For the best part of five minutes Buffy had been stood anxiously at her doorstep. Her hand had lifted her key toward the lock on several occasions, but only on the fourth attempt did she scrape together the courage to follow through. The door crept open, she tentatively stepped inside, and then she almost jumped straight back out as her mother's voice took her by surprise.

“Oh Buffy, where have you been?”

“Mom?” The worry on her mother's face was contagious, and Buffy's mind wasted no time in trying to think up what disasters could have occurred. “What's wrong? Are you OK?”

“I'm fine. But oh God, Faith...”

That didn't make her feel any more calm. “Faith? What happened?”

“You know, that thing from last night.”

“Last night?” Her mother couldn't have known what happened, Buffy thought, and surely Faith wouldn't have said anything. Would she?

“Come on, Buffy, she told me everything.”

Buffy's eyes widened. She wasn't even sure what was happening between herself and Faith; she was definitely not ready for her mother to get involved. “She did? Mom, look, I can explain. It just--”

“Who was that boy?”

“I mean she just – wait, what?” Buffy might have felt some relief had she not jumped straight to confused. “What boy?”

“The one that upset Faith. I don't know exactly what it was he said to her, but I swear...” She held up her hands, and her fingers clawed inward. “He's lucky I can't get my hands on him, or I'd give him something to be upset about too. ”

Buffy was beginning to feel ill, her mother's obvious frustration feeding her quickly intensifying worry and guilt. “Just how bad is she?” she asked, wincing a little before the answer even came.

“She's devastated.” Joyce made a noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a growl. “I just don't understand how people can be so cruel.”

Buffy swallowed. Her heart sank. “Devastated?” she asked weakly.

“And I really don't think she should be out looking for vampires in her frame of mind,” Joyce continued.

Knowing exactly how gung-ho Faith could be even on a good day, Buffy wasn't about to argue with that. “You're right. I should go catch up to her.”

Feeling like she might topple over, there was a very sudden, very urgent need for large gulps of fresh air, but more than that she needed to get to Faith, and she was already backing her way out of the house before her mother gave a firm nod in agreement.

----------

After finally catching up to Faith, Buffy was relieved to find the girl in one piece. She was slightly more concerned about the hammering Faith was busy dishing out though, and she winced as an unlucky vampire spun through the air, hitting back first into a tree before plummeting straight down onto its head.

Faith quickly made up the distance, unwilling to offer her victim any reprieve. She dragged it back to its feet, wrapping her hands up in its jacket to hold it in place as she delivered a relentless series of headbutts. As soon as she released her hold it dropped to its unsteady hands and knees, its head rolling loosely about its neck. Using both hands she drilled her stake hard through its back, and almost the entire length had vanished inside the creature before the eruption of dust.

Faith straightened out her jacket, returned the stake to its usual pocket, and turned around before catching sight of Buffy. She stood in place, her dour expression unchanging, and Buffy cautiously walked toward her.

“Hey,” Buffy said, getting not so much as a flicker of recognition in response. “I thought maybe you'd need a hand.”

Faith glanced back at where the vampire had been moments earlier before shrugging. “Guess not.”

“Right.” Buffy might only have been taking Psychology classes for a couple of months, but it didn't take a diploma to realize Faith was not particularly pleased to see her. “Mind if I stick around anyway?”

“Free country,” Faith returned, already turning away.

Well at least it wasn't a flat-out no, Buffy thought to herself, though she'd definitely had warmer receptions in her life. She lingered not too far behind as the patrol continued, letting Faith lead the way as they carried on through the graveyard. The girl seemed content to ignore her very existence, and she was doing a fine job of it. Buffy could have fallen face first into an open grave and Faith would likely have been none the wiser.

“So,” Buffy said as her arms idly swung back and forth.

“So,” Faith echoed back after a long pause.

Buffy watched as Faith scanned their surroundings, looking in every direction but hers. “How was your day?” she asked brightly, biting her tongue far too late to keep the ridiculous question back.

Faith continued onward without so much as a hesitation. “Five by five,” she said, sounding completely indifferent.

Buffy's nerves had been getting the better of her all day, and Faith's mood was doing nothing to make her feel any more courageous. She knew she couldn't put it off forever though; they'd barely been out together for five minutes and already the awkwardness was beginning to eat away at her. Worse still, the results of avoiding the issue were on clear display right in front of her – and they weren't pretty. She licked her lips before she began. “Listen, about last night.”

Faith glanced at her, catching her eye for just a moment before looking away again.

“When...” Buffy tried, getting nowhere whatsoever. “It's just...” She fumbled with her hands as she tried to find the right words, which would have been far easier had she known what she'd wanted to say. “I mean...”

Faith spoke up instead. “You know what, just forget about it, OK? Big fight, no kill, you know how it is. It didn't mean anything.”

“Oh,” Buffy said. “I mean yeah, right, I know.” Well that really helped, she thought to herself bitterly. She might even have believed Faith's words, but there was a stronger one which she simply couldn't shake from her head: devastated. “Just so long as there's no hard feelings,” she added absently, too busy thinking up a new approach to focus on the words currently falling from her mouth.

Faith stopped and turned on Buffy, the anger that was already evident in her posture now flowing freely into her words. “Jeez, wanna try getting over yourself sometime? You're not all that.”

“Sorry, I just thought maybe you'd already exhausted everyone else in town,” Buffy snipped back before she'd even realized that she'd been angered by the affront. Seeing Faith's scowl darken, she regretted it instantly. “Fai--”

“Screw you,” Faith shot out, and she took an aggressive step forward, an accusatory finger pointing toward Buffy. “If you've got a problem with how I live my life then don't be shy. Let's hear it.”

“Faith, please, I didn't mean that,” Buffy tried again, raising her hands in surrender.

Faith continued to glare at Buffy, her eyes still narrowed in warning. Then she rushed forward.

“Whoa, Faith, wa-oof.” Buffy's held out hands weren't enough to stop the stampeding blur of brunette hair. Faith bowled into her, taking them both off their feet and knocking the air from Buffy's lungs. Faith landed on top, her body pinning Buffy flat against the ground. Above her, Buffy caught a glimpse of an orange sphere of light fizzing past, skimming just past Faith's back, close enough to ruffle her hair along the way. Buffy craned her neck to follow its path, and she watched it dissipate into the air in the distance.

“Oh,” she managed once the realization had sunk in. “Err...”

“Thank me later,” Faith said, jumping to her feet. She reached down, and Buffy took her hand, letting herself be pulled up.

They didn't stay together long, having to quickly dive in opposite directions to leave another blast to fly harmlessly between them.

Buffy looked across to the source of the projectiles. Demon, check. Green skin, check. It was another one of Shek's minions, and while the last one had just been plain ugly, the latest visitor threw creepy into the pot. The female demon's skin seemed to wriggle constantly, and even from a distance Buffy was sure she could make out what looked like tiny, individual entities moving beneath it. That had the effect of making her own skin join in on the squirming.

Apparently not as freaked out as Buffy, Faith was already up and on the move, launching herself forward toward the demon. At first the direct approach seemed to be doing the trick, and a flurry of attacks had the demon giving up ground, but in an instant the situation turned on its head. The demon's long, gangly fingers clenched together, and Faith stopped her assault to begin clutching feverishly at her throat.

As Faith dropped to her knees, Buffy realized what was happening, shook herself back to life, and surged forward. She introduced herself with a jumping front kick and then spun to deliver a backhand across its face. The demon dropped back once more, but no sooner had Buffy drawn her stake she lost it as a simple wave of the demon's hand flung her away to the side.

If nothing else, the attack had at least proved enough of a distraction to free Faith from whatever the demon had done to her, and she picked up where she'd left off. Like Buffy, she only managed a handful of attacks before she too was thrown aside, landing not too far away from where Buffy was finishing picking herself up.

Back on her feet, Buffy moved in to take Faith's place, but in her haste she ran straight into the orange blast that sizzled through the air. Her body folded over, and she was thrown back with enough force to unsettle the gravestone that she collided with spine-first. Her teeth clenched as she rolled on to her side, and before she could even think about getting back to her feet a much larger ball of light was already heading straight for her.

Before it could reach her, Faith dived in front of its path.

“No!” Buffy shouted, but there was nothing she could do but reach out helplessly, and she quickly lost sight of Faith as the light completely consumed her. “Faith!”

There was no response, and the light didn't appear content to stop. It continued to advance until it had enveloped Buffy too. She shut her eyes against the invading brightness, and while she couldn't see what was going on she could feel the ground begin to pull away until she was left stranded. She was convinced she was somehow floating through the air, and her head refused to stop spinning. Her hands tried desperately to comfort her increasingly nauseous stomach, but it continued to lurch back and forth anyway. Thankfully she didn't have to deal with the feeling for long before everything faded away.

----------

Buffy groaned as she lifted her head off the ground, and she tried to cough out the grit that she could feel lodged in her throat. A part of her still felt like she was tumbling helplessly through the air, and it took a few moments for her vision to fully return to focus. “Ow,” she muttered in complaint. She hadn't expected much of a reply given Faith's mood, but as she looked around she couldn't lay her eyes on the girl. Worry already setting in, she scrambled to her feet, kicking up a cloud of dust in her haste. “Faith!” she called out.

Her memory was clearing up, and she remembered that Faith had taken the full brunt of the blast. She forced herself to stumble forward, her legs seemingly needing time to get used to moving again, and she wildly looked all around her. She continued to called out Faith's name as she moved, each time louder and filled with more panic than the last.

“Over here.” Faith crawled out from behind a pile of boulders near the side of the wide, dusty track. She picked herself up, leaning against the large pile of stone as she swatted the dirt from the arms of her leather jacket. “Well that was all kinds of fun, huh?”

The relief at laying her eyes on Faith was short-lived, and Buffy strode straight for her. “What the hell were you thinking?” she demanded.

“Excuse me?” Faith sounded equal parts surprised and annoyed.

“That blast could have been anything. It could have melted your face off for all you knew.”

“Yeah, and it didn't. What's your point?”

“My point is it could have killed you.” She flung her arms around Faith and held her tight. “Don't you dare do anything like that again.”

Faith stiffened immediately, her arms staying down by her sides. “Like you'd even care.”

Buffy pulled back slowly, letting her arms fall away to her sides. “How can you say that?” It didn't take long for her to realize what a stupid question that had been, and she carried on quickly before she became the recipient of any more venom. “Faith, I am – I am so, so sorry about last night. And today as well. I swear, it didn't mean... it doesn't mean that I don't care about you.”

Faith's face remained wary, her posture closed off, and Buffy put all the conviction she could muster behind her words. “I had no idea how you felt. I didn't even know how I felt. Honestly, maybe I still don't, but I do know I feel something. A-and I want to find out what that is.” Refusing to let her eyes leave Faith's, she blindly reached forward, searching out the girl's clenched fist. Faith didn't fight her as she slowly uncurled each finger one by one and took the open hand in her own. “You mean more to me than you realize, Faith, and what I've been trying to say is--”

The loud wail of a horn stopped her dead. “Oh come on. Can't I just get two minutes without an interruption please?” Buffy muttered in irritation as she turned her neck to find the source of the noise.

More focused on Faith than anything else, she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings, but it suddenly dawned on her that the two of them might not be in the relative safety of Sunnydale any longer. Not necessarily because of the unrecognisable scenery, but more because a gang of green-skinned demons stood not more than fifty yards away.

Each one of them was looking their way, and Buffy instinctively took a small step back, quickly following it up with another for good measure. She tugged at Faith's hand as she turned away from the dozen-strong welcome party. “Run.”

----------

Night had arrived quickly, the light of day disappearing in what seemed like only a handful of minutes. The large, single star in the sky was the only remaining source of light, and even that was largely kept at bay by the thick, tangled clusters of branches overhead. Whenever there was an opening, a small spotlight would shine ominously down onto the ground, and the small patches of light did just enough to illuminate the path they were following through the dense forest. Buffy felt disconcerted knowing that they had no idea where it would lead them, and what had seemed like a desolate and almost peaceful place in the day had become eerie and suffocating with the change of time and scenery.

Their sprinting had regressed to a brisk walk once they'd reached the forest. Not only to ensure they didn't run face first into one of the many trees that blended so easily into the blackness, but also because they'd agreed to save their energy until it was more unequivocally needed. Buffy didn't know if they'd made a clean getaway, but at the same time she hoped they'd put enough distance between themselves and their pursuers to at least make it a possibility.

She also wished she'd thought to pick up a coat before heading out to look for Faith. Light wasn't the only thing that had vanished with the day; she could see her breath hold in front of her each time she exhaled into the frosty air. Even though she was wearing a woollen cardigan fit for Winter, and even with her arms huddled closely around her body, she couldn't keep away what was quickly becoming a steady stream of shivers.

Faith must have been paying more attention than she was letting on because suddenly she was shrugging off her leather jacket. “Here, take this.”

“No, I'm OK,” Buffy replied, both trying and failing miserably to keep her body from trembling even as she spoke.

“Really? Cause you kinda look like an Eskimo.”

“Don't Eskimos have those big, fluffy coats? Pretty sure if I had one of those I'd be nice and toasty right about now. Besides, then you'll just be cold instead.”

As Faith held out her jacket in one hand, Buffy noticed two things. Firstly that the bracelet she had given Faith the previous night still hung from her wrist, and she briefly wondered whether she should even try to draw any conclusions from that. At the very least she took some comfort from knowing that it hadn't already been melted down. Secondly, she realized that Faith wasn't exactly decked out for the Christmas season. “And you're wearing a t-shirt? You've probably already got hypothermia. Put it back on.”

Faith's held out arm didn't retreat. “Don't worry about me. Spent plenty of Winter nights in Boston without heating and I'm still kicking.”

Buffy's eyes stayed on Faith's bracelet for a little longer before she reluctantly reached out to accept the jacket, giving Faith a small smile as she did so. She wasn't even afforded enough time to put it on before she caught a fast-moving blur out the corner of her eye. “Did you see that?” she asked as she spun around.

“See what?”

“I don't know. I think there's something there.” They both stood perfectly still, but the forest was unnaturally silent. There were no sounds from nearby insects or animals, and no wind to rustle the leaves that were scarcely scattered across the branches.

“I don't hear anything,” Faith said, reaching for her stake before her hand stopped in mid-air. “Wouldn't mind getting my stake back though.”

“Huh?” It took a second before Buffy remembered where Faith stored her weapon. “Oh, sorry.” She unbundled Faith's jacket to gain access to the inner pocket, but even with one eye still on the look out she was unexpectedly taken from her feet. The jacket fell from her hands as she went down, and her elbows took the brunt of the fall.

Patches of short, thick hair, as black as the surrounding night, covered up much of her attacker's scabby, grey skin. Angry, dark-red eyes quickly ran down the length of Buffy's body as it snorted its satisfaction. Down on its four short legs, it didn't stall for long, and its sharp teeth sunk deep into her calf before she had time to scramble away. The soft tissue offered no protection from the attack, and she cried out in pain, squirming uncontrollably as the long pair of fangs pushed straight through muscle until she felt them grind against her bone.

Faith's boot landed right underneath the middle of its elongated body, and the creature flipped through the air, vanishing back into the darkness. Buffy groaned as its fangs were ripped back out from her leg. Her palms pressed into her forehead and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the pain that had stayed behind.

“B!” Faith was crouched by Buffy's side in a moment, one hand reassuringly placed on Buffy's arm, the other lingering close to her gaping wound. “You OK?”

Buffy shook her head, too shocked to try and speak through her ragged breathing. Her shivering had increased ten-fold, but nowhere more so than in her right leg. It felt like the creature's teeth were still right there, pressing their way straight through her body. The pain was so intense that she couldn't even feel the blood that oozed out from the opening. She had only just started to force herself to a sitting position to get a better look at the damage when a loud, coarse growl erupted up into the sky.

A hand on her shoulder eased her back. “Stay down,” Faith commanded before rising to her feet and stepping over Buffy's prone body toward where the creature had been knocked away.

It dived from the shadows without further warning, leaving Faith with little time to react. The two tumbled over Buffy to the floor, and Faith quickly got both hands out to shove the beast away. It rolled over before skidding to a stop as its claws dug into the ground. It steadied itself on all four feet, and its knees bent until its body was flush with the ground. Faith kept almost as low, one knee still on the ground along with the tips of her fingers.

Two sharp teeth protruded down from the top of the beast's mouth, not unlike the tusks of a walrus, though with some size sacrificed for a refined sharpness. Fresh blood coated much of their length, and even the very tops that hadn't sunk their way through Buffy's skin were marred by a red tinge.

The two pushed forward at the same time, the creature rising up on its back legs as its front paws pounded into Faith's shoulders. She dug her feet in, unwilling to give up any ground, and her hands pushed against the creature's neck, keeping its teeth from gnawing at her face. She grunted as sharp claws dug through the sleeves of her t-shirt, and she retaliated with a knee to its unguarded underbelly. Its back legs skidded out from under it, leaving it back on all four feet, and Faith quickly drove her boot across the side of its face, eliciting a loud click as its head snapped to the side.

Behind her, Buffy was trying to block out the pain and rouse herself to help. She struggled to her feet, letting her healthy leg do all of the lifting. A few deep breaths helped to keep her steady, but the moment she planted the foot of her injured leg against the floor she knew she was in trouble; her leg gave way immediately, and she cried out once more as she crumpled awkwardly to her knees. The pain intensified, pounding its way up to her head. She could feel her consciousness trying to creep away from her, trying to protect itself from the torment, and her fingers raked into the hard soil as she desperately fought to hold on to it. She blinked her eyes, gritted her teeth, focused on regulating her breathing; everything she could to keep herself awake.

The creature hadn't given up, and instead had managed to turn the tides on Faith. Stuck on her back with the thing staring hungrily down at her, she was only just keeping it at bay with a single, shaking, held out arm. Saliva had begun to run down its teeth as it slowly forced its head ever closer to her face. She was quick to turn her head to the side as the dollop that had collected at the bottom of one tooth fell loose. It landed on her cheek and her face contorted in disgust. “So gross,” she muttered in a strained voice.

In no state to join the fight, Buffy focused on doing the only thing she could to help. She rummaged through Faith's jacket until she found her way to the inner pocket. “Faith, here,” she called out before rolling the stake along the ground.

Faith's free hand shot out to grab the weapon as it moved into distance, and she reared back before thrusting her arm upward. The wooden shaft pierced straight through the underside of the creature's head. Blood began to gargle from its mouth, and Faith shoved it to one side before rolling in the opposite direction. It pushed itself back to its feet, took a few shaky steps forward, and then collapsed to the ground, blood immediately beginning to pool around its motionless head.

Faith didn't let her eyes linger on it for long, waiting only a couple of beats to decide the job was done before she returned to her friend's side. Buffy was busy prodding at her wound, and Faith gently tugged her hand away. “Don't. You might infect it or something.”

Buffy pulled her hand free. “My leg was almost torn off by a rabid hell beast. Little late to be worrying about cleanliness,” she snapped. Her breathing was still laborious. She was beginning to panic, and that in turn was leaving her feeling light headed. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Being a Slayer meant that her wounds had the useful tendency to close up fast, but she wasn't feeling particularly patient right then. “Sorry, I just...” She slouched forward, her head dropping into her hands.

“Hey, you'll be OK,” Faith reassured her, giving her arm a squeeze.

Buffy shook her head and bit back the tears that were trying to surface. She didn't feel OK – not even close to it. They had no idea where they were, no clue where they were headed, and she didn't even want to try and walk in case it only confirmed she couldn't.

“Yes you will,” Faith stressed before grabbing her jacket from the ground. She bit at the seam of the shoulder, tearing it enough with her teeth to allow her hands to finish the job. At Faith's touch, Buffy instinctively pulled her leg in. “Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. We really need to slow the bleeding though.”

Buffy watched her for a few moments, noticing that, despite her encouragement, her features looked just as worried as she felt. Nodding her agreement, she slowly stretched out her leg again to allow Faith access. She stayed silent as her ankle was carefully lifted up to rest over Faith's knee, leaving her calf suspended in the air. Faith tore a small strip from the separated sleeve and used it to delicately mop at the blood, and Buffy was quick to close her eyes, deciding she didn't want to see how bad the wound underneath looked just yet. The series of light, soothing strokes went some way to helping her calm down, though she couldn't help but let out a low hiss when the rest of the material was finally pulled tight around her leg.

“Sorry. Here.” Faith draped the jacket around Buffy's shoulders, holding it in place while Buffy slipped one arm into the remaining sleeve. “Better than nothing, right?”

Buffy turned her head to look at Faith and managed to smile a little. “Thank you.”

Faith nodded, and then her attention was drawn to the way they'd come. Buffy had heard it too – the snapping of twigs not too far from them.

Faith was instantly to her feet, looking down at a motionless Buffy. “B, we need to move.”

----------

“Everything OK?” Oz asked Willow as he moved to sit beside her on the bed.

“Huh?” Willow replied, turning away from the phone on the bedside table to look at Oz.

“You seem distracted.”

“It's nothing.” Oz watched her silently, and it didn't take long before Willow changed her tune. “It's Buffy. She... I guess you could say she sort of had a fight with Faith.”

“Oh.” Oz winced a little. “Was there blood?”

“No. No physical violence involved. Just... words.”

“Well that doesn't sound so bad.”

“I know. It's just Buffy was going around tonight to, err, make things up, and she said she'd call to let me know how it went.”

“And because she hasn't, you're worried it didn't go well?” Oz guessed, and Willow gave a small nod. “Well, maybe they sorted things out and went patrolling. It is pretty much that time of night.”

“I'm not so sure. Between those two? That's a whole lot of stubborn. What if they did come to blows?” There was a short delay before that question sunk in, and then she shot to her feet as panic crept into her voice. “Oh God. What if they did fight? Buffy could be hurt. Or worse. Much worse. What if--”

“Hey,” Oz said, cutting her off as he too stood up. “They've seemed on the same page lately, haven't they?” he asked diplomatically.

Willow considered that for a moment. “Yeah, I guess.” Her worried frown held in place.

“Then I don't think we need to send out the rescue party just yet. Come on, come to bed. You can call her in the morning.”

Willow bit at her bottom lip as she stole a glance at the telephone. She mulled it over before deciding that Oz was probably right, and she forced a smile to her face. “You're right. You know what? I bet they're gleefully dusting vamps together right as we speak.”

----------

Buffy and Faith hadn't moved far, and the former knew full well that she was the reason why. She could only just manage to hobble her way forward, slow enough that Faith was having to dawdle to avoid leaving her behind. Unsurprisingly, the occasional noises from their followers seemed to be steadily closing in, and whether it was more of those werewolf-like creatures or the horde of demons on their trail, Buffy knew they couldn't afford to be caught.

She stopped and slouched down against a tree, instantly feeling the relief as the weight was lifted from her bad leg.

Faith stopped just as quick. “Come on, B, we need to keep going.”

Buffy weakly shook her head. Each step felt harder to take than the last, and she could feel herself slowing down even more with each one. “I can't. God, I really can't.”

“Yes you can,” Faith said as she moved to stand over her. “We just need to keep going long enough to find a turn off and we can shake them.”

“Not us. You.”

“What?” Faith asked incredulously.

“You need to keep going. Find a way back to Sunnydale.” If Buffy was going to go down, she wasn't about to drag Faith – not to mention the rest of their world – along with her.

“Screw that.”

“Faith, you have to. If they catch us we're both dead, and then there's no one left to stop the demons opening up an all-expenses-paid portal to Sunnydale.”

“I guess that sucks for Sunnydale.”

“Faith!” Shock raised her voice before she could even consider the very real need to keep quiet.

“You seriously expect me to just leave you behind? You've never given up on me; I sure as hell ain't giving up on you.”

“Don't be ridiculous. I'm only going to slow you down.”

Faith ducked under Buffy's arm, and despite Buffy's resistance she hoisted her all the way up, getting an unappreciative groan in response.

“Don't--”

Faith quickly cut her off. “Just shut up and hop.”

Being offered little other choice, Buffy kept moving, half limping, half being dragged as they slowly carried on. She considered the option of turning off the path, but the trees around them were closely packed together, and she was definitely in no shape to try and clamber through them in the dark. Especially if there were other things out there waiting to pounce.

It didn't take long before Faith spoke up again, a cheesy grin on her face as she did. “You know, I can just carry you if it's easier. Damsel in distress style.”

“Don't even think about it,” Buffy warned.

“Nobody will ever know. Well, except me, but I promise not to bring it up in public.”

Buffy groaned, that time at Faith rather than the pain in her leg, though she was glad that there didn't appear to be any signs of Faith's frosty reception hanging around. “Can we not just let the demons kill me and get it over with already?”

“Come on, B, you're gonna be fine. I've seen worse. Like this one guy I knew, ended up with a crowbar right through his kidney.”

“Really? What happened to him?”

Faith paused for a moment before furrowing her brow. “You know what, forget I mentioned it.”

Buffy gave a high-pitched whimper, but she couldn't help but smile at Faith's clumsy attempt at reassurance. “You really suck at being comforting.”

“Points for effort though, right?”

Buffy smirked. She had no idea how Faith could sound so upbeat given their current predicament, but she was glad for anything that could help her feel more at ease. “We'll see.”

----------

“In there,” Faith said, pointing to the opening of a large cave while her other hand remained wrapped around Buffy's waist.

Buffy looked over, taking an instant dislike to everything from the state of the crumbling walls to the scraggly shape of the opening. “Bad plan. What if it doesn't go anywhere? What if it's too dark to see? What if we fall down a hole into a pit of lava?”

“Well we can't keep running forever. Or at least you can't. Your leg's probably about to drop off.”

“Faith!” Buffy whined, the thought alone enough to make her face scrunch up in disapproval. She was used to having two legs and she'd much rather keep the both of them.

“Kidding. It looks fine. Best leg this side of hell – except mine of course.”

That earned Faith a half-hearted elbow to the ribs. Buffy looked back, then forward again, noting that both directions were filled with nothing but the same thin trail leading between the seemingly never-ending layers of dense bark. “I'm sure I'm going to regret saying this, but OK.” She realized that Faith had a point, and they didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to debate their options.

It didn't take long after entering the cave before its walls were lined with enough torches to easily illuminate their path, immediately putting to rest one of Buffy's worries. Even though they could see where they were going, the ground was uneven, and so they had to tread carefully as they followed the one available route. It curved and veered sharply downward, taking them deeper and deeper below the surface.

“I don't like this,” Buffy said after a few minutes, putting her hand on Faith's arm to bring them to a stop.

“Well we can't exactly hang around here, and it's a little late to go back, which means we've only got one choice.”

Buffy scanned the area. “Or we hide in those,” she said, nodding to the far wall.

Faith looked over to see what Buffy was motioning at. A trio of large, stone blocks protruded from the walls of the cave, a dark lining close to the front of each one suggesting they could perhaps be pried open.

“So let me get this straight: you were worried the cave wouldn't go anywhere, but you want us to hide in a freaking box?”

“You were right. We can't keep running. The more we do, the farther we get from the portal that brought us here. What if that's the only way back? We can't afford to get lost.”

“We're in the wrong dimension, B. I'd say that's already pretty damn lost.”

Buffy sighed. “Look, if we hide and they pass us we can double back the way we came. Maybe find something we recognise and go from there.”

“Right. So do you want to get in first while I gift wrap you?”

The faint echo of a rough voice from farther up the tunnel turned Buffy's head nervously. “Faith, please, we don't have time. Just trust me, OK?”

Faith didn't look at all pleased with the plan, but she nodded her agreement, and Buffy smiled her appreciation. After freeing herself from Faith's hold, Buffy gingerly hobbled over toward the first in the line of boxes. Walking was still difficult, and the pain started getting worse almost instantly. She dug her fingers into the crack to pry open the front of the box, and the marred remains of a skeleton greeted her. Its rotted bones were entangled within a layer of moss that had grown against the damp cave wall within. It wasn't quite what she had hoped for, though she didn't know why she'd expected anything more hospitable.

“Nuh-uh,” Faith said from over her shoulder. “Screw that. I'd rather fight the army.”

Buffy turned back to find Faith looking rather queasy, her skin having picked up a tinge of green. “You'll be fine. It'll only be for a few minutes.” She carefully backed herself into the coffin, doing her best to avoid contact with the current occupant, and she then waited expectantly for Faith to begin moving toward the next one over before pulling the lid shut.

She couldn't believe that Faith of all people had such a huge issue with what they were doing. It's not as if she was thrilled about being stuck in a small space with a dead body herself, but she'd sooner stand against a skeleton than become one.

Her coffin started to open, and she froze, her eyes widening. She let out a held breath, her body relaxing instantly when she found Faith stood in front of her. After the initial shock had passed, she found herself wondering what Faith was up to. Her confusion only grew further when the other girl squeezed herself in and awkwardly reached behind herself to pull the lid shut again.

“Faith!” Buffy hissed, doing her best to keep her voice low. “I meant in a different one.”

“The other one was pretty full.”

“So is this one!”

Their bodies were kept close together in the confined space. There was little light making its way inside, and Buffy could only just make out the outline of Faith's features. Their faces hovered only a few inches away, and she could feel Faith's warm breath blow over her skin. Other than the whites of her teeth, the girl's eyes were the only other feature Buffy could fully see, and she found herself with nowhere to look but straight into them.

“Well I can always go back out there and get killed if you want,” Faith offered.

Buffy sighed. “No. Just--” Her train of thought instantly changed direction when she felt Faith's leg rub up against her own. “Stop wriggling!”

“Sorry,” Faith said, even as she adjusted herself once more. “Hiding in a coffin is just kinda gross, you know.”

“You're not the one pressed up against a corpse.”

Faith's smirk was audible. “Thought you'd be used to that.”

Buffy narrowed her eyes, and Faith replied with a playful, lopsided smile as she wriggled her eyebrows.

The sound of approaching footsteps left no time for a comeback, and Buffy shushed the other girl in warning. They stood completely still as the sounds of stomping boots began making their way past. She knew she should have been more concerned about being found, but it was hard to shift her focus away from the feeling of Faith's chest raising against her own with every intake of breath. There was still some leeway for movement toward the back of the coffin, but she found herself more inclined to stay close than press herself farther into the bony remains behind her.

She realized that their positioning was far from ideal if they were found. Faith wasn't even facing the right way to fight back, and she herself was basically pinned in place. Her arms were stuck down by her sides, and she didn't think she could even get them past Faith if she needed to knock anyone back. She gave it a try, but found she couldn't squeeze her hand farther than the outside of Faith's thigh.

Faith moved her head closer, her mouth coming right up against the side of Buffy's face. “Getting frisky now, are we?” she whispered. Her lips briefly brushed against the rim of Buffy's ear as she spoke, and they felt soft and warm against Buffy's skin.

Buffy took a sharp intake of breath, and her eyes widened as much as they could possibly manage. She instantly returned her hand to her side, her arm straightening and tensing tight. She could already feel her cheeks start to burn. She prayed it was too dark for Faith to notice, but she wouldn't have been at all surprised if the embarrassed glow could be easily seen from half way up the cave.

Faith's mouth remained close, and Buffy was sure the girl's breathing had quickened, not unlike her own. She could feel the warm breath blowing over the side of her neck, and the small patch of skin there began to tingle. She shut her eyes, trying to focus on something else – vampires, demons, dying in a strange hell dimension – but her rapidly beating heart refused to let her mind wander far.

Could Faith hear it, Buffy wondered. The beating. She couldn't hear anything else. At that moment she registered that they must be alone again. There were no footsteps. No words. Just her fast, rhythmic pulse threatening to chop a few more years off her already low life expectancy.

“Faith,” she was barely able to whisper, having to concentrate hard to form the single syllable.

“Yeah?” Faith breathed the word right into her ear. While Buffy's voice was nervous, Faith managed to make the single, throaty utterance sound strong. Sultry. And it was more than enough for the rest of Buffy's planned words to become a garbled mess in her head.

She couldn't reply, and Faith's head moved back across, coming in to line with her own. Buffy was finding it increasingly more difficult to look away, drawn into the dark, unblinking amber eyes. She swallowed hard. Her mouth opened, but she found herself incapable of making a sound. She fought hard just to drag her eyes down. Maybe more light had crept inside, or maybe she had adjusted to the dark; she could easily make out Faith's lips, parted ever so invitingly, and it did nothing to comfort her nerves. Her tongue ran across her lips before she let her gaze trail back up. Back into Faith's intense eyes.

Faith was watching her, poised and perfectly still, and Buffy began to understand exactly what it was she was waiting for. She could see Faith's barely pinched eyebrows and the slight quiver of her top lip. It should have been easier to miss, and yet through the darkness she could see it perfectly: the apprehension peeking out from behind Faith's usual bravado. That's when she knew that her apologies and explanations, no matter how honest and heartfelt, had ultimately been little more than throwaway words for Faith.

Perhaps she'd been too busy putting all of that together, or maybe she'd finally managed to stop over thinking everything, but either way she didn't realize what she was doing next until it was already well under way. One moment she was absorbed in Faith's gaze. The next she was leant forward, eyes closed, her lips pressing eagerly against Faith's as if they were the only worthwhile thing left in the world. And Faith was kissing back with just as much need, her soft, supple skin welcoming the approach.

The cramped enclosure offered little room for movement, but Faith's hands had managed to find their way under Buffy's top to her hips. She leaned into them, grateful both for their support and for the way the fingers soothingly stroked up and down.

The throbbing from her ankle faded into the background, becoming nothing more than a forgotten memory. The heat from the blood that had been frantically working to clog her wound surged up to her abdomen, warming every inch of her body that it passed along the way.

Her worries flitted from her mind, leaving behind only one single – slightly odd – line of thought. She couldn't put her finger on when exactly she'd given it any consideration, but apparently at some point she'd decided that Faith would be an aggressive kisser. She was currently being proven wrong. Faith's lips were pushing against her own with no small amount of urgency, but each movement seemed painstakingly delicate. She seemed to be letting Buffy set the pace, and now that her jitters had fallen away that was perfectly fine with her.

Faith let out a low moan as Buffy's teeth lightly nipped at her bottom lip, and that simple sound of contentment sent a pang of electricity rifling down Buffy's spine. Her back arched inward in response, her body moulding into Faith's. Faith's hands slid around to her back, running smoothly across her skin, and Buffy murmured her appreciation as she let her body sink into them.

She lifted her hands to cup the back of Faith's neck, pulling gently to urge her closer still. Faith responded as she'd hoped, kissing her more firmly. Losing herself in the rush of adrenaline and excitement, she purred into Faith's mouth. Her hands snaked up through the girl's hair, each fingertip working together to massage her scalp, and the sensation of Faith's sudden inhale sucking the air from her own mouth made her shiver.

When the requests of her pounding heart became loud enough to break through her haze she finally, reluctantly, pulled back. It might have been a good thing as well; only then did she realize just how carried away she had gotten. Her eyes slowly opened to lock straight back on to Faith's. The girl's hands still lingered in place around her body, and, content simply to remain in their warm, protective embrace, she let the side of her head rest against Faith's shoulder.

The silence was comfortable, but despite having no strong desire to be anywhere but right there, wrapped in Faith's arms, she knew they still had to deal with the slight issue of being a long way from home. Despite that, she still allowed herself a little more time to savour the moment before they had to return to the less pleasant part of their reality.

“We should probably--” Her voice hitched in her throat when Faith's thumb started running small circles over the small of her back. Fighting hard to keep her eyes from slipping shut, she gave a single nod toward the casket lid; about the only action she could convincingly manage at the time.

“Right. We probably should,” Faith agreed, not stopping the slow, delicate movement.

“Right.”

Faith's lips were on hers again. That time Buffy hadn't moved an inch, but she responded without pause.