There was something to be said for the necessities of life once you'd gone without them for a few days and, for Buffy, the food, drink and sleep she'd gotten earlier that day had never felt so amazing. She'd had half a mind to keep her head buried deep into her impossibly soft pillow throughout the entire evening and night as well, but her mother had already become suspicious after she'd literally moaned into a plate stacked with more maple-drowned pancakes than even Faith could usually manage. In fact, for the first time ever Buffy had kept up with the other girl bite for bite – albeit barely. It was best not to mention the vast number of orange juice cartons they'd gulped down between them, but sufficed to say, it had left her mother wondering if she was struggling to feed herself at college. By the time she had dragged herself up to to her old room, she'd been too stuffed to bother undressing, instead collapsing onto the bed face first and falling into a deep sleep where she landed.
There was still work to be done though, and by six o'clock her and Faith had joined Willow and Giles at The Magic Box to see whether their souvenir held any worth.
“I've seen Oz in wolf form once or twice now,” Willow said as she motioned toward the decapitated head laid on the table in front of her, “but this thing is creepy on a whole new level. I'm not sure I want to know what the rest of it looked like.”
“You probably don't,” Buffy agreed. “But if you can picture a werewolf with a bad case of rabies that had spent a good few weeks scratching clumps of its own hair off, you're about half way there.”
Willow shuddered. “Eee. Yep, I definitely didn't want to know that.” Using one of a pair of small, metal blades, she carefully lifted back the top lip from the creature's head to reveal the roots of its sharp teeth. Its gums were blotchy, stained with slithers of dark red that could just as easily have been from disease as dried blood. “It seems like the venom was a thick viscous – think cough medicine, only less tasty – which formed somewhere behind its upper jaw, leaked out through its gums, and coated its teeth to produce a pretty nasty bite for anything unlucky enough to find itself stuck between its jaws.”
That was definitely something Buffy didn't need to be told, but it wasn't the part that caught her attention the most. “Not liking the past tense here, Will.”
Willow looked over apologetically. “Its really not all that surprising that it stopped producing the substance once it, err, lost its head.” With the second blade she gently scraped down one of its large front teeth several times. When she held up the edge of the blade for Buffy and Faith to get a look at the trail of pale goo, Buffy was quick to lean back, having absolutely no desire to get too close. Willow brought the blade close to her face, sniffed it, and wrinkled her nose. “There are still traces though, and fingers crossed we might find more stored inside.”
“There'd better be,” Faith chipped in. “I didn't lug that thing around just to improve my street cred.”
“Remind me never to go to your streets,” Buffy quipped, not getting the desired result when both Faith and Willow just looked at her strangely. “Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. And let's not forget that I've had a rough couple of days.” She looked between Faith and Willow, nodding her head in an attempt to encourage some small amount of sympathy from at least one of them.
“B? Might wanna try quitting while you're... well, behind, but only a little.”
Buffy's face fell into full-on sulk mode, but before she could defend herself further the room to the back opened and Giles poked his head out. “Faith, might I have a quick word?” he asked politely.
Faith first glanced Buffy's way before replying, “Yeah, sure.”
As the two of them disappeared through to the back, Buffy looked to Willow for an explanation but only received a shrug in return.
Willow didn't even give the door a chance to fully close before changing the topic. “So how was it?”
“The trip to hell? Pretty much as advertised,” Buffy replied. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Willow since returning. Or technically she had, but she'd wanted to get home and get something to eat as fast as super-humanly possible. Then when her and Faith had arrived at The Magic Box and noticed the broken shelves, smashed glass, and general disarray spread across the shop floor – and it had been a little difficult not to – the topic had instantly turned to how Giles could have the heart to throw a party in their absence. Giles had been less than amused with the pair's mock accusations, as evidence by his prompt relocation to the back room – possibly to shed a few tears, Buffy considered.
“No, not that!” Willow complained, as if that much should have been obvious. “I mean with Faith.” She placed the blades down on the small, metal tray sat alongside the creature's head and abandoned the tools to scoot closer. “Did you get a chance to have that talk? The one about... you know, the one.”
“Hmm... I seem to recall there being a brief discussion,” Buffy offered vaguely, putting a finger to her lips and looking up in mock thought.
“And was there anything else?” Willow prodded, lowering her voice conspiratorially and raising her eyebrows in anticipation.
“There wasn't a whole lot of time for making out, if that's what you're asking,” Buffy replied. After a short pause she coyly added, “Well, I suppose there was that one opening.” She let a grin slowly spread across her face, and Willow's eyes widened instantly.
“Really? How was it? Was it good? I bet it was. She's probably had a lot of practice. I-I mean not a lot of practice. Just a bit of... and I bet they didn't mean anything. The other ones that is. B-but I'm sure yours did.”
Her mouth switched back and forth between an optimistic smile and a pensive, worried frown, but she relaxed again when Buffy just smiled at her hurried rambling.
“It's OK, Will, I'm aware of Faith's... history. Not in gory detail or anything, but I think I get the gist. And yeah, it was... nice.” Buffy knew that probably wasn't the right word for it, but she wasn't about to admit to almost sucking Faith's face off either. She wasn't sure if she was even ready to admit that to herself yet, but there was one thing she did know: it certainly hadn't sucked.
Willow clapped her hands together, making no attempt to hide her excitement. “So does that mean you're... are you dating?” The final word came out in a high-pitched whisper.
Buffy paused again, and that time not just to tease Willow's curiosity. Asking Faith out had been somewhat of a fence-mending exercise – a compromise that she hadn't spent the time to fully think through. However during the fleeting moments where she'd had time to consider it further, she'd become certain it wasn't a mistake. Or if it was, it was one she'd need to make to know for sure. Either way, even talking about it with Willow right then was enough to stir to life her own excitement. “There are plans,” she said finally. “Or foundations ready to make plans, at least. I believe the current idea is that once we thwart this invasion, maybe we'll go for coffee or something... Do people still do that?” She frowned in jest. “Wait, did people ever do that?”
Willow just stood staring at her with a steadily growing grin on her face.
“What?” Buffy asked, her eyes shifting as she began to feel a touch self-conscious.
“You're giddy! Oh, Buffy! I haven't seen you giddy since... well, for a long time.” Without warning, Willow rushed forward and pulled Buffy into a hug. “This is going to be so much fun. We can go on double dates and everything.”
“Whoa, down girl,” Buffy replied, giving Willow a quick squeeze back before carefully peeling her arms off. “Don't you think maybe we should wait and see how the first one pans out before we start putting together my life plans?”
“OK,” Willow agreed, only a hint of disappointment showing itself. “But just so we're clear, you are looking forward to it, right?”
Buffy's face must have said it all because Willow was almost hopping up and down on the spot. At that moment the door to the back swung open again and Faith strolled out. Buffy's eyes were instantly drawn to her, and even as Faith stopped in front of them she couldn't tear them away. Panicking for a reason she didn't know, she let out a lame, “Hey,” before she could stop herself.
“Hey, yourself,” Faith said, her brow furrowing slightly. Her gaze switched back and forth between the two of them, and given that Willow was still wearing a silly grin on her face and Buffy was starting to feel uncomfortably warm, it wasn't too surprising that she ended up eyeing them both suspiciously. “OK, what did I miss?”
“Nothing,” Buffy and Willow immediately replied in unison, causing Faith's frown to deepen.
Buffy nervously cleared her throat. She tried to act casual as she looked Faith in the eye, but she ended up reaching to tussle the back of her hair anyway. “So, umm, what did Giles want?”
“He offered me a job,” Faith said casually.
Buffy had not seen that coming. “A job? Doing what?” She couldn't picture Faith having the patience to deal with customers. In fact, she had a hard time picturing Faith working anywhere. Ever. She didn't know if the girl had even worked a single day in her entire life.
“Basically? Security. Not his words, but I'm pretty sure that's what he was getting at. Guess the store invasion still has his panties in a twist.”
Buffy smirked for two reasons. The first being that an anti-demon security gig was actually about the most apt a job as Faith was ever likely to receive, and the second being that she had been right about The Magic Box since the beginning. “Well he can't say I didn't warn him. Personally I'm surprised it took this long.” It wasn't so much an I-told-you-so moment, she decided, more like a small reminder that certain unnamed people should give her more credit sometimes. And with that out of her system – at least until Giles showed his face again – she asked, “So are you going to take it?”
“Never say no to money; that's my motto. And with training, research and whatever else, it's not like I don't already spend half my time here anyway. Might as well get paid for it. Plus I told him I'd only do it if you handled half my research.” She shrugged casually while keeping a careful watch on Buffy. “He said that was cool.”
“You did what?” Buffy asked, shifting from surprised to completely horrified. Her jaw dropped wide open and the tiniest of squeaks croaked out from her throat. Her mouth just hung there, inoperable, until she noticed the amused grin that had completely consumed Faith's face. “Wait a minute, Giles would never even use that word.”
“You're right, I think the phrase he used was 'jolly good, pip-pip',” Faith said, the complete hash she made of feigning his accent making Buffy laugh.
“That was so mean,” Buffy complained, trying to hold back a smile as she threw Faith a faux glare. “I hate you.”
“No you don't,” Faith replied coolly.
“You're right, I don't hate you. Worse: I nothing you!” She pointed a finger at Faith. “Consider yourself nothing'd.”
Faith's hand shot out and grabbed her held out arm unexpectedly, tugging her forward hard, and Buffy stumbled straight into her waiting arms. One landed on her upper arm, the other on her hip. Caught off guard, she opened her mouth to say something before realizing she had no words planned. For her part, Willow coughed and returned her attention to the severed demon head.
“You sure about that?” Faith asked huskily, her head dipping dangerously close to Buffy's neck.
Buffy's award-winning impression of a fish was brought to an abrupt end when she saw Giles push through the door, and she quickly untangled herself from Faith and took a long stride back. Telling Willow how she felt was one thing – she was her best friend. But Giles really didn't need to know; he'd probably have a heart attack or something, she decided.
“Right then, shall we get down to business?” Giles asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Buffy nodded and forced a smile to her face, knowing full well that she looked incredibly guilty of something.
----------
With the hilt of her sword firmly gripped in one hand, and a flash light in the other, Buffy lead the way through one of her least favourite Sunnydale hangouts – the sewers. Faith followed closely, making do with Buffy's light even though her own one was sticking out from her jacket pocket.
It wasn't how Buffy had envisioned spending her first night back home, but once again destiny refused to be fobbed off by an answer machine. Sometime between showing up at The Magic Box and scurrying away during the commotion of their return, Ethan had told Giles this is where the demonic trio could be found. Unfortunately 'sewers' was as specific as he had been and, as she was already well aware, there was an awful lot of mileage to get through.
“You know how many washes it takes to get the smell of sewer out your hair?” Buffy asked idly, desperate to hear anything other than the gentle swishing of flowing water that came from nearby. Focus and the element of surprise were both good motivators for staying quiet, but almost an entire hour spent trudging through the damp and dark in silence was more than enough to drive anybody insane.
“Three?” Faith guessed, obviously unconcerned.
“More like twenty,” Buffy exaggerated. “Oh sure, people will tell you they can't smell anything, but you just know it's still there, sinking its evil little claws into your roots.”
“It's a smell, B. I don't think it can have claws. Besides, this place isn't that bad. You should try an all-night kegger at Pleasure Bay. Come sunrise, smells like there's more sweat on the sand than salt in the sea. Even the cops don’t want any part of it and hell knows they like to ruin a party.”
Buffy let the torch light wander up the wall on both sides, looking for blood, guts or something less sinister that might hint that they were on the right track; all she found was enough mould growing between the cracks in the brickwork to start her very own fungus farm and a large spider that quickly scuttled away from the light. “I never knew alcohol was such hard work.”
Faith snorted in amusement. “Don't think the drinking was the problem, at least not directly anyway. I guess you could say the place lives up to its name.”
Catching on, Buffy had to hold back a groan. “Gee, well I appreciate the offer and all, Faith, but I think I'll just stick with the quiet life.”
“Yeah, well it passed the time.”
Buffy held her tongue, leaving the conversation to die right there. She hoped Faith had been there strictly for the beer, but she didn't want to judge her either way and not knowing just how involved she had been in the 'festivities' would make that a lot easier.
Sticking to what was quickly becoming a ritual, she tilted her torch down as they approached the latest in the never ending maze of intersections. When there was no evidence of looming danger, or even the chance of mild excitement, she shone the light in each of the three directions. Finding each one was as bland as all the others, she opted to continue straight on.
They carried on in silence for a while longer before Faith spoke up. “So this Ethan guy. Pretty much bad news, right?”
“Pretty much,” Buffy agreed.
“From what you told me it kinda sounds like his track record's not so hot.”
“Uh-huh.” Buffy glanced back knowingly at Faith; she could tell where this was headed, but it wasn't as if Faith's concerns weren't entirely justified.
“And we're trusting him?”
“That's about the gist of it.”
“Can I just ask.... why? Not that you're a bad tour guide or anything, but I'm not crazy about blindly taking his word that we'll find anything down here.”
“I know this isn't ideal, and I don't like it any more than you do.”
“Now don't go taking this the wrong way or anything, B, but unless he's tried to leave you hanging in another dimension, I'm doubting that.”
“Well not exactly.” Buffy's arm shot out to the side to stop Faith in her tracks, and they stood perfectly still, Buffy holding her breath. She let it out once a rat scampered across the floor just ahead of them. After shaking her head at herself she quickly regained her train of thought. “Ooh, but this one time he did tie me down, stain my unblemished skin, and leave me to be eaten by a possessed dead woman,” she said, forcing herself to sound chipper. “Does that count for anything?”
“Huh,” Faith replied plainly. “And again I ask: why?”
“Look, Faith, Ethan is not on our side; you'll get no argument from me there. And if he turns up again I will kick his ass so bad he'll spend the next year trading enchantments for painkillers. But he's not all 'death to the world' either. No more world means no more people for him to get his kicks with. This info might be legit, and at the moment we're not exactly stretched thin with leads.”
“OK.”
“OK,” Buffy echoed, glancing back before doing a complete double take. “Wait, what? That's it?” she asked disbelievingly. She stopped and fully turned, making Faith squint when she unwittingly shone the torch straight in her face. Faith put a hand up to protect her eyes until Buffy realized what she was doing and aimed the light at their feet.
Faith's shrug suggested it wasn't a big deal. “Sure.”
Buffy's eyebrows pinched together in wonder, and she began to think she'd somehow offended the other girl. “Is everything OK? Did I say something I shouldn't have?”
“Everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?”
“I don't know,” Buffy admitted. She had a hard time figuring Faith out sometimes. It seemed that whenever she'd expect her to do one thing, Faith would turn around and do something she hadn't even considered instead. “You're being all stoic, not to mention that was a pretty fast turnaround to suddenly trusting the guy.”
“Never said I trusted him. But I trust you, so if you think this might check out then I'll be right behind you.”
Like that, Buffy thought to herself. It was a few counties away from any answer she had been expecting and, caught off guard, the only word that popped out of her mouth was, “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Faith replied with an equal amount of awkwardness. Her body twisted as if she was about to move away but she ended up turning back before taking a single step. “I know I haven't really said it before, but I do. I trust you. And I know you could have left me behind back there, so... thanks.”
Buffy smiled but slowly shook her head. “No I couldn't,” she said sincerely. “We promised to look out for each other, remember? No matter what.”
----------
By the time the pair had called it a night they'd been wandering along side by side, their guards long dropped, talking freely as if they'd been taking a pleasant stroll through a crowded, well-lit park. It wasn't until they were almost back on higher ground that footsteps began to echo toward them from an adjacent tunnel. They positioned themselves flat against the wall closest to the source of the sound, and a single twist of the flash light let the sewers slip into utter darkness.
The numerous overlapping footsteps blended into a single, constant sound, suggesting that it wasn't the demons – or if it was then they'd brought company. There were too many of them to make out the exact number, but Buffy guessed there were more of whatever they were than she'd like to deal with. As a new source of light crept up the wall opposite them, she silently shuffled to her side, easing closer to Faith and the retreating shroud of shadow.
The two of them stood in silence, and it wasn't long before the group walked right by them. Nobody was paying enough attention to their surroundings to spot their shadowed bodies, much to Buffy's relief. The group was seven strong and Buffy's eyes zeroed in on the odd one out. Each of them looked to be about the right size and shape for a human, though with six of them hidden beneath black cloaks it was hard to be certain. The seventh was instead decked in a dark-green, sleeveless vest layered over the top of a lighter green shirt, along with a pair of matching camouflage pants. Stood near the centre of the miniature parade, a piece of rope kept his hands tightly secured behind his back. He didn't put up a fight as he was marched forward, but that was a wise move given his overwhelming odds.
Once the Slayers were left alone, the darkness didn't wait before clinging back around them. Buffy reached out blindly and tugged at whatever part of Faith's jacket she'd grabbed hold of to let her know they needed to follow them. Placing a hand on the opposite wall, she carefully felt her away around the corner just in time to watch the light from the group fade away down a right turn up ahead. “Stay close,” she whispered behind her, barely finishing what she was saying before Faith bumped straight into her back. Startled, she let out a small gasp and fumbled with her torch before ultimately managing to keep hold of it. “Not that close.”
“Sorry. Can't see a damn thing. The next time we have to come down here, Giles can shell out for some night vision goggles or something.”
“Here.” Buffy turned to her side and reached out again, found Faith's arm, and began sliding her hand along it.
“Not that I'm about to stop you, but is this really the best time for some hanky panky?”
“You're hilarious,” Buffy said flatly. She reached Faith's hand and took it in her own. “Now shut up and come on. Unless you'd rather spend the entire night down here trying to find them again.” Not allowing any time for an objection, Buffy started moving as fast as she could feasibly manage in the dark, dragging Faith behind her.
Keeping a tunnel's length behind the group, they stalked their prey through the sewers, awkwardly feeling their way along in the dark. Faith had the advantage of not being the guinea pig, meaning it was Buffy who ended up the victim of an unexpected step. Luckily Faith's strong grip proved enough to keep Buffy from going all the way down, which in turn saved her jeans from a potentially messy encounter with the small pool of water that was busying itself with the task of soaking her socks. The horrible squelch she felt each time her foot hit the ground did not make the task any less miserable.
One turn after another left her wondering which part of Sunnydale was even above them, and she figured finding their way back up there would be a whole world of fun. Thankfully the tunnels finally opened up into a much wider area, one which was well lit by torches, and as Buffy peeked carefully around the corner she could see the cultists – their hoods folded back – stood in front of the trio of demons. Taking no chances, she ducked her head back around to safety, and while she couldn't see what was going on, the sounds of their voices carried easily enough to be heard.
When the first person spoke up, Buffy instantly recognised the voice as Jacob's. “We found them. The place is locked up pretty tight, but luckily for you, this here is the key. Very soldier shaped in its appearance, granted, but he was heading up a team. I reckon he has the clearance to let us stroll right on in.”
“I'll die before I let you in anywhere,” came a confident voice that Buffy hadn't heard before – though it was a safe bet it belonged to the prisoner.
“Come now, that won't be necessary,” said a quiet, female voice, so soft that Buffy had trouble making it out. “I'm sure I can bring you around to our way of thinking.” Her tone became more commanding without rising in volume. “Tie him down. I will see to him soon, but first I shall send word back home. The troops must be readied; we open the portal tonight.”
Buffy shot Faith a worried look before she risked sticking her neck around the corner again. A demon with long, white hair flowing down her back was already making her way down a tunnel at the back of the area, and the black-haired one that had sent them on their unwanted vacation was following the group of cultists and their prisoner somewhere out of sight.
Buffy couldn't believe their luck, “OK, they're splitting up. The super-sized one that attacked you in the cemetery is still there. The rest have gone,” she reported back. “This might be the best opening we get.”
Buffy could hear Faith tapping the handle of her axe against her hand. “Alright then. Time for a little payback.”
Sticking close together, they crept forward. Buffy reached inside the front pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small syringe. At first glance it looked completely empty, but that wasn't the case at all. Willow had been able to extract enough of the poison from a small gland at the back of the creature's head for one generous dose, but she had worried that splitting it three ways likely wouldn't produce the desired effects fast enough. So while Buffy didn't have the answer to all their problems in that little needle, she hoped it would make for a pretty good start.
The remaining demon had its back turned, but before she was anywhere near close enough to jam the syringe straight through its neck it began moving away. Not wanting to give herself away by hurrying, she could only watch as it briskly walked down yet another tunnel, leaving the two Slayers alone.
Buffy turned to Faith to ask which of the three they should go after first, but Faith had already made up her mind. “I'll take out the big guy. You go after one of the others. We hit them hard before they get a chance to regroup. Then we can meet back here, finish the third off together.”
Buffy thought about it for a few moments. There was undoubtedly safety in numbers, but given how their previous encounters had gone she also wondered about their chances if they were left facing two of them at the same time, especially if there were going to be more projectiles flying all over the place. “OK, take this,” she said, holding out the syringe.
Faith shook her head. “You keep it.” She eyed her axe and gave it a quick spin. “I've got something to prove to giant, green and gleeful, and it wouldn't be half as much fun if he didn't feel every blow.”
Buffy could see the twin flickers of fire lighting up Faith's eyes and it did little to ease her concerns. “Faith?” she asked cautiously as she returned the syringe to her pocket for safe keeping.
“Yeah?”
“Please, promise me you won't do anything rash. We don't die – that's all that matters. Don't take any risks if you don't have to, and if things start looking bad, get gone.”
Faith's small grin just grew a little. “Hey, don't worry about me. I'll be five by five.”
“I mean it, Faith.” Buffy stepped closer. “We are this close to being home and dry. If something happens now...” She stopped her thoughts from going down that route. Even acknowledging that there were worst case scenarios was something she couldn't afford to do; staying alive meant staying focused, and that wouldn't happen if half her mind was busy worrying about Faith.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was still so much to find out, and she wanted to know it all. Everything about Faith. Everything about them. What could happen. What would happen. There were a hundred questions and a thousand possibilities, but she knew all too well how every last one of them could be ripped away in a single heartbeat. Ms. Calender. Kendra. Even Angel. People died. She hated it more than anything, but that was her reality. It was the reason she'd vehemently insisted that the rest of the gang stayed back, and while she felt far more safe than she would have without Faith at her side, she was also anxious about being the only one to make it out. The idea of her own death didn't scare her like it once had, but the thought of losing someone else, especially Faith, was enough to make her stomach churn. Before she'd really even thought about it, her hand was up, the ends of her fingers directing Faith's face down toward her.
Faith watched intently for several long moments as if her eyes were trying to sift through Buffy's thoughts, and as Buffy brought her head closer she was quick to lean away. “Don't,” she said. “We're both walking out of here, B, so if this is meant to be some kind of goodbye then just don't.”
“It's not,” Buffy said firmly. She waited to let that sink in before trying again, and that time Faith stayed put. Buffy's eyes slipped shut as their lips met. The kiss was as soft as it was brief, a long way away from their first two, and yet that short time was filled with far more meaning. For Buffy it served both as a reminder to herself that they had unfinished business, but more importantly as a silent acknowledgement to Faith that however new it was, and however undefined it was, what they had between them mattered to her, even if it all came to an abrupt end that night. “Just be careful. You still owe me a date, remember, and I fully intend to collect.” Her hand lingered in place as the idea of splitting up began to feel more and more like a bad idea, but she wasn't given the chance to do anything about it.
Faith smiled, showing all the confidence in the world, and she kept her eyes locked on Buffy as she slowly backed away. “I'll see you soon,” she said – more a fact than a promise – and with that she turned and headed down the tunnel.
Buffy watched her go, waiting until she was alone before whispering a soft, “Good luck.” She tried to push her worries to one side, taking a long, deep breath to steel herself. There were still two tunnels to choose from, but she'd already made up her mind. “Better the demon you know,” she muttered under her breath.