Summary: I guess it's not much of a One Shot anymore huh? A look at a secret relationship between Buffy and Faith in Season 7.
Disclaimer: None. Nope Nobody. Not me. Don't own 'em.
Mad World
Nights were quickly passing these days. With the anticipation of the First, and along with Angel's soon coming, Buffy made sure to take an extra dose of her time with Faith. Things were growing steadily more and more intimate now. Not only was most of their nights spent kissing, there was also brief conversation between the two. Simple things they'd talk about, like what the next day's events would be, possible thoughts about the final battle that was approaching. It was beginning to be a sort of therapeutic situation.
Tonight though, Buffy had volunteered them to a quick sweep around the few cemeteries Sunnydale held. The potentials had been out three nights this week, and not much had gotten staked. A night with just the slayers would get some real slayage done.
They walked slowly, slowly through the rows and rows of headstones. They still took it upon themselves to act as if they were simply co-workers, rather than secret lovers. Nobody was around, they could get away with whatever they wanted, yet neither made a move towards the other.
Faith walked a few paces behind, puffing quietly on a cigarette, while Buffy moved ahead, keeping her mind busy with searching for any creatures of the night.
The Rogue averted her eyes every few seconds, starting at the ground and moving steadily up to Buffy, then quickly back down. It was getting just too difficult to pretend.
"Lookin' for somethin' particular tonight?" She questioned, grinning that stupid grin at Buffy's preoccupied back.
"No. I feel something nearby. Do you see anything?" Buffy whirled around, penetrating in each direction, disgruntled that her slayer senses seemed to be failing her.
Faith took her own short glance around, though found the same empty cemetery as her partner. "Nope. I think you're losin' your touch, B."
Buffy sent a brief glare at her counterpart before turning back around and continuing on. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, though something was out there, nearby them. Maybe Faith was right. Maybe she had been the slayer for just a little too long.
She shrugged the thought off and headed towards the forsaken crypts, following their path towards the eastern end of the cemetery.
Faith still lazily followed, taking turns tossing and twirling her stake in one hand to the other. She truthfully could feel the nearby presence as well, but decided to let Buffy be the bloodhound this time. She wasn't one to worry about scary vampires or demons following. She could take care of herself, and was confident in that.
Buffy finally ceased the search, sighing in frustration and taking a seat on a tombstone. "This is useless. There's nothing out here. Everyone's gone with the First coming. It's dumb to think the evil would stay too."
Faith stood stationary, leaning against a mausoleum. "Yeah, well…" She trailed off slightly, "Least we, y'know, got some time …alone." Once the words left her mouth, Buffy was up in an instant and against the mausoleum as well, with Faith beneath her. There was a clash of lips as hands found each other with ease. Maybe there was a plus side to a slow day at the office.
Two slayers melded into one and Buffy found herself without guilt at the situation. They were completely alone, and there was no chance of being found.
Faith let herself be pinned until she was forced to pause their tryst for a breath of fresh air. She finally let her dark chocolate orbs connect with Buffy's soft green ones. For a moment that stretched towards perpetuity they stared and breathed. Finally, Buffy made the move to start again. Faith dodged her head slightly and sucked in one final breath before speaking.
"You sure 'bout this?" She whispered, dropping her hand to her side and letting it hang.
Buffy wasted no time in nodding and moving forward again. She had to step on the edge of the mausoleum just to reach Faith's lips. She almost chuckled at the height difference. They were the most polar opposites she could think of.
Faith had turned to evil; Buffy had stayed on the good side. Faith never had the luxury of a family or friends; Buffy had both of those to boot. Faith was well over 5'3; Buffy WAS 5'3. She held back her laughter and continued kissing.
It was a strange combination, being happy and with Faith. She had never expected it. Not in a million years would she have thought herself happy and with Faith. It was unreal.
Minutes passed with their newfound discovery of each other's lips going quite well, until Faith disturbed them once more. Her eyes ticked up past Buffy at a presence she wasn't sure she would ever see again. She attempted to form a sentence with Buffy still reigning upon her, and failed miserably, the words only coming out as a scrambled moan.
Finally, she pushed Buffy off of her lightly, though hurriedly and pointed silently behind the blonde slayer.
Annoyed at yet another commotion of their time, Buffy sighed and turned around to face whatever had caused Faith's distraction. At the sight, a gasp she hadn't formed escaped her lips, and she fully stepped away from Faith.
"Angel?"
Stepping from the shadows, the master of brood moved into the moon's light and stumbled a bit for words. "Uh… I'm not, err, interrupting anything? Am I?"
Buffy, just as frazzled, wiped her lips and quickly shrunk inside herself. "Oh, uh… no, I-…We just uh-… I-I mean… Oh God." Buffy's eyes shamefully met the ground. Angel was NOT supposed to see that. Nobody was. Oh. What if he told? What if he told somebody? Oh, then everyone would find out and they wouldn't be a secret anymore. They wouldn't be anything anymore!
"Hey, Fang." Faith murmured from behind the frantic slayer. She, as well, kept her glance close to the grass. As demeaning as this meeting was, Faith wasn't as frenzied on hiding their doing. It just proved she still had it in her.
"Faith, Buffy." Angel nodded a quiet greeting to both of them, hoping to start their conversation over. "Um, Giles said I could find you here."
"Right!" Buffy said quickly, unshrinking herself just slightly. "We were… patrolling. Or, at least it started out that way." Faith almost laughed at the irony. They come here to escape the company, and out pops the last person she expected to see.
"Come here to fight the good fight, huh? Must be gettin' a little dull up in the City Of?" Faith stepped away from the mausoleum, moving towards Angel with that bit of a half-smile. Buffy had always admired the way she covered her emotions.
"We still have our own things to deal with… but I'm more of an asset here right now than up there." He explained. The three stood at an odd shaped triangle, Angel at the point, Buffy on her own side, curled into herself and staring intently at the ground, and Faith beside her, staring the vampire full on with a familiar smirk spread across her features.
Silence started and stretched for the longest and most awkward moment Buffy had ever experienced. Her soul mate had just witnessed her kissing her mortal enemy, a girl, Faith. She couldn't begin to fathom how weird it all was. "Well… um, I guess we should … go back to the house. We can talk about what you already know…" She mumbled in Angel's general direction.
The vampire nodded in his usual, silent way and turned to the lead the trio of them back home safely. He kept his hands in his pockets and his calm eyes straight ahead. Buffy and Faith didn't speak the rest of the walk home.
When the three finally arrived back at the Summers Headquarters, it was late into the night and most of the inhabitants were sleeping, except for the Watcher and a few lone, sleepless potentials. Giles emerged from the kitchen quickly as they made their way inside.
"Oh, Buffy, I wasn't expecting you lot home so early. Why don't we discuss with Angel what information ourselves and he have found?" Giles gave his normal, manly, and British, silent nod for greeting at Angel. There was no tension, yet no excitement towards the vampire.
Buffy nodded with a quiet, "Mmhm, yup. Okay." She doubted that she would ever be able to look Angel in the eyes again.
As the 'Scooby Meeting' began, Faith slipped off and upstairs, knowing there was no reason for her to stay. She doubted she would see much of Buffy these next few nights. But it wasn't like Angel would tell, would he? I mean can you imagine him nudging Willow or someone and leaning real close to tell of their little tryst he endured? Not going to happen.
Back downstairs, Buffy and Giles sat at the kitchen table while Angel stood off to the side, observing and listening offhandedly. There was a daze to his glance, like he was listening, yet absorbed in another world off to the side of Buffy's kitchen table.
"And, other than what its allies are and the weaknesses they have, that is all we've have, erm, gathered so far. Does that sound about where you are?" Giles had taken control of the conversation, soon understanding that both Buffy and Angel seemed to far away to discuss the matters at hand.
"Yeah." Angel responded quickly. "That's exactly where I am. It doesn't seem like any of my information will be that helpful to you. The only places I've gathered where the First may be hoarding some other Turok-han or Bringers is down off by the coast. It's about a thirty minute drive from here, but I think I'll need some help, just in case my suspicion is correct." Angel's eyes ticked silently from Giles to Buffy, mostly staying on Buffy.
Giles glanced over to his slayer, who in turn glanced from Giles to Angel, before speaking. "Well, Buffy, we all agree you would be the best bet in help with the defeat of whatever may be down there, however I'm not sure how long things may stay upended back here with you not around." Silence reigned for a moment as all three brainstormed on who could be just as equal help as Buffy, and not much importance to the home.
"Faith." Angel murmured, shrugging the name off like an invalid suggestion.
"Ah, yes. Faith could go with Angel. She's just as strong as Buffy and equally combative. Yes, that's perfect. You two can leave tomorrow and hopefully be back by the next day." Giles seemed content with the idea, though Buffy fell silent in the idea. The loss of her sleeping, and now macking partner would be tragic, but she was confident they would both return to her safe. Maybe then Faith could put Angel up to not speaking out the sight he had previously seen.
"Okay." Buffy murmured with an agreeing nod. "Okay, sounds good. Are we, uh, done here?" She asked a bit too quickly, standing and readying herself to stampede upstairs.
Giles peered down at the pile of papers before them, then nodded, "Oh, uh, yes. We're done." And with that single notice, Buffy did as she prepared, trampling upstairs without another word.
Angel nodded towards the front door, "I've got a hotel room waiting for me. I'll be around tomorrow to pick Faith up."
"Right then. Well, goodnight." The Watcher bid the vampire a quick and quiet goodbye before soon slipping into his own dwellings for rest. With the looming battle ahead though, he wasn't sure how much rest anyone could get.