Buffy ran blindly down the long corridor of the ancient temple.  Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, but she couldn’t be bothered to wipe at her face.  The image was burned into her brain and replayed itself over and over, each time searing a fresh wound into her psyche.

It wasn’t that she was in love with him. They’d been friends for too long and she had only ever seen him as a brother.  A big, goofy, one-eyed brother. She loved him, she just wasn’t in love with him.  But it was the realization that stung.  The realization that although the world was filled with thousands of Slayers, she would never be truly free from her Sacred Duty while her friends and family found happiness in the arms of their equals.  She was still the Chosen One even though thousands of other girls had been Chosen as well.

Maybe this was the real reason Slayers didn’t live long.  They died of broken hearts. 

And maybe this was the reason previous Slayers had lived solitary lives.  Forget about secret identities or keeping one’s friends safe from The Things That Went Bump in the Night – having others around was only a constant reminder that she was Different. She would never have what they had. Normal lives.  Normal, healthy relationships. 

But her sister wasn’t even real she reminded herself bitterly.  She had been a magical key.  A green glob of glowing energy.  And yet even Dawn had seemingly found happiness.  In the arms of Xander.

The Chosen One flung open the door of the room that had become the makeshift infirmary while they stayed at Oz’s farm, high in the Himalayas.  With the small army of Slayers now without their super powers, even modest nicks and scratches from daily exercises required medical attention. Thankfully, Buffy found the normally occupied room currently empty. The Californian flung herself down on a hospital cot and gave in to the uneven sobs that wracked her small form.

But before she could truly begin to feel sorry for herself and lose herself to murky angst, the door swung open, slamming against a plaster wall.  Buffy looked up, startled by the sudden noise and unexpected intruder.  The silhouette of a tall, curvaceous woman stood in the doorframe.

Faith boldly stepped inside the room, but stopped when she saw the blonde slayer. The Boston girl chuckled lowly. “Sorry ‘bout that, B,” she apologized with a sheepish grin. “Was just lookin’ for some bandages.”

The Californian quickly turned her back to the younger slayer to keep her tear-streaked face away from the room’s newest occupant. “It’s okay,” she choked, clearing her throat from the giant frog that had taken residency in her windpipe.  She pointed to the far corner of the infirmary-type room. “I think there’s some bandages over there.”

Faith’s dark chocolate eyes flicked to the indicated corner, and she nodded curtly when she saw the shelf of gauze and rubbing alcohol. “Good call, B,” she stated, walking more fully into the room and swaggering over to the shelving unit.

The Boston girl was silent.  Either she had noticed the morose blonde and was choosing to ignore it, or she was too concerned about an injury to care.  The silence in the room was making the Chosen One uncomfortable, however.

Buffy wiped her tears away with the wrist of her long-sleeve shirt. “D-did you, uh, hurt yourself?” she sputtered out, still not looking up.

Faith had her back to the Californian as her eyes scanned the stacks of medical supplies. “Kinda sliced my hand open on a ho,” she revealed.

Buffy forgot her tears and looked momentarily confused. “Ho?”

“Yeah, like the gardening tool?” the brunette clarified.  She grabbed a roll of gauze and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Not ‘ho’ as in prostitute, B,” she laughed, the sound more a purr than a guffaw.  “Not exactly my style.  I’ve never paid for sex, and I sure as hell ain’t gonna start now.”

Faith spun on her heels and headed back to the infirmary door.  She paused, however, as she walked past the seated slayer.  Her eyes flicked down to the Chosen One’s small form and the Boston girl’s face looked suddenly concerned.  “Hey,” she said, an eyebrow creeping up her forehead. “You okay?  You look a little...uh...wet.”

Buffy inhaled sharply through her nose.  She grimaced when her nostrils made an unattractive sound.  “I’m fine,” she said, waiving a dismissive hand.

The Boston girl hesitated at the doorway.  Her body subtly twitched as indecision flooded her form. Do I stay or do I go?

Finally, she pushed a deep breath out of her lungs and sat down heavily next to the slightly sniffling slayer. “Spill it, B,” the dark haired woman grunted, her injury momentarily forgotten. “What’s up?”

The golden-haired slayer bit her bottom lip. “No really, I’m fine,” she wetly lied.  A new batch of salty tears sprung to her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away with the backs of her hands.

Faith frowned. “Uh huh,” she rasped, her voice not unkind. “I don’t think you’re fine.”

Buffy’s slender shoulders slumped forward.  The silent tears fell freely now, creating small wet spots on her thin linen pants. With the Californian slightly bent forward, her long-sleeved shirt had ridden up, exposing a small strip of skin. The Boston girl placed a hesitant hand in the small of the elder slayer’s back.  She rubbed small circles and remained silent. 

“B,” the dark-haired girl whispered. “Buffy,” she continued to coax. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s gonna turn out fine.”  She smiled, although she knew the elder slayer wasn’t looking at her face. “Even without our Powers, you’re still the Slayer.  And you’ll get through this just like you always have.”

Although the Boston slayer meant her words to comfort and reassure, Buffy’s small body shook harder.  “Shit,” the dark-haired woman grumbled.  She dropped her hand to her side and stared at the floor.

“I-I’m sorry,” the Californian gasped between choking sobs. “I know you’re just trying to help.”  Buffy wiped uselessly at her dripping nose with the sleeve of her shirt.  A long strand of mucus stuck to the cotton material.  The blonde made a face. “Oh, gross,” she mumbled.

Faith chuckled lowly. “Don’t worry, B.  I won’t tell anyone that you’ve got snot like the rest of us.” She winked playfully. “It’ll be our little secret.”

Buffy laughed a wet giggle. She looked down at the sleeves of her shirt.  The arms were streaked with unmentionables and black mascara.  “Well this shirt is ruined,” she muttered.  Her hands went to the bottom hem of her top and she yanked the shirt off of her torso.

“What the fu--,” the Boston girl sputtered from her seat besides the blonde.  Her eyes went wide as she watched the small slayer awkwardly yank her t-shirt over her head.

Buffy looked perplexed.  “What?” she asked, looking down at the tank top that had been hidden beneath her long-sleeved top.  “I’ve got layers on, Faith,” she smirked, momentarily forgetting her angst. “Wasn’t just giving you a free show.”

The brunette looked momentarily flustered. “Yeah, well, not like I was worried or nothing.  Nothing you got that I haven’t seen,” she mumbled, trying to slip on her mask of nonchalance.

Silence fell once again between the two women.  Buffy sighed deeply and swung her legs back and forth.  “Your hand still cut?” she muttered, glancing sideways at the disgruntled brunette.

Faith blinked hard, momentarily confused and then stared down at her hands.  A long gash in the palm of her left hand stared back at her. “Oh, right,” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“Want me to fix it for you?” the blonde offered, turning slightly on the cot.

“Uh, sure,” Faith shrugged.  She stuck her hand out and slightly shivered when the small blonde took her hand in her own. 

Buffy chewed on her bottom lip and busied herself with the medical gauze.  The Boston girl’s hand was cut, but nothing that would require stitches.  The Chosen One internally mused that back in the day this kind of wound would have healed within hours.  “There,” the Californian breathed when she was satisfied with her patch-up job. “Good as new.”

Faith stared down at her hand and flexed her fingers around the tidy swatch of gauze and medical tape. “Nice, B,” she approved.  “If this Slaying gig falls through, you could always be a nurse.”

Buffy sighed wistfully. “Yeah, my career options are wide open.”

The Boston girl stood up from the cot and stretched her legs.  “Well, I should probably get back out there.” She jerked her head toward the door. “Don’t want the girls thinking I’m a slacker or something when it comes to gardening.”

Buffy remained seated and nodded.  “I guess so.”

The brunette looked like she wanted to ask or say something, but instead she turned and made for the room’s exit.

“Faith?”

The dark-haired woman paused and turned her head over her shoulder. “Yeah, B?”

Buffy worried her bottom lip.  She opened her mouth and took a deep breath.  But the words never came.  The blonde girl snapped her jaw closed and shook her head sadly.  “Nothing.  Never mind,” she mumbled miserably.  “You should get back.”

Faith looked perplexed, but finally she nodded.  “See ya around, B.”

The elder slayer watched in silence as the dark brunette walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Buffy buried her head in her palms, her elbows propped up on her knees, and sighed deeply.

The door swung open again and Buffy snapped her head up.  Faith stood in the doorway once again.  The blonde’s eyebrows went up to her hairline in confusion.

“Fuck it, B,” the dark woman growled. “I’m tired of you thinkin’ like you gotta shoulder all the burden all the time.  We’re equals now,” she blustered, “you and me.  You gotta let me carry some of that weight for you.  You’re just so sad all the damn fuckin’ time.”

The small slayer released a manic laugh.  The Boston girl looked momentarily confused, and then her olive-tinted face clouded over with anger.  “What’s so funny?” she demanded, folding her arms across her chest. “You gonna try to tell me we’re not equals?  Gonna start the ‘I’m better than you’ mantra again?  Cause let me tell ya, Buffy,” she snarled, “I’m tired of that song and dan--,”

The brunette was quickly silenced when she felt the elder slayer’s warm fingertips on her lips.  Buffy was now standing in front of her, her angelic face serious.  “I’m not sad because I’m burdened with the weight of the world,” she whispered. “And I don’t think I’m better than you, either,” she softly revealed, letting her fingers fall from the Boston girl’s mouth.

Faith dropped her hands to her sides and her rigid body involuntarily relaxed. “Oh,” she stated, her face blushing slightly.  “Then why…” she trailed off, “why the tears?”

The Chosen One sighed deeply. “Don’t tell anyone,” she mumbled, “but I saw Xander and Dawn kissing.”

The Boston slayer blinked hard. “You saw what?!”

Buffy held up her hands. “Not so loud, geez,” she winced.

Faith shook her head, dumbfounded. “Xander and your sister were swappin’ spit?” she exclaimed.

The Californian made a face. “God, you’re gross.”

“Hey, I’m not the one snottin’ all over about it though,” the raven-haired woman cheekily pointed out.  “But,” her dark face clouded over, “why would that make you turn into a leaky faucet?” Her dark eyes went wide and she took an imperceptible step backwards.  “Don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for the Xand-man?”

“Oh God, no,” the blonde girl burst out. 

“Well?” the dark girl crossed her arms again. “Then why the water works?”

Buffy sighed and her face and shoulders fell. “You’re gonna laugh at me,” she lightly complained, sitting down on the cot once again.

“You may be surprised, B,” the Boston woman grunted, falling easily beside the blonde. “but I’m finding none of this funny right now.”

The elder woman looked over at her sister-Slayer. “It’s just that…everyone’s got someone except me,” she revealed in a rush.

The formerly rogue slayer took a moment to let the blonde girl’s words sink in.  “And you feel left out?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Buffy sighed miserably. “You make it sound so petty,” she grumbled. “But everyone’s all paired up. Willow’s got Kennedy, Oz has his own happy and magic-free family, Xander and Dawn are making out like high schoolers,” she whined, “and you’ve got Robin.”

The dark-haired girl held up her hands. “Woah, slow down, B,” she insisted with wide eyes. “Robin and I stopped havin’ a thing a long time ago.” She paused meaningfully.  “Besides, don’t you and Satsu have a thing?”

Now it was the blonde slayer’s turn to widen her eyes in surprise. “How did you…”

Faith snickered. “Girls like to gossip, B,” she shrugged simply. “And it’s kinda big news.”

“No.  Satsu and I….no,” the blonde said vaguely, shaking her head.

“Oh.”  Faith looked down at her heavy boots.  “This might not be my place and just tell me to shut up,” she rambled uncomfortably, “but do you, uh, ever regret breaking up with Riley?  Dude seemed okay, I guess,” the Boston girl said nonchalantly, turning her head away from the blonde slayer.  Faith pretended to be interested with something on the wall. “Coulda had those two-point-five kids, and a white picket-fence, and all that bullshit with him.”

“What makes you think I want a house with a picket-fence?” the blonde girl asked, avoiding the original question.

Faith turned her face back toward the Chosen One. “You just seem the type, I guess,” she remarked uncomfortably.

Buffy looked mildly amused. “Could you really see me being a soccer mom?” she laughed.

The brunette slayer smirked and shook her head. “I’d hate to see you behind the wheel of any vehicle, let alone a mini-van.”

Buffy playfully slapped at the younger slayer’s shoulder. “Hey!” she protested, leaning into her sister-Slayer. “I’ve gotten a lot better at driving, I’ll have you know.”

The Boston girl rolled her eyes. “Still never gettin’ me in the passenger seat,” she snickered.  She lightly poked the smaller woman’s ribs with her elbow. “I like my life too much.”

The golden-haired woman looked thoughtful momentarily. “I think I was kidding myself all along, trying to pretend I was like everyone else.  Cheerleading.  Running for Homecoming Queen.”  She sighed.  “College.  You were right all along, Faith,” she reluctantly admitted. “We’re different.  And we’ll always be different.”  Buffy chewed on her bottom lip.  “Isn’t there some saying?” she asked. “You know, how it’s always lonely at the top?”

Faith moved subtly closer to the seated blonde on the small canvas cot. “Never was good at that kinda stuff, B,” the dark slayer admitted.  “But you know,” she murmured, her voice becoming suddenly husky, “if you’re really lonely and it’s bothering you this much, we could always…,” she paused, “be lonely together.”

Buffy blinked a few times and looked at the younger slayer. “Lonely…together?”

The Boston girl shrugged again. “Doesn’t have to be a big deal,” she breathed. “If you’re feelin’ alone, I mean, I uh, well, I’ve got a warm body,” she finally stumbled out.  “And it’s not like I’m bumpin’ uglies with anyone right now, either.”

The blonde coughed, nearly choking on her tongue. 

“Don’t try to read anything into that,” the dark-haired girl insisted, shaking her head. “I’m not asking you to, like, be my girlfriend or nothing…I’m just sayin’…”

Buffy interrupted. “I guess I didn’t realize you, uhm…”

Faith raised her eyebrows at the slayer and recognized the awkwardness splayed across the Californian’s beautiful face. “Didn’t realize I Munched Carpet?” the brunette offered with a sly grin. “That I drank from the Furry Cup?”

Buffy wrinkled her nose and crinkled her eyes. “Seriously eeww, Faith. Why do you always have to be so earthy?” the golden-haired woman protested with a curled lip.

“Justa God-given talent, I guess.” Faith licked her full lips. “And rumor has it,” she shrugged her slender shoulders, “I’m a good kisser.”

“Everyone thinks they’re a good kisser,” the blonde weakly protested.  Buffy’s mind raced. Was this seriously happening?  Where were the hidden cameras? And was she actually considering hooking up with Faith?

The Boston girl shook her head emphatically. “But I’ve got in on very good authority,” she insisted.  She pointed to her bee-stung lips. “These things aren’t just good for smart talkin’ ya know.”

The Chosen One blushed and averted her eyes from the dark woman’s mouth.  Buffy couldn’t protest that the brunette’s lips did look like they were built for…uh…kissing.  Yes.  Kissing.  That’s all Buffy was thinking about Faith’s mouth doing to her.  But why was she even thinking about that?

Faith cleared her throat.  “So?” she stated expectantly.

Buffy worried her bottom lip. “Well,” she started, “I guess one kiss isn’t going to end the world.”

The dark brunette snickered. “Be a helluva thing if it did end the world though, huh?”

The two slayers stared at each other for a moment before Faith subtly moved forward.  The blonde woman leaned forward as well, but kept her backside firmly planted on the cot and her feet flat on the ground.  The Boston slayer closed her dark, penetrating eyes and the elder slayer followed suit as they continued to lean forward, slowing closing the space between their lips.

“Is this, uh, is this with tongue?” Buffy interrupted, pulling her head back slightly.

Faith opened her eyes and licked her full bottom lip. “Let’s just see how it goes,” she rasped thickly.

Buffy wordlessly nodded and closed her eyes once again.  Her light pink lips slightly pursed together. The Boston girl grinned and shut her eyes as well.  Buffy’s breath felt warm on her face as they once again narrowed the space between their face.  Faith tilted her head to one side; her thin nose slid along the side of the Californian’s upturned button nose as their mouths inched together.

Faith softly pressed her lips against Buffy’s warm, inviting mouth.  It had been a while since the younger slayer had kissed a girl, and she was once again reminded of just how different it was kissing another woman than kissing a man.  Although she had most recently been in prison, surrounded by hundreds of willing female inmates, there had never been any kissing involved.  Orgasms, yes.  Kissing, no.  This was the kind of intimate thing the Boston girl reserved for the few people who had stumbled into her life for whom she truly cared.

As the brunette’s lips expertly moved against the Californian’s open mouth, Buffy tried not to compare kissing Faith with kissing Satsu.  The Asian slayer had been soft and nurturing and patient with the elder girl.  The blonde had certainly enjoyed kissing Satsu, although thinking about her initial awkwardness was enough to make her involuntarily blush. 

But as the brunette woman slide her tongue along Buffy’s full bottom lip, the Californian couldn’t help but try to pinpoint how kissing Faith was different. For one, the Boston woman’s mouth felt more assured than Satsu’s.  The young slayer had certainly known what she was doing, but there was a natural confidence and ease that had always radiated off of the brunette slayer – which seemed to spill over into the realm of kissing as well.

Faith reluctantly pulled away from the blonde woman’s candy mouth when she needed to breathe.  “See?” she slightly panted. “That wasn’t so bad,” the dark-haired girl rasped thickly.  “And the world didn’t blow or up nothing.”

“N-no,” the elder woman stuttered.  Although Faith had ended the kiss, Buffy wasn’t ready to lean away from the other woman’s mouth just yet.  It was if the brunette had magnets in her plump lips and the Californian’s mouth possessed the opposite charge. “Not bad at all.”

The brunette looked down, mildly surprised when she felt Buffy’s hand fall on her knee.  When she looked back up, the blonde girl’s eyes were closed once again and her wet mouth appeared willing and waiting.  Encouraged by Buffy’s lack of Running Away, the Boston woman slid her palms along the blonde slayer’s upper thighs and up her svelte waist, lingering at the hem of her thin tank top. 

Faith dipped her head and recaptured the golden-haired slayer’s lips between her own.  She hungrily pressed her mouth against the blonde woman’s slightly parted lips, and their kneecaps awkwardly knocked together when both slayers tried to maneuver on the cot to get closer to each other.  Faith groaned into Buffy’s lips when the Californian unexpectedly slid her tongue into the Boston slayer’s mouth.

Buffy’s tongue slipped along the front of the brunette’s straight front teeth and dipped into the cavern of her warm mouth.  The two slayers’ tongues slid and stroked against each other.  Buffy was surprised by the need that had instantaneously erupted within her form.  She slid her palms along the dark slayer’s slender, yet still-muscled forearms and up to her biceps, clutching at the soft, yet firm flesh.

A low growl rumbled out of the Boston woman’s throat when she felt the Californian’s short, polished nails digging into her upper arms. A familiar energy surged through Faith’s recently neglected sex.  The elder slayer’s aggressiveness surprised her, but there was also desperation and sorrow lingering in the air around them. 

“Does this room have a lock or something?” the blonde breathlessly asked when she suddenly pulled away from Faith’s dangerously addictive mouth.  “A deadbolt maybe?”

“Why?” the dark-haired woman asked, her chocolate eyes never leaving the blonde’s angelic visage.  The skin on Buffy’s face, neck, and collarbone looked flushed.

“Because,” the small slayer lightly joked, “my fantasies don’t exactly include getting walked in on by a bunch of teenage slayers.”

“You have fantasies about me?” the formerly rogue woman smiled smugly.

“I, uh,” the blonde sputtered, her hazel-green eyes shifting around the room.

Faith snickered lowly and captured the elder slayer’s lips once again with her own.  She mumbled against the woman’s pliable mouth.  “Totally busted.”

++++++++

FIN