Chapter 12
Faith and Buffy continued to sit side by side on the bed in the room The First had afforded the blonde slayer.
Faith worked the muscles of her throat. She wanted to ask about Buffy's daughter, but she was afraid to push too much, and it hurt to think about the gaping hole in her memory where the child should have been. Between Dawn and this, their memories had been fucked with enough. "Where's Nora?"
Buffy's head snapped up. "She's safe," she said. "She's with ... a friend." She didn't quite know what to call Dagmar, but recent interactions with the guardian demon had indicated he was more friend than foe.
"Does she know who you are?"
"She knows my name and that I'm a slayer, but she doesn't know I'm ... that I gave birth to her." She couldn't yet bring herself to say the M-word. She hadn't earned the right.
"Why not?"
It was a simple question with an overly complicated answer. Moms made cookies on holidays and soothed upset stomachs and bandaged skinned knees and made the monsters under the bed go away. Buffy might have spent over half of her life doing the latter, but it wasn't enough.
"She thinks her mom died." Buffy tightened the knot between her breasts that kept her towel in place. "I don't know how to tell her differently. I mean, why would she ever believe me?"
Faith squeezed Buffy's knee affectionately. "We'll figure this all out, B. One step at a time."
"I don't even know where to start," Buffy admitted with a frown.
"Defeating the First or telling Nora you're her mom?"
Buffy winced. They both sounded equally daunting. "I should find Dagmar. He has her."
"Dagmar?" Faith echoed, forehead creasing.
"He's kind of like a demon that specializes in keeping children safe," Buffy explained. "The First hired him when it stole Nora from me."
"I still don't get it." Faith shook her head, looking perplexed. "Why steal your daughter only to let you find her? And why hire some Super Nanny to look after her?"
"The way the First explained its motives made it almost sound like kidnapping Nora was for my own good. That she stole her to keep me company here."
"And you believe that?"
"Of course not," Buffy quickly replied. "But I haven't been able to find another motive that made sense."
Faith pushed a long exhale out her breath and raked her fingers through her hair. "We're just supposed to believe that a being known as 'The Worst of the Worst' has your best interests in mind?"
"That's the thing, I'm not entirely convinced it's actually The First. She's corporeal in this world."
"Are you shittin' me?" Faith bounced to her feet. "What are we waiting for? Let's go kick her ass!"
Buffy lashed her arm out and curled her fingers around Faith's wrist, halting the other slayer. "Stop. We have to think this through."
"I see nothing wrong with my plan." Faith wiggled out of Buffy's grip. "Rough her up a little and then we go home."
"I can't."
"You have your spell to get back, right?" Faith fished her own purple vial out of the back pocket of her jeans. She hadn't known what to do with the portal-maker to keep it safe, but her pants pocket had served her well up to this point.
"I don't know what happened to it," Buffy frowned. "I got tasered when I first got to this dimension, and when I woke up I was in a dungeon and my pockets were empty."
"Shit," Faith cursed. Her heart dropped into her stomach. "So now what?"
"Forget about the spell," Buffy dismissed. "Even if I found it, it would do me no good. It's a portal for one person. I need to find a way to bring Nora back, too."
"What if I use my spell and go get Willow?" Faith suggested, bouncing on the balls of her feet. All of this inaction and talk was making her antsy, especially after their curtailed battle. "If we don't have enough magic to get us all home, we find more magic. It's like that Mohammad and the mountain thing."
Buffy pressed her palms to her eyes. "I can't put Willow in danger." She was rapidly losing her patience with their situation.
"You know Red won't mind, B. She's a souped-up Wicca."
Buffy continued to hesitate and Faith noticed.
"Are you sure you even want to find a way to get back?" Faith challenged.
"Of course I do." Annoyance laced Buffy's tone, and she stood up from the bed. "How could you even suggest that?"
"Because you keep putting on the breaks!" Faith's voice rose in volume and in tone. "You keep shooting down all of my suggestions!"
A sharp knock on the door interrupted the fledgling argument.
The woman calling herself The First glided into the room without invitation. The train of her skirt trailed behind her. "I hope I'm not interrupting." The words said one thing, but her tone indicated otherwise. "Slayer, we need to talk."
"I'm a little busy right now," Buffy snapped, her ire rapidly escalating. "And I'm not exactly dressed for a conference," she said, motioning to her state of undress.
The woman's blue eyes flicked to the slayer and her toweled torso. "So it would appear. But this is rather pressing."
Buffy put her hands on her hips. The posture would have been more intimidating if she had been clothed and her hair hadn't hung limply on her shoulders. "What's so important that it can't wait?"
"We need to talk about your future and your role in this world." Her gaze reached Faith's face. "And I'd prefer we do it sooner than later before more of your friends try to stir up trouble."
"Hey, lady, I didn't do anything that wasn't already gonna happen," Faith protested, hands up in mock surrender.
The woman pressed her lips together in displeasure. "Regardless, we have to come to an agreement. Tonight," she decided. "The two of you will dine with me."
"And if we refuse?" Faith shot back. She had nothing against dinner, but it was in her nature to resist orders.
The woman rolled her eyes. "Control your girlfriend, Slayer."
Faith could feel her hackles rising, but she settled down when she felt Buffy's palm rest against the small of her back. "What time do we eat?" Faith grit out.
The woman turned sharply on her heels. "Eight o'clock," she tossed over her shoulder as she left the room. "Don't be late."
Once the woman had made her exit, Faith shut the bedroom door to afford she and Buffy a semblance of privacy. "What the fuck was that? Did The First just invite us to dinner?"
Buffy ran her fingers through her damp hair. "I think she prefers the name Shelia."
"Shelia?" Faith repeated. "God, this is the most fucked up thing...I'm like being punk'd, or I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone, or something."
Buffy sat down heavily on the bed. "Oh, believe me. I know."
Faith hovered near the doorway, unsure of what to do with her body. "So what do you wear to dinner with the devil?"
Buffy's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I don't know—heels and a sensible skirt?"
The First drummed her long fingernails on the wooden table. "The child is missing,"
"I know."
Buffy and Faith sat across a long dining table from their host for the evening. A variety of foods were laid out in front of them, and despite the gnawing hunger in Buffy's stomach, she refused to eat.
The woman's mouth formed a hard line. "I can't protect her if she's beyond the castle walls."
Buffy's face mirrored The First's. "Dagmar is with her."
A variety of emotions passed over the woman's face until settling on disinterest. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before he betrayed my trust. His kind is notorious for their odd sense of loyalty and honor."
Buffy leaned forward in her chair. "You asked us here to talk—it can't all be about my daughter's whereabouts."
The woman took a small sip from her wine glass before returning it to the table. "Yes, of course. We need to talk about your place in this world."
"I know why I'm here. You brought to restore the balance of Good and Evil in my world." Buffy hazarded a glance in Faith's direction. The brunette had been uncharacteristically quiet since they'd arrived at dinner. She picked at her meal, eyes cast down, and pushed the food around her plate with her fork. "One Girl in All the World."
"You upset the balance when your witch's spell unlocked the Potentials' powers," The First reminded her. It was a truth that Buffy had been continually pointed out to her. But ever since she had died for a split-second, and Kendra had been Called, the balance had already been disturbed. Why was it suddenly such a big deal now, so many years later?
"What about the balance in this world?" Buffy asked. "You didn't have a slayer before, so isn't my being here screwing up the balance in this dimension?"
"This place was never meant to need a slayer," the woman explained. "It was created as a haven for refugees, endangered demons, and ex-patriots."
"But now you do," Faith supplied, speaking for the first time that meal.
The woman nodded. "You witnessed firsthand just a small faction of those who would disrupt the longstanding peace between demon and humankind."
Buffy pushed her plate away, giving up on any specter of an appetite. "I can't kill humans. I won't."
The woman's lips pursed. "I don't think you have any say in this, Slayer."
The two slayers retreated to Buffy's room after the brief, yet tense dinner.
"So what do you think?"
"God, I don't know." Buffy flopped down on her bed and resisted the urge to pull at her hair in frustration. "I wish Willow were here. All this thinking and planning and scheming is making my brain hurt."
Faith sat down on the edge of the mattress. "I offered," she softly reminded the other slayer.
Buffy pulled herself to her knees. "I know," she nodded. "I just…I feel like this is something I need to figure out for myself. I can't keep putting my friends in danger, again and again."
"They've never complained, you know. We'd all do anything for you." Faith picked at the soft material of the comforter. "Me especially."
"Is it totally inappropriate that I want to kiss you?"
Faith's eyebrows shot up. "Inappropriate?"
"I didn't know," Buffy shrugged helplessly, "with things being so messed up, if you'd even be in the mood to..." Her words trailed off, and she quirked a sheepish smile.
Faith gave the blonde an incredulous look. "Have you seen yourself, girlfriend? If I'm ever not in the mood, just chop off my head, because I've clearly been replaced by an imposture."
Buffy surged forward and dug her fingers into Faith's long, chestnut waves. "Thank God."
Faith fumbled only briefly with the small buttons at the front of Buffy's blouse. The extra clothing had appeared outside of Buffy's room nearly as soon as The First had invited them to dinner. She popped the shirt open, one pearly white button at a time. When each button had been freed, she unceremoniously jerked the bottom hem of the dress shirt free of the pencil skirt. When she'd dealt with the last stubborn button, her reward was the flat plane of Buffy's stomach.
She raked short nails down Buffy's bronzed flesh. The black lacy bra, which had remained hidden beneath the shirt, made her mouth go dry. Well, it wasn't so much the bra that affected her, but the twin, perky breasts beneath the flimsy material. She palmed their slight weight in her palms and lightly squeezed the firm yet supple flesh. Buffy's nipples hardened and pebbled, branding the center of Faith's palms. But even the delicate layer of lace was too much distance between Faith's hands and Buffy's unblemished skin. She slipped her hands beneath the underwire and bit back her own moan at the silken sensation of her hands against Buffy's skin.
A greedy feeling swept over her; she had to see all of this woman. Now. She had to feel all of her. Now. Faith abandoned Buffy's breasts to find the hidden zipper of the pencil skirt wrapped tightly around the blonde's narrow hips. She lowered the zipper and let gravity do the rest of the work.
Buffy's hands rested on the front of Faith's tight pants, toying with the button. She wasn't struggling to unfasten it; she was teasing as if contemplating whether she wanted to unwrap a present or not. Her eyes never left Faith's. She gave a mighty tug and the unforgiving material dug into Faith. Her breath hitched, but she wasn't going to give her more than that. Buffy finally unbuttoned Faith's pants and slid the zipper down.
Faith felt like a racehorse in its corral, waiting for the starting bell. She let Buffy take her time as she peeled unforgiving leather down her hips and thighs. It would have been faster and more efficient if she'd done it herself, but the pads of Buffy's fingers were exquisite on her skin as she worked those pants down Faith's legs.
With a simple movement, Faith's hands were behind the crook of Buffy's knees, and she lifted her from the mattress. Buffy made a surprised noise and her hands flew to the back of her girlfriend's neck and shoulders to stabilize herself. Faith laid the blonde on the bed and scrambled to hover over her. The sweet smell of soap and Buffy's unique scent filled her nostrils, and she nearly sobbed at its return to her life.
Her mouth found Buffy's again, and her thigh came to rest solidly between Buffy's. She ground against the smaller slayer who moaned into her open mouth. Buffy met each thrust of Faith's muscled thigh with her own. The noises coming out of the elder slayer's mouth and the sound of her labored breathing had Faith galloping toward her own release.
Faith reached between their bodies and slid Buffy's underwear to the side. She stroked her fingers over smooth skin and through short, coarse hair. Buffy arched into the touch. Two fingers found their way inside of the blonde's sex while Faith ground the heel of her palm into the other woman's clit. Buffy released another delicious, throaty groan as Faith pushed inside. It was about as intimate as a public restroom fuck with Buffy still half-clothed and Faith more so, but neither woman was going to mount a protest.
Buffy slammed her palms hard against Faith's shoulder blades, and for a moment the brunette thought the other slayer was going to make her stop, but those fingers curled around her shoulders and she pulled Faith down tighter against her so their breasts crushed together.
Buffy's hips jerked and bucked erratically, making it hard for Faith to find a rhythm. She pulled away, still on her knees on the mattress. She pressed her free hand flat against Buffy's lower abdomen while her other hand furiously pistoned in and out of her. Buffy's mouth fell open and her eyes screwed shut. Faith could still feel the movements of Buffy's hips beneath her, but she kept the other woman pinned to the mattress.
Despite slayer stamina, Faith's bicep began to burn. Each hard thrust brought a grunt to her lips from exertion. Buffy's cries had become more desperate and high-pitched, and the blonde tightened around Faith's fingers. A hand shot out, and Buffy clutched Faith's right arm, silently urging for just a little more. The brunette wasn't sure she would outlast Buffy's orgasm, but she discarded her own comfort to the side and focused on getting her girlfriend off. She licked her thumb on her free hand and swiped it across Buffy's clit.
"I'm cumming," Buffy gasped. It was the first time she'd spoken since the initial crush of lips unless you counted a heavy sigh or a slipped profanity or celestial praise.
Buffy held tightly to Faith's upper arms as she rode out her orgasm. Faith couldn't resist, so she swooped in for another kiss. Their tongues battled for dominance while Buffy's thighs quivered around her hand. Faith stayed inside of the blonde until Buffy's legs stopped shaking. It was only then when she withdrew and collapsed beside her partner.
"Holy shit," Faith gasped when her breathing came back under her control.
Beside her on the bed, Buffy stretched and purred in contentment. "You can say that again."
There had been a sealed envelope on Buffy's pillow next to her head when she woke up the next morning. Its presence was startling; neither she nor Faith had roused when the envelope bearer had brought the message. Inside the envelope was a piece of paper, folded in half. Written on the paper was an address and a time, but nothing more.
Following the paper's instructions, Buffy and Faith stood in the center of a deserted park. The sun had set long ago and only the pale moonlight above guided their movements.
"Dagmar?" Buffy called out. A wind rustled the leaves in the trees. "Are you here?"
"Not so loud, Slayer." The caretaker demon lumbered out of the shadows.
"Where's Nora?"
"Safe." Dagmar looked in Faith's direction. "I assume that is the other slayer?"
Faith reflexively bristled at the title. Ever since she'd arrived in Sunnydale she'd done all she could to step out of Buffy's shadow. And even though she'd grown and matured since her teenaged years, it still stung to be labeled other or less than.
Buffy reached for Faith and intertwined their hands.
"What is your status?" Dagmar asked.
"Unchanged," Buffy informed her unlikely ally. "The First still insists that I stay in this dimension to preserve the balance in my world."
"She's not going to change her mind," Dagmar said.
"I know, but we're working on a solution."
"There are other worlds, other lands where magic doesn't exist," Dagmar noted. "You and the child could live there without interference. With your powers dormant, the First would have no need of you."
"But I'd be in the same situation," Buffy sighed, "banished from my friends and family."
"This is true."
"Is she really The First?" Faith asked. "The same bitch who tried to destroy the world we come from by opening up a Hellmouth?"
"In a way. But The First takes a different guise in each dimension."
"But it's corporeal here," Faith noted. "Isn't that, I don't know, a bad idea?"
"The First is flesh and blood in this world," Dagmar noted. "But that doesn't mean it's without power."
Faith balled up her fists at her side. "Can it be killed?"
A sharp cry of surprise had the slayer and the demon jerking their respective heads in the direction of the sound. Nora stepped out of the shadows. Her hair was down and fell in soft, wispy waves and her frilly nightgown reached past her kneecaps.
Nora rubbed at her eyes. "Why do you want to hurt my grandma?"
"Child! I told you to stay behind," Dagmar sharply chided. "It isn't safe for you in the open."
Nora stepped closer to the group. Her tiny hand curled around Dagmar's leg, and she clung close to her protector. "Why do you want to hurt her, Buffy?" She cast a furtive glance at Faith, clearly concerned and curious about the newcomer.
"Sweetie, it's not...I wasn't..." Buffy hung her head in defeat. Nothing she could say would be able to satisfy her daughter. She knew that stripped of her real family, The First and Dagmar had become the closest thing to family she had.
"Come now, child," Dagmar's monotone voice soothed. "We should return to where it's safe."
Nora, ignoring Dagmar's instructions, rushed over to the blonde slayer. Buffy choked back a sob when reed-thin arms wrapped around her waist and a face pressed into her side. "Please don't hurt my grandma," Nora pled. "Whatever she did, I'm sure she didn't mean it."
Buffy laid her palm on top of Nora's head. Her blonde hair was impossibly soft. "I won't hurt her."
The whispered promise drew Nora's face out of her hip, and she rewarded the words with a watery smile.
"It's time for us to go, child," Dagmar beckoned. His typically emotionless face appeared almost regretful when he looked again in Buffy's direction.
"Ok. Bye, Buffy." Nora dropped her arms from around the slayer's waist, and Buffy resisted the urge to pull her back in for a hug. Every fiber in her body twitched and jerked in protest as she watched Nora trot away.
Dagmar slowly moved to follow her daughter into the darkness.
"Wait," Buffy called after him. "How will I find you again?"
"It's best I keep her away from the castle until you've sorted things out with The First."
"I agree."
"Good. If you decide to take me up on the offer to travel to the world without magic, come back here in two days time. I'll procure you safe passage there."
"For all of us?" Buffy anxiously asked. She cast a furtive glance in Faith's direction.
"I cannot go." Dagmar's face remained unreadable. "Traveling to this specific dimension only allows for humans; I would not survive the trip. I could find magic enough to send you three, however. Just know that this is a one-way trip, Slayer. No magic means no return."
"I understand." Buffy nodded solemnly. "And thank you again, Dagmar, for keeping her safe."
Dagmar's massive head tilted. "Slayer, it isn't my place, but you should consider telling the child who you really are."
"I know." Buffy swallowed down a lump in her throat that threatened to choke her like a goiter. "I'll do it soon."
The demon nodded his head once in acknowledgement before he too disappeared into the shadows.
Faith released a rough breath. "Well, fuck."
"You said it," Buffy sighed. She rubbed at her temples and the building pressure there.
"I can't believe you promised not to hurt The First."
"Well, I did," Buffy said sternly. "So we'll just have to come up with a new plan."
"She's just a kid, B." Faith couldn't believe that she was being the voice of reason. That had never been her strong suit. "She'll get over it when she realizes it's for the best."
"No, Faith. She's not just 'a kid.' She's my kid. I made a promise to my daughter, and I will move the moon and the stars to keep it."
TBC
A/N: Thank you to everyone for the reviews and favorites and follows for this story!
Updates to this story have been slow because I've been hard at work on a new original novel, Drained: The Lucid, now available on Amazon. I've co-authored Drained with another Buffy writer, False. We previously collaborated on a Fuffy story, Someone Like You, which is also available on this site.
About Drained:
On the surface, Riley Carter had it all: amazing friends, a job she loved, a promising new girlfriend, and immortality. As an ambitious succubus working for Trusics, Inc., her life should have been simple. Nightly visits to the dream realm as the guest star in human fantasies afforded her the sexual energy required for survival. Provided she met her employer's monthly quotas, she would continue to enjoy the extravagant spoils of eternal youth. Life was pleasure for pleasure—until it wasn't.
Now in her seventh decade, Riley finds her life lacking, especially when she encounters a lucid dreamer. Armed with an analytic pragmatism as dangerous as any weapon, this new dreamer has Riley questioning the purpose of her existence.
Humor, romance, and intrigue meet in Drained, the search for the perfect life in an imperfect system.