Second Chance: Just Friends
by Slayer Tash
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters they belong to Joss Whedon, I just like
to enjoy the occasionally.
Spoilers: Up to the premiere of Season 6 Buffy wise.
“Being friends is driving me crazy” Buffy said to Willow over a cup of hot coffee.
“How hard can it be?” The red head said sipping her drink.
“Remember her hungry and horny comment.”
Willow nodded.
“Yeah well non fat yogurt does nothing.”
Willow smiles “How long have we been back?”
“A week” Buffy groans “It feels like a fucking year.”
“A week is nothing, it took me months to admit how I felt about Tara.”
“Yeah but we have both laid our feelings out on the table. I know Faith she is a horn bag I see her post slayage. I see the lust in her eyes Will.”
“Maybe she just isn’t ready Buffy.”
“Faith was born ready for sex Will.”
“Is it just the sex you want Buffy?”
“No, I want the whole thing.”
“So far all I have heard is about screwing her. Do you want Faith as a partner or just for sex?”
“Not just for sex Will. I want to make a life with her. I am just so frustrated right now…sexually.”
“Yeah I am picking up on that.” The red head smiled.
“I am gonna head over and see her.”
“Buffy don’t rush it, it might fuck things up.”
“I won't. I just need to be around her.” The blonde got up from the booth.
“Okay, don’t forget dinner tonight.”
“I won’t.” She rushed out running the few blocks to where Faith was working on her new venture.
She noticed her in deep conversation with Xander and another guy. They were holding plans and Faith was explaining something to them.
Buffy wandered over. She stood a few feet away from them.
“We have supports here” Xander said pointing to pillars holding up the wall “And they run all the way through.” He said pointing along the length of the roof.
“Okay no problems. So the little support thingy’s have to stay” Faith said pointing to several large looking pillars holding up the roof also “I don’t want them to look as fucked up as that though. I mean they look like pillars holding up the fucking Greek coliseum.”
“We can fix that we will use lengths of plasterboard. It will make them square.”
“Fantastic. How long till the front room is redone?”
“Everything in there is fine, structurally sound.”
“So I can get started on painting it?”
Xander nodded “I am gonna go order the materials to get the interior here done.”
“So you will be here first thing tomorrow morning?”
“8 am.” He smiled at her.
“Thanks.”
Xander and his friend headed out.
Faith turned and noticed Buffy “Hey B.”
Buffy waved at her “Getting things underway.”
“I am, I was just gonna go and choose some colours for my new office want to come?”
Something about Faith the word come and seeing colours crossed Buffy’s mind and she grinned.
“Yeah, I am up for it.”
Faith headed over to her and Buffy felt her pulse quicken “I am guessing you came past for a reason.”
“I did yeah.”
“Can we walk and talk?”
“I didn’t really have much talk planned.”
“B” Faith warned.
“What Faith? I can’t handle this being this close to you and not being able to reach out and touch you or hold your hand.”
“Why don’t you understand how I feel?”
“I am trying but we have wanted this for so long” Buffy stepped in closer to her “Tell me how you can just stand there and not want to be touching.”
Faith can feel Buffy’s heat radiating off her, she was sure she could hear her skin humming.
“Because I have to B.”
“Why? I am telling you it is okay…my body is screaming for you to touch it.”
“You don’t think I want to?”
“I know you do, it is pissing me off that you won't.”
Faith looked Buffy in the eye "Just trust me on this I-"
Buffy cuts her off with her lips. She kisses Faith with passion that has been building up for weeks her hands pull Faith in even closer to her. She runs her tongue along Faith’s lip but is denied when the darker slayer pulls away.
“I told you B, respect my choice” Faith says backing away from her.
Buffy can feel tears sting her eyes “Just tell my why Faith?”
“Trust” Faith says looking at the ground.
“You don’t trust yourself with me?”
“I trust myself just fine Buffy.”
Buffy suddenly gets what she means.
“You don’t trust me…of all the fucking excuses you could have come up with you choose that you don’t trust me?”
“It is not an excuse Buffy.”
“Are you serious…you don’t trust me?”
“Not completely. And if I am going to give you my all I have to be able to trust you.”
Buffy begins laughing “Fucking priceless…after all the shit has gone down YOU don’t trust ME! How fucking stupid do you think I am Faith?”
“I don’t think you are stupid at all B.”
“YOU DON’T TRUST ME!” She yells, “That is bullshit, have we suddenly reversed roles? When did I become the friggen psychopath that nobody trusts?”
“Thanks B you just proved my point” Faith said turning her back on the blonde slayer “Think you better leave.”
“Gladly.” The blonde slayer storms out.
“Did my ‘don’t rush it, it might fuck things up’ even register with you?” Willow sighed.
Buffy didn’t answer she just sat on her couch staring at the blank TV screen.
“She is going to be here in half an hour for dinner…god damn it Buffy” Willow walked into the kitchen.
Buffy decided that if Faith was going to be here she wasn’t. She got up and grabbed her jacket and headed out on patrol.
“Kill two birds with one stone.” She said heading towards the nearest cemetery.
She was only a few blocks from her house when she bumped into her first victim of the night. He was a newbie Buffy noticed how his knuckles were all cut up and still bleeding from having to dig out of his grave. Her mind flashed back and all of a sudden she was digging out of her grave again.
A sharp blow to her jaw quickly snapped her out of it and the battle was on. He came in again with a sweeping right but she ducked and kicked him hard in the guts. He stumbled back as she came in with an uppercut that sent him flying backwards a few metres.
She was on him within seconds sending the stake home and walking off before the dust had even settled on the pavement.
She stalked through the first cemetery notching up 5 victims. She was quick and precise no time for bullshit.
“Well that was a great show slayer.” A tall, dark and pale man stepped out from behind a crypt.
“Plays every night if you want to catch it again.” She said.
“I was planning on a starring role myself. Token bad guy comes in and kills the heroine.”
“You have to be a little more original than that if you want to make it big in this town.”
“It’s what sells, you have to give the people what they want.”
“Yeah well this people right here wants you dead.” She comes in with a flying kick to his ribs, and hears a satisfying crunch as he lands on his back. In one swift movement her right arm comes down and her tally reaches 6 for the night.
“Man all that build up for what? A pissy little kick and a simple staking.” She walks off shaking her head. Still pissed of at Faith for her comments earlier in the day.
Her travels see her arrive at The Bronze the thumping music calling out to her.
Getting lost in the beat the way she and Faith had done so many years ago. Music pulsed through her and she loved it, loved the feel of just being able to let herself go and not have to worry about the Scoobies and what they might think.
Many drinks and dances later Buffy was feeling much better and had a warm buzz. She was coming back from the bar with her seventh or was it her eighth drink.
“Who cares” she said to herself laughing and taking a swig.
Hours passed and after many more dances and plenty more drinks Buffy walked out of the club and headed home.
“Fuck off” Faith said picking up her phone.
“Faith?” Willow said.
“Who else would answer my phone at 7am?” She said sitting up.
“We have a problem.”
“Of course we do.”
“Buffy didn’t come home last night.”
Faith yawned “Is the bit where I am supposed to be concerned?”
“Faith, I know you are mad at her.”
“Alright alright” Faith got up and padded over to grab her robe and put it on “I need coffee.”
“FAITH!”
“What do you want me to do Willow? I have no idea where she is or where she was.”
"I know but it is never good when she doesn’t make it home. It means a big evil is brewing and well it means months of pain and turmoil and people dying and you know how well I take that and I-"
“Shut up and take a few deep breaths. I am gonna grab my paper and check out to see if we have had anything that resembles some sort of satanic ritual in the last 24 hours.” She opens her front door and Buffy who had been resting on it hits the ground with a resounding thud.
“Mystery over Red.”
“What?”
“Seems my paper came with a free slayer this morning” Faith kneels next to her.
“Buffy is there?”
“Yeah, she is out of it but is here.”
“Is she hurt?”
Faith checks her “Nope…but she smells like a fucking distillery.”
“You want me to come over?”
“Nah let her sleep it off, she should be okay.”
“If you need me just call.”
“I will, go back to bed for god’s sake” Faith said before hanging the cordless up.
She drags Buffy in the rest of the way and snags her paper before closing the door.
“Jesus B you fucking stink” Faith said picking the slayer up and taking her into the bathroom.
She sits the unconscious slayer on the floor and begins running a bath. After a few attempts to wake her up she gives up and heads back into the apartment to grab some sweat pants and a top to put the older slayer in after she had finished.
Bathed and smelling a little better Faith carried Buffy over to her bed and laid her down and covered her up.
Faith lay on the couch and tried to get back to sleep but it was pointless. She ended up out on her balcony doing her morning tai chi exercises.
“WILLOW!” came from the apartment.
Faith rushed inside to see Buffy standing by Faith’s bed her back to her.
“B?”
Buffy turned to face Faith.
“Shit B” Faith said noticing that Buffy spewed not only over the bed but over herself as well.
“I’m sorry.” She sobbed.
“It’s okay B” Faith said handing Buffy the towel she had used earlier to dry her.
“I think I drank too much last night.”
“You DID drink too much last night.”
“Did we do anything?”
“Nope…I opened my front door about two hours ago and there you were.”
“Did I do anything?”
“No you were out of it.”
The tears fell down her face.
“What are you crying for B?”
“I’m covered in spew!” She crying like she was 4.
Faith couldn’t hide her smile.
“And it’s not funny.” She stamped her foot.
“Okay B, just go have a shower.” She grabs another pair of sweat pants and a top and hands them to her “Clean towels are in the cupboard under the basin.”
Buffy walked off and Faith began changing the sheets on her bed.
“God damn.” She said holding the sheets as far away as possible from her.
After she had showered and changed Buffy found Faith in the kitchen.
“I am really sorry about your clothes and the bed.”
“It will wash out, no biggie” Faith handed Buffy a glass of water “Drink.”
Buffy gulped down the water.
“You must have patrolled at a brewery last night.”
“Can we not do this?”
“Sure, you know where the front door is.”
“Faith.”
“What?” She snapped.
“You are mad with me.”
“What gave that away Einstein?”
Buffy looked at her hands “Why don’t you trust me?” She said quietly.
“Oh no, we are not getting into that.”
“So I have to respect your wishes but you have no regard for mine?”
“You think you are ready to hear what I have to say?”
“I don’t think I can feel any worse than I do right now so lay it on me Faith.”
“I am in love B, the big L. The kind of love that lasts forever.”
“With me?”
Faith nods.
“And I feel the same way, what is the problem!”
“I have pretty much always been in love with you. I have stood by and watched the Angel saga I almost died because of your love for him. Then Soldier Boy I just can’t end up a cast off when the next best thing comes along.”
“Want to know why they didn’t work?”
“Enlighten me.”
“They weren’t you.”
“Come again?”
“They weren’t you Faith. Angel was my first love and that was hard to get over and so easy to run back to. Then with you in a coma I was able to push how I felt back down inside. I never knew I was gonna fall for Riley if I had known you were coming back I would have shown him the door right away.”
“I did come back B.”
“And you were hell bent on killing me, I didn’t think a declaration of love would have been appropriate.”
“It was all I ever wanted to hear!”
“Yeah well wouldn’t the world be perfect if all had fucking hindsight Faith. I made mistakes and I am sorry but here I am wanting to make up for every stupid little thing I have done.”
Faith folded her arms.
“You can say you don’t trust me Faith but you are just scared.”
“Of course I am scared. I don’t want to get my heart broken.”
“Who says you are going to?”
“If the past is anything to go by.”
“Well this isn’t the past, this is the now. Things with us are never going to be normal never going to be perfect that doesn’t mean we can't give it a try Faith.”
“I am no good at the relationship thing.”
“And I am? Faith if there is one thing I have learnt from dying…twice.”
Faith smiled at her joke.
“Don’t be scared to do something because of what has happened before you could miss out on something really beautiful…I think we will have something that is really beautiful.”
“You do?” Faith said letting her guard down "You believe it?"
“Yeah I do, I don’t fight for things I don’t believe in.”
“I want us don’t get me wrong but I just think we should do things slowly.”
“Faith I just want you to give us a go.”
“Okay.”
“I know I have fucked things up and you are scared but let me make up for it.”
“I said okay B.”
“You did?”
Faith nods “Man you did drink too much last night!”
“Shut up!”
“If you are going to do this properly shouldn’t we have a date?”
“I guess you don’t just want to go to bed now?”
“Buffy!”
“Relax I was totally kidding.”
“Laughing on the inside…really.”
“Okay so you and me on a date.”
“A proper date, I can come and pick you up and take you to a nice restaurant then drop you home at the end of the night.”
“So you are going to be the butch one.”
“You can pick me up, I really don’t care.”
“I will. Be ready at 7 tonight I will pick you up from here.”
“Casual, formal?”
“Just be you” Buffy smiled.
Faith sat looking at her “Okay it is a date.”
Buffy smiled “So are you heading off now?”
“It is my place!”
Buffy looked around “It is too!”
Faith walked out of the kitchen shaking her head.
“I think she is still drunk.” She said softly.
“I heard that!”
...continued in Perfection...