Even Angels Fall
by tainted_blood_chylde
Rating: PG
Faith walked silently into the kitchen. Buffy was out and the potentials were sleeping. She ran her hand over the cooker top, it was still warm. She opened the lid of the stew pot, shrugging she took the spoon sitting beside it and poured herself a bowl and put it into the microwave.
2 Minutes.
Seconds later she pulled it out and grabbed a spoon before walking back into the living room and settled herself on the couch, she ate greedily at the food and started flicking through the television channels.
She was so distracted she didn't notice Buffy slip down the stairs and watch her from the hall.
Buffy slipped quietly upstairs, her whole body hurt. The Bringers were getting tougher and the attacks from Caleb were getting no gentler. She ran the bath.
"Want someone to scrub your shoulders?" Faith offered, startling Buffy as she crept up behind her.
"God! Faith! You startled me!" Buffy complained.
"I know, that was the point" Faith teased.
Buffy closed the bathroom door and Faith locked it, rolling her eyes Buffy turned and undressed anyway.
"So? You want me to scrub it for you or not?" Faith asked again. A little more seriously this time.
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"Because you got a nasty cut right there and I don't think until it heals properly that you should be putting any less force on it than you have to" Faith advised the older girl. Considering the possibility Buffy nodded in agreement. Faith smiled and turned to undress herself.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Buffy said in a high pitched voice, then scolded herself for being so loud.
"Getting in with you, there's no point wasting hot water" Faith said as she climbed into the bath beside the petite slayer.
"Fine" Buffy said and had to look away so the other girl wouldn't see the look of open lust on her face as she caught glimpse of the other girl's body.
She battled her emotions hard, not noticing the smile on Faith's face as she slid the sponge over the other girl's shoulders.
"You'll have to lean over further" Faith whispered. Buffy gave her a questioning look. "So I can reach the smaller part of your back" Faith reassured her. Buffy did as she was told.
Drying herself quickly Buffy hurried out of the bathroom, she scampered into her room and rested her head against the door. That had been too close for no comfort. She scolded herself and bit her lip. What was she thinking? If Willow knew the kind of things that went running around in her head when she thought about Faith, they'd be having a conversation that she was sure Willow would have been desperate to have with Buffy since she went gay.
Curling her clothes into a ball she moved away from the door and threw them in the corner next to her bedside cabinet. Pulling on her white cotton night dress, Buffy slid below the covers and rested her head on the pillow.
Moments later the door opened and Buffy looked up in shock as Faith dumped her clothes on the floor beside Buffy and crawled stark naked into bed beside Buffy, who was too shocked to say anything at all, before reaching over Buffy's small body, her breasts slightly brushing across the fabric that was so thin that Buffy could have sworn she felt Faith's skin rubbing gently against her hardening nipples, she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. Faith didn't seem to notice as she flicked off the light and rolled over onto her side and flashed Buffy a dazzling smile and drifted off to sleep.
Restless, Buffy abandoned all thoughts of sleep and let her head fall back onto the pillow and stared at the ceiling, too frightened to move for fear of Faith waking up and seeing how stiff she was with the other girl in bed beside her.
Faith rolled over and put her arms around Buffy's waist, spooning with her and giving a pleasent moaning sound in her ear. Buffy bit her lip even harder.
Faith woke up early to find Buffy was already gone. There'd been something wrong with her the night before. Something not quite right. She wished she knew what it was, it was like Buffy was being... she couldn't be certain, but it was almost like she'd seen her get shy around cute guys sometimes. Like she'd noticed when she saw Buffy talking to Scott Hope.
Was Buffy shy of Faith? No, it was impossible. Buffy was still a stuck up straight girl, not all the time in the world would ever change that. No matter how much any guy ever hurt B, or how wrong they were. She'd always go for the guy. No matter how right or perfect the female alternative happened to be. It made Faith feel kinda sorry for her. Even though she'd been in prison. Faith never let anything get in the of her pleasure. That was the beauty to being Bi. Sighing she climbed out of the bed and got dressed.
She dandered quietly down the stairs and walked into the living room. Buffy was standing in the kitchen looking into the garden and watching over the potentials doing their daily warm up routine. She smiled and walked up behind her. Buffy almost jumped out of her skin when Faith walked up behind her and slid her arms around the other girl's waist.
She grabbed the ends of Buffy's blouse and slid her fingers teasingly over Buffy's skin, hearing the blonde slayer's breath quicken. She closed her eyes and smelt Buffy's hair before lacing her fingers around the ends of the shirt and tucking them into Buffy's trousers. Her fingers lingering teasingly on Buffy silky underwear before she gave her a peck on the cheek and pulled her hands out again. Leaving the shirt tucked in. Buffy almost shook with desire and shock from the encounter.
"Really should leave it in, you want to set a good examples to the little P-pods right?" Faith whispered sensuously in her ear. "We have to show them how this slayer thing is REALLY done" Faith said before removing her hands from Buffy's waist, leaving the petite slayer to mourn the loss of the warm hands caressing her hips as Faith walked out the back door and across the lawn towards Giles.
"Oh boy" Buffy said as she bit her lip again and hurried down to the basement out of the other slayer's way. She wondered if Spike would be up to relieving her a little..
Spike panted heavily, rubbing at his chest where he felt Buffy's claw marks. She'd been an animal this morning. Even at the height of their relationship he'd never seen her so... needing of it. Maybe a little when Riley came back. But not like this. Not so.. aggressive about it.
He slowly sat up, his chains restricting his movement too much. She hadn't even bothered to untie him. Just came in and stripped him and used him until he was too tired to keep up with her. In the end she'd simply pulled his trousers back up and stormed out of the basement in a huff. Almost like she was angry at him for not relieving her of something. He winced again and peered out the window where he could see the Potentials training in the garden.
Buffy's Journal
God this is getting harder. I don't know what Faith thinks she's doing. She HAS to know what she's doing to me.. There's no way she would have let that "Don't worry girls, I'll show you how to toss Buffy properly" comment get by her without thinking what she was implying.. this is Faith.. She's been flirting with me since I met her... that Hungry n Horny stuff... DEAD give away.
Christ I have to stop this.. the obsessing.. it's not healthy and it's certainly not good for me. I mean.. I'm the Slayer.. I'm supposed to be in charge of myself and acting professional.. I got to think.. this isn't happening.. It can't be happening.. I am NOT in love with Faith.. I CAN'T be..
But God why does some fuse go off inside my head when I'm near her..??
I'm a GOOD girl.. I've always been the good one..
"For this woman will not lead me into temptation.." so help me god or I WILL spend all this war in bed...
Faith giggled quietly to herself as Buffy walked silently into the kitchen, keeping a watchful gaze on Faith. She'd just returned from her trip to the bathroom after Faith had pressed herself up against the older girl and offered to give her a back rub. It was too easy.
"Wow B, you were gone a while. Was starting to think you were gonna need me to come up there and rescue you or give you a hand or something" Faith smiled pleasantly, and there it was. Her smile broadened as she saw the rush of colour rush into the younger girl's face. Her eyes widened and she scampered around the table towards Willow and murmured an excuse about fixing her hair.
Giles handed Faith a large book and then went on to explain something about manifestation rituals to Willow. Buffy's chaperon had been taken away.
There was no one else in the house. Just a snoozing Spike and the two self-appointed "Watchers". Buffy had nowhere to hide this time.
"SO! Giles" Buffy said a little too keenly. "Manifestation rituals.. how's that all work?"
"Hey B, I think we ought to leave Giles and Sabrina to do their thing. We'll only slow them down. Why don't we hit the tunnels and see if we can find anything?" Faith said cheerily.
She watched the panic set in Buffy's face, and smiled.
"What a marvelous idea" Giles said as he cleaned his glasses. "There was actually a demon's nest mentioned here that is reputed to have an ancient text on ritual magicks of this nature. Even if the text itself cannot be found, it may give us some indication of how they plan to carry out this ritual" Giles said as he handed Faith a map of the sewer tunnels with an X marked on it with the location.
"Hey, yeah I know where you mean, I went down there about three summers ago to look for that Butamic Demon, you remember those? The big ones with the green slime sacks? Anyway, when I was down there I noticed something that looked like an opening. Might be our beasties layer" Faith said as she handed the map to Buffy.
"What's your weapon choice?" Willow said as she walked to the trunk of weapons.
"Something large. These creatures have very small cranial capacity to resist trauma to the head, I suggest a mace or large hammer of some sort to bludgeon the creatures on the skull" Giles said as he picked out two suitable weapons and handed them to Buffy and Faith.
Buffy was about to protest at being left alone with Faith. But Faith grabbed the weapons and Buffy by the arm and called out.
"Goodie for us. I just LOVE getting a little rough every once in a while" she smiled. Buffy gulped and tried to keep up. Faith's smile widened.
Buffy landed softly in the sewer tunnel and dusted herself off before walking forward a few paces to look around. Faith landed quickly beside her. Startled she almost jumped out of her skin.
Buffy smile weakly and hurried towards the entrance of the cave. Faith smiled to herself. Buffy was too easy. She watched as the older girl crunched up her nose in distaste at the decor, the place smelled like rotten vegetables. Faith felt sorry for Buffy at that point. For even though Slayer didn't have the exact level of heightened smell that vampires had, it was still high enough that scents like this were unbarable.
In prison Faith had learned to hone most of her abilities to drown out their effects, shower time would have been a nightmare if she hadn't. Buffy had not perfected this skill.
"B, how you holding up?" Faith said quietly.
"I'm fine" she mumbled before walking over to the alter stone. "Something has been here before us" she commented. "I can smell it, Giles said these things were plant eaters, hence the stench, but I don't know. I smell raw meat or something. That isn't typical of Caitoes" Buffy said as she turned back to Faith.
"Always were the apt student weren't you?" Faith said, pulling herself very close to Buffy. "Don't freak out!" Faith said, and Buffy calmed her movements. "I just want to kiss you" she said lowering her head to Buffy's.
"We shouldn't.." Buffy began to protest.
"Oh but we will.." Faith said as she bent her head down and grabbed Buffy by the arms and kissed her passionately.
"Buffy..." the buzzin sound said.
Buffy groaned in protest. She didn't want to be disturbed from this.
"BUFFY!" the buzz sounded again, this time followed by an aggressive shake. "We're here! It's time to go!" Faith said sternly as she opened the car door and got out.
So much for pleasent dreams Buffy thought as she came out of her musings and followed Faith to the sewer entrance.
The First's Thoughts
Do I even have thoughts? Is that possible? Can you mortals even conceive that I am an entity? It may make the world seem a little more real to you, if you could name me. Give me substance. Maybe make you less afraid if you had something tangible you could fear. I have no thoughts, no intents. I just am. I am everything and nothing, your reality and your nightmare. You are me and you are born from me. I am the very concept of what it was to have mallice and hate and greed. I am the essence of everything the human soul was truely designed for. The substance of the thing you were born with. Sin. I am your sickness and your cure, your creator and your creation. I am the ultimate hideousness and the most enchanting beauty. I am the First. The Alpha, and the Omega. No one can hope to understand the brilliance of my existance, and no one other than the Slayer, myself, can understand my gift.
Faith's Journal
When I was little, and my Mom didn't drink so much, she used to take us to church, me and my brother Derik. Saint Agathenes. It was in Boston. About a half a mile outta the trailer park where I grew up, when her boyfriends had been beating on her too hard and she finally came to her senses, she'd drag us the walk down the road cos she never had the fare for the bus. She used to make me pray for hours, trying to get me clean so her boyfriends wouldn't want to touch me anymore.
Kept telling me if only I'd been a good girl, they wouldn't hurt me, wouldn't stick their fingers in me like that. So I prayed harder. Did everything in my power to try and be a sweet innocent little thing. The sisters, they all knew what was going on, but no one could help. Mom dragged me out of the education system when I was in junior high. Never went back. When things got worse and they stopped giving her money for drink, or they spent one too many nights in my bed and not hers, she'd beat me herself. Her little Firecracker. Always started something.
I never really let it all get to me, that house, her, the men that would come and go. I remember when I was about ten years old and I'd seen the first of her 'clients' I asked her why she dragged us to the church if she was going to live in sin. She didn't even beat me for asking that. All she said was, "Can't help it baby, but we're all the same in the eyes of the lord. Cos God knows even angels fall.."
And that was it. That's how I remembered her. A fallen angel.
Kinda like I was when I fell in with the Mayor. But my mother was a fool. It was in the blood. She was a tramp, and my father was a killer. Hell even Derik didn't escape the curse of my family.
I keep playing these games with Buffy, but all I want is someone to love me. To hold me in their arms, not because I'm a bad girl and they want to show me a lesson. I want to share my bed with someone who wants me there because they love who I am. Not because I was fated to be there.
Faith drove her mace into the last skull of the demons attacking her. She sighed heavily, kicking its worthless corpse out of her way and rejoined Buffy.
"Did you get it?" Faith asked.
"I think so, but I think there's pieces missing" she said as she surveyed the book.
"Missing? How'd you figure?" Faith asked as she looked at the box. Sure enough, there were several stones that unlocked the book missing. Buffy looked at the pattern and elbowed Faith, she looked towards where Buffy was indicating. The missing stones were buried in the skulls of the demons.
"Theres no way we'll ever get them out" Buffy said in dismay as she looked at the skull.
"Sure there is" Faith said as she knelt down beside Buffy and grabbed the head. "Fist it" she smiled.
"WHAT!!?!!" Buffy said in horror.
"I told you, Fist it" Faith said as she put down her axe and punched through the skull and grabbed the stone. "Like that" she said smiling as she handed Buffy the stone. "Careful, you might get a little wet" Faith said.
"Wet?" Buffy repeated.
"Yea, the brains turn into this kinda goo, anyway. Just try not to get too much of it on yourself. It has a stong aphrodisac quality" Faith said as she kicked open the next skull and poked out the stone. "Wouldn't want to try to side tracked" Faith said quietly before handing Buffy the next stone.
Giles finished sorting through the final few rocks. Or Alignments, as the cover had refered to them. They all sort of fit into the book like a jigsaw puzzle. Each wrong combination brought forth a different demon, so needless to say, him and Xander were being very clever.
"They both look very serious don't they?" Anya said to Willow as she shifted through the translation. "Both of their little brains hurriedly working away to solve the puzzle, there really is nothing sexier than a guy sweating out his little brains over some complex problem don't you agree?" she said as she looked over her shoulder to see only Kennedy and Willow staring back at her. "Well I guess you two wouldn't" Anya said quietly.
"Here, take this over to them, I think it's the missing page" Kennedy said and her and Anya left the room to talk to Giles and Xander.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Willow said as she walked over to Buffy who'd been sitting on the sofa.
"Yeah, I'm fine.. why do you ask?" Buffy said.
"I don't know, you've just been acting all different. You know, since I got back" Willow said quietly.
"It's nothing.." Buffy denied.
"Yes there is, you're all avoidy and touchy about the Faith subject. You know I'm here if you need to talk about anything" Willow said softly.
"I know, it's just.. ever since she came back.. I've been getting these.. feelings.." Buffy said reluctantly.
"Are they painful? Because it might have something to do with the whole resurrection thing.. I can check it out for you if you want me to. I know this great book on...." Willow began.
"No, it's not that. These feelings are more.. urges" Buffy said shyly. "Urges that I'm having for Faith.. things that I'm wanting to do to Faith..." Buffy said, her embarassment showing on her pale cheeks.
"OH!" Willow said as if to say "ah I understand what you said now" and moments later she said "OH!" as if to say, "God NOW I understand what what you were trying to say."
"Yeah, I'm so confused" Buffy said meekly.
"I'll bet, I understand the being confused.." Willow said, her voice growing high pitched. "Buffy, this is a big deal. Do you have any idea what this means?" Willow said.
"Yes, I am fully aware of the implications" Buffy said.
"How long have you been... thinking these thoughts?" Willow asked.
"Since she came back. Look Willow, I don't know what to do. Ever since she showed up, I can't think straight and she keeps saying all these little things and she's flirting with me.. I can't concentrate. I can't think of anything else but her. I can't even concentrate on the mission" Buffy said.
"I see what you mean, that is worrying..." Willow said quietly as she slumped back into her seat and pondered the problem.
The First circled Faith.
"I like the work you've been doing, she really is distracted" the First said as it snaked its arms around Faith's slim waist. "I trust you have been keeping an eye on their efforts?" the First questioned.
"As instructed" Faith said quietly.
"Good, see to it they are kept busy while the Bringers look for the Cythe" the First said as it changed into her older brother's form. "I know how hard this is for you Faith. I know how hard it must be to betray your friends, but it's for their own good. They just don't see it yet" the First said as it moved behind Faith. "Remember honey" the First/Faith's mother said "even angels fall."
Faith's Journal
I know what you're probably thinking, what could I possibly have to gain from helping the First. Nothing. I knew exactly what it was that day in the cell. Three years is a long time to have no company. The First gave me that. I know it's not really my mother. I know that my brother is dead. But I don't know why I'm helping this thing.. I guess I just want to be part of something a little bigger than me..
...continued in part 11...