Faith stood in the entrance to the Summers' living room, taking in the scene before her. Buffy and Willow sat next to each other on the couch, with a small group of SITs sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of them. The girls' faces held looks of awe mixed with disbelief, as they received their daily lesson. Every day it was the same.
*What the hell happened to these guys?* Faith thought. She'd known something was wrong before she and Willow had even gotten back into Sunnydale. Willow hadn't come out and actually told her anything, but Faith could see it in the way the redhead acted. As soon as they arrived back at the Summers house, Faith saw it confirmed. The entire Scooby gang was off somehow. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
She still didn't know for certain, but she had a pretty good idea. Buffy. It seemed to Faith that everything about Buffy was just wrong. She was taking on most of the responsibility herself in this fight, and had managed to push her friends away. Even the SITs eyed her warily, always expecting her to lash out and tell them how much of a burden they were to her.
*Geez, B, way to lead,* she thought drily, turning toward the door. *God, I need a smoke.*
Closing the door behind her, Faith moved to the top step. She put the cigarette to her lips, inhaling deeply as she brought flame to its tip. She sat down as she exhaled. It was a cool night, with a light breeze. Faith looked at the houses in front of her, with their closed doors and drawn curtains. Some things hadn't changed.
A creak behind her brought the hair on the back of her neck to attention. Tensing at the presence she felt moving toward her, Faith readied herself to jump away.
"Mind if I join you, miss?" Xander said, giving Faith a grin when she looked at him. He'd seen her tense up, and now she relaxed visibly before taking another drag on her cigarette.
"Sure thing, X-man," Faith said to him slowly, "it's a free porch."
*Great,* Faith thought as he sat facing her, *Fucking Xander, just what I needed to deal with! I can't wait to see what sort of shit he's going to give me. Dammit! I'm not ready for this!*
Xander watched her as she sat there, looking straight ahead. Every so often she'd bring the cigarette to her mouth and inhale slowly. He could feel the tension coming off her in waves, though she looked calm.
Xander saw Faith sneaking looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and smirked at her. This was the first time they'd been alone together since Willow had returned to Sunnydale with Faith in hand. He'd been avoiding her, after seeing the wary look she flashed him that first night. He'd kept his eyes on her from a distance, waiting for the right moment for them to talk. When he'd seen her come out to the porch for a cigarette without seeing him standing off to the side, he made his move.
Having Xander watch her was making Faith nervous. She watched him without turning her head in his direction, and when he caught her sneaking a look he smirked at her. This pushed Faith over the edge.
"What?!" she hissed angrily at Xander, turning her face toward him. "You're driving me batty with your quiet and your smirking! C'mon already, get it over with!"
"Faith," Xander began softly, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
Faith jumped up and got in his face. "You know damned well what I'm talking about, X-man. Just fucking tell me how much you hate me, I know you want to! C'mon, grow a pair and just do it!"
"Oh. That." Xander looked away from Faith, who was only inches from him.
"Yeah, that!" Faith spat, backing away.
Xander looked at her again. He saw the anger in her eyes. This moment was one he'd spent countless hours rehearsing in his head over the last few years. Xander ran through the list of all the things he'd wanted to say to Faith if he ever got the chance, words full of hate and anger and spite. Oh, how he'd longed to tear her apart. But now...
"Faith," he began slowly, "I won't lie to you. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd say to you, if I ever got the chance. You know what? It doesn't matter."
"What the hell do you mean, it doesn't matter?!" Faith yelled, not believing this was the man she'd nearly strangled four years ago.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "Life throws you a lot of shit. Either you grab a shovel or you get buried in it. I'm grabbing a shovel."
The anger melted away from Faith in a flash. A small grin broke out and she chuckled.
"Leave it to you to ruin a good angry moment, X-man," she smiled at him.
"Faith," Xander said, with a trace of sadness in his voice. He looked down at the ground before continuing. "Things are different now. Everything. What happened before, it's not worth carrying around anymore. I don't hate you, i never did."
He looked up and met Faith's eyes. Xander saw a very different woman standing there in front of him. The girl he'd known his senior year had disappeared.
Not saying a word, Faith moved toward Xander. She lowered her face to his, and kissed him lightly. He seemed surprised, but made no move to pull away. On the contrary, he stood slowly, not breaking the kiss, and wrapped his arms around her. Xander chuckled lightly when he felt Faith's tongue run along his lower lip.
Neither saw Buffy standing in the opened doorway, with eyes narrowed and sending a look of pure ice their way.
Buffy and Willow sat at the living room table going over the list of things that needed to be done over the weekend. Willow looked up in time to see Buffy's face once again turn in the direction of the living room.
"Uh...Buffy?" Willow said softly. When Buffy turned toward her, Willow continued. "Is everything ok? You seem...um...distracted lately. Anything I should know about?"
Buffy looked at Willow with no expression on her face. Suddenly, her head snapped back into its former position, and Willow flinched. When Buffy looked back at Willow, the redhead saw anger in the slayer's eyes.
"Yes, Willow, I think there is something you should know about," Buffy hissed. "But, not here. Too many ears. Nobody else would understand. Let's go to the back porch."
Buffy stood and made her way toward the kitchen, not waiting for Willow, who stood slowly with a pained look on her face.
*Goddess, I hope she's not going to tell me she's sleeping with Spike again,* Willow thought as she followed after Buffy.
The television was on, some sugary cartoon was showing.
On the couch, Faith and Xander sat laughing. Though they'd both come in with the intention of watching cartoons, neither had even looked at the tv since turning it on.
"C'mon, Xan," Faith laughed, "you can't tell me you don't appreciate the attention, even from a demon chick."
Xander's face grew serious. He looked at Faith for several seconds before he spoke. She felt a little nervous when he got like that, and hoped she hadn't gone too far.
"Faith," Xander said softly, "I have to admit, and I haven't told anyone this before, but I really..." He paused, looking into Faith's eyes. A smile crept over his face, and he winked at her. "...don't plan on telling you, either." He laughed as he finished, happy to have pulled the younger girl's leg.
Faith had a look of disbelief on her face. Xander had just screwed with her head. She wasn't expecting that. Well, she knew how to play games, too.
Faith leaned in toward Xander. Her hand moved to his chest, and began to rub in a slow circle. Xander gulped audibly. "Xander," she whispered, "there's something I should tell you." She grinned at him wickedly, pushing him backward on the couch. The brunette moved so that she was straddling him. She leaned down, her nose an inch above his. "Payback can be a real bitch sometimes."
Faith sat back up, and looked at Xander for a few seconds. She could see the fear in his eyes. There was desire there, too, which didn't surprise her. If she looked in a mirror, she'd probably see it in her own eyes as well. The brunette cocked her head at the man under her, and asked, "Ticklish?"
Willow closed the kitchen door, and turned to face Buffy. The blond slayer was standing against the porch railing. Her eyes didn't seem to be focused on anything, which made Willow's nervousness grow. Buffy spoke without acknowledging the redhead.
"Have you noticed anything odd around here, Will?" she asked, her voice not showing any of the anger that had been in her eyes only a few minutes before.
*Other than you?* Willow thought.
"Uh...not really, Buff. Nothing more than the usual Sunnydale oddness. What sort of odd do you mean?"
"Faith," Buffy said, finally looking at her friend. "She's up to something. Plotting against me somehow. I can feel it."
Willow looked away from Buffy. *Wow! Wasn't expecting that.* she thought before looking back at the blond.
"No, Buff, I haven't noticed Faith doing anything strange." Willow said, seeing the anger flare once again in Buffy's eyes as the last word left the witch's mouth.
"What do you mean, you haven't noticed anything!" Buffy shouted. "You've seen what she's been doing to Xander, the whispers and the smiles and the kisses. She's seducing Xander to turn him against me! And you say you haven't seen anything unusual? What?! Did she seduce you, too?" Buffy glared at her friend, who seemed genuinely afraid.
"Uh...B-B-Buffy! What are you talking about? I-I don't understand." Willow stammered out.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at her best friend, and looked at her for several seconds. Then her face grew softer.
"Sorry, Will. I'm just a little on edge with Faith here. And knowing she's going to try something is getting to me." Buffy smiled at the redhead sheepishly.
"That's ok, Buffy. You're under a lot of stress." Willow smiled weakly. "Why don't we go back inside. I'll make us some breakfast."
"Sounds like a plan... Oops!" Buffy laughed at her little joke as Willow opened the door for her.
Buffy stopped short, the smile leaving her face. Xander stood in the doorway, with Faith standing behind him.
"You girls ok? Thought I heard some shouting out here." Xander looked from one to the other, trying to get a read on the situation. He'd seen the smile vanish from Buffy's face, and wondered just what he'd done now. She'd been distant for a few days, and he was hoping to get her alone sometime to talk about it.
"Yes, Xander," Buffy said flatly, "we're fine. Did you want something else?"
Willow watched his face fall. *He doesn't have a clue about this,* she thought. *I'll have to do something about this. Soon.*
"Um... Yeah. Faith and I are going into town." Xander said, watching Buffy's face for any indication of what was going on. Seeing nothing, he continued, "We'll be back before dark. Do you need us to pick up anything?"
Willow was about to speak, but Buffy cut her off.
"I said we're fine, Xander. Go." she said, still no trace of emotion in her voice.
Buffy watched through the window beside the front door as Faith and Xander got into his car and backed out of the driveway. She stayed there even after they had pulled out of sight.
Willow came up behind her. "Breakfast is ready," she said uneasily.
"No time for it now, Will," Buffy said, not looking at her. "I have to go. I need to keep an eye on Faith."
With that, the blond slayer opened the door and walked out of the house.
Willow stood in the open doorway watching her friend walk away. *Goddess, I hope she doesn't do anything stupid today.*
Xander stood outside the door to his apartment, Faith at his side. He was fumbling with his set of keys, looking for the one to unlock the door. They were laughing at some small joke.
They'd been walking all over Sunnydale, enjoying the early spring weather. After stopping for lunch at a small diner, they'd headed to the apartment Xander was still paying rent on. He'd decided not to let it go when he'd moved himself into Buffy's house to help with the SITs. On the off chance they'd all survive the latest apocalypse, he didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a decent place again.
Finding the key, Xander opened the door, gesturing for Faith to enter first.
"Careful there, Xan," she said over her shoulder after entering the apartment, "Someone might mistake you for a gentleman." She turned to face him, a smirk playing over her mouth. "Nice digs. Shame you don't actually live in them."
"My dear Faith, you wound me," Xander said, trying to sound gentlemanly, and failing. "I'll have you know, I can be very much the gentleman." He winked at the dark-haired slayer, making her laugh.
"Whatever." Faith resumed looking the apartment over. "Wow! This *is* a nice place. How'd you ever manage to get it?"
When no answer came, she turned back to Xander. He was looking down at the floor. There was a slump in his shoulders that hadn't been there earlier. *Oh shit, what'd I do now? Dammit!* Faith thought, moving to stand in front of Xander.
"Hey," she spoke softly, reaching her hand to his face and tilting it upwards. "You alright in there, Xan?"
Xander saw nothing but concern in Faith's eyes. They'd grown much closer over the last few days. It felt good to him to have a friend who could see him, the real Xander. What he and Faith were finding had potential, and he wasn't going to hide from her anymore.
"Anya. It was Anya." He said quietly. "She wanted the apartment. I was there for the ride. Well, one of me was anyway." A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"What?" Faith asked him, unaware of what had happened.
"Long story," Xander told her. "I'll tell you about it sometime. Right now I just want to get some spare clothes and get back to Buffy's."
He walked into the bedroom, heading for his dresser. He'd considered moving all of his clothes into the trunk of his car, but decided against it. You never knew when you'd need trunk space for a dead demon, and demon blood leaves an awful stain.
Xander jumped when he felt Faith's hand on his shoulder. He turned and met her eyes. The fire he saw there held him captive.
"Xander?" Faith purred. "When's the last time you gave this old bed a good working out?"
"Uh...um...well, you see it's uh...it's like this...um..." he stammered, a blush rising on his cheeks. He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. When he opened his eyes again, he said, "A while. It's been a while. Why?"
"I was just thinking, you know, that your bed might feel unappreciated, and that maybe we could do...ummm...something about that, you and me," she blurted out, feeling suddenly very nervous.
Xander slipped his arms around Faith and pulled her to him. He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I've gotta tell you, Faith, you are adorable when you babble. You should do it more often. Really." He chuckled. It was cut short when he felt Faith's arms tighten around him and Xander found himself caught up in a slayer sized bear hug.
Faith growled, maneuvering and pushing him toward the bed. When they reached it she let go of him, and pushed Xander back onto the bed. She smiled down at him wickedly.
"Here's some advice for you, Xan." Her voice felt like silk, caressing him. "It's not a good idea to toy with a horny slayer. Especially when she's had a long dry spell, if you know what I mean."
Xander sat up, smiling. He placed his hands on the brunette's hips, and slowly moved upwards. His fingertips lightly stroked at her sides as he looked into Faith's hungry eyes and spoke in a low voice, "A horny slayer with a dry spell, huh? Might be time to pray for a little rain."
Faith had no idea Xander could have this effect on her. At his light caresses and words thick with his own hunger, Faith felt her legs weaken. If he gave her much more, she was sure she'd slip to the floor. She was hoping Xander would give her a lot more.
"Xan," she whispered, her voice pleading with him.
He stood without a word. Reaching toward her, he pulled Faith to him. Xander lowered his face to hers, and kissed her. He nibbled at her lips, nipping them softly, pulling at them, before going in for another taste.
Breaking the kiss and stepping back, he caught Faith's eyes and told her to get undressed. His own hands moved to his shirt, pulling it off. He undid his belt, pushing his pants down and stepping out of them. Looking up, Xander found Faith standing before him wearing a simple black bra and panties. The sight made his breath catch in his throat. He stood awkwardly.
"Faith," he spoke, a hint of reverance in his voice, his eyes locked with hers, "you are beautiful."
The dark-haired girl stood there for a moment, looking into the eyes of a man who by all rights should hate her, but who genuinely cared for her, who had left the past to itself and forgiven her. So many emotions warred inside of her. The feeling was new, and she was coming to like it.
*No words, Faith. Just feel.* she thought to herself.
Faith launched herself at Xander, and the two landed on the bed. The dark slayer devoured him in a fierce kiss, drawing a whimper from him. She slid up and off the bed. She reached down and helped Xander from his boxers. Seeing the result of her kiss freed brought a hungry smile to her face. Reaching behind her, the slayer unsnapped her bra, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. Then, she quickly shed her panties. She watched as Xander drank in her naked form.
She moved back onto the bed, straddling Xander once more, and felt the heat and throb of his erection as her pussy came into contact with it. Faith raised her head and groaned, "Uhhhnnn..." Slowly she ground her core against him. A low growl escaped his throat, and his head rose to capture her lips with his own. The kiss sent a tingle of electricity through each of them, the pulse echoing below where they were joined.
Faith sat up, looking into Xander's eyes. She saw his desire for her, written so clearly on his face. Raising herself up, she reached behind her and grasped his cock. A groan escaped Xander's throat. The brunette positioned him at her entrance, locking eyes once again.
"Need...this...now..." the slayer panted, sinking slowly onto Xander's erection. Savoring the heat of the friction within, she clenched and released repeatedly, stopping only when she had taken his full length inside her.
"ohhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyggggggoooddddddddd!!!!!!! !!!" Xander howled as Faith gripped him in a way only a slayer could. "Feels...so...ohgodohgodohgod...so...good...Faithhhhhhhhhhh"
Catching her breath as her body grew accustomed to the wanted invasion, the dark haired girl began moving up and down rhythmically. Her speed increased. Xander's erection throbbed, causing her to moan his name. His hands moved back to her sides, caressing her once more. Faith couldn't believe how far he'd come in the last few years. This wasn't the awkward boy she'd once made use of. Someone had taught Xander well.
As she rode him, the slayer's inner muscles clenched each time she lifted herself off him. She was stroking him, building his own pleasure. Xander's eyes rolled up and his head thrashed from side to side. The sensation was unlike anything he'd felt before, even during his earlier encounter with Faith.
"Not...gonna...oooohhhhhhhhhgoooooooddddd...last..." he panted. A stray thought raced through his mind. He needed to change her rhythm. Faith needed to cum first. Something had to give.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" Buffy screamed from the open bedroom doorway.
Faith stopped her motion. She closed her eyes, cursing the blond slayer under her breath. In one sweeping movement, she lifted herself up off Xander's now glistening cock and turned around to face the intruder. The dark slayer's eyes flashed angrily at the other girl.
"Geez, B," she said sarcastically, "been that long you've forgotten what it looks like?"
"Faith," Buffy hissed, "I don't have time for your games and schemes. Either you're here to help, or you can get the hell out of my town."
The younger slayer looked at the older girl oddly. "What the fuck are you talking about, B? Tell me, 'cause you just lost me there."
Xander lay there quietly, watching the exchange. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his erection was twitching to match. Buffy's intrusion hadn't dimmed his arousal one bit.
"Don't give me that shit, Faith, you know damned well what I'm talking about," the blond spit coldly. "You're planning something! I've seen the way you've been with Xander lately! You're seducing him to get him on your side!" Her voice rose as she spoke, ending as nearly a shriek.
"Whoa, there, B." Faith held her hands up, trying to calm Buffy. "Don't know where you got that idea, but I'm not plotting against you."
Buffy seemed to be calming a little, though from the look on her face she was far from believing anything the brunette was saying. Faith continued.
"This isn't about me taking Xander away from you."
"Oh, yeah," the older slayer said angrily, "then what the fuck is it about, Faith? You'd better explain yourself, or I'm going to pound your ass."
Faith calmly reached out and took Xander's still hard cock in her right hand. She gestured with her left, saying simply "This. This is what's it's about, B. A hard, warm, throbbing piece of something I haven't felt up inside of me for a long time."
Buffy snorted her disbelief, but Faith ignored her.
"What is it you don't get, Buffy? Have you forgotten what one feels like? A living one, that is." She looked at the other girl with a trace of pity on her face. "B," she began, more gently, "that cold vamp prick ain't good for you. Think about it. Can it even come close to this?" She gestured again to Xander's erection, which she hadn't let go of.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Buffy's face as she looked at Xander's manhood. Just as quickly, her face became angry once again.
"You don't know anything, Faith!" she hissed. "I am so going to enjoy kicking your ass!" She moved into the room, heading directly for the brunette.
"ENOUGH!!!" Xander screamed, causing Buffy to stop in her tracks and Faith to jump up off the bed. He stood and walked over to Buffy. Standing naked in front of her, he took hold of the blond's shoulders, spinning her around and pushing her out of the bedroom. Taking hold of the doorknob, he looked at Faith briefly before pulling the door shut behind him.
Buffy looked at him coolly. "Xander, of all the people, I can't believe it's you she..."
"Shut up, Buffy!" he warned. "I've heard enough from you. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you lately, but I'll tell you this, I'm going to find out."
He walked to the door and opened it, gesturing for Buffy to leave. She stood there looking at him, not believing he was throwing her out.
"I guess she wins, doesn't she Xander? You're on her side."
Xander moved to Buffy, once again directing her through a door. She stood out in the hallway, looking over his nude form once more.
"Go home, Buffy," he said quietly. "Faith and I will be there in a while." He caught her eyes, wanting her to listen to his words. "We'll talk then. Count on it."
Closing the door on the blond slayer, he locked it. Xander walked back to his bedroom. He closed the door this time, and locked it as well. Faith stood there, a sad smile on her face. She held her clothes in a ball in front of her. He walked quickly over to her, taking the clothes from her hands and tossing them back onto the floor.
"Now," he said, tilting her face up toward his. "Where were we?" He smiled at her, then kissed her. The heat between them grew once more. The kiss deepened, and Faith felt Xander's growing erection burning her skin.
Breaking the kiss and smiling up at him innocently, she said "I forget. Why don't you remind me?"