Creed
Chapter 7
Buffy stirred and woke, shifting uncomfortably on the scored surface she was lying on. Cautiously opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a rather high ceiling. She straightened slowly, gazing at her surroundings. The roof was extremely high, and two curving grand staircases led to a terraced second floor. Turning her head, she saw a desk with papers strewn across it and several doors behind it. There was a weapon's cabinet in the far wall, and her eyes caught on a familiar dagger.
Angel.
She must be at the Hyperion Hotel. It was much more palatial than he had described it, and she was impressed by his set up. A shrill ring pierced the air and she ducked low as a hassled young girl rushed into the room.
"Angel's Investigations," she said into the phone. "We help the helpless, how can we help you?"
Buffy raised her eyebrows at their motto, and silently slid off the couch, walking around it and standing in front of the counter. The brunette murmured a few 'yes' and 'hmm' and Buffy realized that she was a petite woman, not the girl she had imagined earlier. The woman placed the phone back on its hook, humming to herself. She glanced up from the notepad and jumped in panic when she saw Buffy, tripping over her own feet in fright and landing in a heap on the floor. Buffy quickly ran around to the other side and knelt beside the fallen woman.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Oh, n-no, don't worry!" she said, eyeing Buffy. "My fault, I wasn't paying attention. You know how it is, distractions and things, never notice anything else. I was thinking, and you surprised me, but I'm just so clumsy..."
"Fred, are you all right?"
Buffy recognized the careful British accent, and whirled around to face her ex-Watcher. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Buffy?" he exclaimed, rushing over to collect her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
Buffy inconspicuously extracted herself from his embrace and stepped back. "Oh, I'm, uh, here for a visit," she stammered lamely. He had changed since she had last seen him. No longer was he the stiff, uppity Watcher she had known. He still held himself straight and tall, but he radiated confidence and comfort rather than pride and smug self assurance. She noticed the lack of gel in his mussed hair and the casual clothes he wore. Wesley was the not the same stuffy Watcher that she had known all those years ago. Here stood a different man, weathered from years of hardships, failures and trials.
"Oh, really?" Wesley asked, genuinely surprised. Buffy had never visited before, and to do so now was rather unusual. Now that he had looked at her, Wesley noticed that she had changed a considerable amount since he had last seen her. She seemed weary, almost fed up. Of what, he was unsure. He shrugged it off, telling himself that Buffy's reasons were her own. "It's really good to see you, though."
"You too, Wes, you too."
A small cough from behind them shook the two from their musings, and Wesley moved in between the two women.
"Buffy, this is Fred, and Fred, Buffy," he introduced them, gesturing from one woman to the other.
"H-hi," Fred greeted, awed that the woman she had heard so much about was so tiny. How a woman this small could have saved the world four times was beyond her.
"Hey," Buffy replied, still feeling a little embarrassed for having scared Fred so completely. "Sorry about scaring you before..."
"Oh, don't worry!" Fred cut the apology off, waving her hands in the air. "After being trapped in a demon dimension for years I'm a bit jumpy at everything. And I just seem to have a problem working both my brain and my body at the same time. I'm getting better though..."
As Fred continued to babble, Buffy was reminded of Willow. She felt a pang of loss at the redhead's absence, which got her thinking about Dawn and the others and in a direction she didn't want to take.
"Fred, Wes, have you seen..."
Buffy spun around to see Angel exit his office, and Angel trailed off when he saw the blonde.
"Buffy," he said. "You're awake."
Buffy fidgeted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I just woke. Uh, how did I get here?"
"Faith and I brought you back after the fight this morning," he explained. "You do remember it don't you? You're not hurt?" he asked, his forehead creasing in concern.
"Yes and no," she replied, wincing at the memory of that morning. "What about the woman? Is she...?"
"She's fine," he interrupted, knowing what she had been thinking. "She's staying at the hospital overnight but should be released tomorrow."
Buffy released the breath that she didn't know she had been holding and visibly relaxed. The silence became uncomfortable and Buffy felt the back of her neck prickle, suddenly aware that she felt vulnerable. She glanced around the lobby and realized why.
"Where's Faith?" she asked, immediately feeling the absence of the brunette.
"She's asleep upstairs," Wesley replied. "She got a bit roughed up after she discovered the nest in that alley."
"Nest?" Buffy demanded, narrowing her eyes. "What nest? Is she okay?"
"She's fine. She was so angry after you got hurt that she went back alone and destroyed the lot of them," Angel assured her. "She's just resting now. Room twenty-six."
She was already halfway up the stairs before she could hear what room Faith was in, but Buffy didn't need directions to find the brunette. Her slayer-sister shared a strong bond with her that she could follow to the end of the world, a sixth sense that allowed her to feel Faith's presence. It was similar to the tingly-feeling she felt when a vampire was near, but less unpleasant. She briefly pondered why she could still feel it, seeing as she was no longer a Slayer, but abruptly brushed the thought away.
She knocked softly on room twenty-six and after waiting patiently for a reply and receiving none, slipped inside. Faith was lying fully clothed on her side, and apparently hadn't bothered to get under the covers of her bed. She was snoring softly, and Buffy felt a smile tug on the edge of her lips. She had never seen Faith look so innocent and childlike. Her hands were tucked beneath her head and her ankles were crossed, knees pulled slightly upward. There was a small cut on Faith's cheek, and she could see the start of a bruise on the brunette's shoulder.
Buffy approached the bed and a small frown played on her lips. Faith should have healed by now, with her swift healing and the time that had passed. She sat gently on the edge of the bed beside Faith.
The brunette cried out softy in her sleep. "No! I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
Buffy startled at the anguish that filled Faith's voice. It pained her to see the strong girl fall apart in her sleep. She seemed so vulnerable, so weak and begging to be comforted. What she would give to feel like that...
"Shhh," Buffy whispered, pushing back a stray strand of hair from Faith's face. "It's alright, you're okay."
Faith's hand shot out and grabbed Buffy's, entwining their fingers. She felt a tremor of fire ignite through her body as their skin touched, and gasped at the contact. She couldn't ever remember feeling like this, like she was on fire and being consumed by the flames. She enjoyed it. She was feeling...feeling something.
All of a sudden Faith rolled over and broke their contact. Buffy almost cried out at the loss, but managed to remain silent. Apparently, Faith had other ideas.
"Don't let me go," she whimpered. "Please!"
Despite knowing that Faith was still asleep, Buffy couldn't help but reply. "I won't," she whispered, shaking her head furiously. "I can't."
Faith suddenly rolled back over, wrapping her arm around Buffy's waist. She pulled the blonde closer, forcing Buffy to lie down on the bed. As soon as Faith touched her, the fire within her started again, and her heart was beating uncontrollably. Buffy lay on her back and Faith cuddled into her chest, holding her tightly around the waist. She was becoming frightened by the emotions that rushed through her. Warmth, life, energy, happiness... It surrounded her and engulfed her, filling her with an increasing urge to run. But she was sick of running, sick of not feeling.
Buffy gingerly placed her hand on Faith's arm, hoping that the sensations wouldn't leave her. She felt Faith's body tense, and her heart skipped a beat as the brunette raised her head and met Buffy's eyes.
"What...?" she murmured.
"I-I was j-just checking on you," Buffy stammered. "Y-you grabbed me in your sleep."
She was hoping against hope that Faith would stay beside her and keep holding her. But Faith's eyes filled with surprise and then guilt and she instantly pulled away, causing Buffy to grieve for the loss of contact.
"Sorry," Faith muttered, rolling off the bed as Buffy sat up. "Must have been dreaming of some guy I picked up."
Buffy felt a pang of jealousy at the mention of Faith's past lovers and frowned. Where had that come from? Why was she jealous of Faith's conquests?
"I really didn't mean it, B," Faith continued, misreading her grimace.
Buffy shook her head sadly. "I know."
Faith gave her a quizzical look. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied, suddenly flustered under Faith's scrutiny.
"I mean now, B, not tomorrow or next week," Faith said, walking back over to the bed. Buffy's heart sped up again, and she couldn't figure out why she felt a flush rise up her neck.
"I am fine, I mean, I am." She nodded and suddenly became awfully interested in the wallpaper.
"Don't lie, B, you were never good at it." Faith smiled at her, and Buffy felt her lip twitch.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"No problem," Faith said. "But we'll find what you're looking for. Together."
Buffy felt a tremor of hope when she heard Faith say they would be together. She didn't understand what she was feeling for the brunette Slayer. And funnily enough she didn't care, because Faith made her feel something, and that was enough.
"Get some rest, B," she said. "I'll speak to you tomorrow."
"Faith," she spoke suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Stay?"
Buffy woke to find a delicious warmth flowing through her. It was something she hadn't felt since discovering the loss of her Slaying powers. She snuggled deeper into the pillow, trying to retain the heated sensations coursing through her body. She suddenly felt a hand grab her hip and opened her eyes in surprise. Buffy found herself gazing into the eyes of a sleepy brunette, whose dark hair hung in curls around her face.
"Morning, sleepy head," she greeted with a smile.
"I think it's more like night," Buffy replied, glancing out the window.
"Nope, it's two in the morning, so technically I'm right." She smirked, but then suddenly became aware of their position, and Faith dropped her eyes, pulling her hand away from Buffy's hip. Like the day before, she awkwardly moved away, shuffling onto her side of the bed and sitting upright. "Um... I feel kinda' jumpy, so I'm gonna go out. You all right?"
Buffy struggled to sit up, and gave a short nod. "Yeah, sure, I'll be fine."
She had woken up in the Hyperion's lobby almost two days ago. Angel had forced her to remain in bed for most of it, and Cordelia had been surprising helpful in treating her bruises and cuts. She had no idea what Faith or the others had been up to while she was resting, but she truly did feel better and was ready to do anything. She wasn't accustomed to resting so much and her restless legs limbs protested.
Faith nodded and moved out of the room, stopping a foot outside the door. She dropped her head for a moment, as though gathering her nerves, and then reopened the door. Buffy glanced up in surprise from her seat on the edge of the bed.
"Feel like clubbing it tonight, B?"
Buffy was silent for a few seconds before a smile played across her lips. It was the first real smile Faith had seen since Buffy had come to visit her. It completely changed her appearance; lightening her eyes and making her cheeks appear fuller. Faith had never remembered Buffy looking so...well, so attractive. She had always been the pretty blonde Slayer, but now she had matured into a beautiful woman, confident in her body and skin.
"Sure," she answered, following Faith into the hall.
"You sure you're up for it?" Faith asked, glancing quickly at Buffy. "I know the attack was only two days ago, but…"
"I'm fine," Buffy replied firmly, not giving the brunette a chance to see her uncertainty. There was no way she'd give Faith or Angel a reason to lock her in that room any longer.
The door clicked shut behind them and they made their way down the stairs. Angel glanced up from the front desk as they descended. He silently closed the book he had been researching through.
"Going out?" he asked in a hushed voice.
Faith nodded as she slipped her jacket on. Buffy wondered where she had gotten new clothes from, and found out that Faith had gone shopping after Buffy had stormed out.
"Shopping?" Buffy asked, raising her eyebrows skeptically.
Faith had the decency to look sheepish. She shrugged. "Shopping, stealing, same diff."
Buffy rolled her eyes and Angel startled at how relaxed she looked. She was an entire contrast to the broken woman she had been the day before.
"And what about my clothes?" Buffy asked, looking down at her outfit ad scrunching her nose.
"I went to your motel room and got your clothes and things," Angel said. "I put them upstairs. I hope you don't mind-"
"Mind? You're a life saver!" she said, running back up the stairs to change. Angel watched her go, feeling the familiar tightening of his chest. Faith leaned against his desk and picked up his book.
"What're you reading?" she asked.
"The ancient texts of the Khuya."
She dropped it like it was on fire. "Don't ever let me pick up one of your books again, 'kay?"
"Deal."
Faith noticed his lingering gaze at the stairs, and felt a twinge of jealousy. Angel loved Buffy, and no matter who she met or did, she would always love him. They had too much history not to always hold a piece of each other, and Faith wished that one day she would be able to say she loved someone that much.
Buffy raced down the stairs, now clad in jeans, a tight-fitting black tank top and high heels.
"We're going to a club," Faith informed him. "Be back later."
They were gone before Angel could reply, leaving him staring at the door as it swung shut behind them. He hadn't been able to rest properly since Willow's phone call, and all he wanted to do was to gather Buffy in his arms and comfort her. All he wanted to do was to kiss her and tell her that everything would be all right. Angel had thought that he had moved on from Buffy, but after seeing her so close to giving up he knew that he hadn't. She had saved him from the brink of insanity, dragged him back from ending his torment, and he wanted to repay her. He wanted to save her as she had once saved him, and it was tearing him up that he didn't know how.
He slumped forward, resting his back against the desk. He was clueless as to how to help her. The only time when she looked half okay was when she was around...
It hit him with full force and he cursed himself for not realizing it. Faith. Buffy had asked him to drive her here to visit Faith in an attempt to discover what being a Slayer meant to her, but it didn't appear that she had yet asked Faith for help. Angel scowled, realizing that Buffy was too stubborn to just come right out and ask for help. He had to get Faith to dig deeper, to find out what Buffy really needed. He felt a twinge of unease at the thought of the brunette being the one who would save Buffy, but he couldn't think of any other plan that could work.
His gaze travelled to the second floor, where the people who had become his family rested. His life had changed so much since he had left Buffy, and despite still harboring love for her, he knew that he wouldn't change a thing if he had the chance. Cordelia, Wes, Gunn and Fred were too important to him now, and they had become his life. And an interesting life at that.
To Be Continued…
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