My Dream Date
by Mark
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant
Enemy et. al. I'm only borrowing them. (I may even return them after I'm
done)
Notes: Written for the End of Days PWP fest on FaithfulChickies. Trying
out a different narrative style, not sure if It's really worked out the
way I intended, but I don't think it's too bad.
Feedback: Please, good or bad, let me know.
Somehow she knows this isn't real. It's too bright, they're too friendly, and the conversation is just too surreal. From her mouth come words she hasn't chosen to speak, phrases she doesn't understand. Staring out through the broken window Faith cannot see the flicker behind her as an image of her injured self appears briefly in the centre of the big double bed. "They're never gonna fix this are they?" she asks the girl behind her.
"What about you?" Buffy asks frowning slightly in concern.
Faith turns from the window and gesturing with her hand in front of her face tries to reassure her. "Scar tissue. It fades. It all fades."
Time lurches forward as Buffy looks down with a frown and it happens again. The flicker, when just for a split second the bloody knife appears on the flattened palm of the blonde's hand and this time Faith sees it as well.
Standing just out of the sunlight, Faith can feel the cold seeping slowly into her bones and knows this may be her last chance to make amends. Her mouth for once cooperates and as Buffy looks back up she finds the words that will begin to wash away the blood she has spilt. To mend the rift between them. "You want to know the deal? Human weakness - never goes away. Not even his."
Not much of an apology she knows, but saying sorry just isn't her way. Perhaps the information to help the bright slayer fight the mayor will do instead if she is really there. Maybe she is only dreaming of the other slayer again.
"Is this your mind or mine?" Buffy asks with a wry half smile, echoing her thought.
But does that make this dream more likely to be real or just wishful thinking. "Beats me," she says out loud with a laugh and joy floods in liquid fire through Faith's heart, as Buffy smiles along with her and gives a tiny laugh before almost shyly looking down again.
But she can feel the edges of time pushing in upon the warmth of the sunny room and regretfully as she walks towards Buffy, she acknowledges this, "Gettin' towards that time."
The older slayer looks at all the boxes around them and the weapons laid out on the table beside her in mild puzzlement. "How are you gonna fit all this stuff?"
"Not gonna. It's yours."
"I can't use all of this!"
To Faith it simply doesn't matter, but there is no time left to argue. "Just take what you need." She can feel this place slipping away from her. Already the room is starting to feel a little blurry. Only the girl in front of her seems truly solid now and slowly reaching her right hand up to touch Buffy's cheek she asks, "You ready?"
And with a flare of white the blonde is gone. The warmth of her skin lingers for a moment on outstretched fingers before racing the length of her arm to stoke the fire in her heart. But time will be denied no more and wraps her once more in the thick velvet folds of empty blackness. Far from the light. Far from the warmth. Far from the dream.
Cradled in that timeless dark, Faith drifts. Existence without duration, for there is nothing against which to measure times passing. Not even the faint beating of her heart can penetrate into that deep emptiness beyond sleep. In that peaceful dark she rests, letting go of the violent self loathing and recriminations that have haunted her for months, even in her sleep.
But not even that void is impenetrable. Even the utmost dark must give way when the tender press of soft lips transfers a tiny spark of energy through the slayer bond that joins two kindred souls. A small spark to be sure. Weakened by the betrayals of trust each girl has been guilty of. Diluted by disappointment and anger. Diminished by blood and pain. But still enough to push back the silence for a time and let the injured slayer return to the warmth of gentle dreams.
Golden afternoon sunlight spills across the cat jumping away from Faith's bed as the dream Buffy, again, wanders through an apartment filled with packing cases.
"Who's going to look after him?"
"It's a she. And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves?" the familiar words feel comfortable coming from Faith's mouth as she walks up behind Buffy and stops beside her.
"A higher power guiding us?"
Such a strange idea, Faith thinks giving her an odd look before turning and walking off a short distance. "I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant."
"There's something I'm supposed to be doing."
Faith closes her eyes for a moment, unwittingly fighting the flow of the dream, not wanting it to finish so quickly this time. She is not an oracle spouting cryptic phrases to show the active slayer her path. She wants something more than that, something more personal, and the thread of borrowed power is just strong enough to let her break free. "I think we've already deja'd this vu B. Don' wanna go there again."
A strange phrase perhaps she thinks, but it will do as she feels the dream slide over into a new channel. Opening the door to a well of emotion she has pushed deep beneath the surface in recent weeks. Trying to hide it under a skin of hate.
With most of her mind still pressed down below the void, the part of Faith that has escaped into the dream can finally see some truths she has kept concealed from everyone. Even from herself. Yes, there was rage, and envy, and jealousy, but they were only masks hiding her deep desire, no - her deep love, for the girl in front of her.
Short nervous steps bring her back closer to the light and she hesitantly raises a suddenly trembling hand to gently brush a stray lock of hair behind her love's ear. With palm softly cupping silken cheek, chocolate brown eyes lift to meet sea green, uncertain of what they will see there. But fear melts as she sees her own love mirrored back to her and two firm young bodies come together fitting perfectly in a tight embrace. Confident now, lips meet eager lips while hands begin caressing and exploring her new found lover.
Locked deep within her mind Faith's rising passion registers not so much as a blip on the soulless machines monitoring her near lifeless body. A long dark path still lies before her on the road to recovery and many nightmares await, but for now, with the warmth of Buffy's kiss still lingering on her forehead, Faith is wrapped within a world of love and peace.