Turning the Screw: Something Dead
by Lowdeen
Rating: R

Disclaimer: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, and Mutant Enemy. The story contains love between two women, so if such things offend you, don't read it and upset yourself.
Author's Notes: Takes place several years or months in the future-- whatever. (Totally inspired by Anne's "As Vampiresses" series)

Faith was sitting on the floor, her fingers gently probing at the cut on the right side of her forehead. Bringing her hand down, she didn't hesitate in licking off the blood.

"That could've gone better," Buffy wryly observed from her position by the door. She cocked her head to stare down at the other girl, her eyes inevitably drawn to the blood.

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," Faith replied, licking the last drops from her fingers and getting up. "Point is, Red got away...Fuck that, how the hell did she get away?"

Willow had shown up at the apartment ten minutes before like the prompt little girl she was but as soon as she got wind of what was about to go down, she'd done her voodoo magic and flew out of there like a bat outta hell---not literally of course.

"When I get my hands on that witchy bitch, I'll--" Faith's outburst was cut short as Buffy suddenly made a grab for her, pressing their lips together in a searing kiss. They separated a few minutes later. "What was that for?" The brunette asked.

"We need to get going," the other girl replied as she ignored the question, instead, stepping away and going to the bathroom. "It's almost night. Time to find the fun."

Finding the fun inevitably meant killing someone or better yet, several someones. It wasn't too hard attracting meals cause most of them were so stupid, they didn't even know when they were about to die. But so much the better for the two slayers turned vampires. They'd already had their fill by the time they made their entrance at the Bronze but now, they were hungering for something other than blood.

*****

"Buffy? Buffy!"

The annoying shouts intruded on their dance, causing them to break away from each other to stare at the source of their ire. A young girl stood there, looking back at them uncertainly. She couldn't have been more than seventeen with light sandy hair and cornflower blue eyes but Faith recognized the hard edge lying underneath the innocent act. The kid had seen some things in her life.

"Cass," Buffy noted, her frown quickly changing to a smile. She took the newcomer's hand and led her off the dance floor, guiding them to the back of the club. She didn't even look back, knowing that Faith would follow.

"When did you come back?" Cass asked as they walked through the back door.

"When did *you* come back?" Buffy countered, spinning around so that the girl was backed against a wall. "I thought the Council sent you off to Pennsylvania." She stood there with her arms idly folded as Faith walked up to stand next to her.

Cass' eyes darted between the two women standing in front of her and you could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"So this is the new slayer," Faith said with a pronounced smirk, placing her arm loosely around Buffy's shoulders. "So how fucked up are you little girl?"

Cass' arm reached inside her jacket but she wasn't fast enough---not for the punch she didn't even see coming, not for the knee driving into her gut, and not for the teeth tearing into her flesh. But the most ignominious fact wasn't that she'd been taken out but that Buffy had taken her own stake and used it to ram it through her heart. That just wasn't right, she thought indignantly as she slipped away, dead before she even hit the floor.

*****

"I'm surprised B."

"What about F?" After handily taking out the slayer, they'd gone back into the Bronze for awhile before taking off. And now they were walking through the streets. Only Buffy knew exactly where they were going.

"You were working for the Council." The statement came out with not a little bit of disgust. Faith wasn't one to let go of a grudge and she still held a large one against the organization that had tried so hard to take her out on so many occasions.

"Had to put food on the table somehow." She shrugged. "They gave me money, I did the slaying, an occasional road trip once in a while, and I babysat their new slayer. Worked out good."

"They trusted you with the kid?" Faith let out a bark of laughter. "I would've thought they wouldn't want such a corruptive influence around their new weapon."

"I WAS the oldest surviving slayer." Buffy preened a little. "Guess they wanted her to learn from the best."

Openly leering at her, Faith asked huskily, "Want to break another record?"

"Oh, you know me," Buffy replied in an equally low voice, "I'm always up for anything." But without ever breaking stride, she added, "Right after we do this little errand."

*****

"Turn him this way," Buffy directed.

"Turn him yourself B. I ain't your fucking servant." Faith dropped the bloody pulp, allowing the chains around its body to catch it from falling onto the floor.

"I thought you *liked* doing things for me?" Buffy frowned, pouting as she all but draped herself along Faith's frame.

The taller girl snorted but she couldn't suppress the smile from her face. Kissing Buffy long and hard, she growled in the back of her throat as they separated.

"So Spikey," Buffy grinned, turning her attention abruptly back to the platinum blonde vamp hanging from the chains cemented into the ceiling. "Are you going to tell me where that talisman is or do I start with the sharp?" She took out her knife, making sure he saw it flashing in the light.

He opened up his one good eye and swallowed back the blood in his mouth. "You make a flippin' good vamp for a slayer."

Buffy just continued grinning as she stuck the blade up to the hilt into Spike's gut. "Yes, I do, don't I?"

*****

"Why are you so hot to find this talisman?" Faith asked after they'd finally beaten the info out of Spike.

"Y'know when I was still human, I never went for this destiny and fate crap," Buffy stated as she poked at Spike's unconscious form. "Now that I'm not human, I'm starting to see the light."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means," Buffy said straightening up and running a hand through Faith's hair, "that I'm going to take over the world...or at least destroy it... whatever. And the talisman's going to help me do that."

"Didn't know that was your style B," Faith said, leaning into the touch.

"I just want to be the best damn demon I can be."

Spike's groan of pain attracted their combined attention and Faith sneered. "What do you want to do with him?"

Buffy laughed brightly as her face lit up. "I've got an idea."

...continued in Turning the Screw: Something Light