Chapter Fourteen

Buffy huffed loudly in annoyance when she didn't find Faith in her room-formally Satsu's, but she was determined to find her and soon. Her talk with Willow had been weird, even for her, but it made her come to realize more than just a few things about herself, about how she felt about Faith and about what it was she really wanted. Faith.

It all came back to Faith. She wasn't going to fight it anymore, fight what she felt or ignore how her heart would kick up a few notches every time she was in the same room as Faith. There had definitely been something missing in her life and as she thought more about it, it wasn't just Sunnydale, it wasn't just having a boyfriend or even Spike, it was the fact that Faith wasn't in her life, in and out of it, but she wanted her to be in it more than out.

Leaving Faith's room, making sure she shut the door behind her, she headed to the elevators and hit the button hard. Outside the castle walls, the storm ragged on and thunder crashed, shaking the walls and reverberating through her tense body. Buffy looked down at her clothes, wishing she'd chosen something more than what she had on. Her too big sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants made her so unappealing and not at all sexy.

Hitting the elevator button again, her mind was racing with too many thoughts for her to even begin to process. What was she going to do when she found Faith? What was she even going to say? She was a slayer, she thrived on making decisions on the spot. She'd just have to wing it, go with the flow and maybe hope for the best?

"Buffy!" Andrew yelped as she rushed into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. "What are you doing out of bed? Are you better? You are better, aren't you?" Andrew shrieked as Buffy grabbed him to keep from colliding into him on the elevator.

"Andrew, have you seen Faith?"

"Of course I've seen Faith."

"Where is she?"

Andrew blinked as he stepped back out of the elevator. "Games room. But, should you be out of bed? You weren't all better earlier."

Ignoring Andrew, she hit the forth floor button that would take her down to the floor the games room was on. Andrew looked perplexed as he scratched his head, watching her as the doors slid shut quickly. Suddenly she was starting to feel a little bit nervous. If Faith was in the games room, she wouldn't be in there alone. She could be in there with Kennedy, or even a few of the girls who had no families to go home to.

Buffy leaned up against the wall and took a deep breath. Whatever she was going to say, whatever she was going to do, she had only a few minutes to figure it out.

Faith held on to the pool stick, watching as Kennedy missed sinking the eight ball in the pocket by just a fraction of an inch. Smirking as she walked around to the other side of the table, she winked at Kennedy and eyed the money on the edge of the table, about fifty dollars and change in American currency. The angle was awkward, but she felt confident she'd be able to pull it off without a hitch.

"You're going down," Faith chuckled as she picked up the chalk.

"I am, am I? Even a professional would have a hard time pulling that shot off," Kennedy replied, laughing as she leaned her pool stick up against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. "Any time now, Faith."

Faith winked as she placed the chalk down on the edge of the table. She was taking her time, mostly to piss Kennedy off, but also to make sure she pulled the shot off flawlessly. She checked the angle out a few times before leaning down and lining herself up, testing the shot a few times with her stick before sucking in a sharp breath.

Before she could take the shot, the door shot open fast, banging against the wall. It startled her enough that the stick hit the cue ball at the wrong angle and completely ruined her chance at winning the game and the money. She spun around to see Buffy walking towards her quickly, a look of determination on her face.

"B, you completely messed up my shot!" Faith said, shaking her head as she glanced at Kennedy and shot her a glare. "B, what are you-"

Buffy practically jumped into her arms and she dropped the stick onto the table. With Buffy's hands cupping her face, she had just a split second to look at her before Buffy's lips were on hers, kissing her hard.

"Holy shit," Kennedy gasped.

Faith shut her out, only focusing on Buffy and the fact that she was there kissing her. Sliding her hands over Buffy's narrow hips, she pulled her in closer, feeling Buffy smile against her lips. Faith deepened the kiss, her whole body reacting as Buffy moaned softly. She felt a chill run down her spin as Buffy's fingers stroked the back of her neck and slid through her hair.

Pulling back a little, Faith stared into her eyes, searching for an answer as to why she had come to her, why she was kissing her with a shocked Kennedy standing a few feet away.

"You realize you just cost me fifty bucks?"

"Did I?" Buffy whispered softly and she looked over Faith's shoulder at Kennedy and then at the money on the table. "Oops?"

"I don't give a fuck about the money, B," Faith said huskily as her lips easily found Buffy's again.

Faith wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but she wasn't going to put a stop to it. Not yet. She was fully enjoying the fact that Buffy was kissing her hard and deep. Buffy's tongue flicked at the roof of her mouth, eliciting a moan that rumbled through her whole body.

She heard the door shut and she pulled back from Buffy's lips, breathing heavily. Looking around the room, she let out a sigh of relief that Kennedy had left to give them some privacy. Her eyes met Buffy's and she couldn't help but smile at her. What was even happening here? Aside from the obvious, of course. Faith wanted to ask her, but the words never made it past her lips.

"Hi," Buffy said shyly, not moving from where she was still pressed up against Faith.

"Hey."

"So I, um, I'm sorry that I made you lose the game."

"Feels like I'm winning right now."

Buffy laughed, shaking her head as she gently stroked her fingers over the back of Faith's neck. "I've been thinking, a lot actually since you left earlier and I even had a little talk with Willow."

Faith saw the blush creeping over Buffy's cheeks and she found the way she looked so nervous completely adorable. She couldn't ignore the fact that her heart was hammering in her chest and she could swear she could feel Buffy's heart racing just as fast. Her eyes were shining and Faith found herself quickly becoming lost in them.

Licking over her lips slowly, she saw Buffy's eyes look down as she dipped out her tongue. She reached up with one hand and cupped her face, guiding Buffy's lips back to her own. She could kiss her for hours and she wanted to and something told her that Buffy wanted to as well, but the games room wasn't the place for that. It lacked the privacy she had a feeling Buffy would want. Kissing her slow and deep, she wasn't ready to put an end to the kiss just yet and from the way Buffy was gripping to the back of her neck told her Buffy wasn't ready for it to end yet either.

Moving her hand from Buffy's face, she glided it down her back and dipped her fingers under the edge of her sweatshirt, moaning as Buffy arched into her as soon as she brushed her fingers over the small of her back. Faith pulled back slowly as she heard a few girls walk past the games room, talking and giggling as they continued on their way.

"We need to talk," Buffy whispered. "But um, not here."

"Right," Faith nodded as Buffy stepped back from her.

Allowing Buffy to lead the way, she followed her out into the corridor and to the elevator. Buffy hit the button and turned to look at her, a small half smile dancing over her lips. Faith couldn't believe what was happening. Buffy kept looking at her like she wanted her. In what world did Buffy Summers want her? What had happened in the last hour and a half since she'd been in her room? What had changed?

When the elevator doors opened, they both stepped inside, neither saying a word as Buffy hit the top button. Just as the doors slid shut, Faith found herself pressed up against the wall with Buffy's lips desperately seeking out her own. She tried to seek control, but Buffy was stronger than her. With a gasp she pulled back from her lips, smiling as she saw the unmistakable look of lust in Buffy's eyes.

Before she could ask Buffy how she'd recovered so quickly in the last hour and a half when she'd been making such slow progress over the last three days, she found herself immersed in another deep kiss, one that grew wildly passionate in mere seconds. Faith groaned as Buffy slipped a leg between hers and she wrapped her arms tighter around her, pulling Buffy flush against her body.

The sound of the doors opening made Buffy pull back from Faith's lips with a short gasp. She gripped at the front of Faith's tank top, breathing heavily as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Come on," Buffy said, clearing her throat as she reached for Faith's hand. She pulled her out of the elevator and headed down the corridor to her room.

Faith felt like she was in a daze as she allowed herself to be led into Buffy's room. Once the door was shut, Buffy let go of her hand and made her way into the dark room. She flipped on a lamp near the couch and ran her fingers through the loose bits of hair that had come undone from her ponytail.

"Are you thirsty?" Buffy asked, the nervousness that had been there before suddenly coming back as she walked to the kitchenette. "I only have water."

"I'm fine, B," Faith replied softly as she moved to sit on the plush purple couch. She licked over her kiss-swollen lips and smiled to herself.

Buffy grabbed herself a bottle of water and joined Faith on the couch. She slipped off her fuzzy pink slippers and curled her legs underneath her. Her hand was shaking as she opened her bottle of water and she stared at Faith as she took a sip.

"So, we gotta talk," Faith started and Buffy nodded. "About what is going on here, right?" She asked and Buffy simply nodded again.

"It's completely crazy, isn't it?" Buffy asked as she played with the label on the bottle of water. "I mean, after what I'd just been through, what you put yourself through to find me and bring me home, this seems crazy that we're lunging ourselves at each other, doesn't it?"

"Little bit, yeah," Faith replied quietly, unsure of where this conversation would go. She wasn't even sure if she was ready to talk to Buffy about what was happening between them. She wasn't even sure what was going on herself. "But maybe it's not all that crazy, B."

"What do you mean?"

Faith inhaled sharply, Giles words "tell her how you feel" echoing through her mind. "Here's the thing," she started and she laughed a little at how damn nervous she was feeling. "I've never been that great with words or talking about my feelings, you know? It's never been easy for me to open up to just anyone." Laughing, she looked into Buffy's eyes and all she saw was patience and understanding. "You and me? We've got history and sure, not all of it is of the good, but that doesn't mean anything now. We've changed, we've grown up and I dunno about you, but I've learned to leave the past where it belongs."

Buffy was silent and Faith took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. This was a lot harder than she thought it'd be, but Buffy wasn't trying to cut in, all she was doing was being patient. Faith was certain she'd never be able to get the actual words out that she loved her, but she knew there were other ways to let her know how she felt without having to say those words. Those three little words were starting to completely freak her out.

"It's not crazy cos here's the thing, Buffy, there's always been something between us and I never could figure out what it was, you know?" Faith said and Buffy nodded her head slowly. "I don't know what you're thinking right now or how you feel about me, but I know how I feel about you. I can't shake it and I don't want to ignore it anymore. I just want to grab on to it and hold on to it. It feels like a second chance. A second chance for us."

Faith studied her for a moment, trying to figure out what was going through her mind right then. Buffy had always been so hard for her to read and it was harder now than ever to figure her out.

"What I'm trying to say here is..." Faith trailed off, her breath hitching in her chest. "What I feel when it comes to you, it's new and it's kind of scary cos I've never felt this way about anyone before. Hell, before I came here to help the gang find you, I never really thought about it. It'd always been easier just to bury it and forget about it. But once I came here, something changed. And when you kissed me when I finally found you, it was unlike anything I'd ever felt before in my life."

Buffy smiled as she moved to straddle her legs. Faith inhaled sharply as Buffy ran her hands up her bare arms and came to rest on her shoulders. Yet, she still said nothing, her eyes locked with Faith's in an intense gaze.

"Say something, B," Faith whispered, licking over her lips that were suddenly dry. Buffy tilted her head to the side, still smiling at her as she lifted a hand and gently ran it over her cheek. "God, it feels unreal being like this you know? It feels like I'm dreaming and-ow! What the hell was that for?"

Buffy laughed as she rubbed Faith's arm where she'd pinched it hard. "To make you realize that you're definitely not dreaming."

"Jesus," Faith groaned as she looked down at where Buffy was softly rubbing her arm. "That actually hurt. Here I am putting myself on the line and you're pinching me. Jesus."

"Oh come on, I didn't do it that hard," Buffy grinned and she leaned forward and captured Faith's lips in a soft yet yearning kiss. "Does this feel real?" Buffy whispered across her lips, lingering there before Faith pulled her in, kissing her harder, deeper.

Moaning as Buffy buried her hands into her hair, Faith just couldn't get enough of the way Buffy's lips felt against her own. She slipped her hands under Buffy's sweater, her hands greeted by warm, silky soft skin. Before her hands could travel any higher, Buffy pulled back from her lips, a sexy smile dancing over her lips as she ran her hands down Faith's shoulders, down her arms until she pulled Faith's hands out from under her sweatshirt.

"You're nothing like I thought you'd be," Buffy whispered. "It's not what I expected."

"Oh no?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what were you expecting?"

"I don't know. Everything about you, everything about tonight and what's been happening between us, everything that you just said, it's completely different than I imagined it'd be when it came to you."

"You were expecting some cleavage-y slut bomb with only sex on her mind?"

"No!" Buffy gasped. "I never said that! Willow was the one who said that! How do you even know about that? Oh my god."

"B?" Faith chuckled as she placed her hands on Buffy's hips as she watched her try to keep from freaking out. "Besides, that was different time, different place. Things are different now."

"I've noticed."

"Buffy?" Faith asked, her voice cracking slightly. "I-"

"I'm falling for you," Buffy whispered as she placed her hands on her shoulders again. She smiled shyly, breaking her eyes away from the intense gaze they were locked in and looked at her hands as she trailed her fingers over Faith's skin. "I-I'm falling for you, Faith. Or I've fallen already and I-"

Faith couldn't stop smiling. She was smiling so big that it almost hurt. She was sure she looked like a complete idiot, but she didn't care. Buffy just told her that she was falling for her and that in itself told her everything she wanted to know, everything she needed to hear.

"I didn't know you felt the same way," Buffy said softly. "I mean, I kind of had this feeling that maybe you did, but I didn't even know what to make of what I was feeling when it came to you until I talked to Willow and she made me see things more clearly. A lot more clearly. So much that I don't know how I didn't see it for myself. My heart is leading me to you, Faith. I don't know if it always had been and like you said, it was easier just to bury it and forget about it than to deal with it. So, here I am, ready to deal."

"So, what do we do now, Buffy?"

"I don't know. What do we do?"

"Beats me, I've never been in a relationship before," Faith shrugged and Buffy's eyes went wide when she said the R word. "Shit."

"You want to be in a relationship with me?" Buffy asked and when Faith turned her head away, Buffy made her look right back at her. "Is that what you want, Faith?"

"I don't know how it's gonna work out between us. Things have been different since I found you, hell, things have been different ever since you came to me in my dreams, B. This?" She said as she motioned between them and let out a heavy sigh. "This is the last thing I ever thought was gonna happen when I came to find you. In fact, it never once crossed my mind that once I found you, that we'd be having this conversation. Thought I would've just went back to Cleveland and we'd both go on with our lives, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. How about this," Buffy said as she planted a soft kiss on her lips. "How about we just take this one day at a time? We obviously have feelings for each other and you know what I think? I think we'd both be stupid to ignore what this is."

Faith had never opened up so much to someone before and the thought of it before had always terrified her. Yet, with Buffy, once she got over the fear of opening up, it was easier than she thought it'd be. Those three little words were still making her nervous, but they were right there on the tip of her tongue and she wanted to tell her exactly how she felt about her. She kept asking herself if it was far too soon to say those words, but realized that this had been building up between them for years. She'd let the moment come whenever it would and she knew that moment could be there and now, or it could be at another time. Whenever it happened, she'd be ready, even if it felt like the hardest thing to do in the world.

"So we're gonna do this? You and me?" Faith asked and Buffy nodded her head with a smile that made her look even more beautiful than Faith had ever seen her before. "It's not gonna be easy, is it?"

"Nothing that is worth it ever is."

Faith didn't remember falling asleep, but when she opened her eyes, she could feel Buffy laying partially on top of her, her head resting on her chest and she was sound asleep.

For hours they talked and even though Faith still had trouble opening up about herself, she still managed to let Buffy in. For hours, late into the night, they did more than talked. Faith knew she'd never grow tired of kissing Buffy, or making out on the couch and then the bed like a couple of horny teenagers discovering the joys of kissing for the first time. Nothing else had happened between them and Faith was sure that it was a good thing. Every time she tried to take things to another level, Buffy had stopped her, clearly not ready for anything more.

It had been a completely new experience for Faith. A few times she was so worked up, she ready to pop, she nearly lost control of herself. If Buffy wasn't ready, she wasn't going to push her. She wanted Buffy to want it as much as she did and she wanted her to be ready for it when it happened. Faith knew she'd never been so considerate of someone else before in her life and she was still trying to figure out just why that was.

Sighing softly, she turned her head and looked at the windows. The sky was starting to brighten, although the rain was still coming down, she knew it was already morning. Buffy stirred a little and Faith wrapped her arms around her, smiling as she dipped her head down and kissed her gently on her forehead.

Everything that was happening was a far cry from who she thought she was. She didn't cuddle, and yet here she was, lying in Buffy's bed, her arms wrapped around her and she felt perfectly content. She didn't spend the night in someone else's bed and wake up still in her clothes, yet there she was, still wearing her clothes from the night before and hating how her bra was digging uncomfortably into her ribs.

She wasn't that "get some, get gone" girl anymore and she hadn't been for a long time. Somewhere along the way, things had changed and when she thought about it, it was probably a good thing or else last night would've gone and ended a lot differently.

"Morning," Buffy mumbled as she rubbed at her eyes sleepily. "It's too early to function, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Faith whispered and Buffy shifted until she had her head on the pillow next to Faith's. "Morning, B."

Buffy blinked a few times before smiling at her. It still felt surreal, but she knew she wasn't dreaming. Last night had been one of the best nights of her life and she wasn't going to forget even a single moment of it. Faith couldn't help but laugh as she stared at Buffy.

"What?" Buffy asked, raising a hand to her head as a flash of panic flooded through her. "My hair looks so bad, doesn't it?"

"It's fine," Faith smiled at her and she placed a hand over Buffy's as she frantically tried to smooth out her not so bad bed-head. "Really, B. Don't stress. You look as beautiful as ever right now."

"Smooth," Buffy said as she glared at her, but it didn't take much for her to let the smile slip out. "So, last night was...nice."

"Just nice?" Faith teased as Buffy ran her hand down Faith's stomach.

"It was more than nice," Buffy whispered, her fingers trailing over the skin that was exposed just above the hem of her pants. "I didn't think you'd end up staying here all night."

"Guess we kind of passed out. Don't really remember when that happened."

"Me neither."

A small chuckle fluttered past Buffy's lips and it made Faith's heart nearly skip a beat. Her lips looked so inviting that Faith couldn't help but lean forward and capture them with her own in a soft yet passionate kiss. Buffy was hesitant at first, but Faith pulled her closer against her until she was nearly all the way on top and continued to kiss her, not caring about morning breath since it seemed so trivial and pointless to her.

They were practically tangled together, hands roaming yet avoiding all the places Faith wanted to touch, all the places Faith wanted to feel Buffy's hands on. The thought of it was seriously working her up and she rolled her hips as Buffy raised the leg she had between her legs a little higher. Groaning, Faith pulled back from her lips and stared hard into her eyes, searching to see if Buffy wanted this to go any further than it had gone the night before.

"I have to um, uh, go to the bathroom," Buffy muttered as she gently pushed Faith away from her and untangled herself from Faith's strong limbs.

Faith let her go and watched her hurry into the bathroom and shut the door quickly behind her, the door nearly slamming shut. Blowing out a harsh breath, Faith sat up slowly on the bed and ran her fingers through her unruly hair in an attempt to tame it. Swinging her legs to the edge of the bed, she looked around the room, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart and calm herself down. Every time things got a little bit heavier between them the night before, her body would remind her just how long it'd been since she'd had sex and it was no different now.

"Jesus," she said under her breath as she stood up and stretched out, feeling her muscles strain and a few joints pop. Walking over to the lamp that was still on, she shut it off and debated whether to slip out and head back to her own room or to stick around and see just how much self-control she had left.

Faith couldn't help but smile as she felt Buffy wrap her arms around her from behind. She had been so consumed with her own thoughts that she hadn't even heard the bathroom door open. Turning in her arms, she wrapped her own around Buffy and held her close.

"Good news," Buffy said gently as she stared into Faith's eyes.

"Good news?"

"I think I'm back to myself, pretty much completely."

"How do ya figure?" Faith asked and Buffy stepped back. "B?"

"I kind of broke the sink," she said with an embarrassed frown and it left Faith chuckling. "It's not really that funny."

"Kinda is."

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked as Faith easily slipped out of her arms and headed for the bathroom.

"Gonna check the damage out for myself," she called out and she pushed the partially closed door open and saw the porcelain pedestal sink missing a huge chunk. "Damn, B. What'd the sink ever do to you?"

"It wasn't the sink," Buffy said from behind her. "It was you. What you do to me."

"Hmm?" Faith turned to look at her. "And what it is that I do to you, B?"

Buffy didn't say a word, her hands gliding up Faith's arms, over her shoulders and around to the back of her neck. She pulled Faith in for an intense kiss, pulling Faith with her as she backed up to the bed. Faith mind was racing just as quickly as her heart. Buffy turned her around and pushed her down on the bed, not once breaking away from the kiss as she laid down on top of her.

It felt different than the night before, the way Buffy was kissing her with so much need she could feel it all over. Faith slipped her hands from Buffy's hips and over her ass, pulling her harder against her as she flipped them over. Buffy didn't even fight her, she just slipped a leg between Faith's and pulled her down hard against her, her hands slipping under the edge of Faith's tank top, pushing it up roughly, the material sliding with ease along her heated skin. Leaning back, Faith lifted her arms and allowed Buffy to remove her top.

Even being on the bottom, Buffy was in complete control of her. She sat up and slid closer to Faith, her lips easily finding Faith's in a slow, passionate kiss. Faith moaned as Buffy's hands ran over her back slowly, nails dragging over her skin. Faith tugged at Buffy's sweatshirt and Buffy pulled back from her lips, a soft gasp escaping as Faith pulled it off slowly, waiting for Buffy to tell her to stop. Those words never came as Buffy lifted her arms and Faith pulled the sweatshirt off the rest of the way.

Buffy blushed as Faith tossed it to the floor and stared down at her, drinking in every inch of her naked flesh. Faith's fingers trembled as she ran them over her stomach and over her breasts, her nipples hardening under her light touch.

"Come here," Buffy whispered, pulling Faith in to her, crushing their lips together once again.

Faith couldn't get enough of her and from their position, she couldn't get as close to her, to feel her skin against her own. Shifting her legs, she maneuvered Buffy back gently, laying her down as she tore her lips away from Buffy's lips and slowly kissed her way down her neck, savoring each lick, each taste of her warm, smooth skin.

Buffy's body was moving beneath hers, her hips rising and falling as if she was seeking out some kind of contact. Faith licked over a hard nipple and trailed her right hand down Buffy's body, ignoring how her hand trembled as she slid it up her thigh and in between her legs. Gasping against Buffy's skin as she cupped her over her pants, she could faintly feel the heat coming from her. Buffy tugged at her arms, pulling her back up to her lips for a lazy, slow and deep kiss.

Pulling back after a moment, Faith looked down into her eyes, searching for any sign that she was taking things too far. When she found none, she rubbed over Buffy's pussy a little harder, eliciting a moan that set her whole body on fire. Faith knew that once they took another step, there was definitely no turning back. Buffy licked over her lips as she reached behind Faith and easily unclasped her bra. It was all she needed to keep going, to know that Buffy wanted this as much as she did.

If she couldn't tell Buffy exactly how she felt with words alone, she'd show her in every way she could.