Author's Notes: To those who think I've turned this into a zombie apocalypse type fic, so not the case. This is just another scenario they are going through for the time being. Blame my over-active muse and the Walking Dead marathon I had while writing these chapters...

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dusk is on the horizon. Soon, the streets will be crawling with the vampire-zombies looking for their next meal. Luck is on our side now. We got the tools to take them out without having to face them and put our lives at risk.

It's now been six days and we still haven't had the chance to take out the herd still one street over. From the looks of things, they haven't moved and none of us know why. We still picked off at least four dozen that made their way too close to the house, but it's not near enough. We need to kill them all. They just keep on coming, the numbers growing with each day that passes.

Selwyn paid a visit yesterday. She didn't bring any good news, didn't bring any bad news either. Just told us what we already know, that Roman is behind this and if we want to stop this from getting worse, we need to figure out where Roman is hiding out and where he's kept the doorway open to that hell dimension he and Olivia were in.

I scan the street from my spot on the roof. So far the coast is clear, but I know it won't be for long. Got a long night ahead and it's only just starting. I look over as Buffy comes up on the roof carrying two cups of coffee. I smile as I move down to the platform and sit down next to her.

"Thanks," I say with a smile as I take the offered cup of coffee from her.

"Giles wants us downstairs in an hour. Says he has something he needs to talk to us all about."

"Sure."

"Faith?"

I look at her and wait for her to continue. She doesn't. She only sighs heavily before taking a sip of her coffee. She stares down into the mug and shakes her head sadly.

"B, what's up?"

"It's nothing."

"Can't be nothing," I say softly as I place an arm around her. "Talk to me."

"It's been a week," she replies and she keeps her eyes on her mug. "I thought it'd be over by now. I hate this, Faith. These things-what if these things have moved on to another town? We're not going to be able to stop them all."

I hate this side of Buffy. I don't ever tell her that though, but I do. I hate when she feels defeated. Like we don't have a chance in hell in making anything better here. I can't blame her though. There's not much we have been able to do about the vampire-zombie population as of yet. I ain't getting discouraged though. That came and went a few days ago. I know we gotta find Roman and figure out how to shut that doorway to that hell dimension before we can kill them all. That ain't gonna happen until we all come up with some kind of a plan that doesn't end up in one or all of us getting killed in the process.

"We'll figure it out," I say after a few minutes. "I promise ya, no matter what happens, we'll figure it out, okay?"

She nods and lays her head on my shoulder. I can tell she's fighting off the tears I know she wants to let fall but refuses to give in to them. I take a sip of my coffee and grimace. It's strong for instant and tastes nasty. What I wouldn't give to have an actual cup of coffee right now. Or a hot shower and not a quick one in freezing cold water.

We stay sitting like this for a little while until Spike joins us on the roof. He explains he's there to take over watch while Buffy and I head downstairs for the meeting with Giles. We head inside and before we can reach the stairs, Buffy is pulling me into the bathroom and she locks the door behind us. I raise an eyebrow as she lights a candle on the sink.

"I can't stand it anymore," she says as she slowly moves towards me.

"Stand what?" I ask. I know what she's saying, but I want to hear it from her.

I can see the need in her eyes and I can almost feel it too. I tried to stop thinking about how much I wanted her in the last few days since I knew it wasn't happening, but that's all just flown right out the window with the way she's looking at me right now.

Her lips are on mine before she even bothers to answer me. She backs me up against the wall as her hands go under the hem of my shirt and she lifts it up quickly, breaking away from my lips for a second to take it off before she's already working on getting my bra unclasped.

I'm not about to stand here and let her get me naked without getting her naked too. Buffy isn't having it that way. Soon as I try to reach for her shirt, she has my hands pinned against the wall, but not before she slides my bra off and lets it fall to the floor. I breathe heavily as her lips trail down my neck, her fingers tightening around my wrists. She nips at the skin around my collarbone before pulling back to look into my eyes.

I give her a little eyebrow wiggle and she lets go of my hands. I make quick work at getting her shirt and bra off of her and I pull her in to me, kissing her hard before I spin her around and pin her up against the wall. I pull back from her lips and catch that glint in her eyes that just completely drives me wild. Her hands are on my belt, unbuckling it and unzipping my jeans quickly. I shimmy out of them as I get her out of hers. I swear she almost growls as she tackles me to the floor. The tiles are cool against my naked skin, but her body is flaming hot on top of mine.

I want us to take our time, but I know we don't have time for that. I move a hand between our bodies and between her legs. She moans quietly, her lips just a breath away from mine as I slip a finger between her folds. She's so fucking wet and it's driving me insane with need. I tease her for a moment before I spread her wide and pull her down to me.

"Faith," she breathes out as she leans back and grinds herself down against me.

I keep a hold of her hips, setting the pace as I lift my hips from the floor to match her thrusts. I'm so fucking turned on right now I know it won't take much more of this before I cum.

"B, baby," I groan as I watch her grab at her tits. "Harder, baby."

Buffy shudders as she grinds into me harder, our clits bumping with every thrust. I close my eyes as I feel myself toppling over the edge and then I feel her gone from me, out of my grasp. I open my eyes and she's kneeling over me, not touching me, just staring down at me.

"B?" I sit up a little and she pushes me back down to the floor hard. "What are you-"

"I want to taste you," she whispers and she leans down close to my lips and gives my top lip a little quick lick with her tongue. "We don't have much time, but I want to-"

"Sixty-nine the hell outta each other?" I chuckle softly as I grab her hips and flip her over until she's on her back on the floor. "Thought you'd never ask."

I give her a quick kiss, really fucking wishing we weren't doing this in the bathroom and that we had a helluva lot more time than we do. I flip my hair back as I turn around and carefully place each knee on either side of her head. We've done this before, but for some reason Buffy always seems to wait for me to start it. Whatever the reason why, I don't wanna be thinking about it when I got her pussy just inches from my face.

I dive right in, not planning to waste any more of the few precious moments we have alone together right now. I just about lose it when I feel her tongue on my inner thigh, teasing her way to my core as slowly as she can drag it out. I gently scrape my teeth over her sensitive clit and she moans louder than she likely meant to. I don't stop and I suck on her clit as I move two fingers to her hole.

She barely has her tongue inside of me when there's a knock on the door. I tune it out and continue fucking her with my fingers and sucking hard on her clit. The floor is killing my knees, but I pull through it as she doesn't stop either. She uses her thumb to circle over my clit as she fucks her tongue as deep as she can inside of me.

"Uh, Buffy?" I hear Willow say from the other side of the door as she continues knocking. "Everything okay in there? Have you seen Faith? Giles is waiting."

"Don't stop," Buffy whispers and I smile a little, wondering when the hell she became so…bold.

"Buffy?" Willow isn't letting up and I know no little lock is gonna stop her from coming in here.

"Fuck," I groan, still trying as hard as I can to tune Willow out. I'm so fucking close and I ain't letting her ruin this with her impatience.

I can feel how tight and hot Buffy is getting every time I thrust my fingers knuckle deep inside her. She's close too and she's not holding back. She's moaning quietly, trying to keep it quiet and failing. I feel my orgasm ripple through my body at lightning speed as she moves her lips to my clit and thrusts two fingers hard inside me. Buffy is quick and I pull my lips away from her clit as her orgasm powers through her. I can feel it as if it was almost like my own and it spirals me into another intense orgasm before the first even ends.

"Oh fuck," I cry out and bury my face against Buffy's thigh. My whole body is buzzing and it feels like it's on fire. Sure we've done this quickly before, but never this fast. My heart is racing and I slowly move off of her and lay on the cool floor next to her. "Jesus, B," I whisper with a lazy smile dancing over my lips.

"Was that Willow?" Buffy whispers and I can only nod as I struggle to catch my breath. "Oh god."

"What?"

"How long have we been in here for?"

"Not long," I shrug. "B?"

"Mm?"

"You are fucking incredible," I smile as I lean over and kiss her. My hand seems to have a mind of its own too and finds its way between her legs. "I love you," I whisper against her lips.

"Buffy?" Willow calls out again and I freeze when I hear the lock click open.

"Will! Get out of here!" Buffy yells as she tries to use me to cover her nakedness from Willow's wide and shocked eyes. "Will!"

I try not to laugh at how embarrassed Buffy is or how shocked Willow is as she quickly shuts the door. Buffy is flustered as she pushes me away from her and scrambles to get her clothes that are scattered over the floor. I take my time getting dressed and by the time I finish buckling up my belt, Buffy is already out the door and headed down the stairs.

I shrug it off and head downstairs with a confident smile. I ain't embarrassed that Willow walked in on us. It could've been worse. She could've walked in on us while we were sixty-nining the hell outta each other.

Everyone minus Spike is waiting in the dining room, seated around the table. I take a seat next to Buffy and I can't help but notice the way that Willow is trying so hard not to look at either of us right now. Buffy takes my hand under the table and intertwines her fingers with mine and gives me a little squeeze. I smile a little and turn my attention to Giles where he's sitting at the head of the table, papers and books spread out in front of him.

"I wanted you all here when I told you the news," he says and he clears his throat as all eyes fall on him. "I spoke with Selwyn not long ago. The coven believes they have found the location of the doorway Roman is using to bring forth these creatures to infiltrate Sunnydale."

"First good news we've had all week," I say with a smile. "What else?"

"Ah," he sighs and shakes his head sadly. "That is the only good news so to speak. The coven is still working on a spell to close the doorway and Selwyn has assured me that they can come up with something by the morning that will seal it completely. Unfortunately, these creatures won't just disappear. It'll be up to us to eliminate them and we must do it quickly."

"Why quickly?" Xander asks.

"This is where the bad news comes in," Dawn mutters.

"The coven believes they are able to procreate in order to increase their numbers," Giles replies. "We must find a way to eliminate as many of them as possible and to keep ourselves as safe as possible when we do just that."

"So, plan?" I say as I let go of Buffy's hand and stand up. "We lead them somewhere, rig up a bunch of explosives and we're done."

"It won't be that easy, Faith," Buffy says calmly.

"It's a plan."

"It is a plan," Giles agrees. "But there is a problem with that plan, Faith. There is no way to herd them all to one place all at once. We'll have to take out as many as we can with the weapons we have. It could take days, it could take weeks. I prefer it only take days even if it seems entirely impossible."

"We're gonna need some help," I say and Buffy nods her head in agreement. "How can we get the word out to Angel and the LA gang?"

Anya pulls a cell phone out of her pocket and flips it open. "With this," she says and she closes it and slides it across the table towards Buffy.

"You had a charged cell phone this whole time and you just decide to tell us now?" Willow asks angrily and she shakes her head. "I cannot believe you, Anya!"

"I was saving it for an emergency."

"This whole week has been an emergency!"

"Ladies, if you would please just-"

"Shut up, Giles!" Willow and Anya both yell at him.

I take the phone from Buffy and quickly dial Angel's number. I leave the dining room while the others continue to bicker and yell at each other, Buffy is right behind me as I stand in the hallway close to the kitchen and wait for Angel to answer the phone. It goes to his voice mail and I leave him a quick message telling him to get the gang together and get to Sunnydale as soon as he can.

"He could be busy," Buffy says softly as I slip the phone in my pocket.

"Or he could be on his way here already. Selwyn could've contacted him for us or something."

"Maybe."

I slip my hands over Buffy's hips and pull her close to me. "What do you say we give Spike an all-night watch and we spend a little time in your room?" I ask her softly and she smiles a little. "We deserve a night off, babe. You know it, I know it, everyone else knows it and if we're gonna be taking out those assholes one by one, we're gonna need our rest."

"I know."

"So? Tell Giles we're taking the night off and we'll figure out how to rig your bedroom door to lock it."

"There is a lock on it."

"Didn't stop Willow from walking in on us in the bathroom."

Buffy groans and steps back from me and I roll my eyes. I don't know why she's making such a big fucking deal out of it. Sure one of her best friends walked in on us completely naked with my hand between her legs, but it's not the end of the world. I ain't stupid enough to say that to her though. All it'll do is end up in us fighting and that is the last thing I want right now.

"B," I whisper as I wrap my arms around her again and feel her relax. "I just want to spend a whole night with you in bed even if all we do is sleep. I'm fucking exhausted and I know you are too."

"I-I know, Faith. But," she sighs and wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my shoulder. "But we have responsibilities and we need to be out there tonight."

I lift a hand and place my fingers under her chin and make her look at me. "Every night we're out there all I think about is what happens if we don't make it back here together?"

"Faith-"

"Our lives aren't guaranteed, you know? We could be killed at any time. Life of a slayer has its perks, but there are a lot of downsides too. Can't we just have one night together before we try to take all those fuckers out tomorrow?"

Buffy sighs and from the way she kisses me, I know she's given in. I could kiss this woman all day and never grow tired of the way she makes me feel when her lips are on mine. Even in the smallest moments like this, I still can't help but wonder how the fuck I got so lucky and got the woman of my dreams. I always wanted Buffy even when I hated her, but to know she loves me back and wants me now just as much as I want her, sometimes it's still hard to believe it.

"Uh, guys?" Dawn says as she clears her throat. "Did you call Angel or did you just come out here to make out while everyone else is yelling at each other?"

"I called him," I say as I pull away from Buffy's lips. "Didn't answer but I left him a message."

"Good. Do you think they'll be here tomorrow?"

"Dunno, Kiddo."

"Is everything going to go back to normal?"

"Nothing was ever normal," Buffy says sadly and she walks over to Dawn and pulls her into a tight hug. "But we'll go back to what was normal for us. I promise you that much. I just can't tell you how long it'll take before that happens."

Dawn starts crying and Buffy just holds on to her, whispering to her that everything will be okay again one day. I leave them alone in the hallway and head back into the dining room. The bickering and screaming seems to have stopped for now, but nobody is looking at one another and nobody is looking at me. I hand Anya her phone back and sit down.

"Did you talk to Angel?" Xander asks me and I shake my head no.

"Left him a message."

"I'll try to reach out to Selwyn, see if she can make direct contact with Angel," Giles says tiredly. "Faith, you have the first shift of tonight after you and Buffy-"

"We're taking the night off," I say firmly. "We deserve a night off at least and what better night than tonight? There's nothing we can do out there and you know it. Until the coven seals that doorway up, there's no point in killing any of these things when they're just gonna keep on coming back."

"I do not think-"

"No, Giles, we're taking the night off," I say a little louder as Buffy and Dawn walk in to the room. "Spike can keep watch 'til just before sunrise. We all need a night off. We're exhausted here!"

"She's right," Willow says softly. "We do need to get some rest. I'll make sure the spell is strong enough to hold throughout the night, keep those things from getting in here while we sleep in case Spike doesn't spot them all when they get closer to the house."

I smile as I stand up and walk over to Buffy. I take her hand in mine and give the gang a little wave before I lead the way up the stairs and straight for Buffy's bedroom. I sure as hell wasn't staying down there listening to Giles for any longer than I had to. Gotta hand it to Willow though for backing me up too.

Buffy pulls her hand outta mine as soon as the door shuts behind us. She looks a little pissed and I can't figure out why. I don't ask her either since I get this feeling if I open my mouth right now I'll be sleeping on the floor or downstairs on the couch tonight. I light a few candles and watch her as she paces around the room, shaking her head a little every couple of steps.

I just keep watching her as I slip outta my boots and start to get undressed slowly. By the time I'm only in my bra and panties, she finally stops pacing and looks right over at me. I unclasp my bra and let it fall to the floor and move my fingers to the waistband of my panties. She looks away as I slip them off and I walk over to the bed and pull back the sheets.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asks me as I lay down on the bed and place my hands behind my head.

"What does it look like, B? I'm going to sleep. Just waiting for your sexy ass to strip down and get in here with me."

Buffy groans and doesn't move from where she stands. I roll my eyes and pull just the sheet over me. It's chilly tonight, but I don't mind the cold. I keep my eyes on her still and watch as she looks like she's having an argument with herself inside her head. Finally after what feels like forever and a day has gone by, she strips out of her clothes, blows out the candles and joins me in bed.

"What's up with you tonight?" I ask her as she turns on her side with her back to me. "B?"

"It's what Dawn said."

"What part?"

"About things going back to normal."

"We'll get this taken care of, B."

"I know."

I place a hand on her shoulder and make her look at me. "Then what's wrong?"

"We take care of this and then what? Something else comes along and we have to take care of that too. You know this won't ever end. We still have to worry about whatever it is the First is up to. We don't even know when it plans to start doing whatever it is it came here for!"

"B," I sigh heavily and move closer to her and wrap my arms around her. "We'll take care of that too. You've been through how many apocalypses since you've been a slayer? A lot, all right. We'll get through this and through the next thing and the thing after that and so on."

"I'm just so tired, Faith."

"We all are. That's why we're taking the night off."

"No," she says with a shake of her head. "I'm tired of this. Tired of being a slayer. I want a normal life. I don't want to take care of these things anymore. I'm so tired of this. It never ends. Ever."

She starts to cry and I just lay there and hold her, not sure what to say. There's nothing I can say that'll make her feel or think differently and I know that. I get where she's coming from, hell I even felt that way at times too, but I was never close to giving up. Didn't even think she was that close until now.

It's fucking heartbreaking.

It's almost like I can feel the pain she has inside of her. The burden. The guilt. Everything.

We've been here before, me and her, but it feels a bit different this time. Can't even put my finger on how or why. I just want her not to feel anything else right now other than me. I kiss away her tears before I kiss her in a way I know will completely take her breath away.