It's cheesy, it's corny, it's the end. Thank you all for the reviews, for putting this story in your favorites. It means a lot.
I know this is no spectacular way to end a story but I needed to finish it before completely losing inspiration. Hopefully it won't suck too much.
You're free to give one last review, I'll be glad to read and answer you.
The moon lights up the whole sky and Faith has no problem to see around her clearly. Her slayer's abilities help her too. She's been fighting a lot more vampires lately than since she got out of jail years ago. But she needs that to forget about Buffy's absence. She misses the blonde like crazy and feels like she's going to go insane if Buffy doesn't come back soon. She hasn't received a lot of news during the past week and it frustrates her to no end. So instead of waiting by the phone or leaving a message every time the woman she loves doesn't pick up the phone, Faith beats up vampires.
Surprisingly however, the night is calm. A lot calmer than usual. Something is wrong, Faith can feel it. For a brief moment she wonders if Kennedy has already patrolled before her tonight, but then she dismisses the idea. Her friend would have told her if she had done so. Maybe the evil creatures have decided to take the night off, knowing that there is a very pissed off Slayer itching to kill them. Or maybe…
Faith is pulled out of her thoughts by a ruffling sound on her left, in the bushes she's walking past. She stops and listens carefully. There's definitely someone—or something—there. At this precise moment, a dog hurls somewhere near in the neighborhood and Faith startles. She takes a deep breath and tries to refocus but it's too late. She hears nothing now. Frustrated, she gives a kick in the bushes and suddenly there's someone laughing behind her. Someone's laugh that she could recognize anywhere. She spins round and doesn't even have time to react that she finds herself losing her balance under the weight of her opponent who just tackled her to the ground. They fall heavily, half in the bushes, but Faith doesn't even try to fight back. She's sworn years ago now that she'd never do anything to hurt this person again.
"B…"
"Hello F. Surprised to see me ?"
"I… I didn't sense you coming."
"Hmm, I wonder why is that ? Maybe we should ask Willow later ? For now I just want you all to myself…"
Buffy is lying on top of Faith with her full body weight pressing onto the brunette. She isn't expecting her to push her back immediately but Faith isn't in the mood. After the shock of the encounter, the Dark Slayer is feeling her anger rise within her. Finally they sit down side by side, in silence.
"You were gone more than two months, Buffy. I tried to call you a thousand times but you only picked up the phone once or twice in a week. You gave no news during the past week ! And now you're back and I'm supposed to welcome you ?"
"Well… Yeah ?" Buffy asks sheepishly.
"No ! I was worried, I'm mad at you and don't expect me to throw you a welcome back party or anything like that ! I'm so pissed right now I could…"
"You're so hot when you're pissed."
Faith stops mid-sentence and looks at Buffy as if she's grown horns.
"What ?"
"I've missed you. But I needed space, Faith. And time. So yes, I didn't give many news but it's only because I had to think clearly, and if I spoke with you I knew I'd run back to you before I was ready."
"Ready for what ?"
"For you. I'm back now, and it's because I know what I want, and I'm not afraid to take it anymore. I want you, Faith. I'll take you and I'll have you, that is if you still want me."
There is only one second of silence before Faith brings her lips to Buffy's and kisses her fiercely. The blonde's hands immediately find their place on the brunette's hips and bring her half on top of her. When they pull back, breathless, Faith asks with a grin :
"What do you think ?"
As she lies in the grass, her hand holding Buffy's, Faith can't help smiling. A cemetery is certainly not the best place to make out, and yet it seemed to fit perfectly for them. Of course, since she's no long seventeen, Faith keeps her hands to herself—mostly—and only shares a few passionate kisses with the blonde Slayer because she knows that they're in a public place and there are rules to follow. But after all this time with only her imagination and memories of the night in the club, it is hard not to touch, not to feel. Especially when the object of her fantasies is more than willing to get dirty.
"So, how long have you been stalking me ?"
"Since you left your place. It seems nice, by the way."
"It is." Faith pauses, then adds : "How did you know where I live ?"
"Oh, I… Hmm, I might've heard it from Willow."
"You… You gave news to Willow and not to me ?"
"No ! No, I just called her today and asked if you were still crashing at her place, and she told me you found an apartment. And then she gave me the address."
"So you've been following me since I left for patrol ?"
"Yeah."
"I've been out there for two hours, how was I not able to feel you through our connection ?"
Again, Buffy looks guiltily at Faith through her eyelashes and whispers hesitantly :
"I might have asked Willow to cast a spell to make it disappear for twenty-four hours… Please don't be mad, I just wanted to surprise you !"
But the brunette's face is totally unreadable. Fearing that she might've done something really wrong, Buffy creeps closer to her and puts her right hand on Faith's stomach.
"Faith, come on… I'm sorry. Don't be angry."
"I'm not. It's just… You're full of surprises. You're… different."
"Isn't that a good thing ? I mean, it's part of the reason why I needed to go away for a while. To figure out who I am now, what I want."
"And who are you, then ? Are you still the Buffy I fell for ?"
"Of course I am. I'll never stop being her."
"So, are you ready to step out of the closet ?"
Buffy snorts at Faith's words.
"I thought that dating Satsu had already made that clear to everyone around me, but if it didn't I can be a little more obvious about that."
"But I'm not Satsu. We have history, B. We go way back. Are you sure you're ready to be my girlfriend ?"
"I am more than ready. And I've never been so sure about something in my whole life."
Faith looks down at the blonde's and grins.
"One more question."
"Go ahead."
"Did you patrol earlier today ? I haven't killed anything tonight."
Her girlfriend's smirk is self-explanatory.
"I came back in the middle of the afternoon, I had nothing else to do. I've looked for some nests."
"Well, you did one hell of a job apparently. Now they all know the Golden Slayer is back in town."
"I never really left."
Faith sighs and gets up, bringing Buffy up with her.
"Come on, let's go. I don't wanna spend all night here. How do you feel about dancing ?"
"Sounds great. Lead the way, girlfriend."
"Oh my… I'm exhausted !"
"Really ? It's not even been thirty minutes since we started dancing, B."
"Yeah but I've been up for hours and I killed more than twenty vampires today while you didn't catch one."
"I could've if you hadn't killed them all before !"
"Well, true."
They laugh together and it feels good to be close to each other. They find an empty booth in a corner of the club and sit down side by side. Buffy is being very tactile and Faith isn't used to that but she's not going to complain. She's waited, dreamt of that for years and now it's happening. Slowly she leans in and kisses Buffy's lips lightly, then lets her mouth travels to the blonde's ear and whispers :
"Remember the last time we came to that club ?"
"I remember the last time we came, yes."
Faith leans back and looks at her girlfriend slightly shocked to hear this from her.
"What ? You think you're the only one who can make people uncomfortable with words ?"
"You're not making me uncomfortable, just turned on."
"Really ? I wonder if there's anything we can do about that…"
Her tone is more than flirtatious, it's dripping with undisclosed desire, and for a moment Faith can't think nor breath. Only when she feels Buffy's hand on her thigh, very high on her thigh, does she snap out of her trance.
"Okay, uh, how about we go back to my place ?"
"You sure you can hold on until there, F ?"
"I…"
"I know I can't."
"Yeah well, try because we're not having sex in the bathroom again. Come on !"
At full speed, even on heels for Buffy, it only takes them ten minutes to reach Faith's apartment.
Clothes are everywhere in the room. No, everywhere in the whole flat. The two Slayers successfully reached it the previous night but making their way to the bedroom was a whole different matter. Faith is glad that all the furniture wasn't there yet because they sure as hell would've broken half of it. She already has to replace the kitchen table.
"Baby ?"
It's Buffy's voice, coming from the bedroom where she left her a couple of minutes before. She quickly makes her way back there and opens the door, then watches the scene in front of her. Buffy is in her underwear, the blanket half covering her, resting on one elbow and looking at her.
"So, baby huh ?"
"You don't like it ?"
"I like whatever name you feel like calling me."
"Great. Why are you out of the bed, psycho slut ?"
"Hey !"
"What ? You're the one who said…"
"I'll show you psycho slut !"
Faith rushes to the bed and jumps on it and starts tickling Buffy everywhere until the blonde threatens to choke if she doesn't stop immediately, which she does. They lie side by side, breathless.
"Where were you, Buffy ? You never told me." Faith asks after a few seconds of silence.
"I was… I was in Boston."
Her answer makes the brunette turn round and face her, suddenly all serious.
"Why ? Why Boston ? I thought you'd try Florida or something."
"I wanted to know you better, and I thought, why not see where she grew up ?"
"You went to my old place ?"
"Not exactly. I just visited the city. The whole city."
Buffy's eyes never leave Faith's as she explains the reasons why she felt like it was necessary for her to go there.
"I just needed to understand you better. I've seen beautiful things there. And I've seen ugly, too. I saw children playing in the streets when they should have been at school, and I saw some of them asking people for money. I saw sad and dirty faces. And I felt stupid to complain about my life because I had a great childhood, I never had to worry about food, and even if I'm not as bright as Willow, I had the chance to go to school. I've had all the things you never really had, Faith. And suddenly it all made sense to me. You. Who you were, and who you are now. How different our lives have been, and how similar they've become. How we were destined to each other. Why I couldn't ever truly win any battle against you. Because it was like fighting myself. This trip has made it pretty clear that no matter what happens, I can't get you out of my mind, my skin. I can't shake you, Faith, you're here and I want you to be here forever."
"I love you." Faith blurts out, unaware of the tears that has come up to her eyes.
Buffy's thumb wipes them slowly and she smiles. That's when Faith realizes that everything she's been fighting for has paid off. The result is here. In her arms. And she's never letting her go.
"I love you, too." Buffy whispers. "I've always loved you."
"Always ?"
"Unconsciously at first, but it was there. Deep down, I knew it. You were it for me, Faith. From the very beginning. That's why everything hurt so badly when things went out of control."
"Well, you could've spared me the heartbreak at that time."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, sugar, you're all forgiven."
They kiss sweetly, and then Buffy asks :
"Sugar, huh ?"
"You don't like it ?"
"I like whatever name you feel like calling me. But more importantly, I like you, F."
"Good to know, B. Good to know."
FIN
Once again, thank you for reading, for waiting patiently my updates that have been kind of irregular ! It was great writing for you (and for me too) !
Faith/Buffy are the true couple of BtVS. We all know it ;)
OTH-FOQ