Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this again? Ok. Once more. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy owns them. I seem not to be able to stop writing about them.

Author's note: I think we are becoming a mini – series now. When I started writing this, I thought…hey, maybe 4 chapters. When I hit chapter 4 I thought…ok…by chapter 8. At chapter 8 I thought … For sure, chapter 12. Ok, here we are at chapter 12. NO. It's not wrapping up here. I'm no longer in control here. It's writing me, I'm no longer writing it. Help. I have  fallen into a black hole in the Buffyverse. And I can't get up!

Oh, and to answer one reviewer's query. Yes, I have no life.

WARNING: Again, there are scenes of love between two women. If this offends you, you shouldn't read it. If you are under 18, you shouldn't read it. If you don't believe in love between two people, you are truly in need. You have been warned.

Summer of faith

Chapter 12

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They found the idea of moving to Sunnydale a lot easier than the practicality of moving to Sunnydale. They had one form of transportation: A motorcycle. Not exactly the ideal moving vehicle. About the only thing they could carry on it were  clothes, and some very, very small things like pictures. So, all the things they had accumulated together had to be sold.

This turned out to be difficult for them. Not so much because anything was particularly valuable, but because it belonged to them. As a couple. It was like selling their (brief) life together. And it hurt. But they knew there really was no place for it where they were going, and they didn't want to try to store it, and pay the rates. So, they sold what they could. What they couldn't sell, the donated. What no one would take…sigh…wound up in the dumpster. They essentially got it down to clothes, some toiletries, a few really small personal things, and of course Mr. Gordo. No way Mr. Gordo was NOT going. Buffy had Mr. Gordo forever, and he was not ending up with anyone else. Faith grumbled about having a pink pig tied to the front fender like a hood ornament, but he stayed.

During this time, tension mounted. Sexual tension. Because, of course, they had no release for the pent up feelings they had. Because, as Buffy was wont to say, of Mean Ol' Faith's no sex rule. Add to that, they had decided to patrol together again, because they really wanted as much time together as they could squeeze in before they left for Sunnydale. And as Faith always would say, Slaying makes you hungry, and horny. Oh…boy. They were eating a lot during those weeks.

Needless to say, when the day came to go, both were more than a little edgy. Every bit of the bike that wasn't going to be sat upon or wasn't rolling had something tied to it. They looked like a gypsy caravan that had been gone thru a metal crusher. Add to that, they both were wearing packs, and it was a sight to behold. They had both decided they wanted one last night together, so instead of the direct route to Sunnydale, they took the scenic route, looking for a nice little place to camp. They only had sleeping bags, no tent(where the heck would it fit?). But they were young and in love, so it really didn't matter.

As they were getting ready to leave, Buffy looked at Faith. She felt kinda sad, because this was a whole new life they were going to… one they wouldn't be together in. She saw Faith looking like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Despite the " no kissing" rule, Buffy just couldn't help herself. She grabbed Faith's jacket, pulled her close, and gave her a deep, deep kiss. At first, Faith resisted, but her own will was a bit on the weak side. Before either of them knew it, the kiss had deepened to tongues. The spark they generated there would have been enough to light up a small neighborhood. They finally broke the kiss, and both looked a bit sheepish. They got on the bike, and motored away.

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During the ride north, Buffy noticed how tense Faith was. She couldn't ride up next to her, because of the packs, but she had her hands on Faith's hips for balance, and could feel how tense her muscles were there. Conversation was mostly one sided, with Buffy doing the talking, and  Faith giving mainly grunts or one word answers. Buffy finally gave up, and just went quiet. She was worried. Faith usually was the talky type, and she had hardly put a sentence together the whole trip. She felt, as much as she could feel, stiff as a board.

" Duh, Buffy. The girl is leaving L.A. to be with you, and can't be with you. It's hard for her, doing this. She has no friends in Sunnydale, and is gonna have to do like the major work of trying to find a job, and a place to live, and get by until YOU can make up your mind you want her. And she is not even sure THAT is going to happen. And she is gonna meet your mom, which has gotta be freaking her just a little." But something else was eating at her, Buffy could sense it, but not figure out what it was. But Buffy did know that somehow, Faith needed some release from her tensions, or she was gonna start attacking  something. The girl was one big raw nerve.

" Forget this. I don't care what she said about 'no sex'. I'll  take the risk. I'm gonna seduce her, don't care if she gets all pissed off. She needs something to make her feel better, she can't go on like this." Buffy got a small evil smile on her face as she worked out what she was going to do.

They found a nice spot to camp, about an hour outside Sunnydale. It was a small clearing on an overlook, open but still with a sense of privacy. "Totally perfect" Buffy gloated to herself. Quiet, a bit out of the way, and pretty. Yeah. This is gonna be just right.

They decided, rather than burn down the forest trying to cook something out here, to go back to a little café they had passed on the road a few miles back.  They hopped back on the bike, and headed south to the café. When they got there, they secured the packs to the bike, and went in.

Buffy looked around inside, and was secretly delighted. It must be some little intimate getaway for couples, because the whole place screamed romance. Low lights, candles on the tables, soft music playing in the background. She looked over at Faith, and saw her fellow slayer gulp. She just chuckled. She aint even got a clue what's gonna hit her.

" Buffy, maybe we should find a place less…." Faith began, but Buffy cut her off.

" Faith, honey, it's just dinner. I promise. I won't bite…unless you ask me to" Buffy smiled at Faith, and saw her gulp.

This was gonna be almost too easy, Buffy giggled to herself. Before Faith could protest , she hooked her arm in Faith's, and led her to a table...one that was a bit out of the way, towards the back of the restaurant.

Buffy just poured on the charm. She did every little thing she knew to both relax and stimulate Faith. She took her hand, and started to absently rub her thumb across her palm( yeah, sure, she didn't know what she was doing, right). She would touch faith in little ways, all safe but guaranteed to arouse. She gave her the big eyes. She wet her lips. She caressed Faith's arm with her fingertips. She lightly touched her cheek. All seemingly innocent, all utterly devastating. Then she pulled the trump.

She got up from the table, making sure that Faith noted the little sway in her walk. She went around behind her, and gently began to rub her shoulders.

"B-Buff…what're you doing?" Faith asked, her breathing getting a little heavy.

"Baby, you just look so tense" Buffy breathed in her ear " Just seeing how bad"

She slipped her fingers beneath Faith's collar, and lightly ran the tips over the muscles in her neck " Awww…so tense. Have to take care of this back at camp" She whispered into Faith's ear. Faith felt tingles running all through her.

Buffy slowly let her fingers slide off of Faith, and walked back to her seat, again adding  an accentuated sway to her hips. She chuckled when she picked up how … deeply Faith was breathing.

Faith was sitting in sweet confusion over what Buffy was doing. She knew what she was doing, but the why was escaping her. She tried to fight being aroused by Buffy's little maneuvers, but found it increasingly hard to resist. She was thinking how nice a cold shower would feel right now…maybe ice cubes would do the trick. Just stick me in the freezer, I'll defrost it she thought as Buffy continued to charm her.

" B … stop this, please. It's hard enough being with you and not touching you. This isn't helping" Faith was nearly stammering

"Why is it so wrong to want to touch me, Faith? I won't break" Buffy murmured, taking Faith's hand, and putting it to her cheek.

"B…B….we talked about this. We agreed no … sex until…" But Faith was losing the battle, and she knew it

Buffy turned her cheek, so her lips grazed over Faith's palm…she heard a tiny groan from Faith. She smiled

"No, baby, you said no sex. I merely went along, 'cause I thought you would get upset. I didn't want to argue. But I need to touch you. It hurts not to touch you" Buffy sighed

Faith knew she was losing. She knew her willpower was crumbling. She tried one last time.

"Buffy…we can't. We just can't do this." Faith whispered, weakly

" I need you to touch me, Faith. Don't you want me anymore ?" Buffy felt a tear fall. Her seduction was backfiring. Her own need was burning in her. She knew she needed to be loved and touched, as much as Faith did.

Dammit, B. One more day. One more day, and you probably wouldn't care if I ever touched you again.

But she lost. She knew she had. Her desire, her frustration, her need was too great. And Buffy was too willing to refuse. She sighed, put down money on the table for the meal and tip, and growled " Lets go". She was hot, she was irritated at being manipulated, and angrier with herself for wanting to be manipulated. Her nerves were wrecked, she was one large bundle of emotional need and desire. They made it back to the bike, re-shouldered the packs, and made it somehow to the spot they had picked earlier. Faith didn't know how, cause her brain had stopped working. She was all nerve endings, hormones and lust.

She laid out the sleeping bags, but it was a wasted effort, because Buffy was in her arms, kissing her madly. Their lips seared against each other, their breathing hot and heavy. Faith felt Buffy's mouth open to her, and she thrust her tongue into her, trying to dominate her. Buffy sucked on her tongue, trying to make it go deeper within her mouth. Her hands were tearing at Faiths clothing. She didn't care, she needed her, and she needed her now. This was lust, pure and simple. Tenderness wasn't part of it. They were fighting for control, and were too well matched. Clothing was torn off, the need for skin to skin contact was intense. Their mouths were savage against each other, the pent up desire burning hot, like coal in their loins. They bit and clawed at each other, and fell down on the sleeping bags. They rolled, each trying to get on top. Faith finally had Buffy beneath her. She  smashed her mouth to Buffy's, her tongue demanding entrance. Buffy ran her nails hard down Faiths back, and wrapped her legs around her to pull Faith to her. They lay in abandon, their bodies taking, not giving. Each was biting, and scratching. They ground against each other, the violence increasing in each thrust. Their moans were loud, guttural. Buffy bit Faith's hard nipples, and Faith did the same to Buffy's . They weren't human, but animals in heat. Their moans became louder, the fire in them spreading, melting them together. Their mounds humped and thrust, ground and bucked. They came together, screaming. And still their bodies thrust together, the fire banking, but not dying. Finally, they stopped, and held each other in a hard embrace. Their breathing was heavy, ragged. Their mouths still locked in an intense kiss. Slowly they relaxed into each other, the kissing become more tender. They looked into each other's eyes, and knew … just knew what they needed. Their embrace softened, evolved into cuddling. Buffy nuzzled into Faith's shoulder. Faith gently caressed her back.

Faith slowly began kissing Buffy. She started at her neck and worked down, kissing each little bit of her. She heard Buffy's whimpers and sighs, and was all the more fired up. She gently suckled on her breasts, feeling the nipples respond to her lips. She used her hands to lightly caress her sides and thighs, adding warm streams to Buffy's desire. Gently, with tender care, she kissed lower, finding her tummy and lightly licking her. She found her navel, and rimmed it with her tongue tip, and darted her tongue in and out of it. Buffy's hips moved  under her, her body responding to Faith's tenderness…slowly, Faith worked lower, licking the creases where Buffy's hips joined her pelvis. She straddled Buffy, her face toward Buffy's  mound, her hips towards Buffy's head. She felt Buffy grasp her hips and pull her towards her. Then she felt Buffy's tongue begin to lick her outer lips. She felt her own fires building, as she pressed her tongue into Buffy. But it was tender, and sweet, each tasting the other's nectar. Each using their tongue to gently caress the other's center. Faith found Buffy's Bud, and gently took it in her lips, sucking on it lightly. She put a finger in her lover, and then another, gently massaging her inner lips. She felt Buffy's tongue caressing her, and her thumb was lightly caressing Faith's bud. Slowly, little explosions rocked through them. Tendrils of fire and ice washed through them, and they both gently fell over the edge of orgasm.

They came together, exhausted but happy. Happier than they had been in awhile. They moved under the cover of the sleeping bags, because it was getting cold. They cuddled together, Buffy nuzzling into Faiths chest, her arm across Faith's waist.

Faith was full of conflicting emotions. She knew what happened shouldn't have. It was going to just make things so much harder. So much harder.

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Faith woke very early the next morning, and gently disentangled herself from Buffy. She went over to her bag, and took out the envelope containing the money they had made selling their stuff. She added a note to the envelope, then slipped it into one of Buffy's bags. She found her clothing , and started to dress. The sun was coming up in the east. She watched it, but didn't feel joy. Only dread. She got Buffy's clothes together, and brought back to the sleeping bags, so Buffy wouldn't have to hunt for them. Then she lay back down, her face on her hand, and watched Buffy as she slept.

Buffy, in her eyes, was heartbreakingly beautiful when she slept. Her face was like a child's. No cares, no worries, just so innocent. It brought out all the maternal instincts that Faith wasn't aware she had. She wanted nothing more than to protect her and hold her.

But she pushed them back down, because today was going to be hard enough without that.

She brushed stray hairs out of Buffy's face, and gently shook her.

" Baby, time to wake up" Faith whispered in her ear.

Slowly Buffy's eyes opened, and she smiled sleepily at Faith. She reached for a kiss, and captured her lips before Faith could pull back. It was a short kiss, but full of tenderness.

" Can't we stay a little longer" Buffy pleaded softly

" No, honey. I think we both need some breakfast after last night, and we should try to reach your mom's before it gets too late in the morning"

Buffy stretched and yawned , and got out of the bag. Faith smiled. She remembered when Buffy used to be so shy about being naked in front of her. But she was casual about it now. As she dressed, Faith thought again how she looked like a nymph, so small but so beautiful . She just wished this moment would last forever.

Buffy got dressed, and turned to faith, and giggled. " I feel a little icky…but nice icky" She grinned.

Damn, why do you have to be so cute all the damned time?

"Well, you should be able to grab a shower at your mom's house"

"Hmmm…you could grab one with me" Buffy smiled,  a bit mischievously

Faith just smiled.

They rolled up the bags, shouldered the packs, and headed out on the last leg of their journey.

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It was about 9 a.m. when they pulled up to the house on Revello Drive. Faith could tell that Buffy was getting increasingly nervous about seeing her mom again, and reassured her repeatedly that her mom was going to be happy to see her. Buffy wasn't so sure. She had left on a bad note, and was afraid her mom was going to be angry still.

Faith parked the bike in the driveway, and help Buffy get her bags unloaded.

" Why don't you go ahead and go up? I'm gonna move the bike so it doesn't block your mom's car"

As Buffy turned to head to the porch, Faith turned the bike. She didn't want to watch her, or she couldn't do it. She started the bike, and roared out of the driveway. She hit the throttle, and started driving off

It took a few seconds for Buffy to realize that Faith wasn't parking. She turned, and saw Faith driving away.

"Faith? FAITH…WAIT….STOP!!!" Buffy dropped her stuff, and started to run after her. She kicked into high gear, trying to catch Faith, but it was too late. She stopped running, and called out as loud as she could " STOP …. PLEASE  DON'T LEAVE ME…STOP!!!"

But Faith didn't stop or turn around.

Buffy stood there, stunned. Then she just dropped to the ground, and started beating on the ground. She wanted to hurt something, hurt it bad

So it would hurt like she hurt.

After awhile, she got up, her body slumped. She trudged her way back to her mom's house. She picked up her bags, and went up the steps, and knocked on the door.

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Faith felt the tears streaming down her face, but she didn't stop. It took every bit of her will not to stop, not to turn around when she heard Buffy's cries.

But she knew this was the only way. The only way Buffy could return to her normal life

But she hated it.

And she hated herself.

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TBC