Chapter Seven
For Buffy, the day ended much as it had begun; wrapped in the arms of the woman she loved.
They had arrived back at the hotel with no further incident. Satsu had volunteered to take the Reverend Morgan home, once they were all satisfied he was well enough. The Fae stayed with Buffy and Faith at the hotel, easily falling back into the effortless pattern of friendship they had established over their time in the Nexus. Once the Japanese slayer had returned, Buffy insisted on treating her and the three Fae to dinner. Satsu tried to beg off but it was Bo who insisted she stay. "You've faced an army of vampires and spoken with a god, you're one of us now." The dinner had passed with banter and affectionate exchanges, the old friends graciously folding the younger slayer into their conversation.
The end of the meal had come and their appetites for food and companionship was sated. It had been clear to Buffy that Bo was antsy to get back home. Whilst on mission there was no-one as focused as Bo, but as soon as they had been in the clear it was more than apparent that her heart and mind were straying to Isobel and the pregnant Lauren. And so, farewells were made and it was Tamsin who drew her shard of the Caron stone from inside her jacket and whispered "home". The familiar swirl puttered to life and Dyson was the first to step through. Bo turned before making her own departure and held both slayers in a firm hug. "I'll let you know when the twins are born. It won't be more than a few weeks now. Please come visit. Lauren would love to see you and Isobel would be delighted…. And I've kinda missed you. Angel and Willow too. Say you will?"
"Of course, we have people who can watch the slaying store for a week or so. We'll be there. Twins eh?" Bo lifted her eyebrows. "I know, tell me about it. Lauren says it's not much different to when she was pregnant with Izzy, just things happening a little sooner. But yeah, I've had my head bitten off more than a couple of times." She added that last with a chuckle. Lauren's pregnancy moods were something she could handle and the make up sex was always a bonus. "One more thing," she paused and looked at the two of them with sudden seriousness. "Lauren and I have talked about this. Officially, Tamsin and Dyson were Isobel's godparents, you know, in Fae terms. We'd love it if the two of you would be the same for the twins… Think about it and let us know when you visit." The Slayers looked at each other, sharing feelings without the need for words as they so often did. Faith gave an almost imperceptible nod and Buffy turned back to face Bo, a beaming smile on her face. "We don't need to think about it. It would be a privilege." With that she hugged the succubus again.
Sucking in a gulp of air to contain her emotions, Bo pulled away and stepped through the portal. She waved as she passed through and winked at them both. "See you soon." Once she was fully through, the portal folded up behind her like a petal closing and then winked out.
Buffy leaned a little into Faith, who slipped an arm around her waist and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder. Reaching across her body for Faith's other hand she drew it up to her lips for a gentle kiss. The brunette lifted her head and looked into green eyes, pulling her fully into her body. A cough behind them as Satsu cleared her throat and they jumped apart as if electrocuted, reminiscent of teenagers caught by a parent. "Satsu!" Buffy exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I forg…"
"Yeah, you forgot I was here. It's fine. I get it. I'll head for my room." Faith caught the pleading look Buffy shot her way and with a sigh leaned towards Satsu and grabbed her wrist. "You did brilliantly today Sats. You heard what Bo said earlier. You're one of us. Bo doesn't say stuff like that lightly, she's an impressively accurate reader of people. It sometimes gets annoying in fact. But yeah, you held your own with some of the greatest warriors across worlds. So… you know, you may have not got the girl this time. But you have our respect. And if you want… our friendship." She released the Japanese woman's wrist and held out her hand. The younger slayer looked between the two older women. And took Faith's hand to shake it firmly. "You know, I didn't get the two of you at first," she said with an understanding smile. "I genuinely thought I had a chance… I couldn't have been more wrong. I see it now. Anyone who has that much power over someone and gives it up? I got your back Faith. And I hope I get to learn a lot more from you both. And maybe if you ever get married, how about inviting some available women so that the rest of us can get some, eh?" Buffy chuckled softly and reached out to squeeze Satsu's other arm. "Count on it." Satsu nodded, her lips firm in acknowledgement and left for her own room.
Finally, the lovers were alone again.
Their day ended in one another's arms, each bringing the other to completion, towing the other along to a place beyond ecstasy, beyond comfort, beyond intimacy. And the tender touches after when both were boneless and exhausted, eyes misty and lips kiss swollen. As Buffy lay with her legs entangled, her core still tingling from the bliss of multiple orgasms, she gently brushed her fingers through Faith's dark hair. Bringing her fingers across and down precious flesh, she twirled her tips over Faith's tattoo on her arm. She pushed herself up on her elbow. "Does getting a tattoo hurt?" Faith turned her head, squinting at Buffy's beaming smile. "Hmm?"
"Does it hurt?" The brunette slayer shrugged. "Not much. And with Slayer healing, the sting afterwards doesn't last long." She narrowed her eyes, sensing her girlfriend was plotting. "Why? Don't tell me perfect princess Buffy wants to get a tattoo?" In an instant the blonde had Faith pinned on her back. "Take that back!"
"What? Princess? Perfect? Do you prefer spoiled brat?" She wriggled, but not too hard. Being pinned by Buffy was one of her favourite places in the world and she wasn't too concerned with pushing the smaller woman off her. "Why do you have to be such an ass F? I was asking you something serious." Faith couldn't' help letting out a deep sultry laugh. "It's hard to be serious when you look at me like that B. And teasing you got me exactly where I wanted."
"I'm not spoiled." A pause. Then she surprised Faith with a grind of her hips. "Thought you were too tired B."
"Never." Buffy followed her assertion with a firm but passionate kiss. Faith's hands flew to Buffy's waist, but the blonde circled her wrists and pulled those hands above Faith's head. "Say I'm not spoiled and I'll let you touch me."
"You'll let me? Nice try princess, I'm just as strong as you and fight dirtier. Right now I'm letting you pin me." The grip on her wrists tightened and she hissed and the mild pain. "Hmm, what was it you were saying there Faithy?"
"Mercy my queen." They kissed again, this time Buffy pulling away sharply. Faith winked as she licked the small amount of blood she had drawn from nipping at the blonde's lower lip with her teeth. Both women held the others' gaze, staring into beloved eyes. Faith bucked up with her hips which drew a moan from Buffy. They shared a smile and another kiss.
Faith's heart clenched in her chest. What this woman did to her. Only a few minutes before they had brought each other to exhaustion. Now they were revved and ready to go again. She loved Slayer stamina. But more than that, she loved this woman deep into her soul. "You are spoiled Buffy. Because I'm the one that spoils you. I want to spoil you. It's not a bad thing. To me you are not a princess or queen, you're a goddess. And you should be treated as such." Buffy paused and kissed her again, this time with an aching gentleness that simultaneously slowed things down and stoked their passion to an inferno. "I love you Faith." So saying, Buffy brought her hands down to rest gently on well defined abs, releasing Faith's eager hands to follow and touch Buffy's own body. Grinding down again Buffy nuzzled into Faith's neck. "Now about that tattoo."
XXXXX
Autumn in Los Angeles was Angel's favourite season. This one no less because the summer had been reasonably light on the demon fighting side and because Connor had spent all the summer staying with them at the hotel. Now as the love of his life and the woman who he loved as a sister were returning from their overseas trip, he could truly relax. He had to admit he had been somewhat anxious while they had been away. He had noticed a strange mood overtake Faith the last few months, a mood that had put some strain on things between her and Buffy. He had hoped that in this time away alone, albeit a 'working holiday' they might talk things through and come out the other side the better for it. He had to admit, the unique relationship between them was the healthiest he had had, with so much pressure to be everything relieved. It also helped that both he and Buffy had grown and matured. He knew their time in the Nexus and the friendships they had fostered there had much to do with that growth. He was thankful for that time, and for those friends.
A noise from the doors of the hotel roused him from his contemplation and he lifted his head to see a blonde and brunette push their way through. He lifted his hand and smiled to greet them. A whoosh from behind him and Willow was barrelling into the returned slayers and hugging her best friend. He noticed Buffy wince momentarily and pull away from Willow. She must have been hurt in whatever retrieval mission Giles had sent them on. He watched carefully as Willow fussed and Buffy shook her head. Curious now, he stood and walked towards them; supposedly to greet the two women properly, but in reality he wanted to hear the exchange between Willow and his girlfriend.
"It's fine Willow. I'll heal in a day or so," he heard Buffy say. "It still hurts?" the redhead asked. "Not really you just surprised me."
"Let me see it." Anyone else would have missed the quick glance between Buffy and Faith and the shrugged agreement from the brunette slayer. Angel did not. He took another step closer, within touching distance of Faith now, opposite Buffy on the stairs. In response to Willow's query, Buffy unbuttoned her long sleeved checked shirt and slipped it off the one arm. Willow let out a delighted squeal. "It's just like Faith's… except for this swirly F underneath…"
"I had mine updated," Faith interrupted, slipping her own sleeve down. There Angel could see Faith's tattoo that she had worn since the day they had met. There was a new addition though. A swirled letter B, sitting under the main tattoo, like a coat of arms. The same tattoo, sporting an F in the same place now adorned Buffy's arm. Angel leaned in towards Faith and put his hand on her shoulder. "You gave our girlfriend a tattoo?" Without missing a beat, Faith looked directly at him and raised an eyebrow. "Is that your bite mark on her throat?" He looked at her then shot a look at Buffy who was looking at him with that look that was halfway between 'I will kill you with my thumb' and 'Take me to bed right now'. He knew then that whatever had been bubbling under the surface and bothering Faith for months, they had resolved it and their relationship had passed a new marker into something even better. He let out a laugh, relieving the tension and releasing his passing jealousy.
"Point taken Faith. Point well made and taken." He put his arm around her shoulder but it was Buffy's eyes he looked into. "Welcome home slayers."
"Yeah, about that. We're moving."
END
