Chapter Seven

I got up early, like "before the sun" early. Faith was still asleep, and I used the phone in the sitting area to order us breakfast. The first time we ordered from room service they ignored us because they thought it was a prank. Who could blame them?

Faith got that straightened out, or "tore them a new one" as she put it. You cannot get between Faith and her food. She wants it when she wants it, and she wants it a lot. I don't know if she eats so much because she's a Slayer or if it's just because she's a pig, but either way, you risk your life if you try to keep them apart.

I know my appetite increased when I became a Slayer, but Faith's is off the charts. Thankfully she never seems to gain any weight, but I wouldn't care all that much. Knowing her, she'd just be curvier and sexier.

I think she was made to be beautiful, no matter what. Certainly as she's gotten older, that theory's been proven true. She's filled out as she's matured, and now she's no longer a girl, but a woman. A beautiful, sexy, drive me up the wall woman.

I waited for the room service guy to arrive, keeping watch out the window because I wanted to catch him before he knocked. I didn't want Faith waking up before I got everything finished, and I got my way because she didn't hear a thing. I stood back to look over my work, and it looked good, it looked great. Time for her to rise and shine.

When I went to get her, the blanket and sheet were wrapped around her waist, and her bare leg was flung over the side of the bed. She was on her stomach, and I just stood there staring as I imagined kissing my way up that leg. Or maybe nibbling my way along all the delicious looking skin on display, due to her T-shirt's delightful habit of riding up. Instead I settled for lightly shaking her by the shoulder.

I stayed loose and ready because sometimes Faith wakes up hard. One second everything will be all peaceful and calm, and the next she'll be throwing punches like she's in the middle of a fight to the death. Back home, only Willow or I will wake her up now.

Dawnie was the last one to try, and she came running down the stairs in a near panic.

"That's it, Buffy!"

"Why, what happened?"

"Faith happened. I shook her shoulder, and she rolled over and...."

"And?"

"She was…she is…Buffy, she's without pajamas!"

I tried to play it cool:

"Well at least she didn't hit you."

"Only because I didn't stick around!"

"So she didn't have anything on?"

"No! Well at least nothing on top. Thank God I'm just assuming about the other half."

Hmm…Faith sleeping topless…bottomless…Faith all nude all the time…Me with Faith…while she's topless…bottomless…all nude all the time…

Okay, lovely thoughts one and all, but I knew I'd better pay attention or I could get killed.

"Faith…"

Nothing, no response at all.

"Faith…"

She stirred, but only to roll away from me.

"Faith, breakfast is here."

"Hmm?"

"All your favorites. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, orange juice, fruit. Come on…"

"…Cereal?"

"Raisin Bran and Fruit Loops."

Now she was awake and smiling, looking so cute with her sleepy eyes and messed up hair:

"Toast?"

"Yep. Regular and French."

"Be right there."

I went back to the table while she headed to the bathroom, and I dug into the pancakes and sipped my tea. What can I say? Giles has Englished me way beyond repair. The staff had also included some brochures I'd asked for, and I was flipping through them when Faith showed up.

"Good morning."

"Mornin', B. Smells delicious, I'm starving…Hey, you do all this?"

"Well I thought it'd be nice to…"

"Man, looks great! Flowers are really awesome."

"Really?"

She was walking around looking at all of them up close:

"Yeah. Listen you tell anybody and I'll kill ya, but I really dig flowers."

"You do?"

"Way girly I know, but it's true."

"I love them too."

She laughed as she made her way over to the table:

"Then it's a Slayer thing. Not my fault."

"Nice try, but I'm going to tease you anyway."

The look on her face was adorable.

"Fuck B, can't ya cut me a break?"

"Well we are on vacation…"

"Closest we're ever gonna get."

No, we were going to get much closer in the next few days.

"Okay then, it's a Slayer thing. Better dig in, the pancakes are…"

She picked up the plate of remaining pancakes, four to be exact, and poured so much syrup on them they looked like they were drowning. She saw me looking:

"Oh hey, sorry. Did you want some?"

"No, I already had a couple."

She grinned and began eating happily:

"Whatcha readin'?"

"Some brochures on some touristy spots. I thought we could…"

"Nah, none of that. Let's just find our own cool places."

Pancakes inhaled, she munched on bacon while she prepared her Raisin Bran.

"Well I don't know, there are a lot of…"

"C'mon B, where's your spirit of adventure?"

At least that's what I think she said. It was hard to tell since her mouth was full.

"Well, I guess we could try to…"

"No try baby, only do. Find we must, look we shall."

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Yoda."

"Yoda?"

She stared at me like I'd gone crazy.

"Yeah, Yoda. `Star Wars'? Oh fuck me, are you kidding?"

"I know what `Star Wars' is! I'm just not familiar with all the characters."

She handed me a piece of toast she'd buttered and slathered with strawberry jam, just the way I liked it.

"Jesus B, I can't believe this! What, are you telling me you're the only person on the planet who missed `Star fucking Wars'?"

"What's the big deal? I heard they weren't all that good anyway."

"That's the new ones! Buffy, the originals are classics, you gotta see'em."

I accepted more toast and a plateful of eggs and bacon. She was shoveling her own in like…well like Faith at breakfast, there's no other way to explain it.

"Wait, I'm confused. I thought the new ones were the first three."

"Yeah they are, but they're not the "first" first ones."

"Right, that's all cleared up now."

She looked at me like I was the dumbest person on the planet, but she still refilled my juice glass.

"The first movies that came out were the middle ones. The ones that just came out are the ones before the middle ones."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did they put the last ones out first?"

"They're not really the last ones. Were supposed to be three more."

"Well shouldn't I wait for those? Then I can just watch them in order."

"No! First of all, there's not gonna be any others."

"Why not?"

She was onto the Fruit Loops now, but she handed me a bunch of red ones before she poured the milk.

"Probably `cause the guy who does'em sucks now."

"Because?"

"Hard to say, but you definitely don't wanna watch the first three, ya know the ones that just came out."

"Well how will I be able to follow along?"

"B, just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay…but it seems like a crazy way to tell a story. Plus who wants to watch six movies about the same thing?"

"Nobody when they turn out so shitty."

"See, this is why I've never seen it. It's confusing."

She drank the milk from the bowl, then sat back finally full…Right.

"I got your back, I'm gonna take care of ya. We just gotta…Hey, are those grapes?"

So after we'd polished off the fresh fruit with the French toast, the meal was finally over for real.

"Ya wanna motor soon?"

"Yep. I've already showered, so as soon as I get dressed, I'm ready."

"Okay, let me grab one. Say ten minutes?"

"How about fifteen?"

"Ya get twenty B, then I'm dragging your ass outta here. Ya wanna show off your unmentionables to the world, that's up to you."

"I'll be ready."

"Gonna believe it when I see it. And B?"

"Uh-huh?"

She was bent over, her face buried in the one red rose I'd placed at the center of the table:

"Mmm…that smells so good. Thanks for the great breakfast. Sure a nice way to start off the day."

"You're welcome."

She went off to the shower whistling, and I began getting dressed. Well right after I had sex with that rose. Okay no, I didn't have sex with the rose, but I did smell it and kind of rub it against my lips. God, the sexy look of pleasure on her face when…

Stay on target. There would be no enticing today, at least not of the sexual kind. Today was going to be about fun, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Getting her to see how perfectly we fit together, how much fun we could have, and how much we liked each other.

We so seldom ever got to do anything like that. Usually whenever we're out alone together, we're fighting for our lives. Sure that's fun, in a very strange and disturbing way, but it wasn't what I wanted today to be about.

Here and now we were just Buffy and Faith, two girls in love who were going out to have a normal and fun day. Not a care in the world, as free as...Okay that's crazy because even I know we will never be that normal, but maybe we could come close to it…together.

I was ready in fifteen minutes, and I smugly pointed that out to her at least a few thousand times. We were dressed for the heat in shorts, tank tops and sandals, and Faith looked so good, I had to put on my sunglasses to hide the lust in my eyes. We stuffed some cash, a credit card, and our room key into our pockets, and we were off.

The whole day was a blast, I can't remember when I've had such fun. Faith had a knack for finding things off the beaten path, like the donkey with a stick tied to its head. Its owners were two young boys who swore to us it was an authentic unicorn. Faith gave them each twenty dollars when we left, and she laughed about it for hours.

We explored all the nooks and crannies we could find, sometimes getting tips from the locals that led us to some incredibly beautiful places. Of course we also found a few scary spots, like the pit bull that chased us both up a tree as we passed by his house.

"What are we supposed to do, sit here all fucking day?"

"Well, it is a good view. Look, there's the ocean."

"B…"

"Maybe we should call for help."

"Oh yeah, they're gonna come from miles around to take on a pit bull."

"You have a better idea?"

"Yeah, I jump down and break his fucking…"

"Faith, you can't do that!"

"Sure I can. Turn on the Slayer speed and the little bastard's taken care of."

I knew we couldn't sit in a tree all day, but did we have to kill a dog? A regular dog? He wasn't even a hellhound.

"I think he's starting to warm up to us. He hasn't barked for like five minutes now."

"Pit bulls don't `warm up', B."

"Doggie? Who's a good doggie?"

Maybe some dog, but the one that had us treed was actually a bad dog… a slobbering, rabid, vicious killer who was effectively ruining our day.

"B, c'mon! Let me just snap his…"

"No, there has to be…A stick!"

"Good idea. I can stake him and then…"

"Faith, we are not killing this dog."

She looked at me all confused:

"Hey, you're the one who said we should grab a stake."

"I said a `stick'! You know, like you use to play `fetch' with?"

"…Oh."

"I'll throw it, he'll chase it, and we'll run like hell."

"Yeah, that could work. Good idea, B."

I broke off the stick, and it started out great.

"Doggie, see the nice stick? Who's a good boy? Do you want the stick? Huh? Does the good doggie want the stick?"

"Christ B, ya doin' an interview? Just throw the fucking thing!"

"Shh, I'm getting his attention."

"Well hurry up, my ass is goin' numb."

The dog's eyes were following the stick in my hand, clearly he wanted it.

"Okay, on three. Want the stick, doggie? One…Want the stick?...Two… Fetch, go get the stick…Three."

I tossed the stick and Fido never even turned his head. It sailed off, and he just stood below us growling and watching every move and non-move we made. I was pissed:

"Go get it, you stupid idiot!"

He put his front paws on the tree trunk and began barking again.

"I don't get it. He was clearly interested. Why didn't he…"

"Think he was more interested in the hand that was holding the stick."

"Well that's just great."

Faith broke off her own stick, then pulled a small switchblade from her back pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"Pretty sure I can get the tip sharp enough to pierce…

"Faith, we are not killing a dog!"

"Why? Not like he's a puppy or `Dog of the Year' material."

"Still…"

"Be doing the neighbors a favor. Bastard probably terrorizes everybody, kills off all the kids…"

She was whittling the stick into a stake all too efficiently.

"We don't know that."

"Look, I'll make sure I nail him in one shot."

I was ready to cry if that's what it took to stop her.

"Faith, we cannot hurt, maim, or kill a dog."

"Yeah but B, this guy's not Lassie. He's fuckin' Cujo."

"Um…Excuse me."

An eight or nine year old boy was standing next to Cujo, looking up at us.

"Oh my God!"

"Okay kid, don't move, not one muscle."

We were getting ready to spring into action when the little boy sat down, and Cujo plopped onto his lap. He was petting all around the dog's deadly muzzle, and I suddenly understood why they called it that. It was just as dangerous as a gun.

"Listen to me very carefully. I want you to slowly move your hand away from his mouth."

"Why?"

"Kid just listen to Buffy, okay? Move your hand and…"

"But Daisy loves it when I do this!"

I wasn't sure if I'd heard him correctly:

"Daisy?"

"Who the hell's `Daisy'?"

Cujo was now on his back, almost asleep.

"Hey, no swearing allowed!"

Faith looked ready jump down, so I put my hand firmly on her forearm.

"I'm Buffy and this is Faith. Who are you?"

"…I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Oh right, okay. Is it okay if you just tell us who that is?"

"Who, Daisy?"

"So Daisy is your dog?"

"Yep. She's three years old."

Faith mumbled too low for anyone but me to hear:

"Slim chance of hittin' four."

"Hey, why are you guys in our tree?"

"Well you see, Daisy kind of scared us and we…"

"Had to climb up here to save our asses."

He smiled at that news.

"Yeah, she does that to strangers sometimes."

"Good to have protection. Anyways, think you could call Daisy off so we can head out?"

"Sure, I can put her in the house."

Daisy was out cold, her huge tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Faith and I would so appreciate it if you did that."

"You guys look really funny sitting up there."

"Ya know, was just telling Daisy that `fore you got here."

He started laughing:

"Daisy doesn't talk like a person."

"Explains why she didn't answer."

"You're funny."

"Ya don't even know the half of it."

He stood up, and so did Daisy. No longer a killer beast, Daisy frolicked along licking at the little boy's hand, making him giggle. Faith looked at me, I looked at her, then we both looked at Daisy.

They went up onto the front porch where Daisy began slurping from a water bowl.

"You can come down. She won't hurt you `cause she knows you now."

We jumped down and began walking away slowly.

"Hey!"

Daisy and her master were running at us, and I braced myself for killing a little boy's dog right in front of him.

"You dropped this."

He handed Faith her switchblade while Daisy sat next to him and yawned.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I have to go now."

"What's with the sad face?"

My mom said I have to clean-up my room."

"Gotta do what your mom says."

"I know…But it sure is nice out today."

"Yeah, it's a beauty."

"…She's told me to do it about ten times already. She said one more time and I don't get any dessert or videogames tonight, and I can't play outside all day."

Faith squatted down until she was level with him:

"Listen kid, just suck it up and get it done. Take ya what, twenty minutes? Then you get the good stuff, dessert and videogames, you and Daisy out here. Can't beat that."

"Yeah, but I hate cleaning my room."

"Crappy job for sure, but not as bad as no fun for the whole rest of the day. Plus your mom'll be all upset, and who needs that?"

He was clearly thinking it over.

"Twenty minutes of doing somethin' ya hate, then you get a buncha hours of fun. Do the math, just makes sense, ya know?"

"…I never thought about it like that. That does make sense."

"Well? Haul it, she ain't gonna stay calm forever."

He looked all excited:

"Thanks!"

He ran off with Daisy close behind, then stopped when he got to his front porch:

"Hey Faith and Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"My name's Danny!"

Then he and Daisy were inside, and all was right with the world again.

We walked slowly down the sidewalk, and every fiber of my being wanted to hold her hand as we went along. My God, how was it possible to be this in love with someone? I wanted to kiss her, but instead I settled for complimenting her.

"You are so good with kids."

"Huh?"

"You are so good with kids. It's neat to watch."

She was all embarrassed, but I could tell she was happy about it too.

"Whatever…I mean, you know."

"If you weren't a Slayer, you'd make a great counselor or something."

"Oh yeah, with my track record I'd…"

I stopped walking then and grabbed her by the arm, making her turn to face me:

"I don't give a damn about your track record."

"B…"

"No, you listen to me: You are wonderful Faith, there's no one I respect more than you. Fuck your track record."

The look on her face was priceless. She was so shocked that I'd said the F-word, her eyes were huge and filled with disbelief.

"…Did you just say `fuck'?"

"I guess it shows I've been hanging around with you a lot."

She laughed then:

"Oh shit, I've corrupted the Golden Girl. So not going down good when they find out back home."

"We'll deal. Besides, sometimes fu…the F-word is called for."

"Oh hell, so it was just a one-time deal? Whew, had me shakin' in my boots for a sec, B."

"I might say it again…if the situation calls for it."

We started up with the walking, and she was still laughing at me.

"What sitch might that be? Let's see, if maybe pastels go out of style?"

"Oh, shut up."

"I know, yogurt production dries up!"

"I'm thinking now might be a good time."

"Yeah? Then let'er rip, B."

She was practically dancing around me, her face just radiating joy as she teased me. How could she be so adorable, beautiful, and sexy all at once?

"Go to hell, F."

"Aw, sorry B. But still, pretty good for an amateur. Don't feel too bad."

"Faith…"

"Swearing's hard work, takes years of practice. Hey, wanna hit a couple of stores? Might make ya feel better?"

I wanted to ignore her, but shopping? I wasn't about to cut off my nose to spite my face…and that was a saying I fully understood. Although I did have to wonder who the moron was who cut off their own nose, and only then realized it spited their face.

"So what do ya say, Slayer? Wanna hit the stores?"

"Clothing stores?"

"Yep, think I can handle it for a while."

"Well come on then!"

I started off at a brisk jog that quickly turned into a full out run.

"Fuck B, you're like some junkie headin' for a fix!"

We found a bunch of little stores, and this one place was a goldmine. I bought myself five tops, Dawnie two, and Willow some slacks and a blouse. I tried on nearly everything they had, and Faith never complained once, even offering her opinion when I asked her for it… and even when I didn't. She is Faith, after all.

I was totally giddy when we walked out, I love shopping for clothes. Faith didn't look at all suicidal, so I figured it was a great time for all. She was even whistling again as we window shopped, and I couldn't remember her ever looking so relaxed.

We found a little souvenir place and bought everybody something. Snow globes, key chains, beach towels, and I even bought Faith a shirt to wear later, like when she was dead or unconscious. Her reaction when she saw it, totally surprised me.

She started laughing and she couldn't quit. It was love at first sight, and she insisted on wearing it immediately. I'd never seen her in something so frivolous, but she didn't hesitate to put it on. In fact, she literally couldn't wait.

She ducked into a changing room and then emerged in the goofiest shirt ever. It said, "I Believe" in multi-colored letters, and underneath that bold statement, a glitter encrusted unicorn smiled out from a field of flowers. It was awful, and Faith looked completely ridiculous in it. The gigantic smile on her face took my breath away.

"I love this, B! It's perfect!"

She walked out proudly in her five dollar shirt like she thought it was the finest in fashion wear. God, no one could ever be cuter than she was. And no one else could ever make a cheap and tacky unicorn T- shirt look so damn sexy.

We ate an early supper at this restaurant that sat on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The sun was just beginning to set over the water, and the view was spectacular. Well it was whenever I managed to look away from her.

We started out with the variety platter of appetizers, then I ordered the lobster and Faith got the biggest steak they had. She shared hers willingly, but she refused my many offers of lobster.

"Faith, just try some."

"No thanks."

"Come on, it's delicious."

"No way, B."

"Why not?"

"…Looks like a fucking cockroach."

"It's a delicacy."

"Yeah, real delicate. Oughta smash it with a rolled up newspaper."

We had an after dinner drink, then decided to walk back to the hotel. It was a beautiful evening, apparently that's the only kind they ever have here, and the sun still wasn't all the way down. I kept teasing her that the sparkles on her unicorn were catching the last rays of the sun and blinding me.

"That's the beauty of a shirt like this B, it does it all."

We weren't far from the hotel, when Faith spotted a video store.

"Yeah! Okay, wait here B!"

It wasn't long before she came back out with a huge grin and a bag.

"Bought all three DVDs. We can have a `Star Wars' marathon tonight!"

"Are you sure I'm going to like them?"

She was busy combining all the bags into the one big one she'd bought.

"Fuck yeah, they're great!"

"Okay, but it has to be a slumber party."

"A slumber party?"

"Yeah."

She was looking at me suspiciously:

"What's that involve?"

"First we get into our jammies…"

"What, we gotta regress? Got no `jammies', just some boxers and a T- shirt."

I rolled my eyes, she's such a smartass…an extremely cute smartass though.

"Fine, first we get into our sleepwear…"

"Geez, what's with the fancy talk now?"

"Faith..."

"Okay, I'll stop. So we get into our night shit…"

Of course, our "night shit", what was I thinking?

"Then we get into bed and eat junk, watch movies, and talk all night long."

"Okay, think I can do all of that stuff."

"Well I hope so. I left out some traditional things so you'd be guaranteed a good time."

"Like?"

"Painting each other's toenails, braiding each other's hair, trying on clothes…"

"Well good call `cause I'm not doing any of that stuff."

"This I know. You're wicked predictable, F."

The look on her face was pure happiness.

"Oh, so what? Now ya wanna make fun of how I talk?"

"Well it is wicked funny."

"This from a California airhead."

"My F, that's a wicked shirt you're wearing."

"Better knock it off, B."

"Why, are you getting wicked angry?"

I was pretty close to the water's edge, but I was sure I could get around her if I had to.

"Ya keep it up and you're gonna find…"

"Ooh, you're wicked scary, F."

She turned away like she wasn't going to pay me any more attention, but she wasn't fooling anybody.

Sure enough, she suddenly tossed the bag and lunged for me with her Slayer speed. But me? Well I'm not just anybody. Nope, I've got some Slayer speed at my disposal too, so I decided now was the perfect time to dispose of some.

I moved fast, feinting one way and going the other. She anticipated my move perfectly, and we went sailing through the air. We landed hard, locked tightly together as we splashed into the surf.

It was just deep enough to cover our faces, and we came up laughing and spitting out salt water. The look in Faith's eyes was not the most reassuring, nor was her position on top.

"Faith…"

"Wow, looks like you're in wicked trouble."

"We need to move."

"Why? Wicked fine right here."

"Faith!"

The tide rolled in, and at the last second she yanked my head above the water, as it crashed to the shore.

"Tell ya B, this is wicked neat."

"Okay, I'll stop. I promise."

"But you were having such wicked fun."

Again she jerked me up as the tide came in, but this time I was ready. As my shoulders lifted, I rolled quickly, loosening her grip just enough to…dunk myself under the water. Oops.

She pulled me to my feet as I sputtered out about a gallon of water. She was laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight. I would have killed her except her shirt was soaked, and Faith being Faith, well she wasn't wearing a bra.

"C'mon, let's get back to the hotel and get dried off."

I really went for it then, acting like the perfect damsel in distress. I was coughing and practically swooning at her feet as I struggled to keep my balance in the vicious ankle deep water. She did just what I expected her to do, she took charge of the situation…and of me.

She swept me up into her arms, and I of course leaned into her with my own wrapped around her neck. My face was buried in her chest just above the swell of her breast, and I could not have been happier. At least not in public…with my clothes on.

Faith carried me out of the water, but when we were clear she didn't let go. She just kept holding me in her arms, not saying a word. I know I was supposed to be all about the "go slow" but the warmth of her body, the smell of her mixed with the ocean, her breast poking into the side of my neck…

I would have been okay if she hadn't started trembling. See? Not my fault, not at all. She was at fault because even though I weigh next to nothing and she's a Slayer and strong enough to carry me forever, her arms started shaking. Her breathing got all loud and irregular, and how was I supposed to not respond to that?

With the things I was thinking, with the images of us rolling around in the surf, and yeah I've heard that was uncomfortable and a big unsexy mess, but who doesn't want to be those actors? It looked so romantic, those old movies always do, and if I had Faith on top of me I wouldn't notice if I had sand up my butt.

So I had to do something, and what I did was so, so minor when you compare it to what I could have done. I merely shifted my head slightly and kissed her softly on the neck. Just brushed my lips lightly on her pulse point, and yes I definitely lingered, but there was no tongue. Just lips.

Faith went so stiff, it was like she'd been turned into stone. Her hold on me tightened until it was almost painful, and I could feel her shudder as she stifled a groan. Then I was back on my feet, and Faith had turned away to pick up our stuff.

It took her forever to turn and face me, but when she did she looked almost normal. Except for the fact that her face was all red and her hands were shaking as she kept fumbling around with the bag. I stared at her, and if she'd have met my eyes, she would have known.

But she didn't look at me, her eyes went nowhere near my face.

"You're welcome, B."

What? I'm "welcome"? What in the hell was she…?

Oh, she was going to pretend that a kiss on the neck was a normal "thank you" between friends. A kiss that lingered, a kiss that had sparks flying from it that left her shaking. A kiss where just the tip of my tongue found out what she tasted like with salt water coating her…Okay, so I lied before. But it was just a little tiny bit of tongue, I swear.

The point to focus on is that of course I always thank my friends like that. Willow, Giles, Xander, everyone gets a kiss and a mini- lick whenever Buffy's grateful.

"C'mon, let's motor. Got us three movies to watch."

And with that, she headed off down the beach.

I was content to stay a couple of steps behind her because her shorts were wet and clinging to her butt. Every step she took was mesmerizing, and I became quite happy as I followed her back to our room. Plus for awhile, water was running down her bare legs, and by the time we'd arrived at our hotel, my new fetish had become a full- blown obsession of the obsessive kind.

She unlocked the door to our room and offered to let me take the first shower:

"You go B, I'll order some stuff for us."

So as I was cleaning up, and yes there was a lot of sand in some very awkward places, my mind was busy going over the day minute by minute. Yes, it seems I have many things living large on the somewhat obsessive side, all them involving Faith. Well, nobody's perfect.

Everything had gone so well. We'd had a great time and it was clear we enjoyed being together. It was also clear that I wanted to make love with her, and it was just as clear that she wanted me too. That fact was obvious; gloriously and wonderfully obvious.

The trouble was that she couldn't seem to make herself believe that I wanted her just as much as she wanted me. All the undeniable signs were there, she saw them, she felt them, but she still could not believe them. She would peek out for a second, let loose, then run right back behind her irritatingly well-constructed wall. It was where she felt safe.

Okay, that was okay. Things were progressing along, maybe not as fast as I'd like, but we were well within Slayer approved guidelines. If I wanted to have sex with her, I could make that happen at any time, and for some reason that made me feel better.

Just knowing for sure that the option was there, that I made her feel like that, well it let me relax. It let me remember that this day hadn't been about sex, it had been all about love and fun and enjoying life together. And tonight? Well that was what the night should be all about too.

When I came out of the shower, Faith was wrapped in a couple of towels.

"Rinsed off by the pool."

"Well the shower's yours now."

"Okay. Ordered a buncha stuff. Probably here in like ten."

Then she was gone. I got into my pajamas and then I made a superhuman effort until I'd rededicated myself to the cause. I was not seducing her. We were going to watch movies, movies that she loved and wanted to share with me. We were going to eat junk and relax. I was not going to rub against her, stare at her, caress her, or sit on top of her. I was going to be good. How was I going to do that? I had no idea but hey, superhuman here, literally.

To my surprise, I did okay. The food came, the movies began and I loved them. I was hooked right from the start, and I could not believe how fun and exciting it was. All the twists and turns, the action, I even loved the cute little Ewoks, much to Faith's disgust.

"B, nobody likes'em. Christ, they're…"

"They're cute, like little teddy bears!"

"They're sickening. They shouldn't even be in the movie at all."

It ended way too soon, and as we got ready for bed, I found myself going back to the Ewoks:

"They might have been a little on the cutesy side, but the good guys needed their help to win."

She'd cleaned off the bed, and was busy straightening out the blankets.

"Yeah maybe, but shit."

"And then that one…"

"Oh fuck me, don't start bawling again!"

"Well how could you not?"

"'Cause I was hoping they'd all get…"

My eyes were starting to tear up as I remembered the scene.

"Then when the other one comes back to see if he's okay and…"

"B please, no more waterworks. Look, the little freak died a hero, okay? He's fine now, hanging with Obi-Wan and his crew. It all turned out good."

She looked so sweet as she tried to pull me away from the dark side.

"I guess. Anyway, I loved the story."

"Yeah, knew ya would."

"So don't I really want to see the other movies?"

"Way better off letting it go. Take my word on this one."

"…If you're sure."

"Fucking positive."

We got under the covers, and Faith turned off the light on her side.

"Night, B."

"Night."

I still hadn't turned out my light.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for getting me to watch the movies. They were so great."

"Sure, can't have my girl…"

She completely freaked out. It was the world's biggest overreaction, and it was hysterical in every possible way.

"I meant like 'girl' friend, like in a `friend' way. Like in a `Slayer' way. Like a fucking friend…No! Not like a `fucking' fucking friend just like a…"

I decided to offer her some compassion:

"I get it. You don't want me to be a movie dummy."

I could practically see her relief at my words.

"Right, exactly."

"Well thanks."

"Sure, was my pleasure…I mean, it was satisfying…Shit…Night."

No laughing allowed out loud, but inside? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

My fucking, as in my "fucking" girlfriend, is so sweet and cute and sexy. She is also so fucking "mine".

I turned out my light and settled down. It didn't take long before I began drifting off, and the last thing I heard before I gave into sleep was a softly whispered:

"Jesus."

I smiled. Yep, all mine.

Next >>>