Phoebe turned slowly, examining the large apartment. It wasn't as big as the penthouse she'd shared with Cole, but it was palatial by any standard. Faith wasn't in view, so the witch wandered over to the expanse of windows and leaned against the glass, peering sightlessly over the Bay.
"You don't seem to take no for an answer," the Slayer remarked, and Phoebe jerked erect. "How'd you get in? I told the guy downstairs I wasn't seein' anybody."
The shorter brunette didn't turn around. She was afraid of what she'd see in those intense brown eyes. "Leo dropped me off. I needed to talk to you."
Soft footsteps made their way through the deep carpet. "Look, Phoebe, I understand. We don't need to keep going over this. Despite the magical talent show, I get that you still don't trust me. Hell, I wouldn't trust me, either. I've pretty much fucked up my entire life."
"Oh, for Goddess sake, Faith, just shut up for a minute!" Phoebe spun around, tired of the "poor, pitiful me" crap. The Slayer stood several feet away, sitting on the arm of a loveseat. The middle Halliwell glared at the taller girl, fighting to get the sudden anger back under control. "Please, just sit down and let me explain a few things," she managed in a quieter voice.
"Sure, Moonbeam." Faith dropped onto the furniture, legs resting on the glass coffee table in front of her. "Take all the time you need." It was clear from her closed off expression that she was merely humoring the other girl.
"Thanks," Phoebe remarked dryly. She started pacing in front of the window. "First, I do trust you." A small hand shot up, halting the sure-to-be sarcastic comment from the Slayer. "If you'll remember, I told Grams I didn't have any concerns about you being on the right side."
Faith simply nodded.
The witch ground her teeth at the response. "Damn it. I trust you! Forget the damned bar for a minute. Goddess, get over yourself, OK? You went all Evil Girl and I panicked. It's over. You didn't lose control, and I'm sorry for acting like a diva. If you hadn't cut me off in the attic, I was about to say I was confused about something you said during the spell."
"What was that, Moonbeam?" The Slayer's voice was a little warmer, and Phoebe smiled slightly.
"You told Grams the Slayer wanted to mark its mate."
Brown eyes widened. "Mate?"
"You don't remember?" Phoebe watched the other girl closely.
"Not really. I mean, I understood the questions and I heard myself answer. It's just kinda fuzzy now. I actually said the Slayer needed to mark her mate?" The husky voice seemed stressed.
Walking across the room, the witch sat on the table next to Faith's feet. "Yeah. Any idea what that was about?"
"Nothing I'm gonna discuss right now."
"Faith!" Phoebe smacked the crossed legs next to her, knocking them to the ground. "We have to talk about it. What did you mean?"
The Slayer shook her head. "Not talking about it right now."
Exploding from her perch, Phoebe loomed over the other brunette. "Yes, you are. I want to know what you meant. How can you talk about the Slayer like it was some separate person? And, mate? Did I blink and miss the wedding?"
She finally got a reaction from Faith. "You really want to know, Moonbeam? Fine." The Slayer stood, too. They were toe to toe now. "I am the Slayer. But she was created a long time ago by some crazy dudes in England. Every new Slayer gets access to the memories of the entire Line, all the way back to the First Slayer. Now, that don't mean squat most of the time, cause most of those memories come from little girls who die before they know much. But the First Slayer can get real primal and territorial."
Faith paused, possibly thinking she'd said enough. When Phoebe just looked back at her, she grimaced and went on. "I'm sure Giles or Wes could tell you more, but B and me found a book back when we were still friends. It talked a lot about how Slayers needed a mate, someone to help balance all the superpowers running through the Line."
Phoebe backed off and sat down again. "So, you think the Slayer sees me as her mate."
"Yeah."
Almost afraid to ask, the witch asked in a very quiet voice, "What about you, Faith? How do you feel about us?"
A frustrated shrug answered her question. A minute later, Faith mumbled, "Hell, Moonbeam, I don't know. A day ago, I was just popping into town for a meeting and some meaningless sex. Things didn't follow the plan, ya know? And, I ain't real good at the emotional stuff. Rather just go out and kill something and avoid all the heart to hearts."
"Fair enough." Phoebe watched the obviously ill at ease Slayer for a while. "I wasn't looking for the long term, either. I've had really bad luck with relationships in the past." She frowned, memories threatening to overwhelm her. "But as cheesy as it sounds, some times things happen for a reason. Maybe the Elders, or the PTB, or whoever, put us in P3 because we were supposed to meet."
"Phoebe, you can't believe that mystical bullshit!"
"Why not? I see the future, Faith. I'm part of that mystical bullshit. So are you." She stood up and walked back to the bank of windows. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not proposing we head to City Hall and register as domestic partners. Not yet. I just don't think we can afford to ignore the possibilities."
"Get it out of your head, Moonbeam," the younger girl snapped. "Even if you're right and we didn't meet by accident, I ain't the kinda girl you take home to the family. How would you introduce me at parties and stuff? 'Oh, hey, guys, this is Faith, my ex-con girlfriend."
Phoebe stared out of the sparkling glass and contemplated flinging the Slayer through the flawless panes. "Do you always do this? Don't you ever get tired of playing the poor, put upon little criminal?" She was too tired for more anger. The words came out flat. "You aren't the only one to make bad decisions. I haven't done the deed and taken a life, but I've stood on the sidelines and done nothing to help. And my choices in partners? It doesn't get any worse."
"It gets worse than a convicted murderer?" Sarcasm dripped from the words.
"My ex-husband is the Source."
Faith stared at Phoebe's back, confused. "Come again?"
The witch turned slowly, staring at the Slayer with pain-filled eyes. "I was married to the Source of All Evil. For almost a year, I was the Queen of the Underworld." Lips twitched in a mockery of a smile. "So, do you still think you're unworthy of me?"
No answer seemed appropriate. Faith climbed to her feet and joined Phoebe by the windows. "This convo's over, Moonbeam. We're done hurting ourselves with the past." A callused hand caressed the witch's pale cheek before cupping the back of the shorter girl's neck and pulling her into strong arms. "I'm sorry, Phoebe."
Basking in the Slayer's comforting embrace, Phoebe slowly let go of the painful memories of Cole. "Can we move forward, Faith? Or do you want to pretend this isn't happening? I feel so much for you I can't explain or ignore."
"I-" The witch felt the tension still controlling the body holding her. "This job's got me all turned upside down, but if you aren't afraid of what's happening between us, I ain't gonna say no to seeing where it leads."
Suddenly happier than she'd ever been, Phoebe raised her head and nibbled on the Slayer's throat. "Normally, this arrangement would lead to Snuggle Time and a big getting to know you talk." Faith stiffened further. "Hey! Stop trying to back away. I said normally. We've skipped a few steps and done that part." She licked the spot she'd worked on.
"So, if we ain't gonna do a lot of talking, what did you have in mind?" Desire and laughter mixed in the warm, rough voice.
"Well, in my experience, after the talking comes the loving."
"Moonbeam, are you sure we ain't just avoiding the bigger picture? I don't want to cheat you out of the relationship thing."
Phoebe felt tears sting her eyes. The Slayer was trying so hard to do the right thing, even if her definition of right meant pulling away. "I'm sure, Faith. We haven't avoided anything. Postponed some things, sure." She stepped back, taking the other girl's hand and pulling her away from the window. "There are some ways of learning about each other than don't involve talking."
Dimples peeked out. "Got something you wanna explore?" Faith led them down a short hallway to the apartment's master suite. A massive bed covered a large portion of the room.
"I do," the witch stated firmly. She stripped quickly, watching with desire-darkened eyes as the Slayer followed her example. "Last night, we didn't really explore. We just scratched the itch, so to speak. This time, I want to make some mental notes of what turns you on and listen to you call my name when you cum."
Faith's heartbeat went into overdrive at the witch's words. "Do your worst, Moonbeam."
"Oh, no, sweetie. Only the best this time. Climb up on the bed and get comfy. I might be at this for a while."
The Slayer opened her mouth to reply, but then snapped it shut. What could she say to that? She turned and did as requested, leaning against the large pillows, waiting to see what Phoebe had in mind.
She didn't have to wait long. The brunette witch moved to the bed slowly, kneeling at Faith's side. "Can you keep your hands to yourself?" she asked abruptly.
"Yeah, but why would I want to?" the Slayer replied.
"Because I want you to simply feel right now." The witch's voice was low, hypnotic.
Feeling her body respond to the tone, Faith agreed. "I'll try, Moonbeam. Best I can do."
"Good enough, sweetie." Leaning down, Phoebe brushed her lips tenderly over the younger girl's. "This won't be like last night. I promise. No rush to the end; no competition," she breathed. Another, longer kissed followed, and the witch tangled her tongue with the Slayer's, stroking the muscle firmly before pulling away. Watching the other girl's face for reactions, Phoebe started moving her hands up and down the smooth, warm skin. She touched every part of Faith's front, making mental notes of the hot spots, before lying down against the Slayer's left side. Faith's breathing rasped from her throat, but she didn't say anything and her hands remained out of the way, gripping the sheets. Rolling until she partially straddled the taller girl, Phoebe took a hard nipple between her teeth, pulling it gently away from the Slayer's body. She added another mental checkmark when Faith groaned and arched into her.
"Moonbeam, don't…don't tease anymore."
"Sweetie, I'm just getting started. Patience is the key to lovemaking." Phoebe ignored the growl emanating from the body underneath her and went back to tormenting the Slayer's nipples.
"Patience, hell," Faith snapped. Throwing restraint out the window, she grabbed the smaller brunette and pulled her all the way on top of her body. Rough hands tangled in brunette hair, forcing the witch's head down for a searing kiss. "Much better," she purred.
"You promised to keep your hands to yourself," Phoebe panted.
"I said I'd try, witch." The Slayer smirked, feeling the witch's wetness on her stomach where Phoebe half-sat. "Admit it, this is better than that slow and easy crap."
Not wanting to give in, Phoebe tried moving away. Faith's hands gripped her hips, holding her in place. The witch stopped struggling, but not before taking control of the game back. Leaning forward and placing most of her weight on her hands at either side of Faith's head, she ground her mound into the Slayer's middle in a hard, circular motion. Her breasts brushed at the other girl's. "OK, sweetie. We'll do it your way. But," she said sharply in response to the triumphant smile, "you still keep your hands out of the way." Laughter threatened at the cute pout below her. "None of that, Slayer. We compromise or I go take care of myself and you get nothing."
"Damn, witch. You playin' hardball?"
"No balls involved, in case you haven't noticed," Phoebe couldn't resist. She stayed still until both of Faith's hands slid under the pillows at her head. "Good girl." Although she still had visions of slowly tormenting the girl beneath her, she gave in to the wild desire coursing through her. Driving three fingers into the Slayer, she grabbed the pouting lips in a rough kiss, plunging her tongue into Faith's mouth in time to her thrusting fingers. The kiss got out of control as her lover writhed underneath her and she tasted a hint of blood where she'd accidentally nipped too hard. Fingers still moving in and out of Faith's body, she locked eyes with the moaning Slayer. Just as Faith stiffened with the force of her climax, the witch noticed the brown eyes glow orange.