A Walk in the Forest
by Samantha
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss owns it all lucky bastard.
Notes: Just a little missing scene from "Dirty Girls", so there are a couple spoilers, so BEWARE =)
Feedback: Please please, I love it=)
We watched as the last of the Bringers? harbingers? What had Buffy called them again? Anyway we watched the last of them disappear into the abandoned building. I started to back up, tugging gently on Buffy's arm.
"B, come on we gotta get back."
"Yeah, sure," Buffy said distractedly as she still watched them. Finally she turned following me back through the woods to the path. Once we were back on the path she fell into step next to me. I slide my hands into my pocket, still not entirely comfortable with her. I kept my eyes down, totally focusing on the path, pushing bushes out of the way; I could hear her following me but she wasn't talking. I just want to get all this done with, kill the big evil of the week, and move on, even if it's back to prison, too many bad memories here.
"Faith," I almost jumped at the sound of her voice, way too deep into my own thoughts.
"Yeah B," I answered.
"Why did you leave? I mean after the whole body switch thing, you should have stayed, maybe we could have worked things out you know?"
"Uh, B, when you saw me in LA working things out really didn't seem to be on your mind." I answered stopping and turning to face her.
"Ok, well that was all cause you were all with Angel, alone in the apartment." Buffy answered stopping across from me, leaning on the low cemetery wall behind her; it's like there's a cemetery every five feet in this town just out of town and already we are outside of one.
"Ah yes, touching the brood boy, sorry my bad," ok, yeah I sound just a little immature, but who cares. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned walking away from her.
"Faith," she stuttered coming after me, she grabbed my arm pulling me to a stop, and turning me towards her, I twisted my arm out of her grasp and brushed a piece of hair out of my eye sighing.
"What B," I asked putting on my attitude face, arms crossed in front of me.
"Forget it," Buffy let go of me and started walking, I rolled my eyes, my turn to stop her. I grabbed her by the waist pulling her to a stop. I walked around in front of her when she wouldn't turn.
"What are we playing here B?" I asked.
"Nothing, just let's go back ok? Forget I said anything."
"Nah, we're gonna stand here and talk, same as we should have done when you came to my hotel room after I killed the mayor's assistant."
"Faith," Buffy looked at me in awe, like I just mentioned the forbidden thing, which in a way I guess I had.
"Yeah, after I killed him, I said it. I killed a man, I made a mistake, and I pushed you away for it, but you weren't exactly running after me."
"I know," Buffy said, biting her lip, and looking at the ground.
"And a couple of times, I did sorta want your boyfriend, you know? But only cause I wanted the happiness you had. I'm sorry. For everything." There I had finally said it, the words she had threatened that she would beat me to death if I said.
"It's not that I thought you were going to have sex with Angel. It was because you weren't going to have sex with me."
Her voice was barely audible at the end of the sentence; if it weren't for my slayer hearing I probably would have missed it.
She was mad that I had never had sex with her?
"Ok, let's color in the lines of this picture a little bit B. You wanted to have sex with me?" I asked.
"No," ah yes, that seemed about right. She continued, "I was in love with you Faith, it wasn't just sex. It was a connection, something I never felt with anyone before you, and haven't felt with anyone since you left." Again with the barely whispering, and looking at the ground, her hands, anywhere but at me. I put a finger under her chin lifting her face so she was looking at me. God I was in love with those eyes. And here she was saying she was in love with me. It was like all the dreams and fantasies I had ever had since I met her. I even got to tip her face up with my finger like I always imagined I would.
"I know exactly what you mean," I said, looking straight into her eyes, trying to put all my feelings and honesty into the look.
"I, I love you Faith," Buffy stuttered.
"I love you too B, I wish you had just told me sooner."
"I tried tell you, or you know give you clues," Buffy smiled. "Come on dancing at the Bronze, calling slaying with you a date. God I thought everyone must know the way I looked at you."
"Time to make up for lost time then," I smiled pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, I leaned forward, the way I had imagined doing so many times, my lips close to hers, I could hear her breath speed up, the heat coming off her skin, hear her swallow, and then finally feel her lips on mine. It was fantastic, better then I ever could have imagined. She tasted like vanilla lip-gloss, it mixed with my cherry, and running my hand up her side I could feel her shudder. I pulled away reluctantly.
"Faith," she asked a question in her eyes, I smiled putting her mind at ease.
"That was wicked hot B, and I would love to lay you down on the other side of this wall, but big fight about to happen, and all."
"Right, first we take on the baddies, then we finish this?"
"You know it." Taking her hand we quickly finished the walk back to Revello drive. Climbing up the stairs she dropped my hand.
"I don't want to tell them right now, too many questions, after the fight, tomorrow, we'll tell them ok?" I nodded, and she pushed open the door. We paused just inside listening to Xander end a rousing speech.
"..Laid down her life literally to protect the people around her, this girl has died two times and she's still standing, you're scared that's smart, you got questions you should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy's all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle I've seen her heart and this time not literally and I'm telling you right now she cares more about your lives then you will ever know, you gotta trust her she's earned it."
"Damn I never knew you were that cool," I broke the silence with a smile.
"Well, you always were a little slow," she answered meaningfully.
"I get that now." And I did.