. Her back pressed solidly against the brunette's clothed breasts and her head fell back slightly to lean on the Boston woman's shoulder. Faith could feel the heat pouring off the other woman like a volcano shedding molten lava. She smelled sweet, like lilacs, with just the faint scent of cigar smoke in her blonde hair.

"Do you live close by?" the blonde panted in a whispered breath.

Faith swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good," the stripper nearly groaned. "I guess we're both lucky then that my shift ends right after this."

Faith's breath caught in her throat when she finally deciphered what the other woman was suggesting. Still unable to find her voice, she merely nodded again.

TBC