Creed

Chapter 9

Faith felt her head go light and her heart speed with excitement at the prospect of dancing with Buffy. She didn't know why she felt this way; she'd been asked to dance- and do a lot more- by a countless number of guys and girls. But they had never affected her like Buffy did. She nodded and turned to face the band, not wanting to show how shaken she really was. She saw Buffy begin to dance out of the corner of her eye, swaying her slight hips and raising her arms above her head. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, shuffling her feet to the fast tempo. Faith felt herself driven to move by the relaxed look on Buffy's face.

Time flew by as song after song played throughout the club, and Buffy had a distinct feeling of deja vu. She remembered a particular day years ago, where she had blown off a chemistry exam to hunt vampires with Faith. That night they had Bronzed it long and hard, both dancing with a band of hormonal teenage boys, teasing them endlessly with their slinky moves and seductive smiles. She had felt a certain rush of adrenaline at the freedom they had, something she had not had in a long while, and it felt good to do what she pleased without worrying about the consequences.

Tonight, as more and more bodies pressed against theirs, they both continued to compare that night to this one. Buffy knew the difference; that night she and Faith had been equals. Tonight, Buffy felt Faith hovering nearby, poised to leap at anyone willing to touch her. Faith's thoughts were moving along another line of thought. She had been more interested and focused on the men surrounding her that night back in Sunnydale. This night, she barely noticed them. All her thoughts were centered on the tiny blonde opposite her, grinding against an awed-looking blonde man.

She found herself becoming bored as Buffy's focus was centered on the guy, and retreated back into her mind. Slowly, ever so slowly, she blocked out the sounds and faces of those surrounding her. Soon, only she and the music existed, and she found herself once more probing the crowd. She found a few vampires, but they were already on their way out alone and she decided to concentrate on those who were an imminent threat. She turned her attention away from them and focused it on the dance floor.

She was stunned when a bright flame flickered into the darkness behind her closed eyelids. She felt a burning, electric shock travel down her spine, and stared as the flame began to take shape. It shaped itself into a figure, small but powerful, and it began to flicker swiftly. It finally stopped shaping itself and Faith heard a small gasp escape her lips. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at the source of the flame.

Buffy.

She realized that she had stopped dancing and the men had drifted away. She knew that Buffy had been right. The bond was still there, as strong as it had always been, and Faith couldn't understand why she hadn't felt it before. But now it was as strong as it had been in her small trance, and the fires in the pit of her stomach made her feel warmer than she thought she ever had. Was this what Buffy had felt? Was this what Buffy had meant when she said she had felt Faith's anger? The warmth that flowed through her was so similar to the sensation she had felt when she had first seen Buffy that it felt like the years between then and now had not occurred.

Buffy looked up and saw Faith gazing at her, frozen on the dance floor, and she knew that Faith could feel it. Could feel the intensity of the heat they both felt. Could feel her. And it suddenly occurred to Buffy why being around Faith made her feel okay. Why being around Faith made the world seem a little bit easier to live in.

Faith was what she should be. Faith was the Slayer; the one thing Buffy had been all her life. The one thing Buffy was missing. She could still sense the Slayer in Faith, and it drew her to the brunette. Faith was the key to unlocking why she was not the Slayer anymore, and why the Slayer had been a part of her. She had thought that they were two different beings, forced into one body. But they were the same. Buffy and the Slayer, the Slayer and Buffy. There were no strings that tied them together, no space that separated them. They were intertwined together as one. At least, they had been, until Glory. Now she was only Buffy. And she hated it.

"You feel it," she whispered, and Faith nodded. "What does it mean?"

Faith shrugged. "I don't know, B. But it's just as strong as before..."

"I know."

"This is weird, B. I can feel you there, but you still ain't the Slayer."

"I know. When I felt you, I thought maybe...but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I know it won't come back, but I kept thinking that if I could only sense one vampire, maybe, just maybe, I could get it back." Faith stayed silent. "And when I'm around you, I felt like… like old times. Like when I was the Slayer. But it's not and I'm not, and I have to get used to it. Faith, I came out here to find out why I'm no one without being the Slayer, but all I'm doing is holding onto the past. I need to move on and get over it. Let it go. I think I want to go back home."

"Yeah." The brunette nodded, mentally kicking herself for believing that Buffy would remain here with her. "Whatever."

Buffy must have seen the disappointment, because she quickly corrected herself. "I don't mean now. Soon. Maybe a week or so."

Faith nodded and motioned towards the door, revealing none of her relief. "Okay. What're you going to do before then?"

"I don't know. Party hard, sleep lots, got some well-earned rest before we head back."

"We?" Faith repeated blankly.

"We," Buffy affirmed. "You didn't think I could leave you here to terrorize Angel, did you? I'm not going back without you."

Faith stared at her, unsure of what to say. "Thanks," she finally managed to murmur, astonished that Buffy wanted her around. She swallowed her wonder and grinned at the blonde. "How about those drinks?"

"Now?"

"Well, I know a good bar not far from here…"

They arrived home just before the sun appeared on the horizon. They slipped through the hotel silently, trying not to wake any of its inhabitants. It was dark inside, and Buffy grabbed Faith's hand so she could follow the brunette. They tip toed across the lobby and their feet made a tiny pattering as their shoes hit the marble. Buffy yawned and she released Faith's hand to cover her mouth. Her toe cuffed the top of a step and she was pitched forward into the brunette. Faith shrieked as they landed on the stairs in a jumble of limbs. They stared at each other for a moment before breaking into giggles.

"Are you girls drunk?"

They glanced up to see Angel watching them from the second floor, a sharp but amused expression on his face. They looked at each other again and dissolved into another round of laughter. They were drunk, having decided to have a few drinks at the bar. A few drinks had turned into a drinking game, and that had eventuated into a lot more alcohol than the two could hold.

"Nope," Faith replied. She straightened and held out a hand for Buffy to take. Lifting the blonde to her feet, she stumbled a little and shot Angel a wild grin. "Now, good sssssir," Faith said. Her words were slurred and caused Buffy to chuckle, the noise echoing across the lobby. "We young ladies must be off to get our beauty sleep."

"Angel, man, what's happening?" Gunn appeared beside the vampire, and he rubbed his eyes sleepily. He glanced down at the two women on the steps. "What the hell?"

Wesley appeared only a few seconds later, complaining about the noise. He saw Buffy and Faith sprawled across the steps.

"And I assume they are leaving for an early morning training session, and are not only arriving home."

"You assumed wrong, English," Gunn said.

"Couldn't you girls arrive home at a reasonable hour?" Wesley sighed.

Cordelia's clipped tones resounded down the corridor. "It's six in the freaking morning. What the hell is going on?" She glanced over the balcony and saw them. "Oh, trust. Don't you people know what sleep is?"

"Yes, we dooo," Buffy replied. "Because we are young ladiess, and we doo need to ssleep." She suddenly pitched forward again, and promptly passed out in Faith's arms.

Angel hurried forward and lifted her into his arms.

"She just couldn't wait to sleep." Faith sighed. "Or maybe she just wanted an excuse to be carried by the handsome gentleman. Maybe I should faint too."

"Don't even think about it," he replied, swinging Buffy over his left shoulder and holding Faith around the waist with his other hand. "When did you guys stop drinking?"

"When the bar closed," Faith answered.

"No wonder you two are completely wasted," Gunn said, shaking his head and chuckling softly.

The others went back to bed and Angel pushed the door to Faith's room open. He released her to stumble onto the bed. She crawled under the covers and pulled them up to her chin, shivering despite the warmth radiating through the room. He pulled Buffy off his shoulder and gazed at her while she lay in his arms. She looked so vulnerable, lying motionless in his grip, breathing softly. Her chest rose and fell so slightly that it was barely visible through her top. He noticed how thin and pale she had become. The two pink flushes on her cheeks were the only sign of life in her face. It tore him apart to see her like this.

He turned to put Buffy in another room, but remembered how she had woken her first morning at the Hyperion. She had panicked when she realized Faith wasn't with her, and he didn't want her to wake with the same fright again. He turned back and heaved away the bed covers, gently placing her beneath them. He pulled the blanket to her chin, and checked that she was breathing properly. Once he was certain she'd be okay he walked towards the door. Pausing at the entrance to look back, he sighed and closed the door.

As soon as he was gone, Faith rolled over in her sleep and flung her arm across Buffy's stomach. She responded, snuggling into Faith's embrace. The two girls fell deeper into sleep, comforted by the closeness of the other.

To Be Continued…