A/N: A big hello and howdy to Lilly, who just joined the beta crew. She's already hard at work earning her keep by helping me stay focused on the plot.
A/N2: Thanks to everyone who has continued to read and review this fic. The muse and I couldn't do it without you. I'd also like to extend a big thank you to the anonymous reader who nominated Charmed, I'm Sure for a SunnyD Award. bows low It's a tremendous honor.
Phoebe looked up into Faith's eyes as they rode the elevator to Faith's apartment. The Slayer stared back at her. "Just so you know," she said firmly, "you aren't going to be in charge this time."
"Huh?" Faith mumbled, callused hands already reaching for the hem of Phoebe's shirt, fingers teasing the skin of her stomach.
"Stop that." Smacking at the tanned hands, Phoebe stepped back. "The last time we did this, I was all for slow and gentle, remember?" Faith nodded. "Then your orange-eyed friend showed up and my plans went out the window. I'm telling you – not this time."
Faith's answering whine was cute. "Why not? We don't have a lot of time. I gotta be back with the Army early in the morning."
"Time's wasting while you argue." Staying firm, Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a foot in pretend impatience.
"But-" Faith wasn't ready to give in.
Regretfully shaking her head, Phoebe sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll see you safely to the door and head home."
A growl filled the elevator just before the doors slid open. Phoebe stepped into the carpeted hallway, Faith right behind her. "Moonbeam, come on. I've been thinking about you all day. How about we let the Slayer play now, and do the slow bit later?"
Hiding a smile, Phoebe solemnly shook her head again. "Sorry, Faith. What if there isn't time for a later?"
"At least I wouldn't be ready to freaking explode!" The husky voice teemed with frustration. Faith stalked around Phoebe, jamming the key in the lock and opening the door.
Following Faith inside, Phoebe shut the door and watched Faith pace in front of the large windows. She didn't want this to be a power struggle. However, giving in again set a precedent. The Slayer couldn't always control their lovemaking. Rough and fast had its place. Phoebe wanted to make sure gentle didn't get lost in the shuffle.
""How about a compromise?" she asked, gliding across the room. Eyes raking the muscled form silhouetted by the gleaming lights of the city, Phoebe held out her hand. "Come on. It won't be so bad." She smirked. "I promise."
Faith's fingers entwined with hers as the Slayer allowed Phoebe to lead her into the bedroom. "What kind of compromise are we talking about, Moonbeam?"
"This kind." Taking a deep breath, Phoebe steadied herself before angling her right leg against Faith's hip. With a quick rotation, she flipped Faith over her leg and onto the floor.
"Oh, hell no." Faith tried to get up and Phoebe straddled her, using her own body weight to hold the Faith down.
It wasn't enough. They both knew Faith could get up any time she wanted. Slayer strength trumped Phoebe's martial arts training any day. "This isn't up for a vote, Faith." Phoebe stuck to the plan. "We do this my way – or not at all." She didn't wait for an answer. Grinding onto Faith's stomach, she bent down, nipping with increasing roughness over Faith's neck.
The body under hers bucked. "Fuck!"
"That's what I'm trying to do, yeah," Phoebe breathed into Faith's neck. "You have to help me out, though. I'm not up to really forcing you if you don't want to play along." She began working the buttons of Faith's shirt open.
"I'll play." Faith's voice was tight, hoarse. Phoebe glanced up. Face flushed, eyes a bright, intense orange, Faith stared hungrily at her.
The time for talk was over. Tangling her fingers in Faith's shirt, Phoebe wrenched it open, popping the last remaining buttons. Warm, tanned skin came into view. Phoebe raked her nails down the smooth skin. Not hard enough to cut; welts sprang up, though, red and hot.
At the bottom of the path, Phoebe unfastened Faith's jeans. "Lift up." She shoved the heavy fabric down when Faith did as requested. Her target was available, but Phoebe ignored it for the moment. She wanted to build Faith's desire. Not the slow and gentle stoking she'd had in mind when they left the pier. Still, she knew she could drive Faith into a frenzy.
Faint bruises marked Faith's skin where she'd nipped earlier. Phoebe added a few more marks, filling in the gaps before turning her attention to the hard nipples. Lashing the tips with her tongue, she alternated licks with pinches. Faith gasped and moaned under her. The orange hue in her eyes was now mostly copper.
Not yet. Phoebe had a goal in mind. Using a single finger, she brushed Faith's clit. Gently at first then increasing the pressure, rolling the bundle of nerves in tight circles.
Faith writhed at the new sensation. Phoebe waited. Almost there. She stopped the circles, flicking Faith's clit with a nail. "Fuck. Phoebe…" Faith gasped out. "More. Please." Her head tossed back and forth.
"Tease Time" ended. Phoebe responded to the plea. Two fingers slid into Faith, curled to brush her g-spot. Internal muscles clamped down. It wouldn't be long now.
Stroking a gentle hand through Phoebe's tousled hair, Faith glanced at the clock. Five thirty. Less than two hours before she needed to be in the Underworld. Faith kissed Phoebe's temple. "Moonbeam, time to get up."
Her soft words netted a moan and a pat from Phoebe's hand.
Faith grinned. Phoebe was adorable. Still… "Moonbeam." The single word was louder.
Sleep-fogged brown eyes glared at her. "Too early, Faith. Go back to sleep."
"Sorry, Phoebe. I have an early meeting, remember?" Faith rolled away slightly, shivering at the chill where Phoebe's skin had pressed. "I've got some information to pass on, and …uh…" She hesitated. "I have this thing I have to wear. Maybe you could help me get dressed."
"A thing?" Phoebe mocked gently. Faith wiggled, face heating. "What kind of thing?"
Wishing she'd kept her mouth shut, Faith mumbled, "A uniform." Phoebe started laughing. "Yeah, yeah, yuk it up." Climbing out of bed, Faith directed, "It's on the table by the door. I'll be out of the shower in a few minutes."
True to her word, Faith didn't dawdle in the shower. Rubbing a towel over her hair, she returned to the bedroom. Phoebe perched on the end of the bed, the armor laid out next to her.
"You're really part of the Army, aren't you?" she asked. Faith frowned at the flat tone.
Bunching the towel in her hands, Faith relied quietly, "Yeah. You knew that, Phoebe. It's part of the whole undercover gig. Make 'em believe I'm one of them so I can get information." She watched Phoebe closely, stomach churning. "Phoebe? I can't back out. Not now. I'm in. I'm starting to hear things, get stuff we can maybe use to get your sister back."
"I know." Phoebe looked up, brown eyes glassy with tears. "I guess it wasn't real until I saw this." She stroked the hardened leather of the breastplate. "I hate this. I hate it so much," she said, voice choked.
Faith hurried to the bed, sitting and pulling Phoebe into her arms. "I know, Moonbeam." Damn it. She needed to get ready. She needed to make sure Phoebe was going to be OK with this. "Look, we're almost finished, baby. We just need Red's friend to get here, and all the major players are in place. Just a little longer then we can take some time off, just be together. I'm sure Fang will let us use this place – or one somewhere else – for a while." Faith didn't remind Phoebe about the vision. The knowledge that she might not be around for a vacation soured her stomach.
A soft kiss brushed Faith's neck. "You're right." Although the words were the right ones for the situation, Phoebe's tone was still shaky. She moved out of Faith's arms and stood. "Come on, oh great warrior. Let's get you dressed for your meeting.
It took both of them to sort out the pieces and get Faith dressed. Standing in front of the mirror, Faith grimaced. She felt wrong. The outfit was so not her. Giving one last futile tug on the leather skirting, she turned to Phoebe. "I need to go, Moonbeam."
Phoebe nodded, biting her lip. "I know." She picked up the heavy red cloak that completed Faith's outfit. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"You know it, baby. I have you to come home to now." Faith was too busy fighting the burn in her throat and eyes to wonder at that. The Dark Slayer with a girlfriend and a home. She donned the cloak, covering the long white tunic and leather armor. "Before I go – tell Fang or your sister. The Army's got about three hundred vamps in it. This is just a little piece of the pie, Moonbeam. They got this magic portal thing – like Star Trek. You know, 'Beam me up, Scotty,' all over the world. The guys here, they're old school. No technology and proud of it."
Phoebe reached out and straightened the cloak, stroking Faith's neck. "Got it. I'll see if anyone can figure out why they're here." She stood on tiptoes and kissed Faith softly. "Go. You can't be late. I-" she broke off and stepped back. "I'll be here waiting when you're finished."
Faith stepped out of the portal. Uniformed vampires strode through the torch-lit corridor. Fists clenched against the need to pull on the skirting again, Faith joined the others heading to the arena.
She noticed the soldiers glancing at her. What was that about? Faith caught one vamp's eyes. "See something you like?" Winking, she ran a hand over her breastplate. "'Cause this really doesn't do me justice."
As she watched, the vampire lost his human visage. Fangs protruding, he lisped, "Your kind doesn't belong here." His yellow eyes slid down her body. "Defaming our uniform."
Holding back a confused, "Huh," Faith grabbed his arm. "My kind? What? Slayers? Humans?" Her captive didn't answer. "Brunettes? I want an answer, damn it." She swung him against the stone wall.
They were drawing a crowd. The vampires moving through the corridor stopped to watch the show.
The combined weight of her screaming Slayer senses and their eyes pushed Faith close to the edge of control. One of her hands latched onto his crotch, fingers digging into the cold flesh. "I still don't hear an explanation."
"Women," he choked out. "We don't have women in the Army."
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Faith released him. Luckily, she'd expected him to respond to her interrogation technique. Ducking under his wild swing, she slammed a hand into the area she'd cupped so roughly seconds earlier. The vamp dropped, hands held protectively over his groin. "Can't say much for your brains, pal. Me, Slayer. You, vamp. I win every time."
Ignoring the cold glares of the other soldiers, she completed her journey to the arena. Pausanias was already there. Stripped down to just a tunic, he swung a practice blade at one of the pells. Faith took a minute to watch. The general's body was solid muscle. They rippled and flexed with each swing. He'd be a fierce opponent.
She started across the sand. "I can't believe I'm up this early. Can't remember the last time I saw the sun come up."
Pausanias swing one last time before turning. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her in armor. "Slayer. I didn't expect you in proper gear. Didn't I tell Teleclus to give you a sword and a portal map?"
"Yeah. I figured it might help your guys learn something if I didn't look all sexy in my leather." Faith winked and he chuckled. "What do you have for me this morning?"
"A change in plans, I'm afraid." Pausanias led them to the dais at the side of the arena and pulled on his own armor. Faith watched closely, knowing she and Phoebe had struggled to get all the pieces in the right place. "We've been summoned by the Source."
"Well, hell." Faith's heart rate sped up at the news. "I was looking forward to a little action with your boys."
Pausanias grunted. "I'm a soldier, Slayer. An old, tired one." The words, the implied camaraderie, shocked Faith. "I've been on the battlefield since I was a boy. It's what I know." He jumped off the platform onto the sand. They walked side by side through the gathering crowd of soldiers. "This job, it requires too much politics. I did that many years ago." He snorted and Faith grinned.
"Not your thing?" she asked, glancing at him as they entered the hallway at the front of the arena.
"Hardly." His yellow eyes gleamed as he met gaze. "This has been a morning full of surprises, Slayer. A meeting with our employer and you in uniform. It's a wonder the caverns have not begun to crumble around us."
Throwing back her head, Faith laughed. "Listen, Soldier Boy, I look good. Admit it." Of course, her hands dropped down to pull at the leather. "Just…it's a bit short. I like to play around, but I don't usually give away the goods for free."
She would have gone on, but Cole's voice interrupted their banter. "Nice of you two to join us."
Still grinning, Faith looked to her left toward the voice – and staggered back a step. Cold chills raced up and down her body. Sweat soaked her tunic. Swallowing hard against sudden nausea, Faith met solid black eyes. "Red?"