Title: Opposites
Summary: 'Two slayers aren't supposed to be alive and chosen at the same time, so maybe one of us had to be dark, just to even the playing field a little'.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Buffyverse, or anything related to it.
Rating: R (for language)
A/N: This is set after Enemies, and is femslash so if you don't like it don't read it.
Faith's POVWhy the hell does she have to make this hard? Why can't she just give up? Why can't she accept she's beaten? The arrogant little bitch. It's over. She's lost and I've won. Can't she accept that?
No. Buffy-self-righteous-Summers could never accept defeat at the hands of someone who was clearly better than her. I always have been. Whenever we fought I'd hold back just so I wouldn't hurt her.
Yeah, she was the slayer first, but while she was in LA talking bout the latest fashion accessory with her friends I was struggling to survive. I've been training and fighting my whole life. Just trying to survive and hold my own. I'm all I've got, always have been always will be.
I dragged myself through life from one shit place to another. Lived on rules like want, take, have and get some get gone. Forced myself to carry on for some reason I could never justify to myself. Not until I was told I was a slayer, see then I knew why I had worked so hard and trained to be so strong. I had a cause. I wasn't just some kid from the wrong side of the tracks. I was a slayer.
I was what kept people safe at night, I saved people. I had a cause, something that was legit' and noble; and for once in my life I was doing somick for someone other than myself.
Then I came to SunnyD and found her. And she royally fucked up my world. She was my other half. Everything that I had felt was missing from my soul. Which surprised me 'cos before I became a slayer I didn't really think I had a soul.
She was light and cute, caring and moral, trusting and modest. My total opposite. She was the yin to my yang…or whatever it is. I was dark and although I have looks, I'm not cute. I can't do the whole cute-girl-gonna'-be-there-for-you thing like B.
I do the hot-babe-who's-gonna-rock-your-world-then-leave thing. I'm in no way modest. I use everything I've got to my advantage; modesty isn't for girls like me. I'm distrusting and distrustful and my morals don't really match B's.
She's like the other half of me, but then since we're total opposites I should have worked it out a lot earlier, before I let my self fall for her, before I let these feelings get to me.
She's the good slayer, the light one. Not to have a yoda moment or anything but that only leaves me the darkness. To be honest I like it. Two slayers aren't supposed to be alive and chosen at the same time, so maybe one of us had to be dark, just to even the playing field a little.
Well it isn't really even, 'cos I'm just plain better than her. I'm stronger, I'm faster and my senses are more alert. After years of looking out for myself I was stronger than her before I got the slayer strength. I'm just better, and B doesn't get it 'cos I've let her think that the virtuous older slayer was the better of us, and in some ways she is, but I'm the better slayer.
Now as I pin her to the wall of The Bronze with a knife to her throat and a grin on my face as she desperately struggles to break free I think she finally gets it. It makes my smirk even larger when she stops struggling.
Buffy's POV
It took me a while to accept that Faith had turned her back on me…us…the whole gang. When she first arrived in Sunnydale I could tell she hadn't had an easy ride and that she needed help, guidance, maybe even a family and I gave her all three.
Then she goes and shoves that all back in my face by becoming all evil. It hurts that she's betrayed me, and it hurts that she tried to de-soul angel and take him from me.
I know that right now I hate her and I feel like hurting her, making her suffer for the pain she's caused me, but I know that deep down I don't. She's my sister slayer and I want to try to save her.
I see her leave The Bronze and head over to her. I need to get her to understand that I want her back on my side. Fighting the good fight and doing what a slayer has to.
"Faith." She doesn't turn to acknowledge me, but I get the feeling that she knew I was there before she even left The Bronze. She walks into an alley and I follow her. I know I'm an idiot, but some part of me still believes that she can be redeemed.
She stops in front of me and turns around, her eyes lazily taking in my form. "We're gonna' fight B."
"We don't have to." I object. She laughs and shakes her head.
"We kinda' do B. See, I gotta' prove something." She explains as she moves forward so that we're centimetres apart.
"What?" I try to sound defensive but it comes out as a whisper.
"That I'm better." She mutters hoarsely into my ear and within moments the fight begins.
It's all routine at first, we're fighting and it's just like sparring, but Faith's being more aggressive and there's less innuendo being passed between them. Then Faith goes to strike and I know from endless sparring and training with her that she'll leave her left leg vulnerable and off balance. A quick swipe will have her on the floor.
As I try it she grins and shakes her head as her leg moves faster than mine and she strikes my thigh in mid air and the pain is so excruciating that I cry out. My whimpering only eggs her on.
We continue to fight and I can barely block her attacks, I gave up trying to deliver my own long ago, and now I'm playing defence for all my life is worth. She's stronger than she's ever been and as she pins me roughly to the wall and pulls out a blade from her boot realisation suddenly dawns on me. She held back.
All these months she's held back when we've fought. She stronger and quicker and she's strategic, not as random and impulsive as she led me to believe she was, she's planning moves ahead. Anticipating my every move and adjusting her attack for my reaction.
With the blade pressed against my throat I know she's won. She could kill me here and now, but her true strength isn't the only thing that I've realised tonight. She really hasn't held back.
When we've sparred in the past or fought she's always had this look in her eyes, I always though it was desire. She was constantly checking me out and flirting and I thought it was just part of her personality, but now she's let everything out and I saw what that look really was. It was love.
"Oh, Faith." I mutter as tears roll down my cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Faith's POV
I can't believe she's crying and apologising. I think I've broken Buffy. "It's not you fault B." I reply. She's looking up at me with the big Buffy Summer's pout that usually would even work on me, but not this time.
"We're opposite's Buffy." I explain in case she hasn't quite grasped that realisation yet. "You're the good, popular loved slayer and so that only leaves me to be the bad one…"
"That's not true Faith." she objects, even with a knife to her throat she's still courageous. "You don't have to be bad, we're slayers. The chosen two. We're the good guys and you have the gang and…"
I silence her with the blade to her lips and shake my head. She really doesn't get it. "They're all your things B. You're the older slayer, the one everyone wants to be around. You have the friends and the watcher and the mother. I've got zip…and all I ever wanted was you, but I knew. I knew you couldn't love me 'cos we're opposites…"
Buffy's POVOh God I'm losing her. She's going over the edge and nothing I say is going to make a difference. I have one last desperate chance and I take it. I grab the knife and cut her hand and then mine and force our hands together, our blood mixing.
"What the fuck?" She pulls her hand back and pushes me to the ground. She sits on me to keep me secure as she grabs the knife that I dropped and holds it at my throat again.
I'm in floods of tears now and I don't care. "It's slayer's blood Faith. I hold my hand up to her to show her the cut and the smear of blood that came from her cut. "It's the same. It's equal. It's who we are. In our blood we're the same."
I see tears forming in her eyes now and I know I'm getting through. "You're my sister slayer Faith and I love you. You are not evil and you are not dark. You're part of me."
Faith's POVShe's gone and done it again! Fucked up my head when it was so clear. I was sure I'd figured it out. Why she'd had all the better chances in life and I'd been shunned and ignored. She's still talking and she's confusing me. I don't even remember when I put the knife down but it's on the ground now.
I have to stop her talking. Have to get her to shut up. I use the first way that pops into my head and sure enough the second my lips cover hers she shuts up.
She resists and tries to pull away but her arms are pinned by my legs and my hands are free to roam over her perfect body. The perfect body I've longed to touch since the second I saw her.
My tongue pushes its way into her mouth and after a few moments I realise she's not fighting me anymore and her tongue is battling my own. She's finally accepted that I'm better and it's useless to fight me. I'm better and she gets it! I take extra pleasure in biting her lower lip and causing a moan to erupt from within her throat.
I pull away for air and we're both panting. Her chest heaves up and down as she hungrily draws in air and I want her right there. "Faith, it's not too late…"
I laugh as I nip at her neck. "For what?"
"To come back to your destiny, to be who you were destined to be…to come back to me."
I laugh at her choice of words. "Destiny? B, our destiny goes something like…one girl in all the world…not two. Two kinda fucks up the balance a bit."
"Then screw destiny. We'll write our own." Her rebellious attitude intrigues me and I consider for a second that maybe I could let her save me from who I've become.
Buffy's POVI know from the look in Faith's eyes that I have her attention and a spark of emotion starts in the pit of my stomach. A mix of relief and desire, but right now I need to concentrate on helping Faith.
"How about 'Two girls in all the world, chosen to fight the forces of darkness, together, supporting one another, loving each other and defying anyone who doesn't like it."
Faith's eyes widen at my use of the 'L' word. "Loving each other?" She repeats, then her smile disappeared as she took in what that meant. "As sisters." She muttered.
"No." I objected as I reached up and claimed her lips. "Not like sisters...the slayer bond, it's more than that…ever since we met there's been this bond between us, its so powerful and confusing and I though it made us love each other like sisters, but its more than that…"
"It's understanding." Faith interrupts. "We're the only people in the world who know what it's like to be us."
"It's love." I finish and she finally lets her tears fall as she lets me sit up and holds me tightly as though our bond could break at any moment.
"Please come back to me Faith. I can't do this without you." I plead as I cry in her arms and she rocks me gently.
"I…I can't." She cries. "I killed that guy and the stuff with angel…" I grab her chin and force her to look at me.
"It's ok Faith. We can get through this. Together. Trust me." My words reassure her and we sit there holding one another until dawn. When we wake we're still in each other's arms and we have stains of dry tears on out faces, but to me Faith still looks beautiful.
"Faith." I mutter in her ear as she caresses my neck with her lips.
"Hmm?" She replies, lost in the ecstasy of finally having the one thing she had wanted all her life before she even knew it.
"You said if I killed you, I'd become you." I continue even though her expression falls at the mention of her earlier words. "You were wrong. I am you." I smile. "We're the same, equal. Ok?"
She nods and smiles as we get up from the cold ground and kiss in the early morning light. "I can still beat you any day." She grins and I can't help but grin because I've got my old Faith back, the one I've been in love with since before I could remember.
Fin.
