Chapter Three

Faith groaned as she forced her eyes to open. All she felt was pain, not just where she'd been hit in the head, but from the cuffs that were on her wrists, both hands cuffed behind her back. The sensations of cold and stagnant water definitely got her senses back and she sputtered as she opened her eyes, struggling not to gag over the smell and taste of the water.

"Fuck," Faith groaned softly as she blinked the water from her eyes.

"Rise and shine, Faith," Buffy said cheerfully as she grabbed Faith and sat her up on the cold concrete floor. "Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard, did I?"

"What the hell, B?"

Buffy laughed as she backed away from Faith. "I was about to ask the same thing when I noticed you following me earlier. Bet you thought I didn't know you were there, didn't you? You're good, but not as good as you think you are when it comes to trying to be all stealthy-like, Faith."

Faith licked over her lips, tasting blood from where her lip had split. "You used me as your own personal punching bag after you knocked me out, B? That's a new low, even for you."

"Had to make sure you stayed unconscious. It's nothing personal," Buffy replied with a shrug, a sly smile curling over her lips. "Now, what are you doing here and how did you find me?"

"Came here to bring ya home, B."

"I am home, F."

"Your friends are worried about ya. Don't you even care?"

"Does it look like I care?"

"Looks like you've turned into a raving, ungrateful little bitch."

Faith braced herself for the punch she knew was coming, but surprisingly Buffy stood there and laughed. Buffy started pacing the floor in front of her and Faith took a moment to look at her surroundings. From the looks of it, they were in a cellar and the single lightbulb that hung from the middle of the ceiling was the only source of light. The shelves were bare and dusty, the odd bottle of wine scattered around on them. A ladder led up to a door in the ceiling on the other end of the small cellar and the door was latched shut. There was no way she was getting out of there with her hands cuffed behind her back, even if she figured out a way to knock Buffy out.

Turning her attention back to Buffy, she could see her more clearly than she had out on the streets and in that café. She was dressed in tight black leather pants, knee-high leather boots with a five inch heel, her black top was almost sheer, showing the revealing lacy black bra she wore underneath. Her makeup wasn't as soft as it usually was, her eyeliner was heavy, the mascara and eyeshadow all over the top and black. Her lips were lined with a deep red lipstick and her nails were long, sharp and painted to match the color of her lips. In a moment of realization, Faith knew exactly who Buffy reminded her of.

"Copying my old look, huh?" Faith smirked at her. "Looks good on you, B."

"Shut up."

Faith shifted and tried to get a little bit of leverage, but the handcuffs were too tight and she could almost feel the circulation being cut off every time she so much as moved her arms.

"You never answered my question."

"What one?" Faith asked, cocking her head to the side as she watched Buffy pick up a skinny dagger off the shelf near her. "What question, B?"

"How did you find me?"

"Good old fashioned tracking. It's something that, in case you've completely forgotten, is kind of my job these days and it's definitely something I've gotten good at."

Buffy scoffed and she ran her fingertip of the delicate yet sharp tip of the dagger. From the crazy glint in her eyes, Faith knew that if she said one wrong thing to her or so much as pissed her off even more, she probably wouldn't hesitate to use the knife on her. Wouldn't be the first time and she was hoping that it wouldn't end up being the last.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want, B, but it's the truth. Besides," Faith said and she shifted again, trying to hold back the cry that came out anyway at the pain in her wrists as the cuffs dug deeper into her skin. "Rome? You're joking right? I'm actually surprised your friends hadn't thought to look here at all."

Faith stared Buffy down, watching the anger flicker in her eyes, expecting her to lash out at her and instead just jammed the skinny dagger into the wood shelf. Buffy stormed towards the ladder and looked back at Faith.

"You better be gone before I come back," she said through gritted teeth and tossed a single key to the floor near Faith.

"Gee thanks, B!" Faith yelled out as Buffy climbed up the ladder and the hatch opened from above and she was pulled out of the cellar. "Fuck."

Unsure if Buffy was playing some kind of a game or was really letting her go, Faith shifted on the floor and struggled to reach for the small key. With her hands behind her back, it was awkward to try to pick the key up and hard, yet not impossible, to get the key into the cuffs. Once she had one off, she got the other and let the cuffs fall to the floor. Standing up slowly, she lifted a hand to her head where Buffy had punched her. It still hurt, more than ever, but Buffy had always had a hard right hook.

Listening carefully as she approached the ladder, she could hear voices, Buffy's and one other, a man. She looked back at the skinny dagger Buffy had jammed into the wood and she grabbed it, feeling better about getting out of there if she had a weapon. Every step she climbed up on the ladder, she could hear the two talking more clearly and they weren't just talking, they were arguing, but about what, Faith didn't quite know.

As the voices faded away, she took her chance and opened the hatch door just enough to look out. The room was dark and she could hear Buffy's voice coming from the next room over. Taking a deep breath, Faith opened the hatch more and pulled herself out, not taking a chance at sticking around any longer than she had to.

The only window in the small room had been left wide open and she made her way over to it and climbed out. Faith jogged away from the house and checked her pockets, fully relieved when she found her cell phone still tucked in the front pocket of her jacket. She took a few pictures of the house she'd been in and quickly made her way back to the hotel a few blocks away.

Once she was in her room and the door was locked, she pulled her phone out again and called Giles. Things had changed with what had unfolded with her chance meeting with Buffy. She'd been held captive and then let go and for what reason? She'd been sure that she wouldn't have just been let go that easily.

Something told her that the Buffy she saw wasn't acting on her own. She was being played like a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings.

After a day of communicating back and forth with the others in Scotland, Giles arrived in Rome with Willow, Kennedy and two younger slayers. They decided the hotel wasn't an ideal place to stay and after hours of searching, Giles found a house for rent a few blocks away from the hotel.

"This doesn't seem right," Willow said as they sat around the wood table in the small kitchen. "Why would she take you and then just let you go?"

"Been asking myself the same thing," Faith replied.

"Is she possessed?" Kennedy asked. "She has to be possessed, right?"

"Or under a spell," Willow added. "I could look into it, try to see if I can tap into whatever mystical energy has been used around here and see if I can pick up on it?"

"It's too much of a risk," Giles said with a shake of his head. "If she is indeed under a spell, whoever has cast the spell will sense you, Willow."

"What's the game plan then?" Kennedy asked and they all looked over at Faith.

She wasn't sure what the game plan was. For all they knew, Buffy could've left Rome by now and could be anywhere in the world. But, Faith knew she hadn't left. She could almost sense her through the slayer connection. She could sense Kennedy and the younger slayers, but the vibe wasn't as strong as it was with Buffy. It was something she could never understand, but Giles had once told her it was likely they could sense one another because they shared the slayer line.

"We should monitor her movements, the people she is with, but stay out of sight, out of mind. We must determine if she has been possessed or if she is in fact acting this particular way all on her own," Giles said and he had a hint of sadness in his voice. "Faith?"

"Yeah, G?"

"It'll be up to you. She knows you are here, but she does not know that we are. It'd be best if it's kept that way for as long as possible. Once we determine what is causing her to behave this way, we'll come up with a plan to move in and retrieve her."

Faith was used to working alone, but this was far different than just tracking down and retrieving a young and out of control slayer. This was Buffy and she was stronger than most slayers, quicker, smarter and would very likely have a team of her own to back her up if things got messy.

They discussed a plan of action, which would result in Faith locating Buffy and following her wherever she went, all the while she'd be cloaked by a spell to block out their connection, further eliminating the chance that Buffy would realize she was being watched. The risk was high, especially if Buffy had a witch of her own playing on her side. Being cloaked would give off a vibe, especially to a powerful witch and there was no telling what would happen if it came down to that.

Satisfied with what they'd agreed on, Faith headed for one of the bedrooms, desperately in need of sleep before they put the plan into action first thing the next morning. The room was just as small at the room at the hotel had been, but the bed was softer and the big window allowed a nice, warm breeze to flow through.

Stripping out of her clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tank top, she climbed into the bed and closed her eyes. She could hear the others talking in the kitchen as she drifted off to sleep, she could hear the worry in Giles' voice whenever he spoke of what they would do with Buffy once they had retrieved her. But the voices faded as Faith fell into a deep sleep where the world of dreams and nightmares waited.

Faith sipped her coffee as she sat at the table just outside the quiet café. The necklace she wore not only cloaked her slayer essence, but made her appearance different to everyone else. She had learned just how high tech Buffy and the Scooby gang had become over the years and she was armed with a tracking device, two of them in fact. One was for her and the other she needed to somehow place on Buffy without her knowing. Easier said than done. The bluetooth she wore in her ear was more than just another bluetooth, it had a built in, nearly invisible camera that documented everything and was fed to Willow's laptop where they could see everything she could in real time.

"Volete un altro?" The brunette waitress that had served her earlier asked her and she waved the coffee carafe, indicating what she meant.

"Yeah, sure," Faith nodded, sliding her mug over and watched as she filled it and then promptly left to attend to another customer.

Faith had been sitting at the café for well over an hour and there had been no sign of Buffy yet. She had, however, seen the man that Buffy had met up with the other day. He had come to the café shortly after she arrived and seated himself inside. As far as she knew, he had not left yet, but every time she had looked inside, she couldn't spot him.

She shifted in her chair and casually looked around at the other customers seated at the other tables in front of the café. There were a few very obvious tourists, American, who were talking excitedly about some kind of adventure tour they'd be taking later that morning. There were a few old men who talked in rapid Italian, highly engaged in their conversation. Faith sipped her coffee again and looked at the door just as the man with sandy blonde hair stepped out.

"Lucian!" The waitress said as she approached him. "Dove è la tua ragazza?"

"Buffy è la sua strada."

Faith slid her sunglasses on and watched the man and the waitress as they interacted. Buffy had been mentioned, but the rest of their conversation was lost on her. She didn't know a word of Italian, but from the way the waitress asked him that question, it definitely was something asked about Buffy, that much she figured.

A black Cooper Mini pulled up a few feet away from where Faith was sitting and Buffy got out of the drivers side. Her outfit wasn't much different from the other day, mostly all black, her makeup heavy with her lipstick that deep, bright right like her nails. She wore a tight and very short black skirt, the same knee high boots and a black silk top, the v-neck low enough to reveal she definitely wasn't wearing a bra. Faith had eyes, of course, and there was no mistaking just how attractive Buffy was when she was dressed like that. She sipped her coffee, her eyes on Buffy, hidden by her dark sunglasses and she held her breath as Buffy walked by her.

"Luc!" Buffy said happily as she walked over to the man and wrapped her arms around him. "Have you been waiting long?"

"An hour," he replied angrily. "Where have you been?"

"I got caught up," Buffy replied, shrugging it off. "It's gorgeous today. Why don't was sit outside? Carmela? Potrei avere un latte senza grassi? Grazie."

The waitress nodded and headed off inside while Buffy and the man sat down at a table a few over from Faith's. She moved her chair over to the left to give herself a clearer view of Buffy. She didn't take her eyes off of Buffy, watching as she sat close to the man and leaned in to kiss him. The way he smiled at her and placed his hand on her thigh made it quite obvious they were together. But the friendly smiles, the soft kisses and touches ended quickly as they started talking.

"Why did you let her go?"

"I told you a hundred times already, Luc, I didn't just let her go," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes. "Faith is a slayer too. You know as well as I do that you can't just toss a slayer into your cellar and expect her not to escape the first chance she got."

"She is a threat to you. To us."

"She probably already left," Buffy replied. "Let's not talk about her right now. I just want my non-fat latte and start my morning off right."

"And if she hasn't left?"

"Lucian, please. When it comes to Faith, I can handle her, okay? She isn't a threat to us. She doesn't even know I'm here with you right now."

Faith tried not to laugh and a small laugh escaped despite, but it was lost among the chatter of the people surrounding her and Buffy didn't even so much as look in her direction. Faith wasn't sure what to make of the two of them. Was this man the reason behind Buffy's disappearing act and why she was acting the way she was? Or was this man someone Buffy had met when she first arrived in Rome? From their conversation, it was hard for Faith to tell, but it wasn't lost on her that this man considered her a threat to him and Buffy. For whatever reason that was, Faith knew they had to figure it out sooner rather than later.

Faith placed a few euro's on the table and left. She didn't go very far, placing herself strategically near the front entrance to a bakery just across the road. She couldn't talk to Giles or Willow within earshot of Buffy and she needed to touch base with them, see if they could do some digging on this man, Lucian.

"Faith?" Willow said into her ear. "Don't go far."

"Not planning to. Need you to look into this guy Buffy is with."

"We're already on it," Willow replied. "So far there are hundreds, if not thousands of men named Lucian. We need a last name, maybe even an address?"

"What about the house I was taken to? It might be his."

"Of course! I'll be in touch. And remember-"

"I know, Willow."

Faith sighed loudly and leaned against the brick wall. She looked back over at Buffy, watching as she and Lucian had a heated discussion. Since she was just out of earshot, she couldn't make out what they were saying, but whatever it was they were arguing about ended when Buffy slapped him hard across the face and left. She headed up the street in the opposite direction of Faith, leaving her car behind.

Moving quickly, Faith followed her, looking back every couple of steps to make sure that she wasn't being followed by Lucian or anyone else. Faith followed Buffy for a couple of blocks before stopping when Buffy walked into a boutique. Deciding to take a risk, Faith entered the boutique a few minutes later and immediately spotted Buffy going through a rack of dresses. Trying to blend into the nearly empty shop, she walked over to a rack of mostly leather pants.

Seeing her chance at placing the tracker when Buffy left her purse just outside the dressing room she entered, Faith quickly walked over and placed the small device inside one of the pockets and headed to the front of the shop.

"Red?" Faith said under her breath as she walked out onto the street. "It's done. The tracker is, well, not exactly on her, but with her."

"Come back to the house. We'll come up with another plan on what we're going to do next."

Faith paced the kitchen floor as they all took the new information in. Willow had found out who, or more precisely, what Lucian was. An incubus. A demon. Faith had heard of them before, but she never thought she'd ever see one. If this man truly was an incubus, it meant that Buffy was definitely under some kind of a spell. There was something disturbing about it all and the fact that Buffy, being a slayer, had become an ally of a demon was something that none of them ever saw coming.

"Do you think that Buffy knows what he is?" Kennedy asked quietly.

"It's likely she does," Giles answered first. "An incubus cannot hide it's true form from a lover. That is, if we're presuming that he and Buffy are indeed, ahem, lovers."

"Knew there was something off about the guy," Faith said and she chuckled bitterly. "So, what do we do? How do we get rid of him?"

"Unfortunately, he is human," Giles said softly. "The incubus has taken possession of his human body. It's likely that whoever this man is, he has no recollection of this demon inside of him. Be as that may, there is not nearly enough solid information about an incubus. Most of it lies in folklore, which means a lot of that information is not always proven true to form."

"In folklore, incubus prey on women. They are looking to breed," Willow said and she scrunched her face. "Oh Goddess, does this mean this incubus is trying to get Buffy pregnant with a demon spawn?"

"Let's not jump to any rash conclusions as of yet."

"So, we can't kill the guy. What are we going to do? If he's the reason that Buffy is being the way she is, we need to get rid of him, don't we?" Faith asked and the others murmured in agreement. "Why do I get the feeling the whole game plan just changed on us?"

"Because it has," Willow replied. "If we want a chance at bringing Buffy home with us, we need to get Lucian out of the picture first."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Well," Willow said slowly as she looked at Faith. "He's a sexual predator, if you want to put it that way. It's very possible that Buffy isn't the only woman he is uh, sleeping with. Incubus prey on attractive and sexual women and uh, Faith, you are uh-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sex personified. Guess that means I'm playing the role of bait now, huh?" She chuckled bitterly. "There's just one problem with that. Lucian knows what I look like and who I am. He was freaking out on Buffy cos she let me go the other day. I'm thinking this guy had other plans when it came to me."

"There is a high risk in doing this, Faith."

"I know, Giles. Everything I do has a risk of sorts, but hey someone has to bite the bullet and get the job done at the end of the day. Just so happens that someone is me."

Faith wasn't comfortable with the idea of being bait to lure in Lucian so they could eliminate him from the picture, but after learning what he was, it had to be done. He could very much be the reason behind Buffy's deviance behavior and her leaving her home, her friends and family behind in Scotland without an explanation or even a goodbye.

Despite it all, she was there to do her job and that was to bring Buffy back to Scotland. Going into it, she knew there was going to be some difficulty, a lot of obstacles to overcome along the way, but having a demon, an incubus at that, thrown into the mix, was something she knew none of them were remotely prepared for.

"The tracker is still working," Willow said, pulling Faith from her thoughts. She turned the laptop on the table for the others to see. "I'm recording her movement. I'm thinking if we can find a pattern, there might be a way to get her away from Lucian just long enough for Faith to lure him to her."

"In the meantime," Giles said, yawning as he stood up. "I propose we all get some sleep. There is no telling what type of day lies ahead."

Faith was the first to leave the kitchen, heading straight up to her room. As she did the previous night, she stripped out of her clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tank top before collapsing on the soft bed.

Faith knew she was dreaming, but the feel of soft yet strong hands roaming over her body felt far too real for it to be a dream. She was afraid to open her eyes, not sure if she was simply mistaken and that she wasn't dreaming, but that this was happening.

The soft and warm lips on hers made her open her eyes, but it was too dark to make out who it was that hovered above her, kissing her softly. She recognized the distinct vanilla perfume that only one person she knew always wore. Buffy.

Faith lay stiff beneath her, her hands at her sides, her lips unmoving. As Buffy settled her weight on top of her, Faith moaned and kissed her back, her tongue dipping out and slipping over Buffy's soft, warm lips. She had dreams like this before, sometimes about Buffy, sometimes about a random woman or man, but never had it ever felt so real before. Deciding to test that theory, she lifted her hands and ran them up Buffy's smooth and bare legs, feeling the warmth of her skin practically ignite her hands as she touched her.

Buffy pulled back from her lips suddenly and the darkness that had engulfed the room before was replaced by a soft glow coming in from the window. Faith took a moment to really look at Buffy and look at her she did. Buffy sat astride her, completely nude, the heavy make-up she'd been wearing the couple of times Faith had seen her over the last handful of days nearly gone.

Buffy didn't say a word as she placed her hands over Faith's that had stopped moving when she reached her hips. Gently she removed Faith's hands from her and pulled Faith up until she was sitting. Letting go of her hands, Buffy reached for the hem of her tank top and quickly pulled it up and off, Faith not even bothering to relent.

With a soft grunt, Buffy shoved her back down on the bed, her lips instantly on hers again, kissing her hard and deep as she ground her hips down against Faith's. Buffy was in complete control and Faith had no desire to take it. Not yet or because she didn't have control of herself, she wasn't sure what it was, but she felt like she was floating on cloud nine.

Faith gripped on to Buffy's hips, pulling her harder against her. She wanted nothing more than to be out of her shorts, to feel Buffy fully against her, to feel hot hot and wet she knew she was.

Buffy tore her lips away roughly, both gasping for air. Faith's eyes slid shut as Buffy trailed her lips down to her neck, sucking her pulse point hard for a few moments before raining the pulsating skin with feather-light kisses.

Things became a blur for a little while, reminding Faith that it was very much a dream despite how real everything felt to her. She struggled to slow things down and when she became more in control of the speed of the dream, she could feel the warm and strong tongue between her legs, licking expertly over her swollen, throbbing clit.

"Oh fuck," Faith cried out, her hands sliding into Buffy's hair as she held her close to her.

Buffy brought her so close to the edge of a mind-blowing orgasm before she nipped and licked her way up her body, a teasing smile dancing over her lips as she hovered above her. Faith was worked up beyond belief and needing some relief. But it was a struggle against whatever was keeping her from taking control and every time she tried to reach out for Buffy, her body felt heavier and harder to move.

Faith tried to relax, but her body was tense, her pussy throbbing and every inch of her just wanted more, it being just a dream or not.

Buffy's sly, teasing smile was still dancing over her lips as she trailed a hand down Faith's body ever so slowly. Her tender, light touch changed the instant it slid between her legs and she thrust two fingers hard inside of Faith, her long fingernails sharp and making it far more painful than it was pleasurable. Faith cried out, tears stinging her eyes as Buffy fucked her hard with her fingers relentlessly.

Faith could feel the tears sliding out and she was powerless to stop them from falling, and completely powerless when it came to trying to stop Buffy. She closed her eyes tight, shutting out the pain and when she felt a strong hand on her throat, she opened her eyes wide in alarm and shock as Buffy began to strangle her. Gasping and choking as she struggled to breathe, she thrashed under Buffy, wanting nothing more than to wake up from the nightmare the dream had become.

"This isn't over," Buffy whispered harshly into her ear. "This is far from being over, Faith."

The dream began to fade, Faith could feel it as the darkness took over and she could no longer feel Buffy astride her, her hands on her and in her. With a sharp gasp, she woke up with a jolt, completely drenched in sweat.

"What the fuck?" Faith groaned as she clutched at her chest, her heart racing hard and fast. "Jesus christ."

Faith glanced at the clock on the table beside the bed. She'd been asleep for nearly six hours and yet that dream had made it feel like she'd hardly slept for that long at all. Trying to calm herself down, she got up and headed out of the room and down the short hallway to the bathroom. The harsh light made her wince as she flipped it on, but nothing could prepare her for the sight she saw in the mirror.

Along with the very noticeable love bite on her neck, there was also an angry red mark, one that only appeared after being strangled nearly to death. Hands shaking, she lifted the hem of her tank top and glanced down at her stomach, gasping at the angry red bite marks that trailed downwards. Shaking her head, she turned on the tap and splashed the cool water on her face, wondering if she was still dreaming. Every time she looked at her reflection in the mirror, it never changed. The marks were still there. Even when she touched the deep red and purple love bite, it hurt.

Turning off the bathroom light, she made her way back down the hallway and knocked on Giles' door. This was something that couldn't wait until the morning. Whatever had just happened was more than just a dream.

"Faith? What is-"

"We've got a serious problem, G," Faith said as she stepped past him into the small bedroom and flipped on the lights.

Giles took in her distraught appearance and stared at the marks he could see on her neck. Clearing his throat, he reached for his glasses on the nightstand and nodded his head. "It appears that we most definitely do."