The Path To Redemption
Chapter 15
Author: twin who likes to travel
Rating: R
Summary: This is what happens from the following morning to the night before Dawn and Faith's first date.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Reviews: I would like them. Constructive criticism is ok.
Author's notes: Since we didn't learn enough about Faith before she ended up going to prison and what she did while she was in there, I decided that she learned how to do something while she was there. Ltlconf, I can always count on you for a great review, and thanks for reviewing so quickly. Yeah, Buffy could be considered a hypocrite with the age comment, but I'm going with she's going by experience. Actually, it was Buffy who said, "It's ok." and "Yes, Faith, I'm sure." I guess I wasn't clear enough about that. I had it be said after Faith directed her attention to Buffy. Faith was apologizing for possibly spoiling Buffy's good mood on a birthday that was pretty drama free for once. Dawn will continue to make it tougher for Faith to control her urges in this and the upcoming chapters.
7:45 AM, the next morning
"Faith, you have to wake up," Dawn insisted as she gently shook the brunette.
"Why?" Faith questioned while opening her eyes.
"Because as much as we're both enjoying this, Buffy will be up in fifteen minutes."
"Say no more," Faith relented before kissing Dawn softly on the lips and getting out of bed.
"Faith," Dawn said to stop the slayer as she got a hand on the doorknob, "Thanks for staying with me last night."
"Thanks for the invite. We should do it again sometime."
"How about after our date next Friday?'
"Wicked."
Faith turned around and put her jeans back on, giving Dawn a great view of the slayer's partially exposed butt. Faith peeked over her shoulder and realized that the other girl seemed to have become lost in thought after staring at her. Faith smirked and let Dawn stand there as she left the room. However, she closed the door just loud enough for it to be possibly heard by the girl currently in a daze. About five seconds after it closed, Dawn snapped out of it and noticed she was alone. She groaned, took off her shirt, put on a bra, and put on the shirt again while she got ready for whatever Faith had in store for her next.
"I'm glad to see you snapped out whatever dream seeing my butt put you in,"
Faith replied after Dawn arrived in the kitchen.
"How long was I like that?"
"Not sure how long it was before I left the room, but it's been at least thirty seconds since I closed the door. So I would probably say that you came to about five seconds after I left, about twenty seconds changing into that bra, and the rest to get here while preparing for whatever might happen next. Care to tell me what was running through your head, even thought it's pretty clear what it was?"
"Faith, please don't…," Dawn pleaded as she moved forward and stopped when she was standing almost right in front of Faith.
"Say or do anything to make fun of you?"
"Exactly."
"Only if you can think of anything to do or say that will stop me."
Dawn thought about it for a second before leaning in to kiss the older girl. Faith responded by wrapping her arms around Dawn's waist as they continued to kiss. The younger Summers managed to wrap her arms around Faith's neck without breaking the kissing.
"AHEM!" the older Summers stated loudly to stop what was going on in front of her.
"What gives, B? I'm sure D was about to stick her tongue in my mouth."
Faith smirked as Dawn broke the embrace, stepped back enough to almost bump into her sister, and gaped at the brunette.
"Since you're referring to my SISTER, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"It's probably a great idea if you do," Dawn asserted.
"So why were you kissing my sister like that? Was it to just mess with my head?"
"Yeah," Faith answered before Dawn could open her mouth.
Dawn focused on her sister and quizzed, "So when are you two leaving and how long will you be gone?"
"I don't really know how long," Buffy confirmed as she came into the kitchen, "But we're leaving as soon as we get something to eat and cleaned up. Willow told us to call her when we're ready because she's going to teleport us there."
"I could do that. She's been teaching me some spells, and that's the latest one."
"Maybe when it's time to come back," the slayers determined at the same time.
"Are you preparing to cook?" the sisters directed to their guest, who was getting out a few frying pans and cooking utensils.
"I guess. You don't mind, do you? I was kind of in the mood for bacon and eggs if you have them."
"We don't mind," Buffy declared, "When did you learn to cook?"
"During my brief stint in prison," Faith divulged as she reached into the refrigerator for what she needed.
"Oh," both Summers sighed sadly.
"It's five by five. I did kind of belong there for some of the things I did after turning on you, like the killing of Lester Worth and a lot of other things."
Dawn and Buffy didn't comment on Faith not mentioning Deputy Mayor, Allen Finch.
"So how many ways do you know how to make them?" Buffy challenged
'Every possible way, so how do you want them?"
"Scrambled," they responded immediately.
"I was hoping you would say that. That's my favorite too. Don't let any one else know I can cook, ok? If you do, they might expect me to make it a habit."
"We won't," Dawn promised for the both of them while Buffy just smiled at learning something else about Faith.
"Good. Just get comfortable even though it shouldn't take that long."
Buffy and Dawn followed Faith's request and grabbed something to drink before sitting down. Dawn poured herself some juice while Buffy poured coffee into two mugs, sat one down on the counter to Faith's right and took hers over to the table. She had to almost bite her tongue from saying anything at catching her sister basically ogling Faith, particularly her butt. Dawn took a second glance over at Buffy and found out that she had been caught. She blushed and peered down at the table. When breakfast was ready, Faith scooped the eggs and bacon onto three plates and set two of them down on the table.
She put them in front of Dawn first then Buffy, who smirked and arched an eyebrow at both her sister and Faith. Dawn couldn't stop herself from blushing again at being served first. Faith just smirked back at her sister slayer. She was about to get the silverware when she saw some already there. She ended up smirking at them again before sitting down in the chair across from the other two. She held back a third one as they complimented on how good they tasted. After the first bite, all three seemed to almost inhale them. They ate until their stomachs were full.
"My compliments to the cook," Buffy told her as she got up, "Since everything was so good, how about you take your shower first. Dawn and I will clean up in here."
"Thanks, B, I'll make sure I save both of you some warm water."
"I hope so," Buffy voiced teasingly as the brunette walked into the bathroom.
When Buffy was positive Faith couldn't hear them, she playfully hummed the wedding march into Dawn's left ear.
"Buffy," her sister gasped before smacking her on the arm, "don't do that. What if she heard you? It might get her to cancel the date. She said she didn't think she'd ever want to get married. I want to go out with her when you two get back."
"Sorry."
"Good."
About an hour later, the Summers family room
The trio stood as they waited for the redhead to do her magic.
"Be good, Dawn. Try not to get any trouble until we get back," Buffy ordered as she hugged her sister.
"You too and keep me updated on what's going on over there, ok?"
"Catch you later, D," Faith stated as she took her turn at hugging Dawn.
Dawn sighed as the slayers disappeared before Faith's hug was over.
Thursday morning, January 29th; around noon, the council headquarters/slayer training facility in Scotland
The gang had surprisingly started to get through to Dana in a shorter time than they expected. For the first day or two, Dana had to be restrained or slightly drugged; but they had been able to earn Dana's trust. Everyone listened as Buffy and Faith had talked about their experiences since being called, both good and bad. They even surprised their friends and the other slayers when they had complimented each other during their conversations. Giles had discussed with Dana more about the original prophecy but had done his share of making comments about both Buffy and Faith. Dana was currently sparring with Buffy as the others studied the newbie's fighting skills. She had paid attention during her match with Faith. After that was over, Buffy had offered to do the same. Dana almost instantly accepted. She proved to have some skill but still needed more training.
"Ok, Dana, you did really well, but you still need more training. Go and practice with the others. Don't get too rough though. Remember that you're still learning," Buffy reminded her.
Dana reacted with a nod and a smile before heading over to where Vi was leading the training drills.
"You're doing a great job with Dana, B."
"I could say the same about you. Dawn would be proud of you too if she wasn't too busy checking you out during the match," Buffy affirmed with a giggle and added when the other slayer seemed to zone out, "You ok, Faith?"
"Yeah. It's just that I've been thinking about her every night. Mostly worrying about how the date could go. But you couldn't blame Dawn if she had checked me out. I am pretty hot. I'm sure even you have checked me out at least once."
"Anything else?" Buffy continued while ignoring Faith's remarks about both Summers checking out their former enemy.
"I'm afraid of hurting her. I really don't want to. I think about how great the date could go then the negative side of me starts worrying that something will go wrong and we won't be friends anymore. I don't want to lose that. I've worked hard to build a close friendship with her…with all of you."
"We all have. It's just a shame that we weren't able to the first time."
"I…," Faith began to say but was interrupted by the ringing of Buffy's cell phone.
"It's Dawn," Buffy mentioned before listening to her sister, "Hi…Yeah, it's going better than we expected…That might have to wait until Saturday though…I'm sorry, Dawn, but we need to make sure it's safe to leave even with everyone else who is here….What…Ok, I'll talk to them. Get what you need and be ready. I'll call you when it's time…Yeah, we love you too…Goodbye."
After she hung up, she found out she had the complete attention of the entire Scooby gang, Giles, and Faith.
"What's up, B? Is there something wrong with Dawn?"
"Is Dawnie ok, Buff?"
"Dawn heard a rumor of a small nest of vampires showing up in Rome. Do all of you think you can handle everything if Faith and I go back today?"
"Yeah, do what you got to do," Xander assured her.
"How soon can you be ready?" Buffy inquired from Faith.
"I can be ready in ten minutes."
"Great."
"Do you want me to teleport you?" Willow suggested firmly.
"We're good. We agreed to let her give it a try since you've been teaching her. You think she can do it, right?"
"I'm sure."
"Thanks, Will," Buffy murmured before she and Faith left to grab their bags.
Another twenty minutes later, the Summers family room
As soon as the duo appeared in the room they were hugged by the anxious teen.
"It worked. I did a good job, huh?" Dawn announced and stopped before the bragging started.
"Well, we don't seem to be missing anything; so yeah, it worked," Buffy joked.
"Good job, D. but don't let it go to your head too much, alright."
"Sure," Dawn conceded before hugging them, "So can I go with you on the search for the nest?"
"No," both slayers commanded at the same time.
"Why not? I did well during the battle in Sunnydale, and Faith has taught me some moves."
Buffy was about to explain why but was interrupted by the other slayer.
"Because we don't know exactly how small this nest actually is. I don't want you to get hurt and ruin what I have planned for you tomorrow night. Understand?"
"Fine, but I'm waiting up for you to make sure you're ok. You'll call me if it's more than you expected, right?"
"We'll see," the blonde claimed before she took her bags into her room.
As soon as the door closed, Dawn jumped into Faith's arms, kissed her, and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck. Faith kissed her back just as passionately for a few seconds before breaking the kiss.
"I missed you," Dawn whispered.
"Of course you did," Faith gloated with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around Dawn's waist.
Dawn rolled her eyes at that comment and asked, "Did you miss me?"
"Definitely," Faith admitted as she picked up Dawn and carried both her and her bag into the other bedroom and closed the door with her left foot.
After a brief make out on the bed, they joined Buffy in the family room. The trio grabbed a bite to eat and watched movies until it was time to leave. Buffy and Faith made a promise to call if there was a problem. However, they determined as soon as they left the apartment that they wouldn't call her unless it got really bad.
Many hours later, the Summers apartment
Faith's slayer urges were internally raging as she entered the apartment. The small nest Dawn talked about had turned into about ten vampires. It had taken around an hour before they had tracked them down. They had staked them using the same tactics they had used to get Balthazar's amulet. And had spent around another hour just to make sure they had gotten them all. After the two satisfied the first h, they went to the same local club they went to for Buffy's birthday. To prevent herself from doing things she shouldn't do with anyone, especially Buffy, she chose to stay away from the dance floor and restricted herself to the empty table they had found. Buffy tried and failed to get Faith to join her for at least one song. When prodded about why she said no, Faith explained that she was worried about where it could lead if she started. After three beers, Faith chose to leave and go back to the apartment. Buffy had run into some friends she had made and planned to stay a little longer but not before warning Faith not to make any moves on Dawn without the younger girl's permission. Faith agreed and assumed that she would have to go straight to the bathroom for a cold shower.
She quietly entered the apartment and walked into the family room to discover the teenager once again asleep on the couch, like after Buffy's birthday. This time it was tougher for Faith. Dawn was wearing the shortest shorts she had ever seen Dawn wear and another tank top, Faith's favorite one to be exact. What made it even worse was that she was once again not wearing a bra. Faith almost growled at the sight. What a night for a case of déjà vu. She leaned over Dawn and used her right fingers to brush some hair off of Dawn's face. As she slowly pulled her hand away and stepped back, she bumped into the coffee table. The sound it made at the contact woke the sleeping girl. Faith sighed as the younger Summers just as slowly opened her eyes.
"Hi, D," Faith greeted softly, even though they were alone.
"What time is it?" Dawn mumbled as she sat up and stretched, knowing that as she did this her chest got closer to Faith.
"A-About e-eleven th-thirty," Faith stuttered.
"Are you ok, Faith?"
"F-Five by f-five."
Faith gulped while Dawn stood up and took a few steps closer to her and concluded that Dawn had caught her staring at the teenager's chest.
Dawn smirked and added as she stood less than half a foot in front of her, "Like what you see?"
Faith nodded when she found out that seeing Dawn like that had made her momentarily lose the ability to talk. Dawn giggled at the nod.
"Want your shirt back?"
"Uh huh," Faith managed to get out.
"Well, I think I look good in it and so do you. So I'll make you a deal," Dawn offered and kept going when the slayer remained silent, "If you let me keep it, you can sleep in my bed again tonight."
That seemed to snap Faith out of what Dawn wearing her shirt was doing to her.
"No, it's ok. You don't have to give up your bed. And you can keep the shirt; I can always get another one."
"Who said anything about giving up my bed?"
"Oh, you're saying that we can share your bed tonight and tomorrow?"
"Yes, but only sleeping. I know that you still haven't cured the second h yet, but I'm not ready to have sex with you."
"It's cool. I'll just take a cold shower. I'll be…"
"Wait a second," Dawn demanded as she stopped the slayer by gripping her left bicep.
"What now?"
"Can I at least give you a kiss before you do?"
"I guess you can."
Dawn let go of her arm and kissed her. As Faith returned the kiss, Dawn deepened it and surprised her by squeezing Faith's butt. Almost the very second Faith discovered what Dawn was doing, she broke the kiss and the hold the teenager had on her.
"You shouldn't be doing that, D, especially after I've slayed five vampires so close together."
"You got five? How many were there?"
"That small nest you heard about turned out to be ten of them. Your sister staked the other five."
"Wh-Where's Buffy?" Dawn grilled with clear worry.
"She's back at the club we always go to," Faith kept explaining when Dawn frowned at her, "Don't worry. I didn't do anything with or to her. I told you I was done making moves on her, and I meant it. B ran into some of her other friends and chose to stay there a little bit longer."
"Did she say how long she'd be gone?"
"No," Faith informed and was met with another kiss with as much heat as the previous one.
"Dawn, stop. I really need to take that shower, or I might end up doing something I shouldn't do."
"Fine," Dawn mumbled, "I'm going to bed. To be safe, come in after Buffy goes to bed."
"Alright."
Faith gazed at her until the door closed. Then she put the table into its original spot and ran to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later
It hadn't taken that long at all for Faith to cure the urges inside and was watching TV when she heard the blonde enter the apartment.
"Welcome home, B."
"Thanks, so everything's ok? I mean you didn't do anything you shouldn't have done with my sister."
"I said I wouldn't. I had to take a cold shoulder shortly after I got here."
"Why?"
"Because D was sleeping on the couch."
"So?"
"She's wearing my favorite tank top and the shortest pair of shorts I have ever seen on her. She was looking kind of hot."
"Faith!"
"I didn't do anything but give her a few kisses before taking a shower. Kisses SHE started. She did more though."
"What did she do?" Buffy groaned as she prepared for whatever Faith was going to tell her.
"She squeezed my ass when I began kissing her back," Faith described and affirmed after she saw Buffy was getting upset, "I stopped her as soon as I knew what she was doing. We kissed once more before she went to bed, which was around twenty minutes ago."
"Ok."
"So did you cure the second h yet?"
"No."
Faith smirked and playfully taunted, "You know, B, if I hadn't taken that shower and Dawn wasn't into me like that, I might have tried something with you."
"Since we're being honest, I'll tell you something."
"What is it?"
"If that was true, I might have done that with you," Buffy commented convincingly as she advanced toward the other slayer, stopped about three inches in front of her, and smiled seductively at her.
"Really?" Faith chirped with an unbelieving expression.
"No…not really," Buffy confessed after she pretended that she was going to kiss her by leaning in and pulling away at the very last moment with a second smile and a giggle.
Faith groaned and spoke with sarcastic humor, "Tease."
Buffy could see what Faith was doing and decided to join in the verbal sparring like she had done with Willow after returning to Sunnydale from her short stay in Los Angeles.
"Slut."
"Prude."
'Hussy."
"Goody two shoes."
"Delinquent."
"Tight ass."
"Smart ass."
They temporarily broke into laughter.
"So are you sleeping on the hide-a-bed again?"
"Yeah," Faith lied successfully as she moved the table and started to pull it out.
"Goodnight, Faith, and good job tonight."
"Right back at you, B."
When Buffy closed her door, Faith organized the pillows to look like she was sleeping there, turned off the light, lightly knocked on the door, and carefully opened it a little.