Chapter Ten

Faith was hyper-aware of how close Buffy was sitting next to her on the couch in the large living room where everyone had gathered to hear what Dean and Sam had found out about the Goddess Nereza and other world-changing events. The whiskey she'd been drinking earlier had given her a nice buzz, one that was slowly wearing off.

Sam was the center of attention, explaining everything he could about what he knew about Nereza and why they hadn't been able to find anything, not even a single reference to her. Faith had a lot of questions of her own, but she wasn't entirely focused on Sam, she was more focused on Buffy as she sat next to her on the couch, having squeezed herself down beside her and making her sit uncomfortably closer to Dean as well.

"Different universes have collided," Giles said as he rose to his feet. "Wouldn't this be something we would have been well aware of before now?"

"The signs aren't as clear as you would think," Sam replied. "But for us, they are."

"You know, it makes sense," Andrew spoke up and all eyes were suddenly on him. He cleared his throat as he stood up from his chair. "It hasn't been exactly in your face, but the signs have been there, Mr. Giles. We just haven't noticed them," he said and he frowned slightly. "It does explain why we can't find anything on Nereza and why Buffy's team ran into a nest of vampires they couldn't kill just by staking them a couple of months ago."

"You ran into the other breed of vamps?" Faith asked Buffy quietly and she nodded her head as she turned to look at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked and I never thought to mention it."

"Now, what do you propose we do about the severity of this situation? Surely there will be many consequences, Nereza just being one of many," Giles asked Sam specifically. "May I see the book you've brought along, the one that has the information you have on Nereza?"

Sam handed the book to Giles and Faith could swear he looked a little nervous having everyone's attention solely on him. "Because our worlds collided, your resources don't tap into the ones that we have access to. I was thinking that in a few days, I could change all that. We could help each other in more ways than one, especially if this is permanent," Sam said and Giles nodded as he sat down in his chair and started to flip through the pages of the book.

"You said Nereza is a Goddess of Love," Kennedy said and Sam looked over at her quickly. "So, if she's a Goddess of Love, why the hell is she after the scythe?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sam shrugged. "Being the Goddess of Love is the main purpose of her being, but all Goddesses show signs of malevolent behavior from time to time, especially when it comes to gaining more power for their own uses. Nereza, specifically, feeds on the essence of true love and will use that power to gain what she wants, what she needs."

"True love?" Buffy asked and Faith internally groaned as she felt Buffy tense up, her thigh pressing hard against her own. "Do we have any idea who she might be exploiting to get what she wants?"

"We have a few theories," Sam replied and Faith didn't fail to catch the angry glare that Dean sent his way. "But uh, they're just theories and we'll need to dig around a little more to figure it out. I did have an idea of why she would be after the scythe though."

"The essence," Giles replied. "If she can gain power through the essence of true love, the essence of a slayer being just as strong if not stronger would be reason enough for her to be after it."

Faith stood up, not even bothering to say a word as she slipped out of the living room and headed for the front door. She was itching for a cigarette and to get out of there before the tension she could feel between her and Buffy made her absolutely crazy. She grabbed her jacket out of the front closet and stepped outside, zipping it up as she huddled against the wall and quickly lit a cigarette. She groaned softly when the door opened just a moment later and Buffy stepped out, quickly shutting the door behind her.

"Shouldn't you be inside, B?" Faith asked briskly as she watched Buffy quickly zip up her jacket and shiver as she shoved her hands into the pockets.

"It's a lot to take in right now," Buffy replied quietly. "I kind of needed a break."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm getting worried about Willow," she said and Faith nodded. Everyone was worried about Willow, even she was a little since she knew it wasn't normal for Willow to have just up and disappeared for a week. "What Sam said, about our worlds colliding, I'm worried that something might have happened to her when she uh…went poof and tried to protect the scythe."

"It was gone though, right? You did check?"

"Yeah, it was gone and I don't even know if it was Willow or if Nereza got to it first."

"Pretty sure if Nereza has the scythe, we'd know it by now."

"Right."

Faith sighed as she stared over at Buffy. Something else was clearly bothering her and she didn't want to guess just what it was. She did get the feeling that Buffy had been avoiding her since that night at the club, yet she was feeling too chicken-shit to confront her about it too.

"We're all worried about Willow, B," Faith said quietly when she noticed the tears brimming in Buffy's eyes. "She'll turn up one way or another."

"I just don't understand why she hasn't called."

"Don't know why either. Kennedy was stressing about it earlier too."

"There has to be a way of finding out where she's gone."

"You got connections with a bunch of coven's, B, have you tried—"

"They can't find her," Buffy said quickly, her eyes lowering to the ground. "She's not dead, they said they found traces of her essence, her magical imprint still lingering. If she was…dead, they'd be the first to know."

"She'll turn up, B," Faith said, the confidence in her voice wavering as she tried to stay positive about a dire situation. "Maybe she doesn't think it's safe to come to us yet and her staying away is what's keeping us all safe?"

"Maybe."

Faith took one last drag of her cigarette before flicking it to the ground. It was cold outside and the jacket she wore barely kept her warm enough. She stepped past Buffy and reached for the doorknob only to be stopped by reaching hands that spun her around quickly.

"I'm so confused, Faith," Buffy whispered as she backed Faith up against the front door. "That night we were attacked and evacuated, before everything came crashing down, the only thing I could think about was you."

"B, I—"

"And now that we've been here, things are back to the way they've always been. I feel like you've been avoiding me and—"

"Thought you were," Faith chuckled softly and Buffy dropped her hands from Faith's arms. "Look, we got ahead of ourselves in the club and outside. Heat of the moment, you know?"

"So, it was a mistake?"

"Not a mistake, just…" Faith trailed off as she suddenly became unsure what she wanted to say to Buffy. "You and me, we've always been complicated, right? Maybe what happened in the club was some weird way we were trying to let go, move on, whatever it was."

"You don't think it's a coincidence?" Buffy asked quietly and Faith didn't move, didn't say a word. "The first night you're here, we kissed during the Grappler demon attack and then last week at the club, we get attacked by that vampire outside the club and then the hotel comes under a full-scale attack. It's not a coincidence, is it?"

"What are you getting at, B?"

"It's us, isn't it?" She whispered. "We're the ones Nereza is feeding off of, exploiting, or whatever it is she's doing. It's you and me."

"Don't be ridiculous, B."

"It's true though, isn't it?"

"What is true? That what we have is true frigging love? I don't think so, girlfriend. So yeah, maybe it was just a coincidence things happened between us and shit followed. Maybe it's some kind of cosmic sign that what we did wasn't meant to be."

"Or it is. Meant to be, that is."

"I don't think so—"

"Then kiss me again and tell me you don't feel it too," Buffy said as she stepped dangerously close to Faith. "What? Are you, scared?"

"Terrified."

"Of me?"

"Of not being able to stop once I kiss you again, B."

"What if I don't want you to stop?"

"Not afraid of what'll happen after?" Faith whispered huskily as her hands reached out to grip Buffy's hips. "Not afraid of things going further, cos once I start kissing you again, B, I am gonna want all of you and I won't be able to stop."

Faith had never been so honest in her life and she could feel Buffy trembling slightly as she held on to her. "Then don't stop," Buffy's voice barely came out more than a whisper that Faith barely caught before Buffy was pulling her in for a heated kiss.

Dean looked around the room as the others discussed several theories when it came to Nereza and whatever evil plan she had up her sleeves. They knew it concerned the scythe, but everyone was determined to find another reason, any other reason. Running his hand over the back of his neck, he looked around the room for Faith. She had left almost half an hour before and shortly after, Buffy had disappeared as well.

"They're probably just talking," Kennedy said as she sat down on the couch next to him and handed him a cold beer. "What?" She laughed when all he did was stare at her, confused. "Like I don't know you're not wondering where Faith is and why Buffy is with her."

"Whatever," Dean bristled and he nodded at her as he raised the can of beer to his lips, a silent thank you for her getting him one. He definitely did need a drink and wanted something far stronger than the beer Kennedy had given to him. "You're worried about her, aren't you? Willow, I mean."

"Yeah," Kennedy nodded slowly, speaking quietly as she glanced around the room.

"She'll turn up," Dean said with a small smile.

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but it hasn't happened yet."

"Dean?" Sam called out from where he and Giles were going through the book he'd brought with him. Dean walked over to where they were standing and sipped his beer noisily. "We might have found something."

"What kind of something?"

"It's uh, just a loose theory right now, but Nereza just doesn't want the scythe to gain more power, she wants to…" Sam trailed off as a few others around them became silent and turned their attention to him. "Like I said, it's just a theory, but the scythe is a very powerful weapon. She doesn't just want what's inside the scythe, she wants to use it to take back what was given when Willow cast the spell on it in Sunnydale."

"In short, we believe she wishes to end the slayer line completely," Giles said lowly and he removed his glasses, sighing heavily. "It wouldn't be the first time something has tried to end the line. Although it is just a theory, it is the closest to a reason we have that she's attacked us twice already."

"Where's Buffy and Faith?" Sam asked Dean and he just shrugged. "They should be in here hearing this," he said and he looked around the room. "Didn't Faith step out for a smoke earlier?"

"I'll go look for them," Dean said and he placed his beer on the fireplace mantel and headed for the front door.

Dean wasn't sure what he'd gotten himself and Sam into. A big part of this problem seemed to be something that they never would've been involved in before. Slayers were just a story, a myth, and yet there they were, helping them stop a Goddess. A freaking Goddess. They were definitely out of their minds, yet they were in too deep to get out now. Dean opened the front door and stepped outside, the front porch empty and quiet as he shut the door behind him.

Dean zipped up his jacket and whipped his head to the left when he heard moans coming from the side of the house. Smirking, he followed the pathway around to the side door and stopped in his tracks. His heart felt like it'd been crushed to pieces as he saw Faith and Buffy, heavily kissing and hands in places that would normally turn him on, but was having the opposite affect on him. He backed away slowly, not wanting to disturb them, but he knew he had to. They should be inside and not out there, making out like a couple of horny teenagers.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked back in the direction he came in. They'd come around sooner or later. He was just afraid to say anything, afraid because he knew how he felt when it came to Faith and the last thing he wanted was to say something that would push her out of his life for good.

"Hey, did you find them?" Sam asked as Dean walked back into the house.

"No, I—"

"Dean?" Sam motioned for him to step into the other room and he shut the pocket door quietly. "This is a big problem we're dealing with, bigger than you and me, bigger than them," he said quietly. "Dean, what's with you?"

"What? Nothing," Dean said quickly. "So, how big of a problem are we talking here? World-ending still?"

"For them," Sam replied and he cocked his head to the side, studying Dean closely for a minute. "You did find them, didn't you?"

"Sammy—"

"What did you walk in on?" Sam asked him and Dean laughed, trying to play it off as if it wasn't even bothering him. "What? Dean, tell me."

"Remember those movies we watched that one time Dad left us alone to do a job?"

"We watched a lot of movies. Be a little more specific, Dean."

"Two hot chicks, making out, hands in naughty places," Dean wiggled his eyebrows and Sam chortled. "Didn't want to stop them, you know?"

"As hot as that might be, this just makes our problem even bigger," Sam said and he grabbed Dean by the shoulders. "We were right about the Goddess feeding off the essence of true love. It's likely there's some kind of force pulling the two of them together and she's using it to her advantage."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Dude, from what you told me about Faith's history with Buffy, does the fact that they're making out not strike you as odd? They're the last ones who make up the definition of true love, don't you think?"

"Faith's in love with her," Dean said lowly. "She's finally getting what she wants. Big deal. What's the Goddess have to do with the fact that Faith finally got the girl?"

Dean pushed past Sam and slid the pocket door open. He joined the rest of the group in the other room and hastily snatched his beer where he'd left it on the mantel. He and Sam hadn't even been in Ohio for an hour and already he was itching to grab his stuff, hop in the Impala and get the hell outta dodge.

Faith moaned as Buffy kissed her deeper, Buffy's hands sliding into her hair and gripping tight, keeping her right where she was. From the first second their lips crushed together, Faith could feel the sparks flying between them and she couldn't stop kissing her. It had been Buffy who led them around to the side door, eliminating the chances that someone would catch them out there together.

"Fuck," Faith groaned as she pulled back from Buffy's lips, her hands currently gripping tight onto Buffy's lithe ass. "Maybe we should go inside, B. It's cold out here and—"

"I'm feeling a bit warm, actually," Buffy breathed out huskily and Faith pulled her closer, her grip growing tighter. "Don't stop," she whispered, her lips brushing over Faith's as they both breathed heavily, clutching to one another.

Buffy took the reigns and pushed Faith up against the wall, a hand moving between their bodies as she cupped Faith over her jeans, eliciting a loud moan from Faith. Faith stared into Buffy's eyes, not mistaking the lust that filled them as Buffy continued to rub her through her jeans. It'd definitely been a while for Faith and she was feeling it all over, unable to stop, unable to find one piece of strength to push Buffy away from her and give them time to come down to their senses.

"Come on," Buffy whispered as she roughly took Faith's hand in hers and pulled her away from the side door.

"B, where we going?"

"Somewhere where it's less cold and a little more comfortable," she said as she looked back at Faith over her shoulder and winked.

Faith followed Buffy down the driveway that led to the large training barn. She used her key to unlock the door and they stepped inside the darkness. Without turning on a single light, Buffy led Faith through the main room and around to the back where one of the smaller storage rooms were. Pushing her up against the wall, Buffy shut the door next to her and flipped on the light.

"You were right when we said we had to talk about this," Buffy said as she unzipped Faith's jacket slowly. "But when have we ever been good at this whole talking thing, Faith?" Faith inhaled sharply as Buffy stepped back and unzipped her own jacket and took it off. "Every time I'm near you, I feel like I'm going crazy," she said quietly as she turned her back to Faith and looked around the storage room. Seven well-worn mats were propped up against the wall and with a kick, they fell, the thud echoing through the otherwise empty room.

Faith stayed up against the wall and she licked over her lips, watching as Buffy slowly turned around and faced her. "Every time you've kissed me," Buffy continued, slowly taking a few steps to close the gap between them, "I can't even explain how it made me feel since I've never felt anything like it."

"It feels like fire," Faith breathed and Buffy laughed sensually as she closed the distance between them, her hands sliding under the lapels of Faith's jacket before pushing it off of her. "Like electricity, jolting through you, awakening you."

Buffy moaned as she pressed her body into Faith's deliciously. "I never knew you had quite a way with words."

"Surprise myself sometimes," Faith chuckled and she caught the small eye roll from Buffy as she laughed too. "But you feel it too, don't you?"

"How about we don't talk?" Buffy whispered in a husky voice that had that fire, that electricity coursing wildly through Faith's body as she ran her hands over Buffy's narrow hips. "How about just for once we just…"

Buffy's lips captured hers in a searing kiss. Faith responded instantly, the fire inside her, the passion too much to deny and fight. She spun Buffy around and pressed her up against the wall, one hand moving to slide up Buffy's stomach slowly, her fingers lingering just below her pert breasts as they kissed each other with hungry passion. Feeling bold as Buffy moaned into her mouth, she cupped her left breast roughly, feeling the hard nipple harden beneath the material of Buffy's shirt. Buffy's hands were grasping and then reaching for the hem of Faith's shirt, roughly pulling it up and they broke away from each other's lips just for a second to discard Faith's t-shirt on the floor beside them. Their lips met again with fiery passion as Buffy slipped a leg between Faith's and pressed her thigh into Faith's center, eliciting a moan that rumbled through Faith quickly.

Buffy took control, a move that surprised Faith, and she pushed away from the wall and pulled Faith with her towards the mats she'd kicked down to the floor. She hooked a leg around Faith's, pulling it out from under her and they topped down to the mats, their lips still devouring one another's as hands began roaming again. Buffy stopped abruptly and sat back, straddling Faith and stared down at her, both of them breathing hard.

Faith inhaled sharply as she ran her hands up Buffy's thighs, her jeans beneath her palms smooth and warm. Buffy licked over her lips, smiling down at her before she pulled up her loose fitting long sleeve shirt, revealing she had decided to go without a bra that day, and tossed it behind her. Faith sat up in a flash, her arms wrapping tightly around Buffy as their lips met again. Regaining some sense of control, Faith flipped Buffy on her back and broke away from her lips, grinning down at her.

"You really can't handle anyone else being on top, can you?"

"I can, but the question is," Faith replied as she ducked her head down and licked across a hard nipple. "Can you?"

Buffy answered, not with words, but by reaching around Faith and unclasping her bra, forcefully yanking it away before pulling Faith down on top of her. Faith smirked down at her before capturing her lips once again, unable to get enough of how Buffy's lips and tongue felt against her own, nor could she get over how soft Buffy's skin felt as she was held close against her.

Moving her hips against Buffy's, Faith gasped as Buffy hooked a leg around hers, opening herself more to her. Faith's mind was drowning and her body was fully alive for what felt like the first time in a long time. She felt like they had all the time in the world and at the same time, she felt like the minutes were ticking by too quickly and that their time would be running out soon. Moving a hand between their bodies, Faith flicked open the button on Buffy's jeans and instantly found herself on her back with Buffy's determined lips kissing and nipping their way down her neck.

Kicking off her boots, Faith allowed Buffy to be in control since it was clear that it was exactly what she wanted. She ran her hands up Buffy's arms and her shoulders, watching as her lips moved lower, avoiding her breasts yet paying special attention to her belly button, her wet, hot tongue dipping inside before she pulled back, her hands on Faith's belt, insistent fingers undoing it and pulling open the four buttons on her jeans.

Buffy inhaled deeply as she gripped the top of Faith's jeans and slowly lowered them, raising an eyebrow at her as Faith lifted her butt to help her rid them with ease. Leaving Faith laying on the mats in just a pair of black panties, Buffy stood and her appreciative glare was not lost on Faith for a second. She leaned up on her elbows and watched with hungry eyes as Buffy kicked off her boots and stripped out of her jeans and her panties, leaving nothing left to the imagination for it was all right there in front of Faith's very eyes.

Sitting up, Faith's eyes roamed appreciatively over Buffy's body, taking in every inch of naked skin on display. She reached out and grabbed Buffy by her hips and pulled her down, laying her on her back as she hovered over her body.

"This is us, isn't it?" Faith whispered, a trembling hand trailing down Buffy's body. "I mean, this isn't the Goddess doing this to us, is it?"

"Would it matter if it was?"

"Yeah, it would," Faith said thinly. "Is it? Or is this us?"

Buffy reached up and cupped her face gently, a sincere look in her eyes backed with the haziness of lust and desire. "It's us. Just you and me. Giving in…"

"Taking what we want…"

"And you can have all of me, even if just for tonight," Buffy whispered, the meaning behind their words not at all lost as Faith's mind swam through the heavy memories they shared. "Do you want me?"

"Yes…"

"Take me, have me, make me yours," Buffy groaned as she pulled Faith down fully on top of her and kissed her with everything that she had and more.

Dean stood in the doorway to the living room, listening as the others drew up their own speculations and theories about what had happened to their world, why theirs and another had collided after the events inside the Sunnydale Hellmouth. His mind kept wandering back to what he'd seen outside, how close Faith and Buffy had been and he had no doubt that things could've heated up a lot more between them in the time he'd come back inside. Shifting his weight, he leaned against the doorframe and sighed heavily, arms crossed, his mind drifting back and forth.

"Sam, do you have access to more information about the Goddess, perhaps?" Giles asked as he peered up from the book in front of him.

"I have a few articles on my laptop," he replied and he pointed over to Andrew who was already reading them as well as printing them off. "They're more essays than actual facts, unfortunately."

"At this rate, anything we have we must thoroughly observe, look for clues, reasons, abilities that Nereza may have and use against us to aid her in—"

"Whoa," Willow gasped as she materialized in the middle of the living room and Dean pushed himself off the doorframe, eyes wide in shock just as everyone else was as they stared at her. "That sure was a crazy ride. I feel…dizzy," she groaned and Kennedy leapt towards her before she could fall to the floor. "Hi," she said with a slur and Kennedy carried her over to the couch, several of the young slayers moving so she could be laid down.

"Willow, oh my god," Kennedy said as she smoothed back Willow's messy hair away from her face. "We've been so worried about you! Where have you been? It's been a week!"

"A week?" Willow paled as she struggled to sit up. "No, no it hasn't been a week. We were just attacked and I got the scythe. I found somewhere safe and I had this feeling you guys would be here so I just popped this way."

"Wil," Kennedy said calmly as she knelt beside the couch. "You didn't just pop up here. It's been a week."

"Oh." Willow went quiet as everyone gathered around, nobody speaking. "Really?"

Dean watched as a flurry of emotions flickered across the Wiccan's face and he could almost feel the heartbreak and devastation flooding from her from where he stood.

"I'm so sorry," Willow cried as Kennedy hugged her and held her close. "If I had known that—"

"It's okay," Kennedy said in a rush. "You're back here with us where you belong. Are you okay?"

"I still feel dizzy," she replied softly. "And thirsty and suddenly very, very hungry."

"Dean," Sam said quietly as he walked up to him. "You know this just isn't a coincidence, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Sam motioned for Dean to follow him out into the hallway. "What you told me earlier about what you saw outside, it's connected to the Goddess and wherever she was, she was trapped there until whatever barrier that was keeping her from coming back was broken."

"How do you know any of this, Sam?"

"What do you think I've been doing since you called me, Dean? I've been researching non-stop with everything I could get my hands on that even remotely seemed to be related to their world and this Goddess."

"So, what are you saying? Faith and Buffy are screwing right now and it made some kind of unknown barrier break open long enough to allow Willow to come back?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying and if they're still…doing it, the barrier could still be open and we might not be—"

"Safe," Dean gulped as the house began to shake, very subtle for a few seconds before it gradually began to get worse. "Oh hell no—"

Faith gasped as she rode against Buffy's hand, her face buried in Buffy's neck as she felt her orgasm building far quicker than the last. Faith curled the two fingers she had buried inside Buffy's cunt, moaning with her as she felt Buffy's orgasm ripple throughout her body.

"Uhn, oh god," Buffy panted as she fucked Faith harder, faster, driving three fingers inside of her as deep as she could.

"Fuck," Faith moaned as she moved her lips from Buffy's neck to capture Buffy's in a languid, passionate kiss.

Neither noticed that the ground was shaking beneath them as Faith came with a loud moan, her hips jerking against Buffy's hands as she gradually stilled her fingers inside of her. They stared into each other's eyes, hands moving to hips as Faith lowered herself against Buffy in an intimate kiss.

"Faith…"

"That was something else," Faith murmured, her mind fogging over at the feel of Buffy's wet pussy against her own. "You feel so good."

"Faith…" Buffy cried out, back arching into Faith as their bodies began to move against one another. "Oh god, the ground is shaking."

"Huh?"

"Faith, stop," Buffy said quickly, her eyes going wide as she held on to Faith's hips tightly, stopping her from moving a muscle. "Tell me you feel that too."

"Shit," Faith said and they both scrambled to their feet, grabbing their clothes. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this ain't a good sign! You know, unless you get earthquakes in Ohio."

"We don't!"

"The Hellmouth?"

Buffy shook her head as she pulled on her jeans and then quickly yanked her shirt on. "No, we're too far. It's something else."

"Are we ever gonna catch a break?" Faith muttered as she quickly dressed. As she reached for her boots, she was pulled into a tight embrace. "Is it just me or is it starting to look like every time we hook up, something major happens?"

"It's not just you," Buffy said and she didn't let go until they shared one last wildly passionate kiss that left them both breathless. "Come on, let's get inside the house and find out what the hell is going on here."

Nothing is ever cut and dry, is it? The life of a Slayer, it's never a boring one, that's for sure, Faith thought as she pulled on her boots and ran out after Buffy, snatching her jacket up from the ground on the way out the door.