Buffy slammed the front door of her mother's home on Revello Drive, closing out the outside world. Ignoring the startled look she received from her mother upon her abrupt entrance, the blonde slayer ran up the carpeted stairs towards the second floor and slammed her bedroom door behind her. Collapsing onto her double bed, the golden-haired slayer allowed her body to be consumed by sobs, although she didn't know the cause of her sorrow. Being a slayer had always rendered her life difficult, but lately it seemed as though her entire world was spinning out of control.

Earlier that day she had met up with Riley at the campus coffee shop. The persistent Marine had convinced her that he needed to speak with her about more than just their quickly crumbling relationship. Over coffee and vanilla mochas, the Iowan had revealed the Initiative's plan to capture the California slayer and perform invasive experiments on her, since their studies of Faith had been interrupted and the Boston girl could not be found. Riley begged the blonde woman to leave town for a while until the military lost interest in the Slayer Project. He had even gone so far as to suggest that she go to Los Angeles and stay with Angel and his crew.

Although, unwavering and unblinking, she had dismissed Riley and his adamant warnings, reassuring the corn-fed coed that she could take care of herself, his confession of the military's plans had unsettled her. The Initiative's presence at first had encouraged the Chosen One – perhaps for once she wouldn't feel so alone in the fight against monsters and the undead. But the capture and near torturing of her sister-Slayer had forced the woman to rethink her feelings about both Riley and the secret military operation. Slayers and the military were decidedly not fighting the same battle. It was the Slayer's duty to defeat Evil, not modify and study its behavior.

Riley's words had caused her to pause, however. Perhaps it would be best if she left leave Sunnydale for a while. Everyone would certainly be safer without Buffy around – the military at this point seemed more of a threat than vampires and demons. Her mother could be in danger. Her friends. And Faith.

Thinking about her sister-Slayer inevitably brought disturbing images to her mind of the dark slayer dancing provocatively at the Bronze with Spike. Buffy had been sitting at a back table with her friends when she felt that familiar buzz. Vampire. And Faith. When she excused herself from her friends' company to investigate, she was more than shocked at the sight before her.

The two dangerously dark and leather-clad figures danced together as though they were cut from the same cloth. Although the Boston girl looked more interested in the beer in her hand than the undead creature wrapped so intimately around her form, the look in Spikes' eyes scared and horrified the elder slayer. It was a look of such intimacy, lust, and possession that the Californian had been convinced in that moment that the two were far more than strangers who had conveniently met on the dance floor.

And the Chosen One felt surprisingly betrayed.

A tentative knock on her bedroom door caused Buffy to pause her teary lament. She ignored the hesitant knock at first, but sniffled loudly to clear her throat when the rapping continued.

"Mom," she called at the door from her seat on the bed, "I'm sorry, but I'm really not in the mood to talk right now."

Despite her protests, the door slowly creaked open. Buffy was unable to contain the surprised gasp that slipped out from between her lips when she realized the figure standing on the other side of the wooden barrier was not her mom. It was Faith.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" the smaller slayer demanded, wiping uselessly at her nose with the sleeve of her long-sleeved t-shirt. She quickly wiped at her ruined mascara'd eyes and tucked a few loose strands of blonde hair behind her ears.

Faith entered the room slowly, a guilty frown marring her beautiful features. "I swear I'm not fucking him, Buffy," she announced abruptly, holding her hands open near her sides. She walked cautiously towards the center of the room and closer to Buffy. "I wouldn't do that to you," she stated, her voice low and serious.

Buffy's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion from her seat on the bed. "What does that mean?" she demanded carefully.

"I just mean…" Faith hesitated, worried she had revealed too much, "…. after all you've done for me since I've been back. I-I wouldn't just go out and, uh, boink some evil vampire."

"Then why were you with him?" the blonde demanded finally. "You two looked awfully cozy together," she pointed out, surprised by the bitter tone her voice had gained.

Faith sighed deeply and held out her hands, palms up as a sign of defeat. "You know how I get when I dance, B. I swear it didn't mean anything though." She gave the woman a lopsided grin. "I dance like that with you too, but it doesn't mean we're gettin' horizontal."

Buffy coughed loudly, choking a little on the other girls' words. Noticing her sister-Slayer's discomfort with the subject, Faith smirked, but returned back to the Californian's original question.

"I feel safer with him than I do humans," the Boston teen stated flatly.

Buffy gave her sister-Slayer a quizzical frown. "I still don't understand…" the blonde pouted. "Why would you feel safer with a vampire?"

"Because of the chip," Faith reminded her, tapping at her forehead. "I'm just…helpless around people, B," she sighed. "Those guys in the alley…. If it hadn't been for Spike…"

"He stopped them?" Buffy jumped up from her bed suddenly, unable to hide her surprise.

Faith snorted. "Only so he could drink my blood and kill me himself," she chuckled. Spike was no hero. "He didn't know I was a Slayer. He's never seen me before," she explained. "Plus Willow's magic must've hidden me better than we thought."

Buffy looked momentarily lost in thought. The idea of Spike saving Faith made her stomach feel uneasy. The idea of a vampire helping a Slayer wasn't unsettling by itself – the blonde girl and Spike had certainly worked together before. But more than anything, the Californian was struck by how much she wanted to be the person responsible for Faith's safety.

Faith stood awkwardly in the center of the room, unsure of what to do with her hands. Buffy had seemed to blindly accept the reason behind why she and Spike had been caught together at the Bronze. A part of her felt relieved that the blonde girl suspected nothing darker than demon-on-slayer sex, but a larger piece of her conscience screamed at her to tell Buffy the truth.

Finally, she folded her arms across her chest. "Well," she grunted uncomfortably, "I'm gonna get some sleep. It's been a long day." Faith turned to go downstairs, but paused when she felt the warm hand at her elbow.

"Stop," Buffy softly insisted. "Wh-why don't you stay up here with me tonight; I don't like the idea of you being on your own."

The Boston girl's eyes darkened. "You mean you don't trust me on my own." It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.

"No! That's not it at all," the small blonde protested. "It just that you know after…after what happened to you last night," she clarified, weighing her words carefully. "I-I just want to keep you safe." Buffy bit her bottom lip and looked at the other girl from underneath thick eyelashes, causing the dormant butterflies in the brunette's stomach to reawaken.

Buffy grabbed Faith's hands into her own. "We're gonna find a way to get that chip out, Faith," she insisted. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

Faith looked hard into the pleading hazel-green eyes and just for a moment, she let herself believe.

Buffy kissed along the slender, jutting hipbones; her own arousal heightened and increased with every whimper and sigh that escaped from the form beneath her. The feminine body writhed and undulated beneath her confident exploration.

Placing a hand on the insides of the soft, creamy thighs, the blonde slayer gently parted her lover's legs. The Californian breathed warm air onto the neatly trimmed hair. She paused momentarily to admire the shape of the delicate folds, the nearly hidden jutting bundle of nerves, and the carefully manicured strip of hair that guided her towards the apex of her attentions.

"Please," her lover implored, unable to contain her own desire.

A small, knowing smile fluttered onto the blonde's pursed lips as she dipped her head closer to her goal. The warm, musky scent was intoxicating and the slayer allowed her senses to drown in the perfume. Keeping one hand on either inner thigh, Buffy tilted forward, inching her tongue closer and closer to the sensitive skin.

When the small blonde's tongue finally made contact, the skin quivered and trembled beneath her touch. Buffy lazily ran the tip of her tongue up and down the complicated folds, drinking in her lover's essence.

"Yes, just like that," the voice encouraged. "God, please…don't stop. Please don't stop."

The golden-haired woman latched her lips around the sensitive clit and suck the small nub of flesh into her mouth, rewarded by the upwards bucking of those dangerously defined hipbones. Long, slender fingers tangled themselves in the blonde's silken strands, pulling her harder and deeper into the mysterious form's desperate sex. The Californian groaned into the soft flesh, causing vibrations to rustle against the sensitive skin.

"Oh God, yes…so close… I'm gonna cum," came the low, husky voice.

The Chosen One thrust her stiffened tongue deep into her lover's pulsing core. Her tongue was immediately rewarded with the addictive taste and texture as she moved in and out of the tightening entrance. Her nose bumped into the woman's clit with each movement forward.

"Buffy!" the voice gasped. "Fuck, I'm cumming!"

Closing her eyes, Buffy continued to thrust her tongue in and out of the throbbing cavern, wanting to prolong her lover's orgasm.

When she felt the body beneath her finally relax, Buffy looked up from her place between the two sculpted thighs and gazed into the depths of her lover's eyes. The dark chocolate irises oozed love and adoration.

Faith reached down and brushed her fingertips along the elder woman's jaw line to wipe away her excess essence.

"That was amazing, B."

Buffy abruptly woke from the carnal dream to find her limbs impossibly tangled around her cotton sheets. In her fitful sleep she had successfully pulled all the covers off of her sister-Slayer as well. The Californian tossed a furtive glance at the girl who slept on her stomach, one leg dangling over the edge of the double bed. Her long, dark tresses hung loose and splayed across the pillow top like the shadow of a halo. Her white tank top had ridden up during the night, and her dark blue boi shorts hovered dangerously low on her backside, revealing the two defined dimples in the small of her back.

Buffy worried her bottom lip as she continued to stare at the sleeping slayer, watching her body rise and fall with each deep, restful breath. The Californian had certainly experienced dreams in which the Boston girl played a key role, but this was the first time Faith had starred in that kind of scenario. Gingerly, so as not to disturb her bed-partner's deep slumber, the blonde slayer shimmied out of her bed and made her way down to the kitchen in search of caffeine.

The blonde girl rummaged through the kitchen cabinets in search of breakfast. Giving up on finding her mother's coffee-bean grinder, however, the blonde turned to more immediate needs. The ache between her thighs was undeniable. The unexpected dream about her sister-Slayer had left her surprisingly wound-up and on edge. "Maybe I could…" she mused to herself as her right hand instinctively slid down the front of her flannel pajama pants.

The girl groaned quietly, surprised by how wet she was already. Her nimble fingers slid over the smooth, shaved skin of her mons and lower still to her dripping slit. Buffy bit her bottom lip, stifling another moan as she slid one long digit into her ready sex. Her palm rubbed deliciously against her hard clit. Her breath hitched in her throat as she pulled the single finger all the way out of her pussy and rubbed her juices across the protruding flesh of her clit.

Grasping the kitchen counter with one hand to steady herself, the small slayer slid another finger back into her warm pussy. She closed her eyes and whimpered quietly when she heard the wet click of her sex. Her knees buckled slightly as she thrust up harder and deeper into her hot core.

The phone rang loudly in the kitchen, jarring Buffy from her foggy mindset. Her hand flew out of her pants and she nearly yanked the cordless phone off of the wall in her rush to silence the offending machine. "Hello?" she rasped, her voice surprisingly husky.

"Buffy," came the male voice, curt and clipped, the result of numerous years in the military. The slayer sighed into the receiver. Of course Riley would have the unfortunate timing of interrupting her wandering hands.

"A number of our scientists were found dead this morning," the Iowan continued crisply. "All of the blood had been drained from him."

"Vampire?" Buffy asked, stifling a yawn. She rubbed at her eyes, dislodging some of the sleep that had accumulated over the night.

"Or Faith," Riley countered coolly.

"What?" Buffy shrilly yelled into the cordless receiver. "How could you even suggest that? It couldn't be Faith," the girl insisted. "She…has a chip in her brain, but I can't tell Riley that I know because then he'll think that I've been in contact with her….'s not in Sunnydale."

The Marine sighed. "I suppose you're right. Plus she…can't hurt humans because of the behavior modifier in her brain…would never be smart enough to track down our scientists."

Buffy scowled at the boy's words. Faith was so much smarter than people gave her credit for. Why couldn't anyone realize that?

"Have you thought any more about my suggestion?" Riley continued when his girlfriend remained silent. "About leaving Sunnydale for a little while?"

"I'm fine, Riley," the blonde grumbled into the phone. "Really – I have to go," she clipped. "Busy day today."

Without waiting for a "goodbye," Buffy hung up the phone in the kitchen. Avoiding the Marine was becoming increasingly harder, but she knew he was only trying to help her now that the Initiative seemed to be after her rather than the Boston girl. But Buffy didn't know how much longer she could continue the charade that their relationship was as solid as it had once been before. She pressed her forehead against the cool plastic of the walled receiver and released a quiet sigh.

"You okay, girlfriend?" came a low, sultry voice.

Buffy looked up to see Faith padding carefully into the kitchen, still wearing only the white a-frame tank top and deliciously tight boi shorts. The other girl's lack of dress momentarily distracted the Californian. The muscles of Faith's upper thighs tensed and quivered slightly as she continued to stalk closer.

There was something about the way the dark slayer moved that reminded the elder girl of a panther or a cougar. She had always been wild and unkempt, but since her incarceration she exuded a quiet danger. Buffy felt the other girl's appreciative dark chocolate eyes on her and in that moment she knew exactly how a jungle cat's prey felt.

"Who was that?" Faith asked lightly, dislodging the blonde from her uncharacteristic musings.

"Riley," the elder slayer mumbled the name uncomfortably.

The Boston girl's easy smile was quickly replaced by a frown. She crossed her bare arms across her ample chest, accentuating her cleavage. "And what did Captain America want?" she questioned sourly.

Buffy hated to see the younger slayer's blinding smile disappear so quickly, so she dismissed the subject of the phone call rather than expounding. "Don't worry, Faith," she insisted. "It's nothing."

The Boston girl raised an eyebrow, doubting the "nothingness" of Riley's call. But not wanting to push Buffy too much, so soon after their reconciliation, she let it go.

"Wanna grab some lunch?" Buffy asked with a half smile. "I've got some quick errands to do, but I thought maybe you might like to go out for a change instead of hanging out here and eating sandwiches."

Faith looked suddenly nervous. "I dunno, B," she hesitated, looking uncomfortable as she shuffled her bare feet around on the kitchen floor. "Without Red's mojo…the glamour…."

Buffy instinctively reached for the other girl's hands and gave the Boston woman a warm, genuine smile. "Don't worry about that. I'll keep you safe, Fai," she breathed. "I promise."

Buffy burst through the doors of the out of the way crypt. The metallic doors screamed on their rusting hinges from the severity of the blast.

"Spike!" she called out shrilly, her voice echoing in the dark, confined space.

The bleach-blonde vampire appeared, slowly climbing up from the underground portion of his dusty home.

"Slayer," he grumbled, pulling himself up to the ground level. "Should give a man more of a heads up," he purred, walking barefoot in dark jeans and an unbuttoned shirt. "Would have given me the opportunity to clean the place up a bit." The soulless vampire stalked closer toward the girl, casually buttoning up the front of his red dress shirt, covering his marbled chest.

"Save it, Spike," the blonde coolly growled, her hazel-green eyes severely narrowing. "What do you know about a handful of military men being drained? Some new vamp in town that's got a sweet tooth for Marines?"

"What's this with Slayers needin' my help lately?" the demon quipped, smirking at the blonde. "I think I should be gettin' more from this deal than just your undying gratitude." The undead creature smiled cruelly, eyeballing the small slayer's lithe form.

"Don't waste my time," the blonde snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you have any information for me or not?"

Spike snorted and turned his back on the slayer, dismissing her as he began to walk away. "I'm not the one you should be askin', Pet," he stated. "Maybe you should be quizzing the other Slayer."

"I'm not here to talk about Faith," the golden-haired slayer snarled. "She's none of your business."

The blonde vampire spun around suddenly. "She came lookin' for me," Spike protested, his voice raising a few octaves. "Did she tell you that,Slayer? Your little girlfriend's not so reformed as she pretends to be."

"Spike," the blonde slayer stated slowly through clenched teeth. "I'm not going to kill you because you saved Faith from those men." She balled up her fists by her sides to control her anger. "But if you ever go near her again," she warned menacingly. "I will kill you."

The golden-haired woman turned on her heels and burst out of the dilapidated crypt and back into the light of day.

"I always wondered how you could eat so much and never gain a pound," the slender blonde lamented to her partner as she crossed the threshold to her mother's house. "I mean, I'm a Slayer too, but I can't eat like a garbage disposal," she quipped.

Faith gave the smaller slayer a mischievous grin. "I'd tell ya the secret, B," she started, wiggling her eyebrows. "But the answer might make ya blush."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at the Boston girl. "I'm not a prude, ya know," she complained, huffing a little as she walked away from the taller girl.

The dangerous slayer smirked at her blonde counterpart and allowed her eyes to follow the blonde's pert backside as it maneuvered across the dining room. "Ya might not be a prude, Twinkie. But you're certainly not as perverted as me," she winked.

Ignoring the other woman's easy banter, Buffy entered the kitchen to put her leftovers away in the refrigerator. Faith had easily tucked away twice as much food during their late lunch together. Eyeballing the younger slayer's athletic form made the blonde woman wonder where exactly all that food went to.

Faith followed the other girl closely into the back room and picked up a note from the kitchen counter. Her eyes scanned over the note briefly. "Your mom's at the gallery all evening, B," the Boston girl read. "Looks like it's just gonna be the two of us tonight," she grinned, wiggling her eyebrows some more.

Closing the refrigerator door, Buffy groaned. "Great," she mockingly complained as she leaned against the solid appliance. "I'm gonna go bankrupt trying to feed you."

Faith stepped dangerously close to the small woman, her dark eyes flashing. "I know something I could feast on for hours that won't cost you a thing," she murmured seductively.

The sound of glass shattering startled and alerted the two slayers. Half a dozen dark figures broke through the front windows in the living room in the front half of the house and broke through the front entryway. Both women's bodies immediately morphed into fighting positions as they found themselves being suddenly invaded by masked figures.

Quickly realizing they were outnumbered, especially because the dark slayer wouldn't be able to effectively fight against other humans, Buffy pointed towards the stairs. "Upstairs!" she yelled at Faith. "Now!"

With little hesitation, the two girls bounded up the staircase to the second floor and Buffy quickly locked her bedroom door behind them. Rushing over to her window, she looked outside to discover that her house was surrounded by unmarked black SUVs. "Fuck," she swore under her breath. "My mom's so not going to be happy about this."

"So what's the plan, B?" the brunette woman asked suddenly. She stood in the center of the bedroom with her hands placed expectantly on her hips. "We shove you dresser in front of the door and hope for those military bastards to just get bored and leave?"

Buffy turned away from her bedroom window to pick up the receiver of her bedroom telephone. "No…I'll…I'll call for help," she stammered, glancing up quickly at the rogue slayer. "I'll call Giles," she stated shakily. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the familiar number. "I can't fight them all."

The blonde girl suddenly fell forward onto the carpeted floor when she felt the heavy, blunt object strike the back of her head. Buffy slowly rolled onto her back and groaned lowly. She could just make out the hazy form of her sister-Slayer hovering above her crumpled body. The Boston girl stared down at her, strangely unaffected by the chip, holding onto a cumbersome axe.

"Sorry, B," the dark girl mumbled thickly, dropping the weapon to the floor. "Can't let you play the hero this time."

The Boston girl hung up the receiver and pulled the blonde's nearly unconscious body into her untidy closet. Luckily the girl's body was small and closet large. Even though Buffy didn't live full-time at her mother's house anymore, the contents of her closet gave no indication that she had ever moved out. Giving the fallen slayer one final look, Faith closed the closet.

Faith's eyes flew to the closed bedroom door when she heard the soldiers beginning to smash the wooden obstacle. A low rumble escaped from her throat and her body tensed, even though she knew this wasn't about a battle. The chip in her brain wouldn't allow it. This was about getting the Initiative as far away from Buffy as possible.

Faith yanked the bedroom door open, nearly pulling the door from its hinges. The unexpected action caused the group of masked men in the cramped hallway to momentarily pause.

"I hear you've been looking for me," the rogue slayer purred as she stood just within the doorframe of the blonde girl's bedroom. Although the teen was frightened and unconvinced she was doing the right thing, she didn't let her captors know. "Makes a girl feel all tingly on the inside," she grinned wildly. "The only thing I ever wanted outta life was to feel wanted. Guess I shoulda been more specific."

TBC