Alright, so first I get sick, then it's my birthday, then my internet stops working and isn't fixed for two weeks, next the holidays roll around, and finally writer's block decides to show its ugly face! This is take three of this chapter, let me tell you. Thanks for all the awesome reviews, I am so sorry for the wait. Last chapter someone let me in on the fact that you can't review on this site without answering random BTVS questions (unless you're a member), so if you're having an issue with that and would like to review, this story is also on . It's under the same name and title, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Again, sorry for the wait, I hope the length of the chapter makes up for it a little. Enjoy!
p.s. Sorry for any typos, I was literally up all night trying to get this finished, and I still have no beta. Bear with me.
Chapter Seven: A Summers Night Out
Buffy pulled the blouse over her head, running her hands over it a few times before looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had touched up the remaining bruises on her face that had yet to fully vanish, and her blouse was long-sleeved not so much to shield her from the cold night as much as it was to hide any bruises on her arms. Slayer healing, along with a drop of Faith's blood, and all, a lot of the damage done during her 'sparring' session with Faith was far from healed. Ever other step she took, a pain would shoot through her left leg, and it took everything for her not to stumble, or even limp. She was sure more than one of her ribs were cracked, and her fingers were stiff from the blows that she did land, which were few and far in between. But standing there, she looked as if nothing was wrong; she didn't wince when she flexed her fingers, she didn't hiss at the pain in her leg, she didn't keel over because of the pain in her ribs, and there were no bruises in sight. And that was exactly what she wanted.
On the other side of the door, Faith was somewhere in her Boston-stay room, waiting for her to come out and Buffy refused to show anything other than strength in the other woman's presence. There was nothing like a stiff beating to straighten out ones backbone, at least in this case. From the moment she had left the sparring session, though beaten and technically defeated, she had felt something rise within her. Like beneath all the pain and fatigue, something had been awakened. A new confidence, a new sense of pride. It had been such a long time since she had felt such a grand sense of power in being a slayer; in being chosen. What had always felt like such a weight, such a burden, now felt like something new all together. It was as if she had suddenly been reintroduced to everything she was, and this time around it wasn't forced upon her. It wasn't about duty, or obligation. It was a revelation. Faith had pushed and pushed, until something had just snapped, and she had found herself reaching into something she never knew was there.
So, even as her mind tried to dive head first into what Faith had told her earlier—about whatever spell her maker had found to stop her from dreaming—and as her body tried its best to force her into submission, she refused. She wasn't going to fall victim to her emotions, or her physical state. Instead, she would stay focused; stay in control, because from the moment she had laid eyes on Faith's picture, back in Scotland, she had been all action.
Buffy ran her fingers through her hair, missing her blonde locks, and then exited the bathroom. Faith was in the middle of examining a knife Buffy had placed beneath her pillow. "Been snooping much?" she asked, as Faith put the knife back where she found it.
Faith chuckled. "Depends on your definition of much." Looking the slayer over, she noted her long-sleeved blouse, and dark jeans. "Not saying you look bad or anything, but you can't wear that."
She folded her arms over her chest, huffing at the slayer-vampire's words. "Why not?" It was bad enough that Faith had literally just shown up, and immediately started giving orders for her to get ready, without telling her where they were going. Now she was going to tell her what to wear? "You're pretty much dressed the same, my shirt's just nicer."
"We need to give off a certain image where we're going, and what you're wearing isn't going to work. Right now, we look like we're in business together. Night stalkers on a mission." She approached the dresser in the room, pulling open a drawer. "You can keep your nicer shirt on, but how about something a little...sexier for the bottom half," she said, tossing a skirt in Buffy's direction.
"I guess that answers my snooping question," she mumbled, catching the skirt. After holding it out in front of herself, she looked to Faith with a questioning brow. "First off, it's like Antarctica outside. And, I'm pretty sure this skirt isn't mine." Sure, she had had her fair share of short black skirts, but none of them had been tiny black skirts. "I mind as well just go in my undies."
"Okay, so I may have brought it along with me, in case you didn't have the right wardrobe for-"
"There's nothing wrong with my wardrobe."
"Look." Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Defiance wasn't typically something she had to deal with when it came to humans, or slayers for that matter. "Trust me, where we're going, you don't want to come off as some strong willed slayer who's all about the mission. So just put the damn thing on already, so we can get this over with."
Remembering the state her legs were in, Buffy tossed the skirt onto the bed. "Well, if I put that on, instead of just looking like a tramp, I'll look like a tramp who gets a healthy dose of beatings from the vampire she's with, and there's no way I'm going out looking like that."
Frustrated, Faith started to question the slayer. "What the hell are you-?" But then she remembered their encounter earlier, or more like, she remembered the fact that not even a slayer heals as fast as she does. "How bad?"
"Better than it was earlier, but still pretty bad," she answered, honestly. Faith nodded and began to walk towards her, and despite her body begging for her to either go into a fighting stance, or cower, she stood her ground. "So, it's either this," she continued, "or-" She stopped short seeing Faith's fangs suddenly appear, and decided maybe a fighting stance wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Relax," Faith cooed, looking down into Buffy's eyes. "Just a little taste."
Buffy's eyes widened. New confidence and all, those words weren't ones that she wanted to hear. However, when Faith lifted her own wrist to her mouth, and bit into it, she relaxed a little bit, unconsciously sighing in relief. The relaxation was short lived when she realized who was supposed to do the tasting. "Uh, no."
"I really don't want to have to glamor you..." she warned. "Just a few swallows."
She cautiously eyed Faith, watching as the blood dripped from her wrist to the floor, a stain she would have to worry about later. This wasn't a situation she ever expected to be in, and she wasn't sure how to even approach it. Unfortunately, the look on Faith's face said that there was no time to think it over. There would be no stalling the inevitable. "Fine." She grabbed Faith's wrist, pulling it to her mouth. Her instinct was to close her eyes, but something told her that she'd want to see Faith's reaction to what was happening. What she was doing.
Of course, Faith found it rather exciting. No, she wasn't any less frustrated with the slayer, and her endless stalling throughout the night. At least, that's how she saw it. Still, there was no way she couldn't react to a slayer drinking from her; soft lips gently sucking her wrist, taking in gulps of her. Becoming a vampire had definitely mad life even more sexually entertaining, and satisfying for her, and she had learned to value it. Take advantage of it, even. Why not?
Buffy hadn't missed a moment, Faith's mouth slightly open, her fangs ever present. Her eyes so focused, lidded and dark. A quiet moan had even threatened to come from her, and maybe if Buffy hadn't been a slayer standing in a dead quiet room, she wouldn't have heard the beginnings of it. Faith wasn't exactly subtle. After one last swallow, she pulled back, dropped Faith's hand, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
If Faith hadn't been holding her own arm up, it would have dropped like deadweight, and that was the message Buffy really wanted to send; that she was unaffected, and indifferent. She grabbed the skirt off the bed. "I'll change outside. Walking out the house in this would draw way too much attention."
"We're going out the window," Faith said, walking towards it.
"No, you're going out the window. Last night, when you kidnapped me, there was a search party and they weren't too happy to get the call that I had come back on my own earlier today." In no way did she want to hear anything else out of Mimi Hampton's mouth. Sure, it wasn't fair to the other slayers that they were out all night looking for her, but it wasn't like she knew she was going to get knocked out and dragged off to the middle of the city. "We've got a system set up here, it's better if they know I'm leaving. A lot of the top slayers are out tonight, on patrol. My friends, however, are not. So, you—window," she said, pointing at it. "I will meet you outside."
"You've got ten minutes. No funny business, no slayers shadowing us. It's gotta be just you and me from this point on, got it?" she asked. It wasn't up for agreement, but she wanted to at least say it to be sure. That way, if the slayers were to end up tailing them, she wouldn't have to hear anything about protocol.
"Got it." She grabbed her jacket, and placed the skirt under it. "Ten minutes." With the sounds of her window quietly opening behind her, Buffy walked over to her door, slowly turning the knob. She wished she had paid more attention to whether her door squeaked or not, but it was hard to pay attention to anything when you a walking zombie. Not literally, of course.
Buffy poked her head out into the hallway, first looking to the left towards Willow and Kennedy's room, and then to the right where she spotted Dawn further down the hallway. She ducked back quickly, hoping that her sister hadn't caught sight of her. When she was sure she didn't hear Dawn approaching, and the younger woman wasn't calling her name as to say 'hello, I'm not blind,' she moved to look again. Down near the end of the hall, Dawn stood in front of Lucy's door seemingly mumbling to herself; raising a hand to knock, but then stopping short of making contact, letting her arm fall back to her side instead.
Curiously, the slayer continued to watch as her sister once again mumbled a few things under her breath, too quietly for Buffy to catch a single word. Dawn shook her head a few times, clenching her fists, and taking a deep breath before attempting to knock again, this time managing a few soft ones. As Dawn stood waiting for a reply, Buffy let her eyes drift over the few cuts and bruises on her sister's arms, back up to the bruise on her cheek. When she had come home earlier that day, someone had told her that Dawn and Lucy had gone out looking for her as well. This was the first time Buffy was able to actually see some of the damage for herself. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty, not that it was her fault that Faith had kidnapped her so she could kick her around for a few hours. Unlike her, Dawn didn't have any slayer healing, and the bruises were pretty hard to miss. After looking back at her now empty room one last time, she looked back into the hall, watching as Dawn walked further down it, to the room she was staying in. Lucy wasn't around, apparently.
Sure that the hallway was now empty, she left the room, making it down the hall, and down the stairs hoping to find Willow in the living area where she said she would be. She was having a meeting with the on-campus wiccan slayers, hoping that they could figure out how Faith knew to use Buffy's blood to break her spell in the interrogation room, especially since she herself didn't know it was possible. Tomorrow, they were going to see if it could be done again, and with more than just Buffy's blood.
Finding Willow just where she said she would be, Buffy knocked on a wall just outside the living area. The witch rose to her feet, telling the group she'd be back in a moment, and then guided Buffy into the kitchen. They were lucky enough to find it empty.
After mumbling a spell to make sure no one would hear them, she got straight down to business. "You're going out to meet her, I thought she said she'd find you." They had already discussed the events following Buffy going to the bar Faith worked at, and they had also discussed how they would proceed.
"She did. Just now, in my room. I've got ten minutes to meet her somewhere outside, on the grounds."
"I don't understand. How is she doing this, and how did I not sense that she was here? None of us felt a thing down here." She sighed. "First the interrogation room, now this."
"I know. She always seems to be two steps ahead of us," she pointed out.
Willow huffed. "More like a million steps. So, did she give you any details on where you're going, or what you'll be doing?" She figured she wasn't the only one hoping that it didn't involve more violence. For some reason, Buffy had refused to let her do a healing spell earlier.
"Nope. That would take her out of her comfort zone, which obviously involves keeping us completely in the dark. Hopefully I won't have to take another beating." For a moment, she considered telling Willow about feeding from Faith, and the fact that she felt more than amazing. That with every passing second she felt her strength, and senses peak. All her aches and pains were vanishing, and her heart was working overtime. She felt as if she were literally bursting at the seams. "Wherever we're going, I'll be required to wear this lovely skirt," she said, lifting her jacket from her arm to reveal the skirt beneath it.
"Ah." Willow said, eying the skirt. "Thank goodness for the invention of the heater. How are your wounds? Still a little achy?"
"A little." She cleared her throat. "I should get going, she doesn't exactly seem like the patient type."
"Okay. Just be careful, and remember-" Making sure that Buffy knew she was completely serious, she held the slayer's gaze, her face serious. "If things go to the bad with Faith, I'm stepping in." That was another thing they had discussed earlier. Sure, Faith had been able to break a few of her lower level spells, but there were some spells that couldn't be stopped, no matter what tricks you had up your sleeve. Buffy hadn't necessarily wanted to agree with her when they had talked earlier, but seeing that Faith was impossible to fight, track, or contain thus far, and she had the habit of manipulating people into certain situations, Willow didn't actually give her a choice. At some point, they had to draw the line.
Thinking of the many consequences that would follow if Willow were to step in, Buffy hoped like hell that Faith would keep her word. Five nights. "Let's hope that won't have to happen."
Lucy walked into headquarters, a smile on her face. "Hey Rachel," she called, spotting the girl a few feet away. "Do you know if the patrol is still going on at Hilltop tonight? I'm a little out of the loop, after last night." Not to her surprise at all, Mimi hadn't been so happy to find out about her little adventure with Dawn, who was not only a civilian, but also their leader's younger sister. They had been so close to not getting caught when they got back, only a few feet away from making it up the back stairs without any of the girls in the training rooms noticing them, but after she had told Dawn that she could hear the girls talking about Buffy coming back on her own an hour or so before, Dawn had squealed excitedly—having felt so defeated when they had first arrived. There was no missing that squeal, especially not with super hearing.
"Taking the chief's kid sister out? Not such a good idea," she said, toweling her damp hair. She was a tall and lean, athletic type, confident in her skills as a slayer, but had yet to finish all the necessary training to go on patrol with the top girls of the house. Now that the top girls from a few of the other academies, including Kennedy, were around, she really didn't stand a chance in moving up any time soon. "They left for Hilltop a few hours ago, but the night is still young. With this whole slayer-vampire thing, and that attack in the cemetery, more and more patrols have been scheduled. There's a second team that's supposed to head to Crest in a few minutes. You going?"
"Mimi's put me on suspension." She shrugged, laughing slightly. "Before that they were telling me I work too hard, and too much. Now I'm irresponsible 'cause I didn't let Ms. Summers' sister run off by herself? Okay, sure." Truthfully, she hadn't thought so much about Dawn's safety when she suggested that she tag along, nor was she looking to actually help the brunette find her sister. It had all been very spur-of-the-moment.
Rachel scuffed. "There's always something."
"Tell me about it," she said, rolling her eyes. "I look forward to the days I get to decide things for myself. I'm no rookie, after all. No offense."
"None taken," she smiled.
"Good, thanks for the update." The moment her foot hit the first step, she dropped the smile, and hurried upstairs. Asking about the night's patrol turned out to be a good idea, and because there was a second group heading out in a few minutes, she now knew she needed to either move extremely fast, or stall. A necessary change in wardrobe meant stalling. No one could know she was leaving the house, now that Mimi was keeping a closer eye on her.
Buffy's arrival had put a damper on things. More specifically, after her first encounter with Faith. Before that, Lucy came and went as she pleased, taking care of all the necessary steps that needed to be taken to lead them to where they were. Now, she had to tread lightly to keep an image. An image she was getting tired of, with slayers she couldn't stand, and it wasn't just because they weren't so fond of vampires. She could understand that, it wasn't like she was in love with vampires as a whole, but the slayers in Boston had a tendency to be self-righteous, and overtly aggressive, just because of their rank.
Passing Buffy's room, Lucy turned the other slayer's doorknob quickly. "Broken," she noted. After no one came out to see who had obviously checked the doorknob, because an alert slayer doesn't miss something even that quiet, she knew that Faith and Buffy had already left. That made things easier, she didn't want to stress over what would happen if Faith was caught in the building while she was around. While all the other slayers would be working to contain the slayer-vampire, she would have to try to find her a way out.
Finally reaching her door, she pulled out her key, stopping short when she felt someone watching her. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Dawn's door was barely cracked, and closing quietly. A part of her thought that it would probably be a good idea to check in with the brunette, but the other part of her was more concerned with her mission. Shrugging it off with a frown, she turned back to her door and let herself in. The room was messy, weapons spread out on the bed, and a few blueprints lining the floor. She picked the blueprints up, rolling them together and putting a rubber band around them, before stashing them away in a corner. Next, she pushed her weapons to one side of the bed, and then began to undress, tossing her clothes onto the now empty side of the bed.
During her meeting with Paul and Elizabeth, she had been told to go to a low key bar just outside Boston to check out some vamp that had been talking about the attacks downtown, while Faith checked out an underground vampire-human club. However, after hearing it was Faith who wanted her to go to the bar, and not Mihaela, Lucy had set her sights on the club Faith—and Buffy, she now assumed—were going to. The likeliness of the low key bar panning out was pretty slim, something she was sure Faith knew already, and it wasn't like the bar wasn't going to still be there the following night. With the chaos that had erupted with Buffy and Faith's meeting, she was wanting to check out exactly what was going on between the two of them. She wanted to know how Faith was playing it, and whether her most recent fuck ups, truly seemed worth it.
Knowing the scene of the underground club all too well, she grabbed a duffel bag from under her bed. She may not have brought as many pairs of jeans as she should have, but she had gone out of her way to shop for the proper clothes for vampire hangouts. There were rules, boundaries, and precautions. The club would have vampires of varying social classes, and she needed to play it safe; lay low. So, tonight, she was going to dress sexy, but classy. That way, the lower vamps would know that they didn't stand a chance and would, hopefully, leave her alone.
Digging through the duffel bag, she found a dark gray miniskirt. "This could work." Slipping it on, she went over to the small closet in the room, grabbing a box from the top shelf. "You were supposed to be for a more satisfying night out, but who knows...maybe I can have a little fun before sunrise." Within the box was a blue, sleeveless blouse that hung low between her breasts. She ran her fingers through her hair, and then shook it slightly. "And now for the boots." Reaching under the bed one last time, bending uncomfortably in small her skirt, she grabbed the heeled black boots she was looking for. Deciding it would be easier to just scrunch her skirt up a little, she pushed the small skirt up, and lifted her leg onto the bed, so she could easily zip the boots up. After putting on the second boot, she let her hand travel high up her thigh, running her fingers over two puncture wounds, grinning.
Her moment was disrupted by a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she asked, looking over at the door. From the other side of the door she heard a muffled, 'It's Dawn,' and rolled her eyes. "Hold on." Before their outing last night, Dawn hadn't even talked to her when they happened to pass each other in the hall, let alone knocked on her door.
While pushing her skirt down, and smoothing it out, she walked over to the blueprints in the corner and then put them in the corner of the room's small closet. The weapons on the bed, she wasn't so concerned with either. "Come in," she finally said, knowing she hadn't locked the door behind her. Not many people came to the floor she was on, which was why she loved it so much. Of course, once the legendary folks moved in, her hall had been taken over. Luckily, they were relatively quiet—not that she was around that often.
Dawn walked in slowly, looking around the room as she closed the door behind her. "Hey," she said with a small wave. If she were to have imagined what Lucy's room looked like before they had gone out the night before, she would have assumed the walls were covered in pictures of the blonde's family and friends, with her in the middle of them smiling broadly. However, after their outing, she wasn't surprised to find the walls bare, weapons on the bed, as well as a few on the dresser. It was obviously the room of a slayer who was all work.
"Hey," Lucy said, with a soft smile.
"Wow, you're dressed...different," she commented, wringing her hands. "Going on a mission?" The slayer had told her a few stories from her life back in Mississippi. Her line of work, as a specially trained slayer, involved lots of undercover work. She tracked down vampires with big reputations, or who were raising big red flags in the area of potential risks. It was what had lead her to Boston, and then inevitably Faith.
Lying seemed unnecessary, she had mentioned a few problems she had with the way things were ran in Boston, and how she often just went out on her own without telling anyone. Since Faith had been discovered, and Buffy had come running, her cover mission (tracking Elizabeth) had been put on hold, of course. "In a few minutes, yeah. How are the battle wounds?" she asked, touching her own cheek, on the same side that Dawn had a bruise.
"Still very apparent," she laughed. "Unlike yours." Lucy's outfit didn't exactly leave much to the imagination, though technically it didn't show much, either. "It's okay though, I don't mind."
Lucy smiled, walking over to the dresser in the room. "'Course not." She knew Dawn wanted the other slayers to know that she had gone out into their world, and not only that, but she had obviously fought hard. She had gone out and done what every slayer does easily, with her human strength, and made it back to fight another day. Now the whole academy would see that, along with her family. "Has anyone came and talked to you about last night?" she asked, looking at the knives on her dresser, trying to figure out which one would slide into her boot the easiest.
"Just Willow," Dawn answered, walking over to the bed. She ran her fingers over a few of the weapons, lingering over Lucy's obvious favorites.
Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Dawn's fingers grazed over her specially crafted weapons. Just when they had decided to head back to the academy the night before, a group of demons had crossed their paths. Lucy's first thought, because Dawn was with her, was to get out of sight and wait until they passed, but that wasn't exactly an option anymore when one the demons turned and looked directly at them. Running would have been pretty pointless, and so they went for it. Dawn had gotten into a rough spot at some point, her weapon had been knocked from her hands, and so Lucy had tossed her one of her own. She knew it would be practically impossible for the average person to figure out how to work them, whether they'd had weapons training or not, but she hadn't been close enough to defend Dawn herself. As if the weapon had been made for her, Dawn had twirled the weapon just right, decapitating the demon before tossing the weapon back to Lucy before picking up her own.
She couldn't help but smile at the memory, at the strength of the labeled civilian. "Mimi gave me the longest lecture ever, and I'm on suspension."
Dawn laughed. "You seem to have taken her very seriously."
"Oh yeah. I'll be up here watching movies for days. You know, after I take care of just one little thing," she grinned.
"Right." She watched as Lucy picked up a small knife, lifting it to her face to examine it closely, before bending to put it in one of her boots. "So, if you don't mind me asking..."
"Oh, you can ask." Lucy smiled. "But I'm not so sure I should tell you." She walked to the side of the bed opposite Dawn and grabbed one of her favorite weapons, running its sleek black handle through her hands before slipping it into her other boot. One of the reasons she loved the weapons so much was because of how easy they were to carry around, the blade only out after a few swift motions.
"That only makes me all the more curious," Dawn confessed. "I see you aren't going empty handed."
"Never do." She paused. "There's a two weapon only policy where I'm going, neither of which can be used unless there's some kind of chaotic outbreak in which you have to defend yourself."
"Sounds fun."
"Does it?"
"It does." They were both quiet for a moment, Lucy looking at her as she stood on the other side of the bed. "Now, I'm not trying to tag along..."
Hearing her own words from the night before, she couldn't help the smirk that played across her lips. "Oh, I think you're trying to do just that."
She shrugged, smiling. "Maybe I am. What do you say?"
'Absolutely not,' should have been her answer. It was the answer that sat in wait at the tip of her tongue, and yet she wasn't able to fully get it out. She knew what it felt like to be left out of what was going on around her. Her recent mission was the only time she had been able to actively participate in what needed to be done to protect Mihaela's, Faith's, and Paul's family. "I'd say it depends."
She stopped herself from jumping for joy. "On what?" she beamed.
"What you've got in your closet," Lucy smirked.
Entering the club, Buffy wasn't surprised to find it dimly lit, full of noise, and full of vampires. The music, she thought, was a little more her style compared the blaring techno of the RITS, some sort of soft rock that reminded her a little of her younger days, but raunchier. There were no flashing lights, which definitely would have made things easier the night she and the gang had gone out in search of the slayer-vampire, but this time it didn't matter, and not just because she wasn't going to be making her way through the crowd in search of someone.
It had taken a while, but she had finally adjusted to the new blood coursing through her veins. The heightened sense of smell, extreme hearing, muscles wound and ready to be used at any moment. Her heart had began to pound, and her skin tingled and burned at once, giving her the urge to roughly rub her hands over her own skin to release a sense of pressure that she couldn't quite place. It was as if she were truly about to burst. But whatever may have followed that destruction that the sudden eruption may have caused, she knew that her body would revel in it. She almost craved it; her own abolishing. But at the same time, everything within her rejected it.
She had been relieved when Faith had lead her off headquarters property, to a parked car that was hidden a little down the road. Well, not so much hidden, but it couldn't be seen on from academy grounds. In the car, she had clung to the leather seats, breathing heavily, her eyes rolling back.
"Don't fight it," Faith had said, looking over at the blonde as she dramatically shifted gears, making the car go faster and faster.
Buffy had never imagined the feeling of being ripped apart, especially not in a pleasurable sense, but it was all becoming too much, too fast. How Faith thought healing a few bruises was worth the disaster that followed, she didn't know, but a slayer who couldn't do anything other than be taken away to some pleasure filled sensory explosion was a useless slayer. She wanted to just let go, to not fight it as Faith was so kindly suggesting, looking at her with an intense look in her eyes—something Buffy caught in a moment where her eyes were under control, peeking over at Faith through slit eyes. The street lights sent blurs of orange tented colors throughout the car, and Buffy wasn't sure if hallucinations were beginning to further cloud her reality as well.
Faith had laughed. "You really don't know how to relax, do you?"
"Some would probably agree," she had replied through grit teeth.
"You've just gotta show them who's boss. The slayer in you is going on a rampage, while my blood is trying the more...seductive approach. You're getting lost in the crossfire, sitting back while they determine who's going to come out on top, when really you're the one in charge. Neither one of them can overpower you. They use you as a source, not the other way around."
There had been a lot of talking going on, and she hadn't been sure if she had really caught all of it, but as she followed Faith through the club she knew what little she had caught had been spot on, except for one little thing. Instead of joining the struggle within herself, and toppling over the two technically foreign intruders, it seemed as if they had climbed to equal ground. She wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the fact that not only was Faith's blood, the blood of a vampire but the blood of a slayer as well, but part of her just felt so relieved. Comforted even in her new state. A war had ended, and she was the aftermath.
Still following Faith through the crowd, Buffy was surprised when the slayer-vampire extended a hand back to her, still pressing on, and definitely not looking back at her. Only hesitating for a moment, she reached out, taking her cold hand and relishing in the vibrations that went through her body. Like a low hum that tickled, making her hairs stand as their fingers intertwined. It was an uncontrollable wave, that slowly returned to the low hum it came from. As if her heightened senses weren't causing enough trouble, smells of sweat, cologne and perfume, alcohol, and a faint smell of cigarettes. Bits and pieces of conversations as she passed couple after couple, or suitor after suitor. What she did appreciate however was the fact that everyone was basically dressed the same as she was, not formal, but not too casual. There were the few, a handful of club goers who were either out right rebellious, dressing much more like the RITS patrons, or a handful of blasts from the pasts—obvious vampires.
"We're going to sit here," Faith turned to say, putting her hand on a tall chair at a table. After Buffy nodded, she let go of the slayers hand, looking over towards the bar in the opposite corner of the club. She figured they mind as well have something to sip on while they waited. Sitting with nothing to do with your hands was just weird, and awkward. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Sure. Whatever you like that isn't blood, please." Faith not so subtly tapped the table a few times, giving her a look that clearly told her to stay at the table. "You could just say, I'll be back with the drinks in a few minutes, and I'd stay here."
"Well, I'll be back in a few minutes then. Why don't you have a seat, Princess," she said, dramatically pulling out a chair and bowing slightly.
Buffy rolled her eyes, sitting in the opposite chair. She wanted to be able to look out at the crowd, get to know her surroundings a little bit, and Faith was trying to put her back to everyone. What slayer didn't try to identify all the exits of the building? Have a good look at what's going on in the club with the other club goers, vampires at that? Faith simply walked away.
There were a few humans, and it was obvious as she looked out at everyone, why Faith had suggested she dress accordingly. The lesser, skimpier dressed humans were obviously there for one thing alone, surrounded by a few vampires who were eying them like they had a whole list of ideas running through their head. Ideas of what they could do to them, and the woman, a few men too, didn't seem afraid at all. Buffy was proud to be part of the majority, and though Faith wasn't dressed anywhere above casual, and her own skirt was a little questionable, she was sure that she wasn't just a piece of meat in the crowd. A few vampires were eying here, but they didn't seem like they were on the verge of making any move. One of them even raised a glass in her direction, a vamp in a black buttoned up shirt, his dark hair a short buzz cut. He almost looked human, but the fangs gave him away. Not that she was looking.
Faith returned with the drinks, two shots of something dark, which wasn't really her type of drink but she didn't complain. "Cheers," Faith said, raising her glass after moving her chair to the side of the table, so she could look out as well. Their glasses clinked. "A bit of Jack," she said, tossing it back. She glanced over at Buffy as she downed hers, surprised not to see the slayer's features bunch together in a look of disgust, it was if it were water. "Past experiences?" she chuckled.
"Not really," she answered, turning the glass on the table with the tip of her fingers. Faith simply held the glass in her hand on the table, and Buffy wondered just how delicate the other woman had to be. "You?"
"A few." Faith grinned. "How do you feel?" Being a slayer-vampire was something new very well, she could tell you all about what it felt like to have so much power that you could never possibly find its limit; never uncover the complete mystery of what lived inside of her. But she didn't know a thing about what it felt like to be alive with vampire blood coursing through her, crossing paths with the slayer within. If anything, the slayer within her was an outcast. She was dead, that's where a vampire came from—death. A slayer, though a demon in actual form, was very much alive. It got your heart racing, blood bumping with a fierce drive. For her, it was just that extra boost of strength, with the occasional itch to kill her own kind. But really, killing came with being a vampire, supposedly. Her insides were all mixed up.
"I don't know. Amazing. Beyond alive," Buffy answered, with a light smile. She turned her glass on the table, barely touching its rim with the tip of her fingers. "I'm convinced that any moment now, this glass is just going to...shatter."
Faith laughed. "The whole, I-could-do-anything cliché."
"For a lack of better wording, sure. Like anything I touch will crumble beneath me; Like I could do anything," she finally stated, laughing. Faith was nodding beside her, as if to say that she knew she was right, but that wasn't very surprising. It was Faith's blood that was running through her veins after all, and she could feel that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Her body tingled, that low hum ever present, a feeling of being pulled towards the other woman constantly tempting her.
"You're giving off mad vibes right now." The slayer laughed, whether it was because of what she had said, or the salacious glare she knew she herself was wearing, she didn't know, but she found it all the more entertaining. "You don't get it. I feel, what you're feeling. Don't be embarrassed," she added, noting the realization in Buffy's expression. "I don't want to accidentally end up blushing because you can't control your half of our bond. Plus, at this point, I figure you'd pretty much screw the first one to approach."
"I'm picking up your habits now?" Buffy asked, wishing she had another drink. One to sip on, perhaps.
"You don't know what my habits are," Faith stated with a light smile. "But you're not far from the truth. I'm a lot to handle. Not many can keep up."
"Go figure," the slayer deadpanned.
"Go figure." She stood up, and reached for Buffy's shot glass, which the slayer handed to her gratefully. "Want another drink?"
"Something more drink, and less shot." Watching as Faith started towards the bar, she let her eyes wander just a bit; curves and long legs moving with an attitude that was unmistakable. This was a woman that knew she couldn't be stopped. It was no wonder why she herself suddenly felt so invincible. Not that she felt like such a rag-doll before.
Looking around again, a woman over her left shoulder caught her eye. Sitting at a low booth in the corner of the room, the dark haired woman sat on the outer part of the booth her, the group she was with carrying on as she looked ovar at at Buffy, taking sips from the martini glass between her slim fingers. One of her long legs was easily seen outside the booth, shifting slowly as she stood, her black skirt starting high up her thighs, topped with a large black belt, and a white sleeveless blouse. Her tall black heels accented her toned legs, moving seductively with the sway of her hips.
Buffy looked away, thinking maybe if she were able to tear her eyes away, the woman would simply go back to her booth, or pass her on by on the way to somewhere other than where she was sitting. Checking out women wasn't typically her thing, outside of Faith who to her was beyond the male-female norm, but the blood in her system had her more than itching for a bit of skin to skin contact.
The woman sat her martini glass on the table, placing her other hand on the back of Buffy's chair before putting her now free hand on Buffy's exposed thigh. "Did you come here with that vampire?'" she asked, with an accent that reminded her of the slayer who had a habit of tracking Faith down, minus the time Faith had kidnapped her. She found it ironic that the night she volunteers to help Dawn find the slayer-vampire, and inevitably her, Lucy seemed to have lost all sense of where Faith could possibly have been. Perhaps, a thank you was in order.
Feeling warm and light headed, she stared up into dark blue eyes, unsure of what to say. The hand on her thigh wasn't cold like she was expecting it to be, it was warm and soft, thumb caressing the inside of her thigh. She wanted to turn and face her, reach up and push back her thick hair to kiss her soft neck as the hand between her thigh would slide upwards. But that would just be outrageous.
"We arrived at the same time, yes," she answered, stopping the hand on her thigh from moving up any higher, with her own. The wave of electricity that swept through her when their hands touched made her shiver, she found herself slowly sweeping her hand up the woman's arm. "Maybe you should step back," she said, still fighting the urge to turn in her chair, desperately trying to keep her mind from wondering just what it would feel like to be with a woman. Especially the woman who wasn't so discreetly squeezing her thigh a bit tighter.
The woman moved in closer. "Do you want me to? I know a place not too far from here..."
Faith walked up to the table, setting the drinks down on the table. Buffy looked over at her, her cheeks pink, but Faith had seen the slayer's expression, had felt that building desire as she stood at the bar waiting for the their drinks. The woman only glanced over at Faith, grinning before turning her attention back to Buffy. She obviously wasn't expecting Faith to suddenly be standing right behind her, practically putting her front against her back, fangs out and bared next to her ear.
Faith put her hand on the woman's arm, looking down at the two hands on Buffy's thigh, one being the slayers and one not. "Back off, mutt. This isn't your scene."
The woman continued to look down into Buffy's eyes. The smile on her lips told Buffy that she wasn't at all threatened by Faith's closeness, or the fangs that were dangerously close to her neck. Keeping eye contact with the slayer, she growled and then barked, making Buffy jump. "You're right," she smiled. "It's not." Turning abruptly, she met eyes with Faith, her cocky smile still on display. "Move out of my way, vampire."
"You're lucky you have no clue who you're dealing with here," Faith said, with a smile of her own.
The woman lifted her martini glass in a silent toast, taking a sip of it before walking away. Buffy watched, noting the edges of a small tattoo that was partially visible on the woman's shoulder. It looked like a partial paw print. Her attention was brought back to the table when Faith slid a glass in front of her; yet another one with a blue umbrella. She watched the slayer-vampire sit down, a tall glass full of a dark red liquid in front of her. Buffy obviously wasn't the only one who wanted something a little more on the drink side of things.
"Like I said, the first one to approach." Faith scoffed.
"I blame you," Buffy said, taking a sip of her drink. It was something orange, and fruity, and she liked it. "You force me to feed from you and then you leave me at the table by myself, in a room fool of strangely attractive—God only knows what. I could have handled it myself though, just to let you know."
Faith's brows rose. "According to what I felt over at the bar, I'd say not. Her hand was about two centimeters away from—" She stopped, and at the same time the whole club quieted. "Do you feel that?" she whispered.
All the muscles in her body suddenly tensing in a quick spasm was definitely something she felt. She simply nodded in response, figuring Faith would go on, and there would be no need for her to actually ask questions. With the heaviness that flooded the room, talking seemed like a chore. It made Buffy realize that Faith's usual aura of strength had been absent all night. It was no wonder why, the woman she now assumed was either a werewolf or an evolved hellhound who knew how to shift, was so quick to stand her ground when Faith had returned to the table. Why she had even approached Buffy in the first place.
"Showtime," Faith smiled broadly. She pulled a small knife from her boot, and pulled back her sleeve, as the club began to regain its liveliness.
Buffy frowned. "Is that a string bracelet?" she asked, seeing the one of Faith's risk. "My sister used to make those all the time when she was little. They never matched my outfit," she shrugged.
Faith cut the bracelet off, her eyes closing as a sense of release swept through her. A few heads turned in her direction, but she didn't care. Being just an ordinary vampire, the bracelet adjusting to the majority in the room, wouldn't help her at all from that point on."Mmm." It was a nifty trick, those bracelets, but the contained feeling that came with them had made her feel somewhat diseased. Drained of something that was replaced with a false replica of itself. "Tell me, how do you feel about meeting your first true vampire elder?" She stood up, chugging the rest of blood. "Dinner," she said, before holding out a hand for Buffy to take.
After downing the rest of her drink as well, she stood up, taking Faith's hand. "Desert." This time when their hands touched, the low hum grew so intense she was sure her brain was vibrating in her skull. How exactly the bracelet the slayer-vampire had worn to the club worked was a mystery, but there was no question that it had been the reason Faith hadn't given off her usual vibe of superiority, beyond her walk and talk.
They squeezed through the crowd, getting the occasion smile and growl on the way, stopping when they made it to the far wall with a slim staircase leading to the small upstairs area that was only above the bar area, unlike other clubs Buffy had seen with entire second stories. It was obviously reserved for certain guests. When they were stopped at the top of the stairs by a large overbearing vampire, she figured they weren't on the 'certain guests' list. That wasn't so surprising, she didn't even know where they were.
"Tell him I just want to have a quick chat," Faith said, innocently.
"Sorry, I can't do that. The place is reserved for the night," the man said, crossing his arms.
Faith nodded, and pretended to start to descend the stairs, catching the man off guard when she turned and slammed her fist into his face. He flew back, knocking over a few vampires that were further into to the area, giving Faith the perfect opportunity to storm into the place, pulling Buffy along with her. It was the sudden appearance of a familiar vampire that stopped her in her tracks, him suddenly appearing in front of her, his bright yellow eyes full of a crazed intensity. It was the same spiky haired vampire that had swept through her apartment the night Mihaela had arrived back in town.
He smelled the air around her. "We have visitors," he announced.
Buffy had no clue what was going on, something that she was sure came with being in Faith's presence. She looked past Faith and the male vampire, there was a robed figure sitting in a black chair, his arms on the arms of the suede comfortable looking chair. Next to him a man with gelled and parted red hair stood with his hand on the robed man's shoulder, wearing a white button up with brown slacks and suspenders, along with a brown tie. He was looking directly at them, a look of curiosity forming.
"I'll handle this," she heard someone say.
When the redhead man headed towards an exit door, Buffy figured it was the robed vampire. She also figured that the robed vampire wasn't who they had come up to see, as soon as the redhead man was gone, the feeling she associated with being in the presence of an elder lessened, and then vanished all together.
"Please, you've already overstepped, mind as well have a seat." The robe maned said, gesturing towards the two seats opposite of him, in front of the railing of the upstairs area.
"Sit down," the spiky haired vampire said, choosing not to placate the fact that it wasn't so much of an invitation as it an order. He followed them over to the two side by side chairs, they were low and cushioned like the one his boss was sitting in. "I wouldn't try anything, if I were you," he said, looking to Faith.
"There's nothing I wouldn't try." When he moved to stand beside the robed man, she looked over at Buffy. The slayer sat there, looking strong and confident; not like a slayer surrounded and obviously outnumbered by her enemy. This wasn't the party that was going on downstairs, this was a group of powerful beings silently challenging one another to make one false move. "I came here to talk to the elder, Declan."
"And you brought a slayer with you," he said in a manner that suggested he was a big fan of slayer's blood. "The slayer, in fact. The Great Buffy Summers. A brunette these days, apparently," he laughed.
It was hard not to notice the tension rise in the room, even the spiky haired vampire seemed to put a little more oomph in his stance. Buffy was surprised by the man's recognition of who she was. Despite the public eye being on the world of the supernatural, and a rise in number of vampires who knew about slayers since Los Angeles, it was still very rare for someone to recognize her. Faith's hand was suddenly on top of hers, resting on the arm of her chair. She looked over at the other brunette, but Faith kept her gaze on the robed vampire.
"I just can't understand a vampire who chooses to associate with active slayers."
"What do you know about the recent vampire attacks in Boston?" Faith asked, ignoring the man's chatter. "I've been attacked twice, Mihaela demands an explanation."
Buffy frowned at hearing about the attacks. She had been there for the first one at the cemetery, and it made so much more sense now that the vampires seemed more concerned with Faith. It was logical that they may have just been double teaming because of her strength, but the second attack—No group of vampires had tried to attack her again. That only meant one thing, they weren't after her, which further pressed her to think that Faith wasn't involved with the vampire army after all, and her maker probably wasn't either.
"Yet she sends you, her child, to do the demanding? Though, I suppose, showing her face may suggest that she isn't dead, as so many believe. Many who wouldn't take so kindly to the fact that an anarch that slaughters our kind just for her own entertainment survived their sentence of death by torture," he said, angrily.
"This coming from a man who obviously has something to hide himself. How long have you known, hmm? You show up at my place the night she arrives back in town, tell her to stay away from your ridiculous new club. How long have you known she's been alive?" She looked to the spiky haired vampire. "And this guy...where the hell has he been dining? I'm pretty sure a vamp his age should move like a slug compared to the speed he runs at. Who's blood is it? Sure as hell ain't yours."
Dawn downed her second straight shot, slamming the glass onto the bar. She coughed and then laughed at Lucy's obvious amusement. "Okay, okay. So, I don't do much drinking," she conceded, having said that she was more than capable of handling herself when it came to the world of alcohol. They had only been at the club for a few minutes, the bar having caught her eye as soon as they walked in. Instead of squealing in excitement, she had staid calm, waiting for Lucy's instructions only for the blonde to suggest they hit the bar first.
"What, too much studying gets in the way? Filing, perhaps?" Lucy teased.
"Says the work-aholic. Who knows, maybe your so called missions are really just you bar hopping all night." As exciting as that sounded, she was happy knowing that that was far from the truth. It may have been technically been their first mission with one another, but after the night they had looking for Faith and Buffy, she knew the young woman beside her was all about the life of a slayer—hunt, kill, repeat. Of course, Lucy wasn't the average slayer who was only out for blood, or better yet, dust. She gathered information through precise tracking, took vampires and demons out in unsuspecting moments, and whether vampire or demon, there was no trace left behind. "How exactly are we supposed to spot Faith in this crowd, even with your super slayer senses? I can barely see two feet in front of me."
"The question is, why is she here at all? This place isn't her style, the crowd is a bit on the snobbish side. Plus, none of the people here are looking for your typical bloody one night stands. They either want to be turned, or they want to be owned like cattle. Join a family maybe. The underground scene is much more serious."
"Good to know," Dawn said, letting her wander across the club. She stood with her back against the bar, running her hands down the sides of her black dress, suddenly wishing it wasn't as short as it was. "Do you think Faith's here for any of those reasons?"
"Doubtful." Crazy as Faith was, in her opinion, there was no way in hell the brunette was there to add a new member to the bunch. Having a human definitely wasn't her thing, there was no point; they couldn't supply her with food, and they sure as hell couldn't keep up with her in bed. "No one here would be good enough."
"Wow," Dawn huffed. "Conceited much?"
"And rightfully so. There are a lot things about Faith that the other slayers don't understand, so I won't hold it against you, but in this world there is no set level of strength. Sure, like slayers, sometimes being in shape already adds that extra bit of strength, but with vamps you also have to consider age, and who their maker is. Faith being turned by-" she stopped herself, knowing talking about Mihaela in public wasn't a good idea, especially not when Faith is also a part of the conversation. "Faith being turned by such an older, powerful vamp—if being what she is wasn't enough, her blood line sure as hell would be."
"Maybe they should teach that at the academy," Dawn said, taking the information is. "But I guess being turned by someone that old doesn't happen often."
"Nope. If anything, the children of the current elders are practically elders themselves at this point, if they aren't already. And only young vampires carelessly turn multiple people. For the older generation it's a lot more sacred, passing on the bloodline. You can't just go out there and pick some random kid off the street, typically there's a whole process of choosing the most deserving. Though, with Faith, it was more of a revelation from what I hear. Her maker just knew." She smiled at Dawn, who was looking at her curiously. "You'd love to read a book like that, wouldn't you? The true nature of the vampire."
Dawn laughed. "Maybe."
"Hey, I might be a work-aholic as you say, but I pick up a book from time to time, too." When she was younger, she had spent most of her time curled up with a book, going off into imaginary worlds far better than her own. Then her actual life turned into what most read in a novel, and there was no need to indulge in fiction. "So, not to sound like an awe struck slayer." Which she definitely wasn't. "Tell me about your sister, The Great Buffy Summers."
Because Lucy hadn't asked her about Buffy before, she wasn't going to get frustrated with the fact that yet another slayer was picking her for info on their savior. She was sure she heard a tinge of sarcasm in Lucy's voice too, which helped. There was no question that she wasn't hanging out with the average slayer; either they wanted to be Buffy, or they wanted her position. "Well, she's stubborn, doesn't like for you to borrow her clothes, has no life, and no sense of humor. Oh, and she typically mistakes people in their twenties for toddlers she can still boss around. As if she ever had that right in the first place," she scoffed.
"I'm sensing a lot of resentment from the little sister," she laughed.
"Resentment is such a strong word. But I do admit some past envy."
"Maybe a little current envy too," Lucy said sympathetically. "I get it, trust me."
Dawn smiled slightly, wondering who the blonde could possibly envy. Not only was she one bad ass slayer, but she was a confident one at that. "Back when she was younger, I thought she had to be the coolest big sister ever. She was out all hours of the night, fighting evil with her friends, and Giles. The town would erupt in chaos one night, and the morning after it was as if nothing ever happened, and I just knew it was because of her. Mom was always so worried, but I knew there wasn't a fight Buffy couldn't win. There still isn't."
The brunette was very confident in that, and it almost made Lucy sad to know it wasn't true. "There's no question in my mind that she is one tough broad. She's died twice, and yet she's still kicking. With life, to boot. But-"
"She just doesn't have that spark, right?" she interjected.
"Exactly. Most of us, we've got this nasty drive that keeps us coming back for more."
"I know, I've seen it. That excitement in a slayers eyes when she hears there's a new nest to take down, or a demon who's trying to open the gates to whatever hell. Even training gets you guys all worked up, in more than one way," she laughed. "I didn't realize it, until we started opening up all the academies and recruiting, but somewhere along the lines, Buffy became less spark and more martyrdom."
"It's a tough gig to hold alone for as long as she did," Lucy stated.
"Agreed." She watched as Lucy finally took her second shot, and then looked out onto the dance floor. "Wanna dance?" she asked.
"A country girl can never say no to such an offer," she said, linking their arms together. "A little fun never hurt a flea."
"So, if you don't want me to go around asking questions about this new blood in town, that obviously isn't human blood, I'd suggest you tell me what you know," Faith said, still trying to get something out of the man. Sure, she had come to the club in hopes of talking to Declan, but because he was no longer around she was willing to ask someone a bit lower on the food chain. Someone she could easily find dirt on, and who was obviously more involved in the on-goings of Boston than she had previously thought. You couldn't just have a meeting with an elder, hence the fact that she tried the barging in approach.
"We've been hearing about a rising army here all the way in Scotland," Buffy said, taking it upon herself to finally join the conversation. The robed vampire had a habit of talking about her as if she weren't in the room, and Faith didn't seem to mind, but she did.
"And what, you came here to stop it?" he asked, laughing sarcastically. He turned his attention back to Faith. "This-"
"This is me giving you one last chance to tell me what the fuck is going on in my turf," Faith said, frustrated with the man's lack of saying anything significant. All he did was respond with questions, or his own opinion, neither of which Faith wanted to hear.
"Your turf?" he laughed, and a few of his lackeys joined in. "Let me tell you this," he said, going into a more serious tone. "This is not something to discuss in the presence of a slayer, let alone the slayer, and actually I take her being here as a direct threat from you, and a declaration of your loyalty, half-breed." He spat. "What, you thought I didn't know?" he asked. "As for Mihaela, tell that bitch I'll have her spine for sending you and a slayer like the fucking coward she is."
Before Buffy could fully comprehend what was being said, Faith got to her feet, hissing loudly with her fangs already extended. The rest followed, Buffy wondering just what the slayer-vampire was getting them into. She hadn't even brought a weapon, and she wasn't sure if Faith had brought more than the knife she had used to cut off her bracelet. If she hadn't needed Faith's blood for healing, she sure as hell would need it for the fight they were about to get in.
"I was hoping you wouldn't play nice," the spiky haired vampire said, excitement in his bright yellow eyes.
Faith suddenly had him by the collar, her fangs in his face, almost directly in front of his now wide eyes. "It's your lucky day," she said, turning quickly and throwing him over the balcony. For a moment he flew over the crowd, the club goers immediately quieting as he came crashing to the ground.
Buffy stood looking over the railing, leaning over the chair she had just been sitting in comfortably despite the situation. The shock of what just happened distracted her from the fact that they were still outnumbered on the second floor; she stared down at the body for a moment, hearing a few sounds of movement behind her, and watched as someone approached the unconscious vampire. It was a woman, from what she could tell, who reached down and pulled out a weapon she couldn't mistake. "Lucy," she whispered, just as the slayer used her weapon to decapitate the vampire. The slayer looked towards the balcony, and at the same time a woman beside her in a black dress turned to look as well. "Dawn?"
"Buffy."
Hearing her name, she turned back to the scene unfolding behind her. Faith was in the middle of fighting two vampires, as the robed one escaped out the back door with a few of his guards, two staying behind and now eying her.
"Paying attention to what's going up here would probably be in your best interest, Princess," Faith said, continuing to fight the two vampires. Seeing that she had only brought her knife, and one stake—two weapon policy—she figured it would be best to toss her stake over to Buffy. It'd be easier for her to chop heads off with a knife. "Here." She tossed the weapon. "Let's have some fun."
As she readied herself for the two approaching vampires, she heard the sounds of a few fights starting downstairs, and Dawn being down there in the crowd didn't make her the most comfortable person in the world. There was no time to have fun, they needed to get out, and they needed to do it fast. So, when the first vampire lunged at her, she ducked with ease, punching him in the stomach and then upper cutting him in the jaw. She kicked the second vampire in the side and then grabbed him by the head, slamming his head into her knee before staking him through the back. Next she elbowed the first vamp in the face, and as he grabbed at his nose, she staked him.
"That had to be the easiest fight I've ever-"
Faith pulled Buffy to the ground, a ball of fire just missing the slayer. They both looked back, and a large demon stood tapping his fists together, large balls of fire appearing. "Gotta run, you ain't dodging that, honey." She picked the slayer up as fast as she could, cradling her in her arms for a split second before tossing her off the balcony. Then she turned back to the demon. "But I can."
Beyond the absolute fear Buffy felt, she felt the need to kick Faith's ass for tossing her off the balcony. She held in the scream, knowing the fall would be over quick. She wasn't thrown, she was tossed, that had to lessen things a little, right? God, she hoped so. But she was surprised when she didn't hit the floor at all. She opened her closed eyes and found herself in the arms of the woman that had approached her earlier, looking up at her blue eyes once again.
The woman smiled broadly. "Need a hand, slayer?"
Lucy practically slid to a stop, coming to stand right beside them, breathing heavily. "Put her down, Lauren."
Buffy turned her head to see Lucy standing beside them, breathing heavily as if she had just been running, and figured the other slayer had tried to be the one to catch her. Another thing she'd have to thank her for, even if she hadn't exactly made it in time. The fact that a total stranger was holding her in their arms suddenly made her uncomfortable, and despite the warmth of the other woman's body, which her own body reacted to against her will, she began to shift until the woman sat her down.
"Thanks," she muttered, somewhat awkwardly.
"You were too slow, Lucy," Lauren said, with a smug grin. "As usual."
Before Lucy could respond, Dawn ran up beside them, a few scratches on her arms bleeding. "Buffy, are you okay? What are you doing here?" she yelled, over the chaos. The ones that weren't fighting, were trying to desperately flee the scene, and she was sure that they were on the right track with that idea. Underground and all, a fight like this was bound to draw some attention. They really didn't need the government riding their ass, and the vampire government sure as hell wouldn't be any help.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, somewhat accusingly. A flash from the second floor caught her eye and she turned to see that the whole floor was on fire. Just when she was about to get worried, Faith jumped down, immediately taking out a few vampires that decided to attack her for some strange reason. Buffy turned back to the three other women. "We need to get out of here."
"Agreed." Lucy nodded, looking around a bit. "You and Faith head out the front entrance, and we'll go out the back. Lauren," she said, turning to the woman. "Get lost."
Lauren scoffed. "We need to talk."
"Some other time," she said, gritting her teeth. "Does this look like the time to talk about anything?" After shaking her head no, Lauren walked away, to Lucy's relief. She looked at Dawn and Buffy. "Let's get out of here, we can all meet back up at headquarters."
"Be careful," Buffy said, accenting each word. Both of the younger women nodded and took off, and she headed in Faith's direction. The slayer-vampire was already walking towards her, and simply grabbed her hand when they were in each others' reach, leading her towards the entrance door. "Figures," Buffy thought, not at all surprised to find that she didn't have to tell Faith what the plan of action would be. It was obvious that Faith's plan was the only plan.
As soon as they stepped foot outside the door, the cold air whipped by them, making Buffy shiver with a sudden case of the chills. There were lots of others running out of the club, and a few of them had even brought a few fights outside, but they didn't stick around to see how any of them turned out. Faith was continuing to pull her along, her clothes had patches burned away, and Buffy noticed she smelt like a barbeque.
"Where are we going?" she asked, trying to keep up.
"They're someone following us, or more like, multiple someones," Faith said, wondering just how many. Her adrenaline was pumping and she could barely focus in on anything with her extreme senses, she just wanted to kill, kill, kill. "I just need a little breathing room to do my thing." She let go of Buffy's hand. "We'll head into the cemetery around the block, split up and try to cut them off."
"I lost your stake," Buffy admitted.
"Well, I hope my blood still has you all jazzed up, because my knife is out of the picture. It was kind of hard to pull it out of that demon after he exploded. Just play it safe, and keep 'em occupied. I'll handle them once-"
"I can take care of myself," Buffy said, confidently. They reached the cemetery and she just walked off, splitting up as Faith had so kindly suggested before asking her opinion. She now knew what it felt like to be a junior slayer. After a moment, she broke out into a run, knowing Faith would beat her to the punch in terms of cutting the vampires off, and she was right. By the time she made it to what she hopped was the middle of the cemetery, Faith was already fighting off a handful of vampires. She grabbed a tree branch from a tree as she passed it, and started to give the slayer-vampire a hand when suddenly three vampires cu her off. It was like they had come out of nowhere.
"So, you're Buffy Summers," one of them said. He was heavy built, and bald, while the other vampire was a short woman with a bob, and the other looked like a fifteen year old boy. She thought it was best not to focus on the fact that he looked like a toddler. "I can't wait to tell everyone that I killed The Great Buffy Summers," the heavy built one, continued.
"You know," she said, getting into a fighting stance. "I really don't like being called that." The man went to kick her in the chest, but she blocked it. "Looks like you vamps aren't the only one that fed tonight." She pushed his leg back, hoping that he would fall to the ground, but he didn't. "Though, I try not to make a habit of it," she added. The female vampire swung at her and she blocked the first punch, but not the second. It hit her square in the jaw, making her head turn. "Maybe I should."
Faith, meanwhile, landed her own punch to jaw on a very dumbstruck blue haired vampire. Of course, she didn't hit him with her full strength—because sending him flying across the cemetery would only mean she'd have to run across it to kill him, when she could simply hit him in a gentler matter and make it easier for herself. Which was exactly what she did; there was enough force behind the punch to make his whole body turn, so she kicked him in the back of the knee, put a hand on both sides of his head, and twisted it until it popped off and then crumbled as dust.
The remaining vampire looked at her with eyes full of fear, he was practically shaking. Faith smiled a dangerous smile. "I guess you didn't really know what you were getting into tonight, did you?" she asked, a glint in her eyes. "How about we play a little game. I'll give you a head start..." He turned quickly, getting about ten feet before Faith suddenly stood in front of him. "Sorry, you just weren't fast enough." She headbutt him, kicked his feet from beneath him, and was about to rip his head off when she felt something coming in her direction. In reflex, she caught it, and smiled when she saw it was a piece of a tree branch.
After staking the vampire, she got to her feet and dusted herself off. When she turned around to see how Buffy was doing, especially after tossing her what she assumed was the slayer's only weapon, she was surprised to find that the smaller woman had already taken out the three vampires she was fighting a few seconds before. The thought of the fight she missed further excited Faith, images of the petite slayer moving skillfully flashing before her.
Buffy, having a bit of trouble breathing, tried to take deep breaths to slow her pounding heart. As fun as it was to have that extra bit of strength, Faith's blood was really taking a toll on her after that fight. She was so warm that it felt like she was going to break out into a sweat any moment; her palms were already sweating. The hum that had followed her all night clouded her sense of hearing, giving the feel of her eardrums vibrating. Her fists clenched and unclenched, as she stared back at the woman who was now staring at her, her expression dead serious. It almost made Buffy uncomfortable, how intensely Faith was staring at her. And, the mausoleum she knew was only a few feet behind her made her all too conscious of what had happened the last time they ended up fighting in the cemetery.
But this time, when Faith sped across the cemetery, it wasn't to save Buffy from being killed only to kidnap her for a pointless sparring session. She came to a dead stop in front of the slayer, staring down at her as the shorter woman stared back, having not even flinched at her sudden movement. Faith found that incredibly appealing.
They stayed in each others' space for a moment, Buffy still breathing heavily, and it wasn't just the fight that had her chest heaving. Faith stared silently, taunting her with their close proximity. The look in her eyes almost made Buffy weak at the knees; she knew what was about to happen. So when Faith suddenly had Buffy backed against the mausoleum, running her hands up the outsides of Buffy's thighs, the slayer didn't hesitate in following their guidance in wrapping her legs around the taller woman's waste, snaking her arms around the woman's neck at the same time.
Coming into contact with Faith sent shocks through her, and her body screamed for her to move things along, but Faith was setting an intense, slow pace. The slayer-vampire ran her hands up the underside of Buffy's thighs, slowly pushing her skirt up, and then gave her ass a hard smack-She thanked the gods for skimpy lacy underwear and there lack of cheek coverage.
Buffy hissed, moving one of her hands into Faith's hair, while keep her other arm tight around the other woman's neck. Next thing she knew, Faith was kissing her hungrily, the pace going from zero to one-fifty faster than she could comprehend, but she kissed her back with the same amount of force, nipping and biting before tongues collided.
The once low hum was so overwhelming that white noise now sounded in her ears, but was soon muffled out by the sounds of their moans, and Faith's grunting. She felt a bit lightheaded too, with their chests pressed tightly together, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of things. Not after literally dreaming of touching, and being touched by, Faith for years.
As they continued to explore each others' mouths, she untangled her fingers from the slayer-vampire's locks, first letting them graze over the other woman's neck, and then her collarbone before giving her breast a full on squeeze. She expected to hear a moan from Faith, but was instead surprised when Faith pulled away from their kiss and bit her neck hard, making her whimper—She was glad Faith's fangs weren't involved, though her dreams were full of them as well.
After biting down on Buffy's neck, Faith turned and laid her on the ground, keeping her position between the slayer's thighs. She slid her tongue up the warm skin of the woman's neck, and then aggressively sucked on her pulse point, reveling in the sounds of Buffy's gasps and moans. One of her hands began to massage one of Buffy's breasts, as the slayers fingers tangled themselves in her thick locks, but Faith soon grew frustrated with the material between her hand and the woman's heaving chest. She moved her hand down further and slipped it under Buffy's blouse, scratching her nails over the woman's stomach.
Buffy shivered, feeling another flood of arousal wash through her. She could feel her already wet panties clinging to her pussy, and when Faith's fingers slid beneath her bra to tweak her nipple, she couldn't stop herself from grinding her hips up into Faith's. Her deep moan was cut off by Faith moving from her neck back to her mouth, kissing her sloppily before sucking her tongue between her plump lips. The hand that was once tweaking her nipple, and massaging her breast was squeezed between them, Faith lifting her hips slightly to give herself a bit more room.
It was at this point, as Faith lightly ran her fingers of Buffy's panty covered center, that Buffy decided to try her luck again by moving a hand from Faith's hair to the slayer-vampire's breast. But once again, Faith removed her mouth from Buffy's lips and bit her hard on the neck. Buffy got the hint moving her hand around to the woman's back instead, sneaking a hand beneath her shirt. She'd touch some skin if nothing else!
Faith continued to tease the shorter woman, running her fingers over the fabric of the slayer's panties over and over again, eliciting low moans that were like music to her ears. The woman's body heat alone had her seeping, but she wasn't so concerned with herself. Finally, she moved her hand beneath the lacy confines, moaning at the moisture she found. Parting the woman's lips, she pulled back so she could watch Buffy react to her touch. To see her furrowed brow, and bruised lips part as she gasped at the feel of Faith's middle finger sliding over her clit, as two other fingers parted her pussy lips.
"Mmm," Buffy moaned, as Faith's finger danced circles around her throbbing clit. Her body shook in anticipation, and she could already feel a building force in her lower abdomen, threatening to break through as Faith applied a bit more pressure.
Unable to resist, Faith lowered her lips onto the slayers, sucking and nipping on her bottom lip before kissing her deeply, not shying away from thrusting her tongue further into the other woman's mouth. She teased her hole for a moment, dipping the tip of her finger in and out before driving two fingers deep inside of her, as she flicked her tongue across the top of Buffy mouth.
A quiet yelp escaped from Buffy's lips at the mixed sensations; the sort of tickling of the roof of her mouth, mixing with the sensations of being filled by Faith's fingers. Her first few thrusts were long, slow thrusts, pushing deeper and deeper. But they grew steadier until they were rapid, Buffy's moans growing higher in pitch, her hips beginning to meet the slayer-vampire thrust for thrust, rising from the grass beneath it. The sounds of her wetness clicked in the air, along with her jagged breaths, and a few expletives she was eventually able to form until her walls suddenly clenched and unclenched, and then clenched again.
"Oh fuck..." she gasped, as her walls began to clench rapidly. She was trembling, and her hips struggled to continue their movement. "Don't stop...don't..." Knowing the reaction she would get, Buffy snuck her hands into the back of Faith's pants, pulling her in deeper by her ass. Faith clamped down on her neck again, and that's all it took
Buffy's body went rigid, her back arched high off the ground, all noises—besides the clicking—stopped as Faith continued to move her fingers within the slayer's tight spasmodic walls. The slayer was seeing stars, her whole body tense with pleasure. It was the moment she dreamed of so many times; falling into ecstasy under the other woman's touch, and it felt so unlike any of her past orgasms. When she was finally able breath, her hips jerked against Faith's hand, waves pulsing through her. Short ragged breaths and moans sounding, as finally started to come down.
Faith kissed the slayer's neck, listening to the sound of her moaning dreamily. "You falling asleep on me, slayer?" she chuckled, knowing that Buffy still hadn't opened her eyes.
Those words made Buffy remember a dream she once had. A dream of a moment just like the one they were having; Faith's mouth in the crook of her neck, her own arms lazily draped around the slayer-vampire's waist. In the dream, she had replied to that exact statement, and Faith had sat up to look down at her with a soft smile. It was a perfect moment, a basking moment. A moment she wanted to experience, so she said just what she had said in the dream. A simple, "Never."
But when Faith sat up slightly, there was no soft smile on her face. She didn't delicately remove a stray hair from Buffy's brow. Instead, she wore a cocky grin, and laughed a laugh that went right along with it. "What, you think can really keep up with all of this?"
She said it jokingly, but it didn't ruin the moment for Buffy any less. That was the difference between her dream world, and her reality. "I know I can." She grinned, leaving the situation as it was. Faith got up from on top of her, and helped her to her feet. "Thanks," she said, dusting herself off, and arranging her clothes so it didn't look like she had just had impromptu sex in a cemetery.
"Walk you home?" Faith asked, putting her hands in her pocket.
Buffy nodded. "Sure."
