Everyone in the house had grown tense as soon as the women from the coven arrived with all the necessary ingredients they needed for the spell to retrieve Buffy and Faith from inside the portal. Everyone was under strict instructions not to enter the house until they were called inside. Dawn was the only one not sitting, constantly pacing around the backyard while the others lounged under the tree or sat at the picnic table. Xander sat across from Kennedy and they both had a bottle of beer in front of them, both untouched and sweating in the late afternoon heat. Satsu, Carmen, and Amber lay on the grass under the tree and Andrew, who had been sitting at the picnic table at first, soon joined Dawn in pacing, wearing down a dirt trail in the dry grass.
"How long is this going to take?" Dawn asked, nearly shrieking as she gave up and sat down next to Xander. "Did they say how long it's going to take?"
"No," Xander replied calmly as he turned to look at her. "Don't worry, Dawnie. Everything is going to be okay. Just relax."
"Relax? How can anyone relax when they are inside doing god knows what kind of a spell to bring them home!"
Kennedy tried to drown out the shrillness of Dawn's voice as best as she could as she picked at the label on her bottle for a moment before taking a sip. Angel was supposed to be arriving before midnight. He wanted to be there when Buffy and Faith returned home in case they needed a more 'understanding' shoulder to cry on. Kennedy didn't understand why he wanted to be there. It wasn't as if they had been sent to a Hell dimension. Not like the one she'd been told by Willow that Angel had been sent to when Buffy had killed him. Kennedy didn't like Angel despite him being on the side of the good. The last time he'd been there, there was just something so...off about him.
Or maybe she was just reading way too much into everything, feeling the stress just as everyone else was and allowing it to get to her. The Satsu thing was throwing her off, majorly, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it without hurting Willow in the process. If she and Willow couldn't fix whatever had been going wrong between them, someone was bound to end up getting hurt one way or another.
Everyone fell silent as Giles came outside and slowly closed the back door behind him, letting out a heavy sigh as he walked across the yard and sat down at the picnic table. Although Kennedy didn't know Giles nearly as well as the others did, she knew that look on his face, the look that said he was having serious doubts and was seriously worried. And when Giles got that look that was the cue for everyone to feel that way as well. Dawn was the first to panic and it took Xander running his hand up and down her back lovingly, soothingly, while whispering to her that everything was going to be okay to keep her from a full blown wig-out.
"What's going on?" Kennedy asked Giles, breaking the thick tension that hung in the air heavier than the heat itself. "Giles?"
"They're working on it," he muttered under his breath. "They kicked me out and told me that everything was going to be okay."
"See, Dawnie?" Xander said with a forced smile. "I told you everything is going to be okay."
"But Giles has Worry Face. It's just as bad as Willow's Resolve Face!"
"Dawn," Giles said calmly as he let out a heavy sigh. "We don't have time for this nonsense. They are working on it right now. They've managed to bring the portal right into the living room."
"And?" Dawn asked frantically as she pushed Xander's hand away from her. "Why did they kick you out?"
"So I wasn't in the way. I wasn't necessarily kicked out, per se, more like asked to leave rather forcefully by Althenea. She said it was dangerous for me to be near when they open the portal. They still aren't sure what is going to happen once they do."
Even in the bright late afternoon sun, they could now see the glow emanating from inside the house. Now all they had to do was wait. It's all they'd been doing since the day Buffy and Faith had been sucked inside the portal.
Buffy was circling her, laughing every time Faith tried to make a move only to end up missing her completely. They'd been going at it for what felt like hours and it wasn't just the hot muggy air that was making them sweat. The sparring—though at the moment it more resembled a game of keep-away—was making its own contribution to their perspiration. Jackie was watching them, pure amusement written over her face every time Faith lunged forward only to find herself nearly falling face first on the dusty cement floor.
"Come on, B. This ain't fair!"
"Nobody said it had to be fair," Buffy chuckled as Faith lunged for her and failed yet again, and this time she did fall face first down on the floor. "But it sure is fun."
Faith grumbled as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted off her clothes. "Fun for you, maybe," she muttered under her breath, finding it hard to fight back the smile as Buffy laughed yet again in response.
Hearing and seeing Buffy so carefree, so happy, made every inch of her tingle in a way she thought she only could when she was on the brink of climax. She'd never seen Buffy like this before, not until they'd been brought there—and after the initial fear had worn off, of course. She knew she'd never been happy like this either and she didn't want that to end once they were finally back home. She snapped out of her thoughts, unable to wipe the smile off her face as Buffy motioned for her to come get her.
Faith tried again to tackle her, this time moving too quickly for Buffy to react, and they both tumbled to the floor, both laughing as Buffy struggled and wriggled beneath her, trying to get free. If it hadn't been for the sound of Jackie trying to stifle her own laughter, they would have forgotten they weren't quite alone and things would have definitely gotten out of hand between them. It was far too easy now for both of them to suddenly decide to have their naughty way with each other, pretty much whenever they damn well pleased. Buffy launched Faith off of her, flipped up to her feet, and they both began the tedious task of circling each other once again.
"You two are like children, very stubborn," Jackie said as she tried to keep a straight face. "You two are both of equal strength and speed and yet," she waved her hand in the air as she shook her head, "you always think you're one step ahead of the game when you are of an equal match."
"Equal?" Faith scoffed. "B ain't playin' fair here, how the hell is that equal?"
"Again with the fair," Buffy chuckled as she reached out and playfully swatted at Faith. "Nobody ever said we had to play fair, F."
"Be nice to have some kinda rules for a change."
"You are just bitter because you can't get me," Buffy smirked and stuck out her tongue as Faith managed to grab onto her hand and pulled her close. "Well, I let you get me that time. It doesn't count."
"Ya tryin' to be cute, B?"
"Who, me?"
"Yes, you," Faith laughed at the way Buffy tried to keep that 'I'm innocent' look on her face and failed miserably as she slowly licked over her lips, waiting for the kiss she knew was coming. "Nuh uh."
"What?"
"I know what ya want."
"What's that?" Buffy asked as she cocked her head slightly to the side.
"Ya want me to give in, give ya a kiss so I'm all distracted 'n shit so you can win."
"Win? Who said it was about winning?"
"B? Patience. It's wearin' thin here," she said with a half-hearted chuckle as she let go of Buffy and took a couple steps back. "Come on, let's dance and do it right."
"Do it fair, you mean?"
"Like children," Jackie muttered as she got up from the crate she was sitting on and headed for the back door. "When you two are finished playing, I could use some help with those buckets outside. They should be nearly full by now."
"Sure, give me five minutes," Buffy laughed as she swept Faith's feet from under her the second she looked away. "Or half a second."
Faith just groaned as Buffy smiled smugly down at her before walking away without even offering to help her up. She felt it then—a shift, but not like the shifts they'd gotten used to there. It was a shift denoting change was coming and it was coming soon. She made no effort to move, every muscle in her body not quite aching the way she'd like, but tired and sore nonetheless. She closed her eyes at the sound of Jackie and Buffy laughing outside and it didn't take her any second guesses as to just what they were laughing at either.
Everything had become eerily quiet as the light glowed brighter inside the house. The birds that had been chirping happily as they nestled in the trees had suddenly disappeared. The sounds of the city—cars driving by, horns honking, sirens blaring in the distance—had fallen away. Dawn had even quieted down, leaning into Xander as he slipped an arm almost protectively around her. Kennedy took that moment to look around at the others, lingering on Giles the longest, watching as the worry lines on his face deepened with every second that ticked by.
Her eyes roamed over to Satsu, who was looking over at the house just like everyone else, but almost as soon as she looked over at her Satsu had turned to look right back, smiling a little as their eyes met and lingered for a very long moment. The once sweet smile quickly turned into a very lascivious grin and it made Kennedy's whole body tingle in a way she was quickly getting used to when it came to Satsu. In those dark brown eyes of hers there were hidden promises of what could come between them if only she let it. Satsu had a naughty side to her, a kinky side, and just by staring into her eyes Kennedy could see past the mask she wore, right into her very soul, and just feel every last one of her desires, her needs, her wants, her fantasies.
"What's happening?" Dawn whispered as a slight rumble began to shake the ground. It pulled Kennedy out of the daze she'd fallen into with Satsu and her own worry and fear took over.
"She's got it open," Giles replied quietly as he slowly removed his glasses and blinked a couple of times as the light became impossibly brighter. "It's happening now."
"Faith?" Buffy called out as the ground began to shake and the sky began to light up brighter than it'd ever been in the entire time they'd been there. "Faith!"
"Still inside, B!" Faith yelled out, barely heard over the ferocious roar of the ground shaking violently beneath them. She struggled to get up from the floor and made it to the doorway. She got there just in time to see the buildings around them sway violently, most of them crumbling within seconds. "B, we gotta get outta here!"
"Jackie, she's..." Buffy gasped as she grabbed onto Faith and forced her to look over at where Jackie lay on the ground unconscious. "She just collapsed."
"Something hit her?"
"No, she just...as soon as the rumbling started she fell."
"Shit," Faith said under her breath as she pushed past Buffy and ran over towards Jackie. She lifted her up with ease and frantically looked around as the blinding brightness made it impossible for her to see Buffy even though she knew she was only a few feet away. "Buffy, we seriously gotta fuckin' get outta here, now!"
Buffy reached her just as the warehouse crumbled to the ground. "Go where, Faith? Where the hell are we going to go?"
Faith suddenly felt like every last emotion she'd ever experienced in her entire life was now running through her. She sank slowly to her knees, careful not to drop the unconscious Jackie, feeling Buffy kneeling down next to her, shaking in fear just as she was. Over and over she told herself she didn't need to fear anything, that she was a Slayer and that she was more than that. She was a strong woman and she finally realized that and it would be pathetic and useless for her to forget it all now and give in to the fear that seemed to be the one emotion pulling at her more than the others.
With the ground moving as violently as it was beneath them, she found herself shaking as Buffy wrapped her arms around her almost as if she was trying to protect her, though she was telling herself she didn't need to be protected. Not even from herself and the emotions running rampant through her, ripping through her as if they were trying to pull her apart from the inside out.
"It's gonna be okay," Faith whispered to herself, unable to let her inner voice talk over all the other voices she heard in her head. "It's gonna be okay. It'll be over in a minute. Everything is gonna be okay."
"Faith—"
"It's gonna be okay, right? Tell me it's gonna be okay, B."
"It'll be okay," she said soothingly as she kissed the side of her head and held on tighter. "It'll be okay, Faith."
Willow was chanting softly along with the women surrounding her and the portal. She had her eyes shut tightly, tears forming as she finally saw Buffy and Faith along with an older woman huddled together and surrounded by collapsing buildings. She was struggling to hold herself together, feeling the power coursing through her body and making her feel slightly lightheaded.
"Buffy!" she called out for her, hoping she'd hear her. "Buffy?"
"Will?"
"Buffy, hold onto them, I'm pulling you out!"
"Now?"
"No, tomorrow. Yes, now!"
Willow tried not to laugh so as not to break her concentration. She had one chance to pull them out before the world inside the portal collapsed within itself. She could feel Althenea as she reached out, channelling more strength, more power to her as she began to chant softly again, watching as Buffy, Faith, and the woman Faith held onto began to lift up from the ground. She had to keep her concentration. If it slipped, they'd fall back to the earth and she knew from the distance they were at now, they wouldn't survive a fall like that and she wouldn't be able to gather enough strength to try to pull them back out again.
The bright light began to fade and everyone sat there, unable to move, barely able to breathe. Kennedy, Satsu, and the other two Slayers could feel the power, the magic, coming from inside throughout every inch of their bodies and souls. It was empowering and Kennedy finally was getting a taste of what it felt like for Willow, finally understanding just how she felt and why she was so wary about doing magic most of the time.
She barely noticed that Satsu had moved from sitting beneath the tree to sitting next to her on the bench. They were all nervous, not knowing just what was happening inside, and she tensed when Satsu casually grabbed onto her hand and intertwined their fingers. Out of the corner of her eye, since she dared not turn to look at her, she could see her smiling, just a little.
"Is it over yet?" Dawn asked as the light began to fade, the slight rumbling stopped, and the sounds of the city began once again. "Is it over?"
"I am not sure," Giles replied quietly.
"It's over," Xander said as he pointed to Althenea as she slowly opened the back door. "It's finally over. They're home!"
"Stay outside," Giles said as he got up and headed for the house. "Nobody sets foot in this house until I say so."
Faith was shivering, unable to open her eyes or let go of both Buffy and Jackie. She knew they were home, they were finally home, but the fear she'd been feeling was wreaking havoc on her body. There was something else happening to her, she could feel it burning inside of her, and she forced open her eyes, blinking when she saw a group of women she'd never seen before and Willow kneeling on the floor trying to get Buffy to open her eyes.
"Shit," Faith muttered softly as she gently moved Jackie and laid her across the floor. "What the fuck was that?"
"I brought you home," Willow said softly as the women from around them backed away slowly to give them some air. "You're home. Everything is going to be okay now."
"Faith?" Buffy whispered as she clutched onto her tightly, ignoring Willow completely. "Faith?"
"B," she whispered back, watching as Buffy slowly opened her eyes. "You okay?"
"Yes," she said softly, shaking just as badly as Faith was. "I'm okay."
"Who is this?" Willow asked as she went to check on Jackie. "Faith, who is this?"
"My mother," she replied in a hoarse whisper. "My real mother."
Faith felt so cold. She pulled Buffy closer to her, afraid to let go, and they both watched as Willow and two of the other women lifted Jackie and placed her on the couch. Neither of them could move from where they sat on the floor and Faith knew Buffy was just as afraid as she was that this wasn't real, that they weren't really home. It felt too easy, way too easy. Faith couldn't help but wonder—if it really was that easy, why didn't Willow try to bring them home sooner?
The other women left the room when Giles walked in. He looked like he was about to cry as Buffy let go of Faith and stood up slowly. Faith could hardly move as she watched him throw his arms around Buffy, tears streaming down his cheeks as he held onto her tightly. Willow knelt down next to Faith and placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look away from the happy little reunion between Buffy and Giles.
"Faith, I need for you two to tell me what it was like where you were."
"Not now," Faith said as she shook her head and let Willow help her to her feet. "We're really home?"
"Yes," Willow laughed softly. "You are really home, Faith."
"Shit, why is it so cold?" She shivered. Willow laughed again as she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly for a split second before backing away quickly once she realized just whom she was hugging. "Seriously, why the fuck is it so cold?"
"It's not," Willow replied. "We're in the middle of a heat wave. It must be a side effect from pulling you out of there. It'll pass."
Faith moved away from her as Buffy let go of Giles and walked to stand next to her, their hands instantly finding each other's as Xander, Dawn, and Kennedy ran inside. They were both nearly tackled by Dawn as she reached them first and Xander and Kennedy were right there a second later, their arms around them in one big hug. Buffy was crying tears of happiness, holding onto Dawn and Xander and looking like she never wanted to let go. Faith managed to get out of the group hug and instead found Kennedy's arms instantly around her. She let out a soft laugh as Kennedy held onto her tightly, Slayer tight, and she had to pry her arms from around her just so she could breathe.
Faith quickly found herself being pulled back into the group hug by Xander. She looked over at Giles as he watched the scene unfold until Jackie began to awake and he knelt down next to her. After what felt like forever, the group hug ended, the last of the tears of happiness finally stopping. That happiness she'd seen in Buffy before was still there, but there was something different now. She didn't have time to dwell on it since all attention was now on Jackie and the soft murmurs from everyone asking who she was and why she'd come back with Buffy and Faith.
"Faith?" Buffy whispered as she moved close to her again. "We're really home, aren't we?"
"Yeah, looks like."
"Why does it feel..."
"Different? Dunno, B."
Buffy sighed, shivering almost uncontrollably as she slid her arms around Faith and buried her face in her neck. A huge wave of exhaustion hit Faith and she had to struggle to stay on her feet and not just fall to the floor. Being pulled out of that dimension they'd been stuck in had taken a lot out of her and for the first time in what felt like forever she couldn't hear the voices in her head any longer. Faith just closed her eyes and held on to Buffy, not ready to let go and not quite ready to face being back home just yet.
Faith felt cornered as everyone started asking questions at once. She just held tightly onto Buffy, feeling her hot tears against her neck as Buffy tried to stop crying. Giles made everyone leave and then motioned for the two of them to sit down next to a very delusional Jackie who sat there mumbling incoherently to herself. Giles let out a soft sigh as he sat down on the coffee table and stared over at them, looking as if he wasn't sure what to say or where to start.
"How long?" Buffy asked softly as she wiped away her tears and leaned into Faith as they both sat back on the couch. "How long were we there, Giles?"
"Thirty days."
"A month? I knew it," Buffy groaned as she looked over at Faith. "I knew it."
"How are you feeling?" Giles asked.
"Tired," Buffy replied without taking her eyes off of Faith. "Very, very tired."
"I won't expect you to tell me everything that happened there right away," he continued. "I know it's been a very long month for you two. It has been for us as well. But, I would like to know who this woman is."
"My mother," Faith said softly as she looked over at him. "Kind of a long story."
"Isn't your mother—"
"Dead? No, the woman who I thought was my mother is dead. Like I said," she said as she let out a deep breath, "it's a long fuckin' story, Giles."
"Is she all right?"
Faith looked over at Jackie next to her. She was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself and her eyes brimming with tears. She still couldn't stop shivering and she only had one thing on her mind at the moment—taking a very long, very hot shower and getting dressed in clean clothes. She could see Dawn hovering in the doorway that led to the kitchen, watching them. When neither of them said a word after a few long minutes, Giles removed his glasses and let out a heavy sigh.
"There are a lot of things we need to talk to you two about," Giles said quietly as he snapped his fingers at Dawn, stopping her cold as she tried to walk back into the living room. "It is still too soon to determine what physical or psychological changes you may have experienced, though I am certain there will be at least some after-effects. However, at the moment I know you two must be very tired and in need of a very long, very hot shower."
Faith chuckled softly at the bemused look on Giles' face as he spoke slowly. As each minute passed, the shivering began to subside and Faith no longer felt as cold as she had when Willow had first pulled them out of the portal and deposited them, rather gently, on the floor of the living room. Andrew came into the living room carrying a tray with glasses of ice-cold water and a few sandwiches. Before he could even place the tray down on the coffee table, and almost before Giles had even moved out of the way, both Buffy and Faith lunged for the sandwiches, nearly inhaling them as they disappeared in just a few quick bites.
"Giles, are they...okay?" Faith heard Dawn ask him from where she still stood hovering in the doorway. "They came back normal, right?"
"They are fine. Exhausted and perhaps a little shaken up, but they appear to be perfectly fine."
"Andy," Faith said with a mouthful of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Feel like whippin' up a few more o' these for us? Fuckin' starving."
"I can make you two anything you want," he replied with a big smile. "I'll even order you pizza, wings, a bucket of chicken, Chinese food, whatever you want. Name it and I'll get it."
Faith's stomach growled loudly and Buffy just giggled as she grabbed the last sandwich off the plate. Faith broke off half of her sandwich and offered it to Jackie. She got a puzzled look in return, just for a moment, before Jackie took the half of the sandwich and took a small, tentative bite.
"Order everything ya can, Andy," Faith said to him, smiling sweetly as she reached for one of the glasses of ice-cold water.
"What is her name?" Giles asked calmly as he walked back over to them and handed the cordless phone to Andrew.
"Jackie," Faith replied with her mouth full and was elbowed by Buffy hard in the side. "What?"
"Was she like this there?" Giles asked, stifling a laugh at the way Buffy had elbowed Faith.
"She was a little off, yeah," Faith nodded her head slowly. "Not like this, though."
"It must be a shock to her system. Have you any idea how long she'd been there?"
"Giles?" Buffy said as she stopped Faith from answering him. "Can we talk about this later?"
"We can indeed. What do you want to do with Jackie?"
"Get her settled in, cleaned up and fed. I'm going to have a shower. A very, very long shower," Buffy said as she stood up slowly, pulling Faith with her. Faith just shoved the last of her sandwich in her mouth as Buffy pulled her towards the stairs. "She'll be fine," she said softly when Faith stopped to look back over at Jackie. "We'll all take care of her."
"Not what I'm worried about," Faith replied with a sigh as Buffy began to pull her up the stairs.
"Then what is it?"
"I dunno," she shrugged, finally giving in and following Buffy up the stairs and into the bathroom. "She seems really out of it, B. Feels kinda weird to leave her down there with everyone."
"She'll be fine. Giles will make sure of it."
Faith just nodded her head and leaned against the bathroom door, locking it as she watched Buffy walk over to the shower stall and turn on the water. The last thing she should be thinking about was fucking Buffy in the shower under the hot spray of the water, but as she watched Buffy strip out of her clothes it suddenly became the one and only thing on her mind. Everything else she should be thinking about, worrying about, just fluttered away as she stripped out of her own clothes and joined Buffy in the shower.
"God, this feels so good," Buffy moaned out softly as Faith stood behind her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Guess ya don't know what you're missin' out on 'til ya don't have it anymore, huh?"
Buffy just turned around in her arms, smiling a little before she planted a quick yet sweet kiss upon her lips. "After we shower and eat until we feel like we're about to burst, we'll talk to Giles and tell him everything we can about where we were. Then after all is said and done, we'll get some sleep, okay?"
"For sure, B. God," she sighed as she furrowed her brow and stared down into her eyes, "when Willow was pullin' us outta there…don't think I've ever felt that fucking scared before. Wasn't sure what the hell was goin' on."
"You weren't the only one," Buffy whispered softly, kissing her once more before they switched spots under the hot, steady spray of water. "I really can't believe we're home, we're safe, and we're together..."
"Aren't ya happy we're home?"
"Of course I am. What makes you think that I'm not?"
"Life was...easier there, B. I know it and you know it. Now we're back to the way things were before," Faith said softly as she gently moved Buffy's wet hair away from her face. "You can feel the change comin', can't ya?"
"I feel something," Buffy quipped as she reached down and playfully pinched Faith's ass.
"B," Faith chuckled as she reached for her hands and pulled them away. "Be serious for a sec here. Gotta feelin' somethin's different. Giles said something about physical and psychological changes. You don't feel it, do ya?"
"I don't know. Maybe I feel a little...stronger? Tired and absolutely starving are kinda blanking out anything else."
"Forget it," Faith said as she reached for the shampoo bottle off the small shelf.
They didn't say another word as they showered slowly, savouring every last drop of hot water that streamed over their bodies. There were a few long, passionate kisses shared, soft caresses and long gazes they'd gotten so used to sharing between them in the last month. Faith didn't want any of that to change. She needed Buffy that way; she needed to be near her, touching her, kissing her whenever she felt the need to. She'd never needed someone as badly as she needed Buffy, even now that they were back home; it hadn't lessened in any way, shape or form.
After getting dressed, they went downstairs to join the others and found them all out in the backyard with Jackie, a spread of food that Andrew had ordered laid out over the picnic table. Everyone was full of questions and both Buffy and Faith did their best to answer each and every one of them between mouthfuls of food they'd only dreamt of in the last month. Faith kept looking down at Jackie, watching her as she grew more comfortable being around so many new faces. She and Giles were talking quietly among themselves while Dawn and Willow kept asking Buffy questions about what it was like where they'd been.
Faith was amazed at how everything had just fallen into place in the few hours since they'd been brought back home. It nearly felt like they hadn't left at all in some ways. She looked around at everyone, at the women from the coven in England, at the new Slayers that sat under the tree with Kennedy and Andrew. She grabbed the beer that sat unopened in front of her and the last slice of pizza out of the box and got up, smiling down at Buffy when she stopped midsentence to look up at her. She let Buffy pull her down for a quick kiss before she walked over to join Kennedy and the others under the tree.
"You two are sure all loved up," Kennedy said quietly, smirking as Faith barely reacted. "I'm guessing since you two had a lot of time to do nothing while you were stuck in that dimension that you did nothing but fuck, right?"
"None of your business, Ken."
"I knew it."
Faith laughed, punching Kennedy in the leg as she leaned back against the tree. "Well, what the fuck else was we supposed to do? Play imaginary card games or some shit? Besides," Faith said as she watched Buffy, unable to stop turning to look at her every couple of seconds, "that wasn't all we did there."
"Well, I'm just glad you two are back home safe and sound," Kennedy smiled as they both raised their beers and clinked them together. "We were all pretty worried about you two. Guess we really didn't need to be after all. From the way you two described it, didn't sound nearly half as bad as we thought it was for you there."
"Definitely not my choice for a vacation spot," Faith said, smirking when the three other Slayers laughed in agreement with her and Kennedy. "So, catch me up on what's been goin' on around here. Curious about the sitch since we've been gone."
She was trying to keep her mood stable, her spirits up, and a smile on her face. She was happy to be home, but something was seriously bothering her. She tried to listen and pay attention as Kennedy told her very vaguely about the out of control vampire and demon population, about how they were working with Perry, Marshall, and a few other guys that had worked for Sam in trying to control it. She caught that much out of the babble that spewed from Kennedy's mouth, but her eyes and her mind wandered back to Buffy and she watched her as she talked animatedly with Willow and Dawn.
"Faith, are you even paying attention?" Kennedy asked, the irritation very clear in her voice.
"Yeah, what?"
"I asked you if you and Buffy are going to start coming out on patrol with us again or if you're gonna wait a little while?"
"Might as well jump right in, get back to the way things were," Faith replied, her eyes not once leaving Buffy as she spoke. "Or...maybe give us a couple days."
Kennedy raised an eyebrow at her before she continued talking, but her voice faded from Faith's ears as soon as Buffy turned to look at her. All she could see was Buffy and all she could hear was Buffy as she spoke quietly to Dawn. She just sipped her beer, nodding her head every once in a while to make it look like she was listening to Kennedy, and when her beer was finished she got up and motioned for Buffy to follow her inside. Buffy didn't follow her right away so she stood by the edge of the counter, breathing heavily as she waited for her to come inside.
"Is there something wrong, Faith?" Buffy asked as she stepped inside and closed the back door behind her. "Faith?"
"Just needed to get away for a few minutes. It's too much."
Buffy nodded her head slowly, understanding exactly what Faith was getting at. It was too much all at once, to be brought back home and to slip into the fold as if they'd never been gone in the first place. Buffy stepped in front of her, smiling a little as their arms instantly found their way around each other. Faith couldn't tear her eyes away from Buffy's as she fought the urge to just grab Buffy and take off for the apartment.
"What are you thinking?" Buffy asked softly as she lifted a hand and gently ran her fingers over Faith's furrowed brow. "You want to leave right now, don't you? Tell you what," she paused to deliver a deliciously sweet kiss and pulled back from a rather stunned Faith with a smile, "we stay here for tonight and tomorrow we'll go to the apartment, okay?"
"That was kinda freaky, B. Ya just pretty much read my mind."
"Nah," she laughed as she moved her arms from around Faith's waist and loosely draped them over her shoulders and neck. "I just learned how to read you really, really well."
"And what am I thinkin' 'bout right now?" Faith asked, smirking as she slowly licked over her lips.
Buffy only answered her with a wildly passionate kiss. As it had every time their lips met lately, everything else just fell away until the only thing her mind was set on was Buffy. She knew it was almost dangerous to let Buffy consume her that way, but it was all she wanted right then and there.
