The next day
Both
Yawning Buffy woke up, to see the slayers, Dawn, Andrew, Xander and even Giles crowded around the T.V watching Tom & Jerry, the only people that weren't watching cartoons were Willow who was watching Kennedy giggle, contentedly, and Faith, who wasn't in the room.
Buffy walked over to Willow.
"Hey Will" she said feeling upbeat
"Oh hey Buffy! You slept like a log, maybe because of…" Willow nodded her head at Buffy's wound.
"You know you can talk about it, it's just a wound, not even that, once the slayer healing kicks in...any day now.." Buffy said laughing "So uh where's Faith?" she tried not to sound too eager.
"Um I think she's outside smoking…or doing something else that isn't recommended by doctors" Willow said, for once joking, she had finally forgiven Faith and, like Buffy, was impressed.
Buffy walked outside to see Faith smoking and tipping ash on the balcony rail.
"Hi, you okay?" Buffy said, noticing how Faith always looked ready for anything even first thing in the…lunchtime. How did she sleep that long?
"Hey there sleepy head. Thought we'd have to throw a bucket'a water on ya or somethin'" Faith smirked
"Oh well, I slept pretty well, when I woke up I had all the blanket, so I was pretty warm…sorry if I was a big ol' cover hog!" Buffy apologised
"Nah, no worries B, I just thought you looked cold in the night so I just…." Her voice trailed off as she looked into Buffy's eyes.
"Well thanks, I slept really well, that and…having you by my side…" Buffy half blushed.
"You know, same here B, it was kinda…" Faith searched for a word "…nice" she scolded herself.
The slayers' gazes met. They both searched each other's eyes, looking for something to say, or do.
Silence.
Both thought about their past together, and then considered their future, they could be friends, not enemies… maybe more? No, both slayers shook that thought away. But then again…
The door slammed open.
"Hey guys! Giles is rounding us up to talk plans…" Willow said wondering if she interrupted something.
"Oh yeah, well can't let the boss down, now, can we?" Faith walked into the motel room.
"Buff?" Willow asked, seeing the lost expression on the slayer's face.
"Yeah I'll be right there with you" Buffy said, lingering after Willow went. Pondering her new-found admiration towards Faith.
Faith
Faith joined everyone and sat on a stool looking down on the mini slayers, who were sitting cross legged on the floor, looking up at Giles, the way you look up at your father as a kid and think he has all the answers. 'Poor mislead kids' thought Faith.
Giles started the talking.
"Right um I think we should start discussing plans, and options, such as places to go, once we've worn out our resources here." He said trying to sound forceful. "Well um Willow has a rather helpful book and Andrew has drawn a um colourful chart, that we could look at"
Giles took the chart from Andrew "Here you can see um…me? And um here you can see…an evil clown demon?" Giles cleaned his glasses.
"Actually that's all the ubervamps in a hole and that's all of us at McDonalds laughing at him" Andrew said with a sense of achievement.
Giles looked bemused "Oh well, let's move on from that, well I think we should talk tactics and-"
Faith's attention was drawn towards Buffy walking through the door nodding to Giles, who had stopped talking, then started again once he knew Buffy wanted to sit this one out. Buffy sat next to Faith on a stool.
"Hey B, you uh, you okay?" Faith queried.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine" Buffy reassured her.
"Just you took a long time, and what with that nasty looking wound" Faith looked worried again.
"Don't worry" Buffy squeezed Faith's hand.
Faith looked down at her hand, then at Buffy.
Buffy looked at Faith, still not moving her hand.
"Don't you agree Faith?" Giles mumbled.
"Huh what? Oh uh yeah" Faith was startled, partly that her opinion was being asked, but mostly because Buffy was still holding her hand.
Just holding hands sent electricity up their spines.
Buffy
Once everyone's attention was back on Giles, Buffy realised she was still holding Faith's hand, she didn't want to let go, but Faith would probably think her odd if she didn't.
"Oh uh, sorry you might want your hand back…" Buffy said awkwardly.
"You can keep it if you want, I got another one right here!" Faith wriggled her other hand.
Buffy smiled to herself, and didn't release her grip on Faith's hand.
Both girls sat there holding hands, secretly smiling.
"Okay, now you-you can all buggar off to do what you please" Giles chuckled weakly, trying to be humorous, trying and failing.
Buffy breathed out and, finally let go of Faith's hand, sitting up. She walked outside, and decided to walk down the rickety Motel stairs to the public bathrooms, trying to get away from the young slayers and their inevitable daily fight over whose tooth brush is whose, which always ends with someone (always Andrew) in a headlock.
Faith
Faith's hand tingled from the feeling of Buffy's hand. Seeing the blond, that was preoccupying her thoughts walk away, she dodged a conversation with Kennedy about tactics, and followed Buffy's path.
Buffy
Buffy washed her face, looking at her hand and frowning, why was she feeling like this?
The sound of the door opening made Buffy leap back, the person standing in the doorway, smiling mischievously, made her smile back, after a moment of shock.
Faith
Seeing the shocked look on Buffy's face, surprised Faith, who seeing Buffy in her silk PJ bottoms and tight vest, couldn't help but flash a predatory smile. Buffy smiled back.
"Hey B, tryin' to get away from the crowd huh?" Faith said still eyeing her up a little.
"Yeah, I couldn't handle another fight over…well anything, I'd had enough when we were still in…Sunnydale" Buffy looked sad mentioning her old town.
"Don't blame you, sometimes it's nice, just to…escape, you know? Have a little 'me' time, good for the soul, if I had one" Faith jokingly said, to change the subject, and cheer the blond slayer up.
Buffy nodded.
"Although, I guess I'm kinda, cuttin' into your 'me' time huh?" Faith asked, wondering how comfortable Buffy was with her around, it had been a while since they could have a conversations that wasn't made up of one-liners in between punching or stabbing each other.
Faith noticed Buffy was distracted, by…something.
Buffy
Buffy knew that Faith had asked her a question, but was too distracted, staring at the very person trying to talk to her. Faith looked good, even in the morning (lunch), even after waking up (hours ago). She was wearing black skinny jeans, the type you would wear to go out, but Buffy was sure that Faith hadn't gone out since the night she got the, then potentials into trouble. She was also wearing a white vest, which might have been painted on, not that Buffy minded. Buffy also noticed Faiths hair, she was wearing it down and it was tousled, no effort had gone into it, she wondered how Faith could look so good and not even have to try.
"B? Hey B?" Faith asked.
"Huh yeah, oh no not at all, I suppose it's more 'we' time now" Buffy smiled to herself, blushing, embarrassed that just moments ago she had been shamelessly ogling Faith, which she put down to the fact that she hadn't gone out in a long time. She was also seeing faith in a new light. And this wasn't a bad light at all.
Faith
Faith blushed at Buffy's comment, seeing Buffy do the same thing she wondered what the other slayer was thinking about, she seemed to be staring into space, which happened to be near her.
Faith noticed Buffy walk over to the sink next to her, and wash her face.
Faith plucked up the courage to say what she wanted.
"Hey B, don't take this the wrong way or nothin', but you don't look half bad, for someone who fought the apocalypse and got stabbed by the ultimate evil" Faith said shyly, but bravely.
"Well you don't look too bad yourself," Buffy said, making Faith take a step back, at her bluntness.
Both
Buffy mocked herself in her head, she could have said something better.
"You don't look too bad yourself? Really B? I'm sorry but the cheese factor on that one was painful!" Faith mocked Buffy.
"Shut up" Buffy said, pouting.
"Aww don't go all sulky on me, I can't say no to that face" Faith laughed.
Buffy pushed out her bottom lip, pouting even more.
"Okay, if you keep sulking I might have to do something I regret" Faith mock threatened Buffy.
Buffy crossed her arms and huffed.
"Okay you drove me to this" Faith warned, splashing Buffy with water from the tap, she had turned on.
"Hey! No fair! You big bully!" Buffy shouted making a weak swing at faith.
Faith grabbed Buffy's arms mid swing and caught her by the wrists.
"What do'ya think you're doin' B? You know you're no match for me!" Faith joked.
"Wanna bet?" Buffy challenged the riled up slayer.
Faith pushed Buffy's wrists up against the bathroom wall, leaning into her body.
"Not so tough now are'ya?" Faith whispered into Buffy's ear, tickling her.
Buffy took a sharp breath in, feeling Faith's body against hers.
Buffy wriggled about, pretending to fight back, for a few seconds, then broke free, grabbed Faith's hands and soon she was the one against the bathroom wall.
"Ooh I see you still got some fight in'ya huh?" Faith grinned.
"You have no idea" Buffy's smile became full of a feeling she rarely showed, lust.
Faith
Faith was impressed by Buffy, she never knew how much fun she could be, of course she knew it was there somewhere, but, when did that stick up her ass disappear?
To Faith's surprise, Buffy pulled Faith's waist into her.
Faith edged her face closer to Buffy's, their noses touched lightly.
Buffy
Buffy opened her mouth in preparation, ignoring the thoughts of panic in her head and, for once doing what she wanted to do.
The slayers' mouths got closer, almost touching, they both took deep breaths.
BAM
The doors flew open.
"Hey Buffy, you know where Faith is? Kennedy wan-" Willow stood in her spot.
Faith (moments before)
As the slayers' lips got closer, they could hear footsteps, seeing the look on Buffy's face, Faith pushed her into a bathroom stall and stood up straight to see Willow.
"Nah red, can't say I have" Faith kidded.
"Oh hey Faith, I could've sworn I saw Buffy come in here…?" Willow looked puzzled.
"Well you were mistaken, don't sweat it, happens to the best of us" Faith said walking out of the bathroom, leaving Willow in a daze.
Faith walked up the stairs, trying to shake the feel of Buffy's breath off her, as she entered the Motel room, she saw Kennedy eager to talk fighting. 'Good, a distraction' she thought.
Buffy
As Buffy hid in the bathroom stall she wondered if Willow had taken annoying lessons from Andrew, her timing was terrible. Hearing Willow sing some awful song whilst washing her hands, she felt something new, excitement, and not the type she felt with Spike, she didn't feel dirty, she liked Faith.
As soon as Willow had left the bathroom, Buffy ran out of the stall and the bathroom, before checking that Willow had got far enough away that she wouldn't be spotted, she scuttled up the stairs.
Buffy waited a few minutes before opening the door to the motel room.
"Hey guys, I was just looking to score some M&M's from a vending machine, no luck though" She said, hoping they'd buy it.
"Aww now I want some M&M's" Dawn moaned.
"That's nice Buff, too bad about the M&M's, I wondered where you went..." Willow said innocently.
"Hey B, maybe some time I could help you, since I'm joansing for some…M&M's myself, you know?" Faith said, looking Buffy in the eyes the entire time.
"Oh, too bad, you should have come with" Buffy flashed a flirty smile
Faith
It had long since gone dark, and Faith had been talking (more like listening) weapons with Kennedy for hours, and was exchanging glances with Buffy the entire time. Buffy was at the other side of the room, having what looked like a meaningful conversation with Giles, but not keeping her eyes off Faith.
The brunette slayer then noticed Buffy mumble something to her watcher, and after nodding to Faith, walk out of the Motel room.
Faith made an excuse about helping out Buffy, and once again followed her out of the Motel room, but this time, when she walked out, Buffy was waiting for her.
