Title: Just Desserts (4/?)

Author: nailbunny617

Pairing: B/F eventually…I think…

Rating: PG-13 for now

Disclaimers: No, I don't own any of these characters, I'm just taking them for a joyride and mean no harm. Oh and if girlsmut is illegal where you live, move! If it's not your cup of tea, then I suggest stopping reading right now.

Author's Notes: So a good point was made, and this is going to be before The Body. All of you were questioning Willow's motives? I got em right here, baby! I would say I'm sorry if you don't like how I handle this part, but I don't really care because I can believe the veracity of this.

The only thing running through my mind was a lot of cursing. I didn't want to deal with Willow, not that night, not any night. But, it had to be done.

Ripping off a band-aid. Right then.

I sat the bike down just inside the door, propping it carefully against the wall in the best manner to avoid endangering the lustrous paint job in any way. Shut up, I'm allowed to be prissy about gifts. I crossed my arms, unconsciously facing Willow in a go-ahead-take-your-best-shot stance. The same one I use to let vamps hit me first, so I can size them up before figuring out exactly how to kick their undead ass.

"Why are you in LA, Willow?"

I don't like beating around the bush. That was NOT meant as a pun, quit snickering. Anyway, it looked like I sucker-punched the redhead in the gut. I don't think she knew why she came.

Faith 1, Red 0.

Her confused look slowly changed to what I'm sure is her approximation of righteous anger. Honestly, anyone that gentle by nature can't look really pissed off…but she somehow managed it anyway.

"I don't want you fucking things up again, Faith. Mrs. Summers is sick. We have finals coming up. Buffy's still got Riley. Despite your best efforts last year, life is going well."

Sound arguments, to be sure, but there was something more there. Floating just beneath the surface. Something I'd started to suspect about a hundred times and then dismissed offhand. But maybe I shouldn't have dismissed it outright.

"How's Tara doing?" Curveball? To be sure. Not fighting fair? Certainly.

"She's…she's fine." But the little smile that played around her lips before she reined it in told me everything I needed to know.

"Tell you what, Red, I think we both know that's not why you came up here. Takin' a shot in the dark here, you're scared of me. Hell, probably jealous, too." Willow's neck had to hurt after snapping her head towards me so quickly. "You're threatened by me, always have been. Because you're in love with Buffy."

Her face turned red at that and she got all sputtery. Funny as hell to make the person who made babble-mode infamous completely speechless. I simply took a seat on the bed, an acceptable distance away and waited for her to get back to earth.

She probably never even admitted it to herself. Willow was always the do-gooder type, and being in love with your best friend while in a committed relationship with someone else was definitely not in the do-gooder category of acceptable behavior. I felt kinda bad, really, making her face her demons, but if she was gonna lash out at me, I at least wanted us all to be on the same page.

Because, after all, I can relate to loving somebody you can never have.

And when her face crumpled with the horribly painful realization and the tears started pouring, I wasn't sure what to do. I'm not too good at the whole people thing, much less when I don't know where I stand. So I got the Kleenex box and tentatively pushed it towards her with one finger, not wanting to move too suddenly.

She bolted anyway. Not like I blame her – I know what it's like to run from your problems. But distance never helps. They always come back to bitch slap you upside the head when you least expect it and are the most vulnerable. I started to feel guilty about it. I lived with guilt for so long – hell, what's another piece to add to the baggage?

I slipped out of the hotel, pausing to grab my oh-so-lovely bike and a couple good stakes. Some people need to cry to find their center. I needed to lose myself in a good fight.

But instead of heading towards the closest cemetery in hopes of getting lucky – because LA isn't like the Hellmouth, meaning it's not crawling with demons and their ilk and a girl's likely to get bored trying to find the odd baddie here or there – I just rode for a while, clearing my head. Pumping my legs, finding the most challenging hills, closing my eyes and leaning back to feel the wind in my hair, I started to feel almost sane again.

Never let them get you down.

Of course, I knew I was being followed the whole time and by whom. But sometimes it was nice to ignore everything, and this was definitely one of those times.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" I sang into the darkness behind me where I heard furtive pedaling.

A panting Cordelia emerged into the streetlight, practically hanging on to the bike just to stay upright. Guess I wasn't really aware of just how far I'd gone.

"God, Faith, I have to work out, but I don't need to lose THIS many calories!"

Laughing good naturedly at her half-hearted grumbling, I waited for her to catch up to me and slung my arm over her slumped shoulders when she caught up. "And here I thought you were Queen C, master of her realm and all its subjects!"

The glare she sent me would have been a force 10 if she'd had any energy to put behind it, and let me tell you a force 10 Cordy glare is not something to be spoken of lightly. No, it's to be distinctly avoided with shy eyes and soft words. I tried to stifle my laughter, I swear I did.

Instead of laughing in her face even more, I looked around while she was attempting to slow her heart rate and/or move legs made of rubber and I happened to notice that we were conveniently next to a cemetery.

Even at my worst, I'm still a slayer. I guess that counts for something, right?

Especially since my spidey-sense, to borrow B's phrase, was tingling. Not jangling, just tingling. Most likely a newly risen vamp just begging to be dusted.

I think Cordy noticed where I was looking, because she got real quiet all of a sudden and nodded her head at the cemetery. As if she was giving me permission. Permission. Before…well, just before I would've – and had – maimed someone who implied they had any right to grant me permission. Is it weird that I wanted to hug her for it right then?

Tough my ass.

I eyed my bike, the curb, the graveyard and my stake speculatively. I think Cordy sensed something brewing because she got that oh-shit-now-what look on her face and was doing her best to keep from asking.

With a yell, I pedaled furiously towards the curb, at the last minute tugging slightly (remember, slayer here, everything's gotta be gentle when I'm trying not to break shit) on the handlebars and navigating my way over the cement. Getting a stake situated in my right hand, I steered with the other hand.

I swear to you I heard Cordy groan and smack her forehead.

Come on, I know you'd try it too.

So, hurtling at the newbie, he just barely had time to turn around and stupidly wonder at the brunette flying at him on a bike with a crazed glint in her eyes before I jammed my stake into him.

I must've missed because, when I untangled my legs from the bike, he was staring at me like I was nuts. Hell maybe I was. My landing was distinctly ungraceful, and that made me a little grumpy, so I didn't waste any time wasting him.

I was still disgustedly brushing myself off and muttering about my dismount when Cordy lightly smacked the back of my head.

Just to set things straight, I'd have killed anyone else.

"What?" I peevishly demanded.

"Are you nuts? Wait, duh, who am I talking to? Let me rephrase, what were you thinking?"

Peering at her in the dark, I mildly shrugged and replied, "I wasn't, really."

"Like that's supposed to be news?"

"Hey come on, not you too!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was already accosted by Red this evening, not you too, okay?"

"Wait, what???" It's fun to catch C off guard because she squeaks a little.

"Yea," I tried to shrug nonchalantly, but Cordy was either nice enough or distracted enough not to call me on it. "She tried to attack me and I gave her some food for thought."

"Oh really?" Queen C's eyebrows shot up, looking energized now. Who knew she liked making people a little uncomfortable.

"I asked Willow why she came to LA, and when she didn't answer honestly I reminded her. Or informed her, depends on how you look at it." I stopped thoughtfully, mulling it over. Does it technically count as 'reminding' to shed light on a revelation for someone else? A revelation they hadn't quite gotten around to yet? Still pondering, I started pushing my bike towards the exit, with Cordy trailing alongside me.

"And…?"

"I reminded her that she hates me because she's in love with Buffy, too."

"WHAT?" Wow, she's got some lungs on her. I decided not to explain the situation, after all she'd been around the groupies longer than I had. I let her figure it out on her own.

About ten minutes later, she indicated her agreement.

"I'll be damned."

"Careful what you wish for."

"Har har, slayer. I wonder why I didn't notice it sooner. Or at all."

Looking sideways at her, I had wondered that myself. "It's pretty damn obvious, I think."

Back in space, she spoke to a lamppost down the street, "I wonder if Buffy knows." In response, I merely raised my eyebrow. She caught my drift and said, "Yea, good point, she's never been much for emotional insight."

"Which 'she' are we talking about here?"

Cordy shrugged and simply asked, "Does it make a difference?"

Guess not.

About ten minutes of pleasant silence passed. Silent only because Cordy was still doing a blow-by-blow of Willow's behavior around/towards B and I was content to just walk. LA is so beautiful at night, when you can't see the smog and it's peacefully quiet.

"Wait a minute." I looked at her questioningly but didn't stop walking. "You said you told her you know she's in love with Buffy TOO."

There went the beautiful silence and peace. I cringed and said, "You, uh, noticed that, huh?"