Disclaimers: Joss, UPN, WB, FX, and FOX own Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and
Angel: the Series along with Mutant Enemy and a few other people I'm sure
to forget. All I own is my freaky turn of mind.
Rating: 'R', eventually
Spoilers: BtVS, the entire series, and AtS through season 4 (We all know about the spoilers for AtS season 5, and let's just pretend that isn't happening, okay?).
Pairings: Faith /Wood, Faith /Buffy, and eventually mention of a B/Other (Should I chose to write the next parts, I might leave it as a One-Shot). But this is mostly about Buffy and Faith and their feelings towards one another, so BE WARNED: THE IS A SHIP FOR THE U.S.S. FUFFY!
Feedback: YES! I LIVE FOR IT! Send E-Mails to Satanslilangl@yahoo.com
AUTHOR"S NOTE: Okay, I know this is kinda twisted, and that it's totally off the handle, but I can explain: THIS WAS ORIGIONALLY A DREAM. I thought it up the night before I had to take my Biology final, and there had been no Buffy to watch on TV . . . I think this is how my brain reacts to BtVS withdrawal.
= = = (*These Secrets Kept*) = = =
Wood watched as Faith trotted happily down the steps of The Hyperion. Although Angel Investigations now owned Wolfram and Heart, the aged vampire still liked to work out of the old building. Faith had liked it too. She didn't like the almost hospital-like lighting of the new downtown complex, it reminded her of times she'd rather forget. While said girl grabbed her bag and looked through it for a second, the former principal walked over to his girl-friend and hugged her from behind.
"Hey, Woody?" she asked quickly, "Have you seen my sun-glasses? I don't want to leave without them . . ." he kissed her cheek lightly, and shook his head.
"Don't worry, you'll find them. I saw you with 'em on when you brought the coffee in this morning . . . maybe you left them in Angel's office?" Faith nodded and walked towards the familiar windowed door. At a distance, Wood fallowed, keeping an eye on the brunette. She'd been acting odd all week. The only thing on her mind was the trip to Ohio, and seeing The Academy's progress. Faith found the aforementioned eyewear on Angel's desk, and smiled at her now long-time friend.
"So, Dead-boy!" Faith said, sitting on the hard mahogany surface of his workspace. "You gonna wish me luck on my little trip or what?" she smiled, and the brooding man actually smiled back, laughter just noticeable beneath it.
"I would, but I bet you don't need it." Faith smiled, and nodded slightly.
"But still . . ." she said, looking at him, "Wouldn't hurt to have it on my side." Faith but her sun-glasses on, which was sort of pointless this late on a November after noon. The sun was setting and the sky was quickly growing darker by the minute. Faith suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh! Angel, did you rent that car I asked for?" Now the Vampire really did laugh.
"Faith , I'm not sure I like the idea of you driving a 2003 Thunderbird . . . I've been 'privileged' enough to see you drive, and that much horsepower under your control would be dangerous to society." Faith gave him a mock glare, and flipped him off.
"Fine, no thunderbird . . . but then what did you get me?" she asked shortly.
"Now, it's nothing special, but *I* think it's nice. Very safe, and very stylish, and it CAN go fast, should you choose to . . ." Angel said the last part KNOWING that Faith would be ripping the guts out of this thing once she hit the right stretch of road. "Also, convertible, just like you asked." Faith give him an approving nod and held her hand out for the keys. With a great sigh of artificial suffering, Angel got up and took a set of keys out of his pocket, and placed them in Faith 's hands.
"Angel . . ." Faith said slowly, inspecting the keys, "These go to the Belvedere . . . where are my keys?" Angel just smiled, and Faith 's eyes became wide in astonishment. "You're letting me take the Angel-Mobile?!" Faith yelled, a mix of shock and overwhelming surprise. Angel nodded and was instantly pulled into a bone crushing hug.
"Ugh," the Vampire groaned, "Just bring it home in the kind of pieces that can be put back together." He squeezed out around Faith 's arms. She nodded excitedly, and grabbed her bag. Running past an unnoticed Wood, she snatched her larger over-night bag and quickly headed for the door.
"Hey Faith !" Wood called to her from Cordelia's former reception area, " . . . Good-luck." He smiled at her, and she gave him a nod, face falling slightly before turning into a fake grin.
"Who needs luck? I got talent!" she joked as she jogged out of the hotel. Wood stood at the door and watched her happily pack up the Belvedere. He tossed the object in his hand slightly. Throwing it into the air, he would catch it blindly as he watched his girl-friend happily get in her car and head down the road just barely over the speed-limit. Silently fallowing her, Wood caught his own keys for the last time, and got into his 2000 Jetta.
Discreetly, Wood fallowed Faith through town, and to the highway. It was there that he realized they were heading in the wrong direction. Ohio was North-East from LA by a long way . . . so why were they both headed South? After a while, and some serous thoughts later, Wood fallowed the brunette off the high-way and down a series of twisting, almost country-like roads. Passing a sign, Wood read the conservative scripts that read: "The Gaslight Edition".
As Wood slowly fallowed his girlfriend through the swirling roads of this Suburbia-Hell, he realized something: Faith knew this place. She made turns with confidence and ease, not slowing to read road signs or with the aid of any landmarks. The streets were empty now, save the odd middle- aged mad jogging with his dog. After turning one last corner, Wood saw that Faith had pulled into a driveway of what seemed like any other house on the block. Wood silently pulled into the drive way of a few houses down that seemed empty.
He slouched low in his seat, curiosity overpowering his sense of reason. What was Faith doing here? Where was here? And, most importantly, who lived in this house. The principal watched as Faith slowly made her way up the walk and towards the small stairs. She fixed her hair slightly, and raised her hand to knock. She pulled it back for a second, and looked vaguely in Wood's direction. Raising her hand again, she readied to knock. But before she could, the door flew open. Leaning his head out the door slightly, Wood could just hear what was being said.
"Hey." Faith said, quiet and breathless. There was no reply, and at first Wood wondered if this *was* someone Faith knew. Just as suddenly as the door flew open, a small figure stepped out onto the front porch. It was Blonde, stern, and smiling slightly.
"Hey." Came the cool reply. Buffy smiled a little wider and looked down at her feet. Just then there was a squeak of joy and a few clomping steps. The next thing Wood knew there was another tall brunette latched onto his girl-friend.
"Whoa, easy Dawny!" Faith scolded slightly, "We got all week to hang out, don't want to waste some of it by suffocating me, now do ya?" Faith joked. Dawn laughed and pulled back.
"Dawn," Buffy said, a mix of shortness and concern, "Are you all packed?" Dawn nodded, and turned to her sister.
"Yup, everything except my toiletries." Buffy looked towards the front- door, and then at her wrist.
"Alright, well go get your stuff, we don't want to throw Faith off her time- schedule." Dawn nodded and quickly headed up stairs. Faith looked down at her boots and them back at the blonde.
"Thanks for doing this Faith ," Buffy said slowly, a slight hint of caring in her voice, "Dawn really isn't adjusting to life on the normal side of hell greatly, and she seems to fit in at The Academy better than at the stupid charter school she got excepted to." Faith shrugged, and smiled slightly.
"She'll get used to it. Besides, if all else fails, she'll make a great watcher some day." Buffy snorted slightly, and nodded. "How have you been?" Faith asked slowly, trying to break the silence of the porch.
"Good, very good actually." She replied honestly, "Being a Cop isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Well, security guard anyway." She shook her head slightly and quieted. "How's Wood?"
"Same old, same old." She replied dryly. Wood felt a tinge of hurt at this comment; he had thought they were doing well together. "But I guess that's the problem . . . he just doesn't surprise me anymore." Now Wood really was hurt. What was wrong with knowing everything about a person? He had half a mind to get out of the car just to show her he still had a trick or two up his sleeves.
"Well, that's the problem with dating, you have to get to know the guy . . . you know, like knowing more then his name?" Buffy's little barb didn't through Faith off at all, in fact it made her smile slightly.
"Yeah, well, dating I can handle," Faith said as she dug her boot-tip into the deck, "Boring boyfriend is another story." The blonde nodded, and smiled, leaning against the door-frame.
"I know what you mean. Half the time I couldn't listen to what Riley was saying . . ." Buffy trailed off and looked more directly at Faith . "What exactly is he doing wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.
"I don't think it's Him, B." She said, pushing hands into her pockets. "Some people can put you to sleep just by telling you their name, and others, well . . ." Faith trailed off, an almost dreamy sound to her voice, "Some people you can know your whole life, and they will never cease to amaze you." Wood watched as Buffy Blushed, and put a hand to her cheek.
"Faith , please . . ." Buffy trailed off, then suddenly stopped as Dawn came out the door.
"Okay, I'm ready!" she declared, showing her bags to the two other girls.
"Great." Faith said quickly, "Why don't you pack it in and get situated?" Faith offered, and Dawn was off. Seconds later the two girls heard her squealing about how lucky Faith was about being loaned the Belvedere.
Both Slayers laughed and looked to each other, watching as Dawn put her headphones on and packed her stuff into the car. Buffy waved Faith into the house, and Wood quickly tried to fallow. The house was build fairly similar to the old Summers Home. Fallowing the path around the back Wood looked in through the rear-window over the sink. Even the kitchen was in the same place. Listening through the cracked open window, he witnessed the two Slayers enter the room in mid conversation.
"I know how much you and Dawn can consume on long car rides, so I went out to the store to get you guys drinks for the trip." Buffy turned and opened the fridge, which was actually closer to the back door that expected. She shifted around in it for a few minutes, not noticing Faith slowly approaching her from behind. Wood noticed how the brunette's eye traveled over the older girls' body and wondered if Faith had seen her limping.
"I ended up going to one of those Bulk places," Buffy continued, "you know, like Costco? Anyways, they had a giant create of Root-Beer and Orange Soda so I thought 'Hey!' - " Buffy turned around, and came not only face-to- face, but nose-to-nose with the brunette slayer. Buffy cleared her throat, and tried to continue, playing their closeness off as nothing. "Uh, 'Hey! Why not buy it and send it with Faith on their road-trip?' So I got it and "
"What's the matter B?" Faith asked suddenly, "We got to be SO close over the Summer at the school, and now . . ." Faith trailed off, her voice thick with disappointment, "Now you don't call unless it was Dawny's idea. We hung out all day, every day . . . we had a lot of fun together and now we barely talk. What happened?" she asked quietly, "What did I do wrong." Buffy shook her head, and looked away, her voice almost silent.
"You didn't do anything, Faith ." She said, trying to turn back around, but Faith wouldn't let her. Faith firmly took her shoulders and pressed her against the Ice-Box.
"Then why? Why? What happened B, what went wrong?"
"Nothing went wrong, Faith , we're just not like that any more." Buffy still wouldn't look at Faith , and it was starting to make the brunette mad.
"We're not like that anymore, or YOUR not like that anymore?" She said with an edge. Buffy sighed, and closed her eyes. All the while Wood was not only lost but also quite confused. True, Faith had told him that the two original Slayers had grown close at The Academy, but when he had visited late in the summer they didn't seem any closer than Buffy and Andrew.
"Faith , please, let me go?" Buffy asked quietly. Faith kept holding her, though it seemed almost hard. "Faith , *please*?" she asked, slightly louder.
"You know I can't do that B." Faith said firmly but quietly, "I can't let you go, and you know that. It's not that easy . . ." 'How hard could it be?', Wood wondered, 'you just relax your fingers and let her push off the fridge'.
"Faith plea - " Buffy started, but never finished. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that Faith had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her face turning from restlessness to comforting Buffy looked on as her friend let the water droplets run down her face.
"B, I know I can fix this, please?" Buffy didn't seem to hear, she was too transfixed by the crying girl before her. "Why can't we go back to the way we were?" Faith pleaded almost silently, "We were happy . . . the both of us." Buffy slowly seemed to shake herself out of her reverie.
"I know Faith , but that wasn't fair. There were other people involved as well." Faith looked away, and tried not to think about the fact that the blonde must have been right. "What about me? You may want what we had, but I don't Faith . Now please, trust me when I say this . . ." Buffy put her hand on either side of Faith 's face, wiping the tears with her thumbs.
"It's not you, okay? It's not your fault, it's mine. I just can't deal with it right now. I have to settle into this new life, and the try and salvage what I can from the last couple. But that doesn't mean I don't . . . *feel it*, Faith . I do, okay? It's in here," she said, taking a hand away to put it on her chest, "I know that's not what you want to hear but . . . Ugh!" Buffy moaned, and stomped her foot slightly.
"Faith , please . . . I know it's not what you want to hear but - " Faith placed her hand over the one on Buffy's chest, and quickly caught the blonde's eyes.
"You feel it?" Faith asked her slowly, "You still feel it . . . in here?" she asked slowly. Buffy nodded, and closed her eyes. "All I want to do is make you Happy, Buffy." At the use of her full name, the older Slayer opened her eyes. Slowly and carefully, Faith brushed hair away from Buffy's face.
"Faith , Please . . . you have to go." Faith shook her head, and quick as a flash smashed her body up against Buffy's sandwiching her against the fridge. Faith had claimed the blonde's mouth in a fierce yet yielding kiss. It oozed passion, and longing, and desire. And, it was not their first . . . this much Wood knew. His fists clenched as he watched as the two women kissed almost mercilessly, both whimpering and caressing the other's face. Faith 's hands found Buffy's hips and lifted her up, bracing her against the Ice-box and freeing her to wrap her legs around his supposed girl-friend. But just as Faith 's hand was about to find the edge of Buffy's top, the blond pulled away.
"No, Faith , please . . . Stop!" she panted quickly. She jumped down, and held her self up with the edge of the counter. "Fai . . ." she said slowly, using the nick-name Wood had never head before, "We've talked about this . . . we can't!" Faith looked ready to fight her on this, but Buffy raised her hand. "I mean it Faith ! I told you, I won't take part in this." she took a deep calming breath, and continued. "Wood is my friend, and I told you I won't do this to him. He's good guy, and you're luck y to have him . . ." Wood was shocked by what the blonde had just said, he never thought that Buffy had really cared for him that much besides when she'd worked for him.
"And yes, I know, you offered to leave him and be with me but . . . He likes you! He's good for you! You need to learn how to function in normal society and he's perfect for that. Plus, he a decent guy that *wants to be with you*!" Faith looked away, but tried to speak again.
"B-"
"No, Faith , let me finish. I'll admit it, there are Me factors too. I'm living the suburban life now, and people here are a little . . . closed minded. I want to fit in. They think it's odd enough that I'm a single college drop-out taking care of my sister and has a job as the local Rent-A- Cop. And YES, I know that their opinions shouldn't matter," she said, halting all Faith 's refutes that were sure to come, "But I want to at least get settled, and not have to worry about getting kicked out of the book-club, should I ever choose to join."
"B, please . . ." Faith stammered, "I can't handle this without you! You're all I think about, all that I want, or have EVER wanted!" Faith said, advancing on her counter-part. "Please, B . . . I can't do this without you?" Now Buffy was wiping tears off her own face, and reaching back into the fridge.
"You'd better go, Dawn will be waiting." Faith looked like she had something very important to say but couldn't get the words to come out. "Tell Dawn that she's to fax her assignment to the house daily and that Willow will be checking up with her and myself regularly." Buffy handed the box of sodas to Faith , and reached into the front of her shirt (blushing slightly). She pulled for a small wad of bills, mostly made of ones. She tossed it on top of the sodas, and instantly Faith 's face changed.
"Uh, B, I don't - "
"Consider it Gas-Money." Buffy said quickly, a slight smile on her lips. "That old car doesn't have the best Gas-mileage and you two have quite a drive ahead of you . . . also, she loves to stop and shop at gas-station places and drive-throughs. Most of it will be spent on her stomach." Faith nodded, and Buffy looked down at her shoes. "Her spending money's in her account, I just up-dated it and that is to last her through to the end of the month . . . Remind her of that." Buffy said looking up. The two looked at each other, longing and loneliness etched in both their eyes, but neither moved.
"Come with us?" Faith asked her quietly, almost pleading. Buffy shook her head, and looked back down at the floor.
"No. No, I can't. I have to work, and I have to start to get ready for the policemen's exam in a few weeks. Maybe next time?" Faith readjusted the box, and pushed past Buffy.
"You always say that . . . then when there's a next time you just say it again." Buffy put a hand on Faith shoulder, and the brunette turned to look almost spitefully at her. But no words came. Buffy just stood there, smiling slightly at the brunette, and thinking. Faith 's scowl slowly left her until she too was smiling lightly. Buffy leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on Faith 's lips before pulling back. Faith tried to catch her lips again, but Buffy wouldn't allow it.
"You'd better go, Dawn's been honking." Faith licked her lips and nodded. As the brunette walked out the door, Wood made his way back towards his car, being as quiet as possible. He watched as Faith loaded the drinks into the back seat. Dawn yammered on about some song on the radio, and Buffy sat on the standard-issue swing-bench on their porch. Every chance she got, Faith would look back at the blonde, who never let her eyes leave Faith .
Wood just sat back and watched as an incredible myriad of emotions play through him. Anger, jealousy, remorse, and even ultimately Understanding. Wood had always known that Faith had the ability to love, which was more then Xander believed, but he never thought it would be Buffy that she'd fall for. And, from the looks of it, she had fallen a long time ago . . .
Pulling out of the driveway, Faith waved, and Dawn called her good-byes to her sister. As the two girls in the classic car made their way down the street, Wood watched as Buffy sat almost motionless except for the slight nodding of the swing. She was staring down at her hands, unblinkingly, thinking about whatever it is that Buffy thinks bout after being involved in adultery . . . and that's when Wood saw it. A tear ran down her cheek, and snuffles could be heard from the Summers' porch.
Far from demons, and even further from any known Hellmouth, Buffy still wasn't happy. In fact, she was downright miserable. And all in the name of love.
.
~VixenRaign~
Rating: 'R', eventually
Spoilers: BtVS, the entire series, and AtS through season 4 (We all know about the spoilers for AtS season 5, and let's just pretend that isn't happening, okay?).
Pairings: Faith /Wood, Faith /Buffy, and eventually mention of a B/Other (Should I chose to write the next parts, I might leave it as a One-Shot). But this is mostly about Buffy and Faith and their feelings towards one another, so BE WARNED: THE IS A SHIP FOR THE U.S.S. FUFFY!
Feedback: YES! I LIVE FOR IT! Send E-Mails to Satanslilangl@yahoo.com
AUTHOR"S NOTE: Okay, I know this is kinda twisted, and that it's totally off the handle, but I can explain: THIS WAS ORIGIONALLY A DREAM. I thought it up the night before I had to take my Biology final, and there had been no Buffy to watch on TV . . . I think this is how my brain reacts to BtVS withdrawal.
= = = (*These Secrets Kept*) = = =
Wood watched as Faith trotted happily down the steps of The Hyperion. Although Angel Investigations now owned Wolfram and Heart, the aged vampire still liked to work out of the old building. Faith had liked it too. She didn't like the almost hospital-like lighting of the new downtown complex, it reminded her of times she'd rather forget. While said girl grabbed her bag and looked through it for a second, the former principal walked over to his girl-friend and hugged her from behind.
"Hey, Woody?" she asked quickly, "Have you seen my sun-glasses? I don't want to leave without them . . ." he kissed her cheek lightly, and shook his head.
"Don't worry, you'll find them. I saw you with 'em on when you brought the coffee in this morning . . . maybe you left them in Angel's office?" Faith nodded and walked towards the familiar windowed door. At a distance, Wood fallowed, keeping an eye on the brunette. She'd been acting odd all week. The only thing on her mind was the trip to Ohio, and seeing The Academy's progress. Faith found the aforementioned eyewear on Angel's desk, and smiled at her now long-time friend.
"So, Dead-boy!" Faith said, sitting on the hard mahogany surface of his workspace. "You gonna wish me luck on my little trip or what?" she smiled, and the brooding man actually smiled back, laughter just noticeable beneath it.
"I would, but I bet you don't need it." Faith smiled, and nodded slightly.
"But still . . ." she said, looking at him, "Wouldn't hurt to have it on my side." Faith but her sun-glasses on, which was sort of pointless this late on a November after noon. The sun was setting and the sky was quickly growing darker by the minute. Faith suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh! Angel, did you rent that car I asked for?" Now the Vampire really did laugh.
"Faith , I'm not sure I like the idea of you driving a 2003 Thunderbird . . . I've been 'privileged' enough to see you drive, and that much horsepower under your control would be dangerous to society." Faith gave him a mock glare, and flipped him off.
"Fine, no thunderbird . . . but then what did you get me?" she asked shortly.
"Now, it's nothing special, but *I* think it's nice. Very safe, and very stylish, and it CAN go fast, should you choose to . . ." Angel said the last part KNOWING that Faith would be ripping the guts out of this thing once she hit the right stretch of road. "Also, convertible, just like you asked." Faith give him an approving nod and held her hand out for the keys. With a great sigh of artificial suffering, Angel got up and took a set of keys out of his pocket, and placed them in Faith 's hands.
"Angel . . ." Faith said slowly, inspecting the keys, "These go to the Belvedere . . . where are my keys?" Angel just smiled, and Faith 's eyes became wide in astonishment. "You're letting me take the Angel-Mobile?!" Faith yelled, a mix of shock and overwhelming surprise. Angel nodded and was instantly pulled into a bone crushing hug.
"Ugh," the Vampire groaned, "Just bring it home in the kind of pieces that can be put back together." He squeezed out around Faith 's arms. She nodded excitedly, and grabbed her bag. Running past an unnoticed Wood, she snatched her larger over-night bag and quickly headed for the door.
"Hey Faith !" Wood called to her from Cordelia's former reception area, " . . . Good-luck." He smiled at her, and she gave him a nod, face falling slightly before turning into a fake grin.
"Who needs luck? I got talent!" she joked as she jogged out of the hotel. Wood stood at the door and watched her happily pack up the Belvedere. He tossed the object in his hand slightly. Throwing it into the air, he would catch it blindly as he watched his girl-friend happily get in her car and head down the road just barely over the speed-limit. Silently fallowing her, Wood caught his own keys for the last time, and got into his 2000 Jetta.
Discreetly, Wood fallowed Faith through town, and to the highway. It was there that he realized they were heading in the wrong direction. Ohio was North-East from LA by a long way . . . so why were they both headed South? After a while, and some serous thoughts later, Wood fallowed the brunette off the high-way and down a series of twisting, almost country-like roads. Passing a sign, Wood read the conservative scripts that read: "The Gaslight Edition".
As Wood slowly fallowed his girlfriend through the swirling roads of this Suburbia-Hell, he realized something: Faith knew this place. She made turns with confidence and ease, not slowing to read road signs or with the aid of any landmarks. The streets were empty now, save the odd middle- aged mad jogging with his dog. After turning one last corner, Wood saw that Faith had pulled into a driveway of what seemed like any other house on the block. Wood silently pulled into the drive way of a few houses down that seemed empty.
He slouched low in his seat, curiosity overpowering his sense of reason. What was Faith doing here? Where was here? And, most importantly, who lived in this house. The principal watched as Faith slowly made her way up the walk and towards the small stairs. She fixed her hair slightly, and raised her hand to knock. She pulled it back for a second, and looked vaguely in Wood's direction. Raising her hand again, she readied to knock. But before she could, the door flew open. Leaning his head out the door slightly, Wood could just hear what was being said.
"Hey." Faith said, quiet and breathless. There was no reply, and at first Wood wondered if this *was* someone Faith knew. Just as suddenly as the door flew open, a small figure stepped out onto the front porch. It was Blonde, stern, and smiling slightly.
"Hey." Came the cool reply. Buffy smiled a little wider and looked down at her feet. Just then there was a squeak of joy and a few clomping steps. The next thing Wood knew there was another tall brunette latched onto his girl-friend.
"Whoa, easy Dawny!" Faith scolded slightly, "We got all week to hang out, don't want to waste some of it by suffocating me, now do ya?" Faith joked. Dawn laughed and pulled back.
"Dawn," Buffy said, a mix of shortness and concern, "Are you all packed?" Dawn nodded, and turned to her sister.
"Yup, everything except my toiletries." Buffy looked towards the front- door, and then at her wrist.
"Alright, well go get your stuff, we don't want to throw Faith off her time- schedule." Dawn nodded and quickly headed up stairs. Faith looked down at her boots and them back at the blonde.
"Thanks for doing this Faith ," Buffy said slowly, a slight hint of caring in her voice, "Dawn really isn't adjusting to life on the normal side of hell greatly, and she seems to fit in at The Academy better than at the stupid charter school she got excepted to." Faith shrugged, and smiled slightly.
"She'll get used to it. Besides, if all else fails, she'll make a great watcher some day." Buffy snorted slightly, and nodded. "How have you been?" Faith asked slowly, trying to break the silence of the porch.
"Good, very good actually." She replied honestly, "Being a Cop isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Well, security guard anyway." She shook her head slightly and quieted. "How's Wood?"
"Same old, same old." She replied dryly. Wood felt a tinge of hurt at this comment; he had thought they were doing well together. "But I guess that's the problem . . . he just doesn't surprise me anymore." Now Wood really was hurt. What was wrong with knowing everything about a person? He had half a mind to get out of the car just to show her he still had a trick or two up his sleeves.
"Well, that's the problem with dating, you have to get to know the guy . . . you know, like knowing more then his name?" Buffy's little barb didn't through Faith off at all, in fact it made her smile slightly.
"Yeah, well, dating I can handle," Faith said as she dug her boot-tip into the deck, "Boring boyfriend is another story." The blonde nodded, and smiled, leaning against the door-frame.
"I know what you mean. Half the time I couldn't listen to what Riley was saying . . ." Buffy trailed off and looked more directly at Faith . "What exactly is he doing wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.
"I don't think it's Him, B." She said, pushing hands into her pockets. "Some people can put you to sleep just by telling you their name, and others, well . . ." Faith trailed off, an almost dreamy sound to her voice, "Some people you can know your whole life, and they will never cease to amaze you." Wood watched as Buffy Blushed, and put a hand to her cheek.
"Faith , please . . ." Buffy trailed off, then suddenly stopped as Dawn came out the door.
"Okay, I'm ready!" she declared, showing her bags to the two other girls.
"Great." Faith said quickly, "Why don't you pack it in and get situated?" Faith offered, and Dawn was off. Seconds later the two girls heard her squealing about how lucky Faith was about being loaned the Belvedere.
Both Slayers laughed and looked to each other, watching as Dawn put her headphones on and packed her stuff into the car. Buffy waved Faith into the house, and Wood quickly tried to fallow. The house was build fairly similar to the old Summers Home. Fallowing the path around the back Wood looked in through the rear-window over the sink. Even the kitchen was in the same place. Listening through the cracked open window, he witnessed the two Slayers enter the room in mid conversation.
"I know how much you and Dawn can consume on long car rides, so I went out to the store to get you guys drinks for the trip." Buffy turned and opened the fridge, which was actually closer to the back door that expected. She shifted around in it for a few minutes, not noticing Faith slowly approaching her from behind. Wood noticed how the brunette's eye traveled over the older girls' body and wondered if Faith had seen her limping.
"I ended up going to one of those Bulk places," Buffy continued, "you know, like Costco? Anyways, they had a giant create of Root-Beer and Orange Soda so I thought 'Hey!' - " Buffy turned around, and came not only face-to- face, but nose-to-nose with the brunette slayer. Buffy cleared her throat, and tried to continue, playing their closeness off as nothing. "Uh, 'Hey! Why not buy it and send it with Faith on their road-trip?' So I got it and "
"What's the matter B?" Faith asked suddenly, "We got to be SO close over the Summer at the school, and now . . ." Faith trailed off, her voice thick with disappointment, "Now you don't call unless it was Dawny's idea. We hung out all day, every day . . . we had a lot of fun together and now we barely talk. What happened?" she asked quietly, "What did I do wrong." Buffy shook her head, and looked away, her voice almost silent.
"You didn't do anything, Faith ." She said, trying to turn back around, but Faith wouldn't let her. Faith firmly took her shoulders and pressed her against the Ice-Box.
"Then why? Why? What happened B, what went wrong?"
"Nothing went wrong, Faith , we're just not like that any more." Buffy still wouldn't look at Faith , and it was starting to make the brunette mad.
"We're not like that anymore, or YOUR not like that anymore?" She said with an edge. Buffy sighed, and closed her eyes. All the while Wood was not only lost but also quite confused. True, Faith had told him that the two original Slayers had grown close at The Academy, but when he had visited late in the summer they didn't seem any closer than Buffy and Andrew.
"Faith , please, let me go?" Buffy asked quietly. Faith kept holding her, though it seemed almost hard. "Faith , *please*?" she asked, slightly louder.
"You know I can't do that B." Faith said firmly but quietly, "I can't let you go, and you know that. It's not that easy . . ." 'How hard could it be?', Wood wondered, 'you just relax your fingers and let her push off the fridge'.
"Faith plea - " Buffy started, but never finished. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that Faith had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her face turning from restlessness to comforting Buffy looked on as her friend let the water droplets run down her face.
"B, I know I can fix this, please?" Buffy didn't seem to hear, she was too transfixed by the crying girl before her. "Why can't we go back to the way we were?" Faith pleaded almost silently, "We were happy . . . the both of us." Buffy slowly seemed to shake herself out of her reverie.
"I know Faith , but that wasn't fair. There were other people involved as well." Faith looked away, and tried not to think about the fact that the blonde must have been right. "What about me? You may want what we had, but I don't Faith . Now please, trust me when I say this . . ." Buffy put her hand on either side of Faith 's face, wiping the tears with her thumbs.
"It's not you, okay? It's not your fault, it's mine. I just can't deal with it right now. I have to settle into this new life, and the try and salvage what I can from the last couple. But that doesn't mean I don't . . . *feel it*, Faith . I do, okay? It's in here," she said, taking a hand away to put it on her chest, "I know that's not what you want to hear but . . . Ugh!" Buffy moaned, and stomped her foot slightly.
"Faith , please . . . I know it's not what you want to hear but - " Faith placed her hand over the one on Buffy's chest, and quickly caught the blonde's eyes.
"You feel it?" Faith asked her slowly, "You still feel it . . . in here?" she asked slowly. Buffy nodded, and closed her eyes. "All I want to do is make you Happy, Buffy." At the use of her full name, the older Slayer opened her eyes. Slowly and carefully, Faith brushed hair away from Buffy's face.
"Faith , Please . . . you have to go." Faith shook her head, and quick as a flash smashed her body up against Buffy's sandwiching her against the fridge. Faith had claimed the blonde's mouth in a fierce yet yielding kiss. It oozed passion, and longing, and desire. And, it was not their first . . . this much Wood knew. His fists clenched as he watched as the two women kissed almost mercilessly, both whimpering and caressing the other's face. Faith 's hands found Buffy's hips and lifted her up, bracing her against the Ice-box and freeing her to wrap her legs around his supposed girl-friend. But just as Faith 's hand was about to find the edge of Buffy's top, the blond pulled away.
"No, Faith , please . . . Stop!" she panted quickly. She jumped down, and held her self up with the edge of the counter. "Fai . . ." she said slowly, using the nick-name Wood had never head before, "We've talked about this . . . we can't!" Faith looked ready to fight her on this, but Buffy raised her hand. "I mean it Faith ! I told you, I won't take part in this." she took a deep calming breath, and continued. "Wood is my friend, and I told you I won't do this to him. He's good guy, and you're luck y to have him . . ." Wood was shocked by what the blonde had just said, he never thought that Buffy had really cared for him that much besides when she'd worked for him.
"And yes, I know, you offered to leave him and be with me but . . . He likes you! He's good for you! You need to learn how to function in normal society and he's perfect for that. Plus, he a decent guy that *wants to be with you*!" Faith looked away, but tried to speak again.
"B-"
"No, Faith , let me finish. I'll admit it, there are Me factors too. I'm living the suburban life now, and people here are a little . . . closed minded. I want to fit in. They think it's odd enough that I'm a single college drop-out taking care of my sister and has a job as the local Rent-A- Cop. And YES, I know that their opinions shouldn't matter," she said, halting all Faith 's refutes that were sure to come, "But I want to at least get settled, and not have to worry about getting kicked out of the book-club, should I ever choose to join."
"B, please . . ." Faith stammered, "I can't handle this without you! You're all I think about, all that I want, or have EVER wanted!" Faith said, advancing on her counter-part. "Please, B . . . I can't do this without you?" Now Buffy was wiping tears off her own face, and reaching back into the fridge.
"You'd better go, Dawn will be waiting." Faith looked like she had something very important to say but couldn't get the words to come out. "Tell Dawn that she's to fax her assignment to the house daily and that Willow will be checking up with her and myself regularly." Buffy handed the box of sodas to Faith , and reached into the front of her shirt (blushing slightly). She pulled for a small wad of bills, mostly made of ones. She tossed it on top of the sodas, and instantly Faith 's face changed.
"Uh, B, I don't - "
"Consider it Gas-Money." Buffy said quickly, a slight smile on her lips. "That old car doesn't have the best Gas-mileage and you two have quite a drive ahead of you . . . also, she loves to stop and shop at gas-station places and drive-throughs. Most of it will be spent on her stomach." Faith nodded, and Buffy looked down at her shoes. "Her spending money's in her account, I just up-dated it and that is to last her through to the end of the month . . . Remind her of that." Buffy said looking up. The two looked at each other, longing and loneliness etched in both their eyes, but neither moved.
"Come with us?" Faith asked her quietly, almost pleading. Buffy shook her head, and looked back down at the floor.
"No. No, I can't. I have to work, and I have to start to get ready for the policemen's exam in a few weeks. Maybe next time?" Faith readjusted the box, and pushed past Buffy.
"You always say that . . . then when there's a next time you just say it again." Buffy put a hand on Faith shoulder, and the brunette turned to look almost spitefully at her. But no words came. Buffy just stood there, smiling slightly at the brunette, and thinking. Faith 's scowl slowly left her until she too was smiling lightly. Buffy leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on Faith 's lips before pulling back. Faith tried to catch her lips again, but Buffy wouldn't allow it.
"You'd better go, Dawn's been honking." Faith licked her lips and nodded. As the brunette walked out the door, Wood made his way back towards his car, being as quiet as possible. He watched as Faith loaded the drinks into the back seat. Dawn yammered on about some song on the radio, and Buffy sat on the standard-issue swing-bench on their porch. Every chance she got, Faith would look back at the blonde, who never let her eyes leave Faith .
Wood just sat back and watched as an incredible myriad of emotions play through him. Anger, jealousy, remorse, and even ultimately Understanding. Wood had always known that Faith had the ability to love, which was more then Xander believed, but he never thought it would be Buffy that she'd fall for. And, from the looks of it, she had fallen a long time ago . . .
Pulling out of the driveway, Faith waved, and Dawn called her good-byes to her sister. As the two girls in the classic car made their way down the street, Wood watched as Buffy sat almost motionless except for the slight nodding of the swing. She was staring down at her hands, unblinkingly, thinking about whatever it is that Buffy thinks bout after being involved in adultery . . . and that's when Wood saw it. A tear ran down her cheek, and snuffles could be heard from the Summers' porch.
Far from demons, and even further from any known Hellmouth, Buffy still wasn't happy. In fact, she was downright miserable. And all in the name of love.
.
~VixenRaign~
