"Uh huh….pfffft……why…….nooooo……WHAAA….BUFFYY!"
"Huh? What? What is it?" Buffy leapt out of bed and into a fighting stance ready to pummel whatever had woken her from her deep sleep. Instead her eyes fell on a startled looking Faith sitting bolt up-right on the couch. Buffy noticed the sweat that glistened on her face and chest and the panicked look in her eyes.
"Are you alright? What happened Faith?" She asked, lowering her fists and moving to stand in front of the other girl.
Faith slowly raised her eyes up to Buffy and gradually began to relax herself again, sinking back into the couch.
Rubbing her forehead, she replied, "Just a bad dream……aarghh I hate those. Too fucking real."
"You nearly gave me a heart attack. Being woken up by someone screaming my name isn't something I'm used to" Buffy said, and then quickly started babbling that she didn't mean it in that way, and that it hadn't sounded like that in her head, as Faith gave her a mischievous grin.
"Don't sweat it B. I said bad dream, not good" As soon as she'd spoken the words she wished she could take them back. She didn't want to start off that way, didn't want to slip back into that old, innuendo-steeped banter. Those days were gone and after all, she was majorly pissed at B//No flirting, goddamit Faith. She's not getting off that easily/.
Buffy looked away trying not to smile. Sitting down beside Faith, she turned to face her.
"So what was it about then?" she asked, absentmindedly rubbing at her sleepy eyes.
/Stop looking so fucking adorable Buffy. You know you're doing it. Actually you probably don't know at all. Just makes it more adorable. Fuck! Stop it/.
"Just you not waking up. You know…..concussion, shouldn't be sleeping, me trying to get you to wake up in that slow-mo dreamy kinda way. But you were dead."
"Gee, that's cheery" Buffy said, exhaling loudly.
"That was like Christmas Day with cherries on top compared with the shit I usually dream about" Faith replied, trying to make her tone sound light.
"Yeah well, tell your sub conscience it has nothing to worry about cos your screaming has clearly stopped me from dying" Buffy said smiling at Faith.
Faith was giving Buffy an anxious look, glancing at her head wound.
"Faith…….? I'm fine" Buffy said nudging her with her elbow "See, alive and kicking. No need to worry. Maybe I should be worrying about you though……..you're drenched in sweat and you're about 10 shades paler than your usual heroin chic colour"
"Hey! I'm not that pale. Don't get out in the sun much in this line of work ya know. And seeing as I'm not really partial to St. Tropez………..unlike some of us" she mumbled under her breath.
"Whaaat! I DO NOT use St. Tropez! Where did you get that idea from?" Buffy said in a half hearted outraged tone.
Faith burst out laughing at the look on Buffy's face and couldn't believe she had had the nerve to say that to the almighty B.
"Awww, come off it B! You're trying to tell me that whole time in Sunnydale that was just a 'natural glow' you had! You hardly ever went outside in the day…….ever!"
"That is so not true. And yes, this is my natural glow actually. And I try and spend a lot more time in the sun now. Look….I'll prove it" Buffy replied standing up and pushing her pants down a bit.
"Woah there B. What you doing!" Faith said leaning back in her seat unsure of what Buffy was up to.
"Chill F" Buffy replied with narrowed eyes, "Don't get all excited, just showing you my TAN lines. NATURAL tan lines".
Faith took a quick glance at Buffy's exposed hip before looking away. /Fuck, I missed this. Giving B a hard time. I forgot how much fun all the verbal sparring was/.
"Yeah yeah. I see Smarty Pants. Just yanking your chain B. Can't resist seeing that look on your face and hearing your voice go all high and screechy" Faith said smirking.
"Whatever" Buffy said in mock meanness, sitting back down.
After a few moments she said, "I missed you Faith"
Silence. Faith was looking straight ahead, seemingly at nothing.
/Ok. Obviously not what she wants to hear. Shit Buffy, think of something else to say/.
Buffy was starting to feel really awkward when Faith said, "What time is it?"
"Uhh….." Buffy glanced over at the microwave clock, "4:23am"
"I really need a smoke. I'm just gonna go downstairs" Faith said starting to get up.
"Oh, you don't have to do that. Just go out on the balcony"
Faith turned to look at the only window, "Balcony?" she asked raising her eyebrow.
"Well that could be a tad too fancy a word for it, but yeah, come see" Buffy replied, getting up and walking past Faith to the window.
She drew back the curtain and lifted the window open, stepping over the frame and disappearing through the small space.
"Very nice B" Faith said as she came out after Buffy. "Pretty good view you've got too"
It was just a small space really, that led to the brick fire escape but it looked directly onto the beach over the street.
"Yeah it's my favourite thing about living here. Just don't stand on that corner there cos I think it's about to give way" Buffy said smiling, "It's hardly five star living"
"Never was one for fancy shit B, you know that" Faith replied, lighting a cigarette between her teeth, "Speaking of stars….man, that's some sky you've got up there…..almost forgot what it looks like after living in LA for so long"
Looking up, Buffy asked "Can I get one of those?"
She felt Faith's eyes on her and waited for the inevitable incredulous remarks. But they never came. Instead Faith just reached in her jacket and passed Buffy the pack. And they stood like that; leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette for the first time in front of each other and listening to the sound of the ocean beneath them. It was weird, but it was nice, they both thought to themselves.
"I didn't know you smoked" Buffy said, looking at Faith as she stubbed out her cigarette.
"Well how could you. I only started this year" Faith replied in a slightly bitter tone.
"Oh" Buffy mentally kicked herself. This had all been a bit easy so far and she had stupidly let herself think that they could avoid any confrontational talks.
Faith noticed the look that passed over Buffy's face and realised that she must have sounded bitchy. She didn't want to go down that road particularly. Well that wasn't entirely true. In a lot of ways she wanted to scream and shout at Buffy until she couldn't scream any longer. But she knew there was no point in that. She hadn't come all this way just for that.
"I'm sure you'll realise it's far more of a shocker for me to find out that you smoke B" Faith ventured in a light voice, attempting to make her fellow slayer feel better.
Buffy's eyes twinkled in the moonlight as she looked at Faith. "I don't. I just felt like it there. Seemed like the thing to do"
"Yeah it did" Faith said, looking back at Buffy.
"How's your head feeling?" she asked, nodding towards it.
"A lot better thanks. That sleep really helped. And speaking of………." Buffy trailed off.
"Yeah, must be about 5 by now. I should probably go and get my car, get checked into a motel" Faith said, stifling a yawn.
"Just stay" Buffy said quietly.
"You want me to stay?" Faith asked, turning her head to look at the sky again.
"Yeah, I do. Come inside" Buffy swung her leg over the frame and went back inside.