Buffy leaned into Faith, watching Wesley fuss with the fletching on the arrows in the quiver. "Wes, it's an arrow. Pick one, fit it on the string, and shoot at the target." She felt a headache start. They'd been out on the football field for almost an hour. There were no arrows in the target yet.
"This is a very important task, Buffy. I want to make sure I don't miss because of faulty equipment." The clipped English tones didn't help her relax.
She stiffened, starting to pull away from Faith. Callused hands closed around her arms. "Easy, B. He's trying to help. He can't help he's a pain in the ass."
Faith kissed her neck and Buffy sighed.
"We get that, Wes," Faith called out. "We ain't got all day, though. You gotta convince us you can do more than play with those feathers. Hit the target so we can go inside and find out what the gang's come up with. Otherwise, me and B are taking over."
Buffy closed her eyes and leaned her head back on Faith's chest. Even after their experiences with the link, she was still surprised by Faith's take charge attitude and no-nonsense approach to their mission. This was definitely a different Faith than the brash, story telling girl who'd exploded into their lives at the Bronze a year ago.
Glancing down, Faith saw Buffy's closed eyes and the slight smile on her lips. "Wanna share in the funny, B?"
A dull twang followed by a high-pitched buzz distracted her. Wesley's first shot landed solidly in the heart drawn on their makeshift Mayor Dummy.
"Just remembering the night we met," Buffy whispered, eyes still closed.
Faith watched Wesley knock a second arrow. "And you're smiling about that?" She remembered that night, too. The way the gang had hung on her every word while Buffy sat silent and withdrawn.
"Yep." Bright hazel eyes blinked up at her.
Another soft thump. Another bullseye.
"You're seriously twisted, you know that?" Faith shook her head before kissing Buffy. "You hated me, B. I took your kill, entertained the Scoobs…"
"And you are so very different now." Buffy straightened, turning to face her.
Faith stiffened a little. The teasing had been OK. She wasn't sure she was ready for deep and emotional.
A small hand pressed her lips together. "You are, Faith. You've been the driving force behind our planning session today. You backed away from Will's challenge because taking care of the Mayor was more important. No way would any of that have happened back then."
Moving her head back, Faith admitted, "Got more than just a reputation on the line now." Maybe it was the link or Buffy's overt approval that brought the honest answer into the open. Uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going, Faith shrugged out of Buffy's arms. "Looks like Wes wasn't lying about his skills. He ain't missed one yet."
Buffy frowned, not looking happy with the change in subject. Holding her breath, Faith waited for a response. "Yeah, he looks ready." Buffy let the change of subject go. "I guess he's good for more than screaming after all." Nimble fingers teased Faith's ribs. "Don't tell him that, though. He'll just turn back into a stuffed shirt."
Jumping back and slapping at those tickling fingers, Faith grunted, "We can always just sic your mom on him again." She couldn't wiggle away. Nearly giggling at Buffy's touch, Faith did the only thing she could to preserve her dignity – she ran. Rocketing down the shallow steps in the stands, Faith sprinted to midfield. Skidding to a halt next to Wesley, she panted, "Not bad, Wes. Looks like you're hired."
Wesley lowered the large long bow, shaking his right hand.
"You OK?" Faith asked, watching his fingers fan the air.
"What?" He looked confused until Faith pointed at his hand. "Oh, yes. It's simply been a long time. I'm afraid I've lost the calluses." Wesley peered short-sightedly at his fingers. "Blisters…I'm going to have blisters."
"I'm thinking blisters are better than getting munched on by the Mayor," Buffy said. She ducked under Faith's arm, settling it around her shoulders.
Tingling from the contact, Faith hesitantly stepped closer. A smile tilted her lips when the action was met with a blonde head resting on her shoulder. "What's next, B?"
Leaning in to Faith's warmth, Buffy forced herself to ignore the desire fogging her mind. "We go home." She grinned at Faith's snort.
"We need to check in with Will and Xander. If the fire and the Senior Trip are all finished, there's nothing else we can do." Buffy met Wesley's gaze. "Grab the arrows and target, Wes. If the Mayor has someone keeping tabs on us, I don't want him to start connecting the dots." Not waiting for his answer, she wrapped her right arm around Faith's waist, holding them together and heading back to the school.
Taking the most direct path, Buffy led Faith through the end zone to the narrow lane leading to the back of Sunnydale High. The crunch of gravel under their feet echoed through the trees.
"You want us to lay low, don't you?" Faith asked.
Buffy chuckled without amusement. "Want?" She pressed her head into Faith, trying to hide there. Letting Wesley take the shot while they cowered at home… "No. I want to be on that roof, hearing the Mayor's screams as he burns to a crisp."
A hand gently stroked the back of her neck. "No, you don't." Faith's voice was barely audible, even to her Slayer hearing. "You might want to get back at him, make him hurt for what he did to Red. You don't want to be the one to do the deed, B."
"He's not human, Faith," Buffy reminded her forcefully.
"Yeah, B, he is. He's changing – enough for us to kill him." Faith wasn't backing down. "Until graduation and the Ascension, the Boss is still at least part human."
Stopping without warning, Buffy jerked away from Faith. "The Boss?" Her voice rose shrilly. "You still think of him as your employer?" After all they'd been through recently, how could Faith call him that?
"Fuck, no!" Faith's eyes were wide when Buffy glanced up. "I stopped working for the Mayor when I got a look at those freaky things in the box." She hesitated, and Buffy waited. "Well, I mean…" Dimples peeked out. "That's what I told myself."
The dimples did it. Buffy's anger fled. Tilting her head, she asked, "You lie to yourself?"
"Don't you?" came Faith's quick retort.
Avoiding a reply, Buffy stretched up, pressing her lips to Faith's. The lips opened, and Buffy took the opportunity. Slipping her tongue inside, she caressed Faith's tongue.
Fingers dug into her hips, pulling her closer.
Heat flared, settling hot and heavy in her core. "Faith." Buffy breathed the word. She pulled back a little, enough to peer into brown eyes dark with desire. With shaking fingers, Buffy grappled with the buttons on Faith's borrowed shirt. She'd managed to undo only two when reality intruded.
"Buffy-" Wesley's voice sounded behind them. "Good Lord!"
Faith jerked at his words. "Fuck."
Barely stifling a giggle, Buffy smirked, "Oops."
"Oops my ass." Faith grinned again. "Never pegged you for an exhibitionist, B."
The giggle slipped out. "Lots of things you need to learn about me, Faith." Buffy lowered herself to the ground. "What did you need, Wes?" She ignored his wide eyes and the blush covering his cheeks.
"I…well, I…" he stuttered, clutching bow and quiver to his chest.
"Must not have been too important." Faith winked at Buffy and started down the path again.
Waiting for Wesley to regain his composure, Buffy watched Faith stride to the cafeteria service entrance, lamenting the too large pants hiding her assets.
"I'm terribly sorry, Buffy." Wesley juggled his equipment so he could drop a hand on her shoulder. "I merely wanted to ask if either of you had an idea of where we would ambush the Mayor?"
Faith strode through the darkened hallways to the library.
"Look what we have here," a voice commented from behind her.
Spinning and dropping into a crouch, Faith cursed. The voice belonged to Ivan, one of the Mayor's bully boys. "You get demoted or something? Hanging out in schools seems kinda pathetic." She watched him carefully, senses tingling. How the hell had he gotten in without her or Buffy noticing?
Yellow eyes gleaming, he smiled. "This was a special request. Seems you're out of favor, Slayer. The Boss is offering a big reward for you."
"You think you can take me?" Faith scoffed. She straightened and smirked. "You're out of your mind." What the hell had he seen? Wes and the shooting? Had he heard them planning to kill the Mayor? "Guess you've been burning up the phone lines telling tales to the Boss."
They both turned at the dull thud of the cafeteria door slamming. Buffy and Wes were on their way. Ivan must have known that, too. His fangs peeked out as he snarled, "I'll be back, Slayer. You aren't getting away alive."
Faith didn't have time for finesse. As he started to slip back into the classroom, she dove. They hit the floor hard; grunting from the impact, Faith couldn't avoid the blow Ivan sent her way. Her head rocked to one side.
Ivan took advantage of her incapacity. He surged to his feet – right into the arrow Buffy shoved into his chest. His eyes widened right before he drifted to the ground as a pile of dust.