Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Previously:

"Maybe I'm not so tired after all," she said. Cassius could feel his own desire mounting as Kennedy stalked forward, clad only in her bra and panties.

"Good, 'cuz I really missed you last night," Kennedy said, her voice low and husky. Cassius felt a shudder pass through Kara's body. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Eight:

Cassius watched Lucian through Kara's eyes. He could see his prize, so close, but he couldn't make his move. With Cordelia and Kennedy in the room, anything he did would blow his cover. He watched Cordelia laugh at something Lucian said. Looking away, he sighed through Kara's lips. They were watching some old movie on television. It was in black and white and the actors exaggerated every line to such an extent that Cassius couldn't help but chuckle at it.

"So has the Coven found any new information about Cassius?" Kennedy asked, shifting her attention away from the television.

"Nothing much," Cordelia responded. Cassius looked over at them out of the corner of Kara's eye. They were getting their information from the Coven. Cassius smiled slightly, knowing instinctively what he had to do. He couldn't sneak away yet, but he had a few hours in the morning to himself. Then he would do it. Cassius reached Kara's arm out and wrapped it around Kennedy's shoulders. Kennedy smiled and leaned back into her girlfriend, resting her head on Kara's shoulder.

"This is perfect," Kennedy muttered.

............................

Faith sighed and resisted the urge to bang her head down on the desk she was sitting at. For several months, she had been taking classes, working toward her GED. It had been years since she sat in an actual classroom for the purpose of learning. Though it had taken her a little while to adjust to it again, she found that she was excelling. She had never been stupid; rather, she had never had the motivation to do well in anything. But that was before Buffy. Faith could still distinctly remember the night Buffy proposed to her. Buffy had talked about the future, about what she and Faith could be.

Though Faith had never stopped to consider that she would even have a future, now that she wasn't on her own anymore, she wanted desperately to grow old with Buffy. Even if that meant taking classes at night and studying in between training with Giles and patrolling. Thus far, she had managed to hide her activities from Buffy, though she suspected her wife was starting to get suspicious. She didn't want to worry the older slayer, but she wanted to surprise her.

Glancing up at the clock in the front of the classroom, she mentally rejoiced. There was only ten minutes to go until she got out for the night. Then she could go home and get a long, hot shower, hopefully, with the gorgeous blonde that took up most of her thoughts. When the class finally let out, Faith was the first one out of the door. Pushing open the front doors of the community center, she sighed happily as the warm summer air hit her face. She briefly considered sweeping through the cemetery, but remembered that Jack was taking one of his slayers out that night.

Steering her feet towards her house, she shoved her hands in her pockets and let the silence of the evening fill her mind. She smiled, enjoying the feeling. Her mind wasn't often free of the turmoil and chaos that raged within her. But tonight, her mind was a blank slate. It was almost as if every day she spent with Buffy erased some of the blackness off her soul, left there by her past.

When she finally reached home, she gently pushed open the door and closed it behind her. She smiled, hearing the shower upstairs already running. Ascending the stairs, she entered her and Buffy's room and stripped off her clothes, casually tossing them onto the bed. She opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. The tile floor was cold against her bare feet. She transversed the length of the bathroom and knocked on the glass door of the shower booth.

"Hey," Buffy said, sliding the door open. She reached out her hand and pulled Faith inside.

"How's my girl?" Faith asked, smiling as she closed the shower door behind her.

"Much better now," Buffy replied, pulling Faith closer. Once she could feel Faith's body pressed against hers, she smiled and looked up into Faith's chocolate brown eyes. "Have a good training session?" She asked.

Faith nodded. She had told Buffy she was training with Jack and some of the others. Jack was fully aware of Faith's commitment to getting her GED and had happily lied for her on several occasions already. "Yeah, they kicked my ass," Faith joked. Then she smiled devilishly and grabbed Buffy by the waist, pushing her back against the shower wall. "But to be perfectly honest," she said, her voice low and rough. It sent shivers down Buffy's spine. "I really don't feel like talking right now." Faith eagerly captured Buffy's lips with her own, moaning when her tongue met with Buffy's, dancing inside of her mouth. The water flowed over them, heating their skin, and all Faith could feel was the intense love that overflowed in her heart for the woman in her arms.

............................

Kara stood outside of Rebecca Hart's apartment. The first rays of the sun were just peaking over the trees off in the distance, but Cassius knew that Rebecca would be awake. Knocking on the door, he waited, rocking back and forth on the soles of Kara's feet. He could hear someone shuffling inside and finally, the door opened.

"Kara. This is a pleasant surprise. Please, come in," Rebecca said, opening the door. Cassius smiled through Kara's lips.

"Thanks," he said through her voice. Rebecca closed the door and moved further into the apartment, her back to Kara. Cassius watched her as he discreetly slipped a long knife out of his jacket sleeve.

"So what can I do for you?" Rebecca asked. Cassius swiftly moved behind her and plunged the knife into the base of her spinal column. He could hear her audibly gasp. Her body stiffened in his arms and he drove the knife deeper.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," he said through Kara's voice. "But I'm not really myself lately." He could feel the life draining out of the woman in his arms. Letting her go, she turned slightly, looking back at him, before dropping to the floor. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and her mouth hung slightly open, a trail of blood running down her chin.

Cassius knelt down beside her and tiled Kara's head slightly, watching as Rebecca took her final breath. Her eyes dimmed and Cassius smiled. Yanking the knife free from the woman's back, he wiped it off on her shirt, and shoved it back up his sleeve. Taking a deep breath, Cassius stood. He could feel Kara's left hand jerking slightly. Looking down, he noticed that her hand was trembling, her fingers twitching. Closing Kara's eyes, he took several deep breaths. He felt like he was having a panic attack. Anxiety surged through him and sweat dotted Kara's forehead.

"What is going on," he muttered aloud. Suddenly, he could feel Kara's presence in his mind, fighting to break free. Cassius smiled. "I don't think so," he said sternly. Focusing all of his energies, he pushed Kara back down, back into the corner of his mind. Opening his eyes, he wiped the sweat off Kara's brow and smiled to himself. Kara's fingers were still twitching, but he was in control again.

Looking down at the body of the Rebecca Hart, he murmured, "One down."