Chapter Thirteen
(Three days later...)
Faith was bored out of her mind, something that wasn't new, but after the last three days of being snowed in, the power out until that morning, there was nothing to do and she couldn't even hop in her truck and take a drive around the property just to get out of the house for a little while. It'd given her far too much time to think about the conversation she and Buffy had the night the storm had hit. While they hadn't spent any time alone together since then, the way Buffy would look at her, catching her gaze from across the room was no longer lost on her.
Boredom had hit just about everyone too. Xander was growing antsy, needing something-anything to do. Nelly put him to work with Colin, fixing up some of the things around the house that needed fixing. It gave him something to focus his boredom on. Willow had been spending a lot of time with Dawn and Buffy, the three of them usually curled up on the couch in the den, talking quietly while they drank tea or coffee. Kennedy found a way to pass the time, playing cards with Wood, Angel and Andrew, Nelly occasionally joining in. Faith had played a few games with them, but after a few hours of that, it became too repetitive for her and she'd had enough.
Christmas was right around the corner, but she wasn't thinking about that. The fact that it was her birthday today and not one of them had remembered, not Angel, not Wood, and not even Willow, it really bothered her. She didn't know why since things like that never bothered her in the past, but it was different now. With all her emotions still running on high, it bothered her that the three people who meant something to her in her life had forgotten all about that one little day that belonged to her and her alone. It wasn't like this was the first time her birthday had been forgotten, it'd happened throughout her entire life, and the only birthdays she really celebrated was when she was with Giles and with Angel in London.
The den was unusually quiet that morning and with Colin gone to make a trip into town now that the roads had been cleared, everyone was waiting, anxious to see if the things they needed for the spell had finally been delivered to the local post office. Faith was more than ready to have this done and over with, to get her slayer essence back and to find Azri'el and kill him for putting her and all the others through this.
"We should start preparing," Nelly said, his voice breaking the heavy silence in the room. "Colin should be back any time now and I'm sure you are all very anxious to start this spell."
"I'm a little bit worried," Willow said, frowning as she looked across the room at Faith and then at the others. "It's a tricky spell and not entirely guaranteed to work."
"You'll be able to do it," Dawn said. "I know if anyone can do this, it's you."
"Other than that spell we did last week, I haven't done any magic since..." Willow trailed off, still frowning. "This spell is as tricky as it is dangerous. Once we locate the orb and teleport it here, there's no telling what else might come with it."
"So we prepare," Kennedy spoke up. "Nelly, you've got plenty of weapons, don't you?" She asked and she didn't wait for him to answer. "We have Angel and it's not like we can't fight. We might not be strong as we once were, but put us all together and I'm sure that if it comes down to it, if something comes with the orb, we'll be ready to take it down."
"I'm down for a fight," Faith said and she stood from her chair, cracking her knuckles. "When you're ready to do the spell, come get me. I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Faith-"
"Save it, Wil. We've been cooped up in this place and just sitting here watching the minutes pass is driving me nuts. I'm going for a walk and when you're all ready to do this spell, come and find me if I ain't back yet."
Faith headed for the back door where she left her coat and boots. Slipping them on and zipping up her jacket, she walked out into the cold morning, snow crunching under her boots as she headed across the yard towards the gravel road.
"Is it just me or is she moodier than usual?" Willow asked and Dawn shrugged, not really caring much whether Faith was in a mood or not. "She seemed fine yesterday."
"Boredom," Angel said. "She's not one to sit still for so long without something to do. It's affecting all of us, but you know her as well as I do, Willow. You know it's affecting her far more than she's letting it show."
Willow frowned, concerned for Faith. She had been fine the day before, at least as fine as the entire situation would allow her to be. Her eyes flickered over to Buffy, wondering if something else had happened between them, but Willow knew that wasn't it. In fact they'd been perfectly fine around each other for the last couple of days since the storm hit, so it couldn't have been anything that Buffy said or did to put her in that mood.
"Maybe she's just miserable because we're stuck here and there's ten days until Christmas. Who knows if we'll even get to spend it at home," Dawn whined.
"Ten days until Christmas!" Willow yelped as she jumped up from the couch. "Oh Goddess, how could I have forgotten?"
"Forgotten what?" Buffy asked her curiously.
"It's Faith's birthday today. Oh, I'm such a horrible friend," Willow frowned. "I completely forgot about it! She's probably sulking because nobody remembered," she said, passing a knowing look towards Angel who was standing by the fireplace, a guilty look sliding in place as his eyes met Willow's.
"I didn't know it was her birthday," Buffy said quietly. "Did you know?" She asked Dawn, who just shook her head no. "We should make it up to her."
"How?" Dawn asked her. "It's not like we can go out partying or to a strip club or whatever it is Faith likes to do."
"None of those things," Willow replied. "I think she just wanted it to be acknowledged and she didn't even get a single, "Happy Birthday, Faith!" from any of us! We do have to make it up to her. There's no question about it."
"Uh guys?" Andrew spoke up from where he was sitting at the card table with Kennedy and Wood. "Don't you think doing this spell is a little bit more important than celebrating Faith's birthday? I mean, that is equally important, but..."
"It is equally important," Willow stated and she looked around the room at the others. "Look, I know most of you don't care and I can't blame you for that, but Faith is my friend and the fact that I forgot it was her birthday makes me feel like I'm officially the worst best friend in the world right now."
"Is there no chance we could possibly swing a last minute surprise party, make it seem like we did remember even though we didn't?" Xander suggested and Willow shook her head no.
"That's a good idea," Angel said, but Willow shook her head no again. "No," Angel sighed, frowning. "She won't fall for something like that. She'll know it's just a cover up because the people who matter most to her forgot."
"Where are you going, Buffy?" Dawn asked and Willow looked over at her as she headed for the den. "Buffy?"
"I'm going to find her. She couldn't have gotten too far, right?"
Willow couldn't help but smile at her. She knew things were a complicated mess between Buffy and Faith, but they hadn't gotten into it since the storm had hit and Faith hadn't said a word about Buffy to her since. Maybe whatever was going on between them had passed and all Buffy was trying to do was do the right thing, like she always aimed to do.
It still didn't help that she felt like the worst friend in the world for forgetting. She'd had a lot on her mind, especially when it came to the spell they were going to try that could change everything and be the beginning of the end of what Azri'el had started. She was in no state now to even try the spell, not until she made it up to Faith for being on of the people in her life who shouldn't have forgotten, no matter what else was going on in their lives.
Faith stood about a hundred feet from the house, shivering and unable to walk any further in the deep snow. She had a cigarette dangling from her lips, both hands shoved into her jacket pockets and she was silently fuming. She couldn't shake it, that feeling like maybe she didn't matter that much to those she thought she did. They'd been so consumed in Azri'el and everything related to him, their days spent researching and when they weren't, their time was spent just trying to pass the hours without succumbing to the utter boredom they were all experiencing.
She didn't know why she was so upset over something as trivial as her friends forgetting her birthday. She never cared before. Ever. It was just another day, another blip on the radar, another sign that she'd made it through yet another year of her life without dying. What had changed, she wasn't sure, but she was ready to blame her emotions, the sensitivity she'd been feeling more than ever in the last month or so.
Pulling a hand out of her jacket, she pulled her cigarette from her lips and flicked it to the ground, watching as it sunk in the deep snow a few feet away from her. She could hear the snow crunching behind her and she sighed heavily, knowing she hadn't been out there that long and she hadn't heard or seen Colin come back from town yet. When she felt that warmth grown inside of her, she knew it was Buffy approaching her.
"Hey," Buffy said with a sweet smile as Faith turned around to face her. "Aren't you absolutely freezing out here?"
"Yeah."
"So, why don't you come back inside?"
"They ready to do that spell?" Faith asked and upon Buffy's head shake she too shook her head no. "Then I'm not gonna come back inside 'til they're ready. Kind of need some space right now, B, so if ya don't mind..."
Buffy took a few steps closer to her, shivering as she reached out and hesitantly wrapped her arms around Faith, hugging her. "Happy birthday, Faith."
"Huh?"
"It is your birthday, isn't it?" Buffy asked, looking into her eyes. "And everyone forgot, didn't they?"
"So what if they did?"
"I think you care that they did and that's why you're being moodier than normal."
"What?" Faith laughed softly, shaking her head as she wrapped her arms around Buffy when she gave her another tight squeeze. "Uh, thanks, B."
"I never knew your birthday was so close to Christmas."
"Never asked me before."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Twenty-seven as of today."
"You're older than me?" Buffy asked in surprise and they stepped out of the warm embrace, an awkward silence growing between them. "I always thought you were younger than me," Buffy said after a minute. "I guess that goes to show you just how much I knew about you, even back in Sunnydale before things went-got messy and out of hand."
"Only like a month older than you," Faith shrugged. "Even Diana was surprised I'd been called that old since most girls were called before fifteen."
"So," Buffy breathed out slowly and she moved until she was standing just inches in front of Faith. "How come you never mentioned your birthday was coming up?"
"Didn't seem like a high priority on the list. Not like it matters."
"Of course it matters and of course it's a high priority, Faith," Buffy said, smiling sweetly at her. "Xander was trying to come up with this inane plan to throw you a surprise party, making you think we didn't forget and poor Wil, she feels so bad that she forgot."
"It ain't that big of a deal."
"But it made you all moody and upset, so I'm guessing it is a bit of a big deal to you. There's no sense in hiding it or denying it, Faith. I can see it written all over your face."
"Whatever."
"Happy birthday, Faith."
"Ya said that once and once is-"
Buffy closed the distance between them and delivered a sweet and soft kiss to her lips that rendered her speechless. It'd been the first time they'd been alone since the night of the storm and the first time they'd kissed since that afternoon in the den when Buffy wouldn't leave her alone. Faith pulled her close and deepened the kiss, feeling the warmth coming from Buffy washing over her in waves and making her forget they were outside standing in the deep snow and that it was absolutely freezing.
Faith found it hard to deny that she loved the feeling of Buffy in her arms, loved the way she would kiss her, the way her tongue would flick across her bottom lip, demanding her to part her lips so she could deepen the kiss. She even loved the way that warm, delicious buzz intensified inside her body, like a strong shot of the strongest, smoothest whisky she'd ever had in her life.
Faith was the one who ended the sudden kiss first, pushing Buffy back gently just enough so she could slip out from Buffy's arms that had been wrapped around her. Licking over her lips, she ran a hand through her hair and exhaled sharply.
"Was that not okay?"
"Kissed ya back, didn't I?" Faith asked her.
"Yeah, but-"
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around what we talked about the other night. It's kind of something I'm gonna need some time to let it all sink in, you know?"
"Are you seeing someone else?"
"You're joking right? Been cooped up in this place for a-"
"Back in Cleveland," Buffy said with a shake of her head. "Are you seeing someone else back in Cleveland? You are, aren't you? Is that why you keep avoiding me?"
"No," Faith chuckled. "Not really much of the dating type. Haven't gone out with any guys for a little while. Nobody special or anything like that waiting for me back home. If there was, after the first time ya kissed me, I would've let it be known by telling ya straight up."
"Oh," Buffy said, her cheeks turning a soft pink. "Oh."
"Thanks for the birthday kiss, B," Faith said, winking at her playfully. "Definitely made up for it being forgotten in the first place. Why don't ya head back inside? Look like you're freezing to death out here."
"Is there any way I can talk you into coming back inside with me?"
"Gonna stay out here, have another smoke and get some fresh air."
"And you want to be alone?" Buffy asked, frowning as Faith nodded her head yes. "Oh. I was kind of hoping to give you another birthday kiss, maybe twenty-five more of them, you know, to make the grand total of twenty-seven which is how old you are now and oh god, somebody stop me."
Faith couldn't help but laugh at her babbling. She hadn't seen this side of Buffy before, not directed towards her anyway and the way her cheeks flushed pink again and she nervously bit her bottom lip, Faith found her completely and utterly adorable.
Adorable? What's gotten into you, Lehane? Buffy is acting like...like what, I don't know, but it's totally out of character for her.
Isn't it?
I don't even know anymore.
Laughing at the conversation going on inside her head, Faith started walking down the path, but the deep snow made it difficult and she wasn't even sure she was on the gravel path after a few heavy and hard steps. Just as she was about to turn around and head back, knowing she wouldn't get much further in the deep snow without exhausting herself, a snowball hit her in the back and she spun around, glaring at Buffy who was just standing there holding a second snowball in her bare hands.
"Bet that's cold," Faith said, grinning as she started to walk back towards her.
"Little bit."
"Bet you want to throw that one at me too, huh?"
"Just a little bit."
Laughing, Faith bend down and grabbed a handful of the snow, quickly balling it and she chucked it at Buffy before Buffy could even blink. Buffy growled playfully as she dropped her snowball and wiped the cold snow from her face.
"You realize you just declared war, right?"
"You think I'm afraid of little old you, B?"
"You will be."
"Bring it on then, princess."
With that, Buffy leapt at Faith, trying her best to tackle her down into the deep snow.
Willow watched with mild amusement the scene she was seeing between Buffy and Faith. She had started to go out after Buffy, not wanting to see Faith get hurt, her emotions thrown for a loop yet again, but she had stopped when she saw them kissing-a mutual kiss that made the atmosphere around the house inside crackle with energy.
Faith could handle this on her own, she knew that much. Whatever was going on between them, Faith had to figure out what it was she wanted to do about it and all Willow knew she could do was be that friend to her when she needed someone to talk to, when she needed a shoulder to cry on, the whole nine yards.
Watching the way the two interacted, it was like watching two children play in the snow for the first time. It was amusing, beyond that, and Willow laughed as she watched Faith grab the back of Buffy's jacket and shove a handful of snow down it. The sound of their laughter could be heard even from inside the kitchen at the back door where she was standing. She could feel the crackle of magic coming from their connection, different than when they'd been kissing, but it felt good and it was strong too.
She wondered what it all meant and she'd kept what theories Nelly had discussed with her about what it could mean. They were the original Chosen, both sharing two halves of the same soul, or at least the part of their soul that was the slayer. Being stripped of their essence hadn't changed that part, the fact they were joined in ways nobody probably could never understand. Willow did believe in soul mates, she had found hers in Tara. But did she think that Faith and Buffy were soul mates? It was hard to tell, going on a string of theories that were starting to make more and more sense the more she thought about them.
A spell that was meant to be so very simple, nothing more than levitating Andrew, had turned into something so much more. It didn't work on Andrew, but it worked on Faith the first time and then both of them when they had tried it again. That spell had sparked something, not just in Faith, but in Buffy as well and she could just see it every time she looked at Buffy. It was something she had never seen in her former best friend before, that spark in her eyes, that glow she had about her when she was just in the same room as Faith.
Yet it was all so complicated. Faith was so conflicted with her feelings for Buffy, and for Buffy to be feeling the same way, unable to stop herself from seeking Faith out, it complicated things further, so much to the point where Willow wasn't sure if Faith could even deal with this-or the inevitable fallout that was likely to come.
"What are we looking at?" Dawn asked as she walked over to Willow and stood at her side. "Oh you're joking right? They're fighting? Again?"
"Not fighting," Willow replied quietly. "You don't feel that, Dawn?"
"Feel what?"
"The flow of magic in the air, caressing you all over like the warmth only a lover could bring to you."
"Oh barf," Dawn gagged. "No really, are they fighting again?"
"They really aren't."
"Really looks like it."
"Might want to take a closer look, Dawn," Willow said, not moving her eyes from the scene outside as Faith pulled Buffy to her feet. In an instant they had their arms around each other and we're kissing, soft and slow, completely immersed in each other.
"Oh my god!" Dawn shrieked and she reached for the door, Willow quickly stopping her. "What are you doing, Willow? Let go of me! Faith is out there molesting my sister and she's...she's letting her? What?"
Dawn slowly backed down, confusion and bewilderment settling over her formerly furious expression. "Why is she letting her do that?" Dawn asked. "She..."
"Loves her," Willow finished for her.
"It doesn't make any sense," Dawn said and she shook her head, choosing not to look back out the window at the two outside. "Okay, maybe it makes a tiny bit of sense, but what the hell? Was it that spell you guys did with the two of them? Something happened that you didn't know would happen right? Something happened to Buffy that made her be this way."
"The only thing that happened was they both kind of jumped out of the river of denial they've both been swimming in for who even knows how long."
Willow gently pulled Dawn away from the window, knowing it was rude to continue watching the two when they probably had no idea they were being watched. Willow was worried about Faith and whatever it was going on between her and Buffy. She worried that if things ended badly that it would tear her apart, but if that happened, Willow knew she'd be right at Faith's side, helping her through it all even if Faith continuously pushed her away.
All she could hope for now was that everything would fall into place in the end, that they'd find the orb, defeat Azri'el, and their lives would go back to the way they'd been before all of this had started.
Faith shivered as she reached down for Buffy's hand. She pulled her up and out of the snow and shivered again. She was cold and wet, definitely not a good combination and she needed to get into dry, warm clothes sooner rather than later.
"Oh my god," Buffy groaned as they headed back to the house together. "I'm frozen. I'm an icicle. A Buffy-sized icicle."
"Just remember who started it," Faith chuckled, winking at her as they reached the back door.
Shedding their boots and jackets, they quickly made their way up the stairs to their own bedrooms, leaving a trail of water droplets behind them. Faith hurried into her bedroom, stripping off her clothes the second she had the door shut behind her. Teeth chattering, she pulled on her heaviest pair of sweatpants and found her favorite hoodie, throwing it on and nothing else underneath. Gathering up her wet clothes, she hung them over the radiator near the window, still shivering and feeling like she'd never be warm again.
She laughed despite it all. The way Buffy had sought her out, gave her the sweetest, softest birthday kiss she'd ever received, it warmed her heart just a little bit thinking of how she'd felt so much in such a simple kiss. The snowball fight afterwards was just out of pure fun and it brought back a feeling of innocence, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Also brought a whole new meaning to being cold, but she no longer cared about that. She didn't really in the first place. She'd had fun and so did Buffy and it was just the thing they needed.
A soft knock rapped on her closed bedroom door before it opened slowly. Buffy stepped inside wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a sweat shirt that definitely didn't belong to her as it was at least three sizes too big.
"I feel like I'm never going to know what it's like to feel warm again," Buffy groaned as she shut the door behind her. "And it's all my fault."
"It was fun though, B. Can't deny that."
"No, definitely can't."
Faith stood where she was, unmoving as Buffy slowly made her way over to her. It felt natural for her to wrap her arms around Buffy as soon as she was close, it felt natural to capture her lips in a soft kiss that left her body humming. She felt happy too for the first time since this whole situation had started and it was something she was learning to embrace and not feel guilty about. Just because they were in a heavy situation didn't mean she couldn't feel a small amount of happiness, even if it did come in the form of Buffy.
"Mmm," Buffy sighed as she pulled back from Faith's lips. "What was that for?"
"Just wanted to. Besides," Faith grinned as she ran her hands down the length of Buffy's back, settling them on her lower back as she pulled her flush against her. "Someone said they wanted to give me twenty-five more of them."
"I'm thinking there's only twenty-four to go," Buffy replied, blushing slightly as she found herself caught under Faith's intense gaze. "And because Willow wants to do that spell later, I'm thinking we should get...started on that."
Faith chuckled and leaned in to kiss Buffy again. She let everything in her mind go and just found herself fully absorbed in the moment she and Buffy were having. She didn't think about how feeling the way she did about her was tearing her apart just days ago, she didn't think about how surreal it all was that Buffy had feelings for her and wanted her. She didn't think about what Willow said that when they were together, that the magical energy between them intensified tenfold. The only thing she was completely and fully focused on was Buffy and her suddenly wandering hands that were sliding up under the bottom of her hoodie and gliding along her skin.
Faith wasn't sure if it was her or if it was Buffy who led them over to the bed. It happened in one fluid motion, Buffy pulling Faith with her as she laid on the bed without breaking away from their heated kiss. Faith suddenly forgot just how cold she'd been minutes ago, a rush of pleasure and heat rushed through her body as Buffy slipped a leg between hers and pulled her hips down against her.
"Thought we were just kissing?" Faith whispered against Buffy's lips.
"We are."
Chuckling, Faith pulled back just enough to look into Buffy's eyes. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the first time Buffy kissed her. It had been so intense that she couldn't handle it or even control herself. It was different now, much different and Faith couldn't figure out why, she just knew it was. Everything about this moment between them felt entirely different than it had before. Whatever would end up happening between them would just happen and she would be powerless to stop it. She didn't want to stop it, whatever it ended up being.
"Do you not want to be doing this?" Buffy asked, her voice so quiet that Faith barely heard her. "Because we can do this not on the bed if that's what-"
Faith stopped her, kissing her hard as she rocked her hips, Buffy's thigh creating delicious friction between her legs. Buffy arched up into her, deepening the kiss as her hands went to the back of Faith's head to keep her right where she was. Using one hand to keep her from settling her body completely on top of Buffy, she used the other, trailing her hand over Buffy's side and slipping her fingers under the hem of her oversized sweatshirt.
Losing herself in the kiss and the feel of Buffy's body under her own, she moaned and kissed her harder, deeper, letting herself give in completely.
Taking the lead, unable to hold herself back, she moved her hand higher up Buffy's stomach, going slowly as she neared her breasts. Buffy placed a hand over hers and pushed it further, encouraging her to touch her. Buffy moaned into her mouth as she rolled a hardening nipple between her fingers. It created a whole new wave of pleasure that filled her completely and she could feel the energy in the room and between them increase even more.
"It's getting a bit warm," Buffy said softly, her lips barely leaving Faith's.
"How about we lose the clothes then?"
"Faith-"
"It's what you want, isn't it, Buffy?"
"Is it what you want?" Buffy asked her, her hands moving to gently cup Faith's face.
Faith licked over her lips, the words suddenly disappearing, her mouth suddenly dry. She nodded her head, smiling down at Buffy before capturing her lips in another intensely passionate kiss. Buffy moved a hand to the zipper of her hoodie and began to slide it down. Faith parted from her lips, sitting up and straddled Buffy's hips as she continued to slowly drag the zipper down. Faith couldn't take her eyes off of Buffy, watching her as she pushed open the hoodie, revealing her bare skin and braless breasts under it.
Pulling Buffy up so she was sitting too, she made quick work of getting her out of her oversized sweatshirt. Faith dipped her head down and kissed her again, moaning as Buffy's hands wandered over her back, her stomach and gently cupped her breasts, thumbs instantly circling over her hard nipples. Moaning as Buffy's arms circled around her, they fell back on to the bed, hands roaming in a rush of desire. Faith was so consumed by the feel of Buffy, by the way Buffy was kissing her so deeply, she was caught off guard as Buffy flipped them and ended up on top. Pushing her back, Faith stared up at her, not knowing what to say, what to do.
"Let me," Buffy whispered. "Let me love you."
"B-"
Buffy placed a finger over her lips and smiled sweetly. She moved her lips to Faith's neck, kissing her softly, sucking and biting over her pulse point before moving down, trailing featherlight kisses over Faith's collarbone and down across her breasts, purposely missing her hard nipples that were aching for attention. Faith arched up, moaning as Buffy lightly licked over her left nipple, her fingers circling the other.
Faith moaned, arching even further into Buffy as she wrapped her lips around her hard nipple. Buffy wasted no time moving to the other, teasing her before she trailed her tongue down the middle of her stomach, dipping it in to her bellybutton while she looked up at her, eyes locked in the most intense gaze they had so far shared between them. Faith gripped the bedspread, unsure what to do with her hands as she watched Buffy trail her fingers over the edges of her sweatpants before gently tugging the drawstring undone.
Lifting up, she didn't break eye-contact as Buffy slid her pants down slowly before taking them off and tossing them to the floor behind her. Faith could feel her heart pounding hard and fast in her chest as she watched Buffy stand and slip out of her own pants. Faith reached out for her hands and pulled her back down on top of her, both moaning as their naked bodies lay flush together. No longer wanting or willing to be the bottom, Faith hooked a leg over Buffy's and rolled them over, her lips capturing Buffy's once again in a heated kiss.
"Fuck," Faith murmured against Buffy's lips as Buffy spread her legs for her. Buffy felt so good beneath her and she rolled her hips, feeling Buffy's pussy, hot and wet against her own.
"Faith," Buffy whimpered as Faith rolled her hips again. Buffy's hands roamed over her back and she gripped her hips, encouraging her to keep moving. "Oh god."
Letting the waves of pleasure guide her, Faith crushed her lips against Buffy's, their bodies moving together, hands roaming, clutching, grasping.
Willow sucked in a deep breath, the magical energy flowing through the house was far beyond intense. She could feel the power trickle inside of her, consuming her. It felt familiar and warm and she felt like herself again even if just a little bit. It was just her and Nelly in the dining room, setting up for the spell while Colin enlisted the help of Andrew and Xander in bringing the supplies in he'd picked up in town. It was now or never to do the spell and she had no idea how long of a window they had, not with knowing how unpredictable Faith and Buffy were in their brief encounters with each other.
Yet she knew that there was something far more intense going on upstairs than them just sharing another kiss. She blushed at the thought of what they were doing, trying desperately to clear those images from her head.
"It's strong," Nelly said as he lit each candle that sat on top of the table. "Strongest it's ever been."
"Yeah."
"We might not have much time."
"No, we might not."
"Colin!" Nelly yelled out. "Hurry up, would you, boy? We need to get started as soon as possible. Enough of your diddlydaddling!"
Colin brought in the last of the boxes, hurriedly opening them and placing the objects on the table. One by one the others came in, Kennedy and Angel carrying enough weapons for all of them just in case something did come back with the box the orb was kept in.
"Where are they?" Dawn asked, grabbing one of the short broadswords from Kennedy and examining it. "Shouldn't they be here for this spell?"
"They're otherwise preoccupied," Nelly said, chuckling when Dawn looked at Willow for a better explanation. "You can't feel that, girl? Their connection, the magical energy flowing from it? It's stronger than it's ever been between them."
"How? What would make it stronger? What are they...oh," Dawn said, flustered as her cheeks turned red. "Oh my god. Does that mean they are...? Right now...? Oh my god, gross!"
"Let's get started," Nelly said, ignoring the looks of everyone in the room, a mix between curious, shocked, bewilderment and in Dawn's case, disturbed. "Willow, if you'll hand the book to Andrew, he'll start to recite from the first passage."
Willow readied herself, holding the gold bowl full of blood over the larger bowl with the rest of the ingredients. She started reciting the passage along with Andrew, slowly pouring the blood into the larger bowl, watching as small wisps of smoke began to rise. She closed her eyes, the flow of magic coursing through her a feeling she thought she'd never feel again after Buffy had destroyed the Seed. She tried to keep her focus on the words, the spell itself and not what was making this whole thing possible.
As the smoke continued to rise, thunder shook the house, thunder not from outside, but from inside the room. Willow finished pouring the blood and shakily placed the bowl on the table, her eyes still shut as she could see a soft blue light surrounded by darkness.
"Bring forth the orb," Nelly said to her. "With the power of your mind, your will, bring it forth and let it manifest before us."
Willow clenched her fists at her side, silently chanting the spell in her head as she used her mind, her will to bring the orb to them from wherever it was. Another crack of thunder rushed through the room, the flame on each candle crackling as Willow gasped, her eyes opening wide as a bright light filled the dining room.
As the light faded, Willow's heart was racing and she could feel the power inside of her flowing freely, feeling as if it had never left. When the light had faded completely, she looked down at the table and in the circle of candles there lay a small wooden box, small curls of smoke rising from around it.
"Did it work?" Andrew whispered once he was finished reciting from the passage. He closed the book and looked at Willow. "Is that it?"
"It's a box," Willow whispered. "The orb is believed to be in a box."
"So this is it?" Kennedy asked, her axe at the ready. "Did anyone see anything come with it?"
"We were all kind of blinded for a minute there, Kennedy," Xander said and he shook his head no. "I didn't see anything."
Willow hesitantly reached into the circle of candle's for the box, gently touching it, not sure what to expect at first. It was warm and she picked it up carefully, it feeling almost weightless in her hands as she brought it closer to examine it. Finding no way to open it, she frowned and placed it down on the table in front of her.
"What do we do now?" Dawn asked. "Do we open it? Do we break it?"
"Can I break it?" Kennedy asked, grinning as she gripped the axe tighter. "Willow?"
"There's just one more thing we have to do," Willow said softly. "We need to find a way to harness this energy we're feeling right now, that we just tapped into to bring this here. Nelly?"
"It's risky."
"I know, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."
"Willow-"
"It won't kill them, Dawn," she said as she placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder.
"How do you know that?"
"I just do."
She couldn't explain it, not even to herself, but that overwhelming feeling of knowing she could do this, that she could recreate the Seed and capture that energy that flowed between Faith and Buffy's connection, wasn't something that she could deny. She knew there was a risk, but deep down she had that feeling that it wouldn't harm any of them in any way or form.
With a deep breath, Willow closed her eyes, murmuring the words to an old conjuring spell she knew, going on a leap of faith that it would work now that the flow of magic was still as strong as ever. Holding out her hands, she felt the burn flow through her fingertips and then the weight of the glass egg as it settled in her hands.
"Is that-"
"Shut up, Xander," Dawn snapped, all of them watching in awe as Willow precariously balanced the glass egg, just slightly smaller than her head, in one hand while using the other to hover over it.
There were no words, just thoughts, her will willing to be done as she controlled the flow of magical energy into the glass egg. The seconds trickled by slowly and everyone in the room was quiet, watching as the egg began to bring on a light, a soft yellow glow that began to burn brighter than the candle's flames.
Willow could feel herself draining as she controlled all that she could of the magical energy into the egg. Placing it down on the table, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and stepped back, watching with the others in awe as the egg began to levitate just a few inches above the table.
"You-you did it," Nelly stammered. "You really did it."
Willow smiled weakly, the room beginning to spin. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the glow of magic inside the egg, feeling it grow and become stronger, flowing through her like a freight train.