Can you believe it? This is the last chapter of Creed… sob... We've only got the epilogue now and then it's all over. I don't know about you, but this is an end of an era (a painfully long and arduous era) for me. Please leave a review and tell me what you think, and I'll try to let this story go out with a bang in the epilogue. You're all amazing for sticking with me this long, and I wanted to thank you all individually.
Thanks to: poetic darkness, CBscifiJUNKY, mythic-lionheart, paigemaster, CharmingAngel, GB Keeper, meetwickedfaith, mysticamethyst87, christina, parentaladvisory, tked, firecaster-hikaru, Nikki, Dingoes Groupie, thunder07, toria and charmedloverloes.
You are the reason I've held on and kept writing this past year, so you have my gratitude! Toodles!
Creed
Chapter 21
After making sure that Dawn was safely at a friend's place for the night, Buffy and Faith waited for Giles to answer the door to his apartment. Buffy nervously grasped for Faith's hand, and the brunnette gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They heard scuffling footsteps behind the door, and it opened to reveal Giles's surprised face. They both stared at the scruffy blue dressing gown he was wearing.
"Buffy, you found her…"
"That I did," Buffy replied in an unusually high-pitched voice. "Uh, can I-we talk to you?"
He eyed them warily, but pulled the door open wider and gestured for them to come inside. He closed the door and followed them, stumbling slightly as the cotton of his dressing gown caught on a wooden chair sitting in the middle of the room.
"Just an old chair I'm going to throw out," he said as he pulled the cotton free. "You really shouldn't have run off like that, Faith. You had just been attacked and were most likely still too weak…"
Faith blinked at his reproachful tone and the sincere concern reflecting in his eyes. It was not something she was accustomed to, when things concerned her, and it took her a moment to compose herself.
"Yeah, about that," Faith began, flicking her gaze towards Buffy. "Sorry, Giles. Things were just a bit crazy, you know."
"I can understand the pressures you have been under lately, and I must admit our… reception of your return was not entirely welcoming." Giles was fidgeting with a pile of books on the coffee table, a sign that he felt something akin to apologetic embarrassment. "But you must take into consideration how unexpected your arrival was and that the… relationship between yourself and us was always going to be strained in the least."
Faith knew she deserved the little warmth the Scoobies had received her with; she hoped that the new situation between herself and Buffy would not diminish the little warmth they still had for her.
"We have something to tell you," Buffy said, surprising herself with her own audacity. She had planned on allowing Giles to settle down, maybe drink a little tea, before revealing their new… development. Giles' body stiffened, and Buffy hastened to ease his worry. "It's not anything bad," she assured him, and he visibly relaxed. "Actually, it's good news." She glanced at Faith and smiled, who returned the favour. Giles watched them, a pensive expression on his face.
Buffy opened her mouth, and then hesitated.
Giles was her father figure, and announcing to him that she was in fact gay did not rate highly in her comfort zone. The ick factor of basically telling him that she was with Faith made her want to shudder- not from the thought of being with Faith, but of the thought that Giles would certainly realize the things they'd do together. She wasn't against telling her mom and dad about the boys she dated back at Hemery, but since coming to Sunnydale her love life had been forced off limits to her mother. Giles had to know about her and Faith, because she wanted to prove to Faith that she wasn't ashamed of her. So Buffy told him.
He didn't react for a moment, and then nodded. "I always thought there would be a stronger connection between you two. The unusual circumstances behind your calling, Faith, assures that, but with the abnormal strength Buffy displayed when Faith arrived all points to an inevitable bond between you. It seems you work better as a team, in slaying, I mean, and when you fight you're both synchronised. It all adds up to a deeper magnetism, a more intense attraction…"
"Giles-"
"… and a part of Buffy did transfer to you when she died the first time…"
"Giles!"
"…and after the portal took the last part of the Slayer within her, it may have followed the rest of it and found you, Faith…"
"GILES!"
Giles ceased his audible inner monologue and glanced up. "What?"
"You're blabbering," Buffy said.
"Oh, well," he said. "I…ah. Yes. That's great."
Buffy smiled and hugged him, leaving Faith sitting nervously on the couch. It took her a moment to understand why she was nervous, but when it hit her she almost laughed. She wanted Giles' approval. She wanted Giles, Buffy's only family other than Dawn, to accept and approve of their relationship. And it suddenly occurred to her how much she had changed; how much Buffy had changed her. Any other guy- or girl- that she'd been remotely attracted to had either used her or she'd never given them the chance. Use 'em and lose 'em, that had been her motto. There was no awkward dating phase, no anxious waiting to sleep together, and no realization of love. She'd never done that before, but Buffy had somehow managed to turn it around. They were together. They were dating. They were a couple. They were in love. Faith smiled slightly, exhaling as the butterflies in her stomach resumed their dance.
"Have you given any thought to what you'll do now, Faith?" Giles asked, busying himself with making a pot of tea. A spoon slipped from his fingers and clattered into the sink. He reached for it again, a tinge of pink appearing on his cheeks. Buffy smiled at his attempt at normalcy.
Faith was caught off guard by the question and shook her head. "Uh…no, not exactly. I was thinking of finding a job somewhere. You know, maybe the mall will have some openings."
"Well, I've got a proposition for the both of you," he said, clearing his throat. "I've decided to initiate self-defence classes for the public. Anya and I have agreed to use the back room of the Magic Box since it's already perfectly set up, and I was wondering if you would like to be the instructors?"
There was a moment of silence, and Buffy and Faith exchanged a glance. They turned back to Giles, both smiling and nodding. "We'll do it."
"You will receive an income, of course. Most likely a high percentage of what we earn…"
"Giles," Faith interrupted. "Money or no, I'll do it."
"Me too," Buffy added.
Giles glanced from one to the other, and then nodded. "Ah. That's ah, great, then."
Buffy slipped her arm around Faith's waist and the brunette pulled her in for a kiss. Giles coughed suddenly and turned away.
"I'll, ah, just get some, ah, tea…"
"Oh, Giles…" Buffy called out.
"Yes?"
"There's something else you might want to know."
Giles' expression was priceless. "Oh?"
Buffy walked over to the old chair and brought her fist down. The piece of furniture splinted into pieces, the chair utterly destroyed.
"Guess who's a Slayer again?"
The tea pot shattered loudly on the tiles.
Buffy watched her girlfriend dance, seductively swaying her hips and grinning at the drooling boys surrounding her. Faith laughed, throwing her head back and shimmying closer to them. Their eyes bulged almost as much as the crotch of their pants, and Buffy laughed at the display Faith was making. Her sleek body danced gracefully, slyly moving forward like a cat stalking its prey. The throng seemed to create a path for her to move through, as if they understood this powerful girl was a force they could not touch. She looked deadly, and Buffy thought she looked amazing. And for some strange reason, Buffy felt no jealousy. Only amusement that the men staring at her wouldn't be going home with Faith tonight. But she would.
It had been a tough few days. It had been difficult to explain her relationship with Faith to Willow and Xander, and only after she had screamed her love for the brunette at the top of her lungs had they realized how serious she was. Their relationship with Faith was awkward at best, and the wounds of her betrayal were still there and painful, if no longer raw. Buffy had looked at Willow and asked her what she felt the first time she and Tara kissed.
"Like coming home," Willow had said. "Like suddenly, the world made sense."
When she had asked Xander what he felt when he proposed to Anya, he smiled reflectively. "Complete. Content. Happy."
"And how would you feel if that person was taken away?" Buffy had asked, to which they had both been horrified. "Well, that's what it felt like for me after the portal. Like I'd been scraped clean, like one half had been taken away. I was empty, useless…lost. But when Faith's around, I feel okay again. I can survive and live because she's here beside me."
They had accepted it, albeit after some amount of persuasion on Buffy's part, and had agreed to a Scooby meeting at the Bronze. Buffy's shift in the bar was over, and she was sitting back, watching her girlfriend tease a large percent of Sunnydale's male population. The others arrived soon after, and the eight of them chatted and laughed over a few drinks. Anya was boring Dawn with the finer points of seating arrangements at weddings, Willow and Tara were excitedly recounting to Xander a new spell they'd discovered, Giles tapped his fingers annoyingly against the table, and Buffy and Faith headed back to the dance floor.
They moved as one, their dancing graceful and sleek. They grasped each others' hips, drawing each other closer and sharing a chaste kiss. Their display brought many surprised glances and whispers, but they did not care. Xander turned around just in time to catch their kiss and groaned.
"Why is it that I know the most beautiful girls in this town, and two-thirds of them are gay?"
"Being friends with you could turn any girl gay," Spike said, sauntering around the table and resting against the wall.
"Did you notice they all switched teams when you came to town, Spike?" Xander retorted.
Spike lit a cigarette. "Do you really want me to kill you, Harris?"
"Do you really want to see the inside of a dust buster?"
"Do both of you want to know what it feels like to be sheep?" Willow asked sweetly. Spike took a long drag from his cigarette and Xander gulped deep from his beer.
Buffy and Faith were oblivious to the banter amongst their friends. They were oblivious to everything but each other, and it wasn't until they both sensed it that the world came crashing back. Faith shot Buffy a seductive grin.
"You up for it?"
"Always," Buffy replied, placing a lingering kiss on Faith's lips before laughing and strolling toward the rear entrance of the club.
Once outside, Buffy stepped back and allowed Faith to pull the female vampire away from the frightened boy.
"This one's mine!" the blonde vamp snarled.
"Not any more," Faith said, smirking. "But you can have me."
The vampire's expression changed from anger to surprise to appreciation. "Fair trade."
She grabbed Faith's head and pulled it to the side, revealing her neck. Her fangs flashed and she froze in shock when they were only inches from Faith's jugular, as a stake suddenly protruded from her chest.
"Sorry," Buffy said from behind her. "I don't share."
The vampire exploded into dust. Buffy laughed in delight and pulled Faith to her. The brunette grabbed her around the waist and ardently kissed her. Pulling back for air, the two Slayers gazed at each other.
"Wanna slay?" Faith asked, flashing a predatory grin.
"I always wanna slay," Buffy replied, returning her smile.
The Chosen Two laughed, and all over Sunnydale vampires shivered in fear. The other side of the world suddenly seemed like a good place to be.
To Be Concluded…