Chapter Three
Faith awoke alone and disoriented in the large bed. She panicked, swiveling her head around trying to spot Buffy.
"B?"
She could hear grunting noises coming from the sitting room in the suite and she hopped up, grabbing the robe she'd had on earlier. She slipped into it as she headed out to see what was going on, hoping the damage wouldn't be too bad.
Buffy was sitting on the floor, surrounded by tiny bottles and packages of snacks. She smiled up at Faith around a mouthful of something crunchy:
"Faith! Food!
Buffy proudly held out a miniature ninety dollar bag of mixed nuts:
"You eat."
Faith approached her slowly as she looked over at the mini-bar. Its sides were bashed in and the door was lying across the room up against the wall. Buffy was eating what looked to be orange crackers with peanut butter, although there was a lot of peanut butter around her mouth and it appeared she was also eating some of the plastic wrapper.
"B, you hungry?"
"Buffy eat. Here."
Again she held out the two hundred dollar bag of nuts.
Buffy's smile was huge as Faith took them.
"Thanks B, but I'm going to order some real food, okay?"
"This food."
"Yeah, but it's junk food."
Buffy's brow furrowed in confusion:
"Junk…food?"
"Yeah, uh…like eatin' squirrel when you could have a bear."
Buffy laughed, spraying bits of crackers onto the carpet and almost choking as she kept giggling.
"Faith stupid. No eat bear."
She picked up a bottle of water and studied it before tipping it up to her mouth. When the water failed to come out, Buffy tried to bite off the lid. Next she tried chewing her way through the soft plastic and when nothing happened, she angrily tossed it aside.
"Buffy want water."
Faith bent down and grabbed another bottle, unscrewing the cap as she handed it to her:
"Just gotta take the lid off and…"
Buffy tipped the bottle up, spilling an equal amount down her chest as she gulped at the water greedily.
When she was done, she turned the empty bottle upside down and peered into it:
"No more."
Faith opened a fresh one and gave it to her before she began walking over to the phone:
"Here ya go, B. Now I'm gonna call room ser…"
"No!"
Buffy was on her feet and Faith stopped in her tracks. Buffy thrust the new one out:
"Faith take."
"Oh, ya want me to have the water? Thanks, B."
Buffy smiled and buried her face in Faith's shoulder. She made a soft purring noise and Faith wrapped her free arm around her as Buffy snuggled in closer, her own arms wrapping lightly around Faith's lower back. It was sweet and it brought a smile to Faith's face as she tilted her head back to drain the water.
She almost choked when she felt Buffy's hand sliding between her legs.
"Faith feel good?"
"Yeah, Faith feelin' on top of the world."
That answer seemed to confuse Buffy:
"…Faith feel good."
"Yeah B, Faith feels real good."
"Buffy need food."
Faith peeled herself away:
"That's what I was gonna say before. I'm gonna call room service and get us some real grub."
"No eat grubs!!!"
"What? Oh yeah, right. No grub eating allowed. Just good food like steak and sandwiches and fries and milk."
"Where food? Buffy get."
Faith picked up the phone:
"We'll get it with this."
Buffy looked confused and then she laughed:
"That no good."
She lifted the large couch and broke off one of the legs:
"Buffy get food."
"B, no. I just need to call, okay?"
Buffy cocked her head to the side as she looked at Faith:
"Call?"
Faith rubbed her hand over her face in frustration:
"Just trust me, would ya? Can get us a lot of food in just a few."
"…Buffy trust Faith."
Faith grinned big:
"That's my girl!"
Buffy nodded seriously:
"Faith mine."
Faith turned around and picked up the phone…and then just stood there. She felt weird, and for a long minute she couldn't remember what she was doing or why. She concentrated, but even when it came back to her, she had trouble figuring out what number she needed for room service.
It was happening and it was happening all too quickly.
"Oh, fuck me."
Buffy was next to her in an instant:
"Faith need Buffy?"
"What? No, Faith fine…I mean, I'm fine."
Buffy looked unsure, but said nothing as Faith dialed the number and stood waiting impatiently. Time was growing short and she needed to get things done before it ran out completely, but the hotel staff clearly didn't share her urgency. It took nine rings before they answered:
"Room service."
"Yeah hey, I need to…Uh, B?"
Buffy had been sniffing heavily and she suddenly moved closer. She circled Faith as best she could, growling at the phone cord that stopped her progress. Her eyes went to Faith's face and her expression grew concerned.
"What wrong?"
Faith put her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone:
"I'm good, B."
She smiled, but Buffy wasn't buying it. Her face became almost angry and she grabbed Faith by the front of her robe:
"Faith scared."
Faith tried to step back, but Buffy wasn't letting her move.
"I'm fine, B."
"Faith lie!"
The room service guy was obviously tired of waiting:
"Hey, you gonna order or not?"
"Faith say wait! I mean, can ya hold a sec?"
She covered the receiver again and looked at Buffy:
"Faith good. Just want food."
Buffy pulled her down into a kiss and when she let Faith straighten back up, her eyes were still concerned:
"Buffy get food?"
"No, Faith get. Trust Faith...I mean, trust me."
Buffy smiled:
"Faith good."
Faith smiled back at her sincerely:
"B good too."
With the matter seemingly settled, Faith spoke into the phone again:
"Need food!...Sorry, just mean we got a big order."
"Yeah okay, lady, would you get to it? We've got other people on hold."
"We need four…Whoa!"
Buffy had pulled Faith's robe down from the back and the belt had come undone. The only reason the robe wasn't on the floor was because it was hung up on the hand Faith was using to hold the phone to her ear. She tried to grab to onto the other side of the robe with her free hand to pull it back around herself, but Buffy had other ideas.
Her arms encircled Faith's waist from behind and the twin spots of molten heat pressing against the bare skin of her back had Faith to completely losing her train of thought. Buffy leaned in even closer, her nipples rubbing against Faith as her mouth kissed lightly all along her shoulders and upper back, stopping to caress just under her shoulder blade.
"B…B, hang on."
"Buffy want Faith."
"Yeah, I know, but…I…uh…food, B."
Buffy's lips paused:
"Food?"
"Right, so stop and be quiet."
Buffy giggled:
"B quiet."
Faith would have had trouble placing the order at any time with Buffy pressed up against her, but at the moment it was just about impossible to focus and make any kind of sense. Although Buffy had stopped the tormenting kisses…for the most part, she hadn't moved back an inch and by the time Faith finished placing the order, the employee wasn't convinced it was all on the up and up:
"Look lady, if this is some kinda prank…"
"It's not a prank."
"Well, you're only supposed to have two people staying in your room and you just ordered enough food for…"
Faith's irritation rose to the surface:
"Faith want food! Bring food!"
There was a long silence before he responded:
"Your bill's like a million bucks."
"Faith want……It's goin' on a card, alright, so save the lect…save the…Just shut up and bring the fuckin' food."
He clearly wasn't happy with her attitude:
"Fine. It'll be there in an hour."
"Get it here in twenty and it's worth five hundred."
"Dollars?! A five hundred dollar tip?!"
"That's the deal, Einstein."
Buffy lifted her head from Faith's back:
"No! No Ein-stein! Bad girl!"
Faith had no idea what Buffy was screaming about, but she tried to pacify her:
"No bad girl here, B."
"Buffy no like!"
"Me neither, so no bad girl here."
Buffy laid a kiss on her back, then nipped a little too hard:
"Ein-stein dirty. No Faith!"
Buffy tightened her arms around her and laid her head down again. Faith waited a beat, then turned her attention back to the phone:
"So, we got a deal?"
"Yes, ma'am! Thank you for your order!"
Then he was gone and Faith rolled her eyes:
"Asshole."
She hung up the phone way too hard, cracking it as she returned it to the cradle.
Buffy moved fast, roughly shoving Faith's robe to the floor and then wrapping her up tight in her embrace. She nuzzled against Faith's skin:
"Mmm…Faith smell good. Like Buffy."
Faith smiled and leaned back into her:
"Faith like Buffy smell…I mean, I…I like uh…I like the smell of…um…Shit!"
"No! Shit bad! Bad smell!"
Buffy let go of her and picked up her club. She smashed the couch leg against the lamp, and as it shattered, Faith wanted to cheer her on. She felt like clapping and jumping up and down, but she struggled to control herself.
Buffy however, showed no such restraint. She swung her club down onto the coffee table and laughed happily when it broke in two:
"Buffy fun."
"Yeah, freakin' laugh riot."
Faith knew she didn't have much longer. It was getting harder and harder to think, but she was determined to hang on until they got their order. Her plan was to lock them in the room with plenty of food and drink to keep them satisfied until the cavalry finally showed up. Hopefully they'd be so preoccupied eating and fucking, they'd be easy to capture.
Faith grabbed the TV remote and it took a lot longer to figure out how to operate it than it should have. When she finally got the set turned on, Buffy jumped back, then approached the screen slowly:
"…Tiny people."
She turned to Faith with an excited look on her face:
"Tiny people!"
"Yeah, B, tiny people."
She pulled a chair over and as Buffy stood fascinated, Faith sat her down in the chair.
"B watch tiny people."
Buffy nodded, and Faith left her there and headed into the bedroom to get dressed as quickly as she could. It was a bit of a challenge, she tried to put her head through the arm hole of her shirt…twice, but she eventually managed to get her clothes on properly.
She closed the curtains to the balcony as tightly as she could. Even though they were on the sixth floor and it wasn't a likely exit, Faith was hoping that both of them would just forget it was there. She didn't want either of them getting any crazy ideas, a six floor drop wasn't doable even for a Slayer. Not even a Neanderthal one.
Satisfied that she had everything covered, she grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for Buffy. Although it seemed highly unlikely either of them would still be dressed by the time the extraction team showed up, Faith decided it wouldn't hurt to try and make it happen. The whole situation was embarrassing enough, and although she didn't much care about showing off her assets to anybody who cared to look, she knew Buffy would absolutely hate it.
She headed back out into the sitting area and then became totally transfixed by the colorful images flashing across the…window in the…magic box. No, it wasn't a window…It was a TV set, not a magic box.
"Christ, this is so fucked up."
She picked the clothes up from where she'd dropped them while in her TV trance, and headed over to Buffy.
"Okay B, I need to put these on you."
Buffy never even so much as glanced her way.
"B, we need to get these clothes on…"
"Tiny people fun!"
"Yeah, way better than regular size, for sure. Can ya hold your arms over your head? B…B…Buffy!"
Buffy jumped slightly, snatching up her club and growling low in her throat as she looked at Faith:
Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Just wondered …Can you do this?"
Faith lifted her own arms over her head and after a slight hesitation, Buffy did the same.
"Perfect! Stay just like that!"
Faith removed the club from Buffy's hand with a bit of a struggle and leaned it against the chair. She concentrated as hard as she could and got the shirt on perfectly in her first attempt. Buffy didn't looked thrilled to be wearing clothes, but Faith distracted her:
"Look at the tiny people, B."
Buffy grinned as her head instantly swiveled to stare at the TV. Faith bent down in front of her and put Buffy's feet in through the leg holes of the sweats. She was pretty proud of herself, it hadn't been that hard after all.
She walked over to the door to unlock it and glanced back to admire her handiwork. Buffy's sweats were still pooled around her ankles and Faith realized she'd forgotten to pull them up.
"And I'm the brains? We are so screwed."
She went back over and pulled Buffy's pants up as far as she could. She asked Buffy to stand, but the only response she received was a burst of laughter. Buffy's attention was riveted to the…magic box as the tiny man punched another tiny man.
"Tiny man mad!"
That jarred Faith out of her daze…She was supposed to be getting Buffy dressed.
"B, can ya stand up?"
"No, tiny man! Run!"
Two other men had entered the fight and Buffy had apparently picked sides.
"Too much men. Run!"
She leapt to her feet when he seemed to follow her instructions and Faith wasted no time in pulling the sweats up to her waist. She tightened the drawstring, running her fingers between the waistband and Buffy's soft hot skin to make sure…to make sure…
"What Faith do?"
Faith had no idea what she was doing. Her mind had lost its ability to think and all she knew was that the skin under her fingers was warm and... She began sliding her hand down further and Buffy sighed, placing her hands on Faith's arms as she let her explore.
A growling noise rumbled from down low in Faith's throat and she wrapped her other arm around Buffy's waist to hold her where she was. Her mouth went to Buffy's stomach and she gently licked and kissed as she inhaled the best scent she'd ever smelled. Then the growling was back and Faith…
She pulled clear and stepped back quickly, leaving Buffy to look at her with confusion:
"Where Faith go?"
"Sorry B, food's gonna be here in a sec, so no…"
"Want Faith."
"Yeah, I know. Got carried away and…"
Buffy took a step towards her:
"Want Faith now."
Faith wanted her now too, and she could feel her mind drifting...
"Food, B."
Buffy's eyes narrowed and she smiled. Faith gulped audibly as she began backing away.
"B…don't ya wanna eat first?"
There was no answer, but the look on Buffy's face said more than enough as she began stalking Faith across the room. Faith licked her lips nervously and Buffy's eyes followed the path her tongue took as she advanced on her prey.
"Buffy take Faith."
When Faith felt her back bang up against a wall, she resorted to her last resort:
"Look B, tiny man!"
Buffy whirled around to look at the TV and Faith quickly moved away. Buffy stood mesmerized and then drifted back to the screen, clapping delightedly as some woman spray cleaned the mildew from her shower walls.
It wasn't long before a discreet knock sounded at the door. She glanced at Buffy and saw that she was totally enamored by the "tiny man" as he climbed over a fence and began picking a lock. With Buffy otherwise occupied, Faith strode over to the door to finish her hunt for food, feeling pretty good about her plan and her skills.
She stood there smiling and then the knock came again. She pounded an answering knock, then realized she actually had to open the door.
"Concentrate, dumbass."
The locks proved to be a bit of a challenge, but she was able to get them undone in a reasonable time. She swung the door open and two young men stood there with three carts loaded down with food and drink.
"Bring it in."
They did and one of them handed Faith the bill. She took the pen and signed her name in a shaky, illegible scrawl.
"Uh, ma'am? We got it here in fourteen minutes."
"Yeah, so?"
"We were told you said…"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry."
She tried to write "$500.00" on the tip line, but she couldn't figure out how to form numbers. After struggling for a few awkward moments, she handed the pen back to the boy:
"Got a bum hand, ya mind?"
He eagerly wrote it in and she scribbled what were supposed to be her initials by it.
They were all smiles as they turned to go, but before they could leave, Faith asked them to do her a favor. It took forever to get across what she meant because she couldn't remember what it was called, but right when she was on the verge of punching a hole in the wall, one of the boys got what she'd been trying to say:
"I'm sorry, ma'am, we don't know what you're…"
"Nobody comes in!"
"Oh, the `Do Not Disturb' sign! Sure, it's right here."
He reached around the door on her side and took the sign, inserting it into the card key slot.
"There you, go. Have a nice night!"
They both waved at her as she closed the door and triple locked it behind them. She was hoping neither she nor Buffy would be able to figure out how to get out that way. It would make it a little tougher for Giles and the rescue party to get in quietly, but that was going to be the least of their worries.
Two strong as shit, devolved Slayers could cause endless amounts of problems, and Faith could only hope that Giles had taken her warning about Buffy's enhanced strength seriously. It was a huge mess and if the situation wasn't handled just right, they were going to be pretty tough to capture. Someone could get hurt and nobody wanted that.
Faith looked over at Buffy to see that she'd scooted closer to the screen. She was smiling and laughing and then she pounded on the arm of her chair. The tiny man was kissing a girl and Buffy was nodding in total agreement with his actions.
Faith unscrewed all of the lids from the water bottles then lined the bottles carefully on a large circular table. She uncovered the plates of food, opened all of the assorted bags of goodies, and then satisfied with her work, Faith dragged another chair up next to Buffy's. She pushed one of the carts alongside, sat down, and then hoped for the best.
She handed Buffy a plate with a thick cheeseburger and a bunch of fries on it.
"Food, B."
The tantalizing smell was right next to her and it forced Buffy to turn her head from the television. She smiled and snatched the burger off the plate with one hand and a fistful of fries with the other.
"Faith get food."
"Yep, there's a shitload more over there, water too."
Buffy looked where Faith pointed and nodded. She then took a huge bite of her cheeseburger and leaned her head into Faith's shoulder:
"Faith good".
At least that's what Faith thought she said. It was hard to tell since her mouth was full of unchewed fries and burger.
They ate in a comfortable silence, watching the tiny man living his life while they consumed almost an entire cart's worth of food and water. By the time they were sated, the cart was piled precariously high with empty plates and bottles and Faith shoved it away from them. It clanged against the broken coffee table and tipped slightly, causing some of the debris to hit the carpet.
Buffy laughed, so did Faith, and then Buffy climbed onto her lap.
"Food good…Faith good."
"B good…I mean, you good, B."
Buffy was nuzzling into her neck, placing tiny little kisses and bites wherever she went.
"Buffy want Faith."
"We maybe…Don't think we…I no do…B…"
Faith couldn't remember what she'd been trying to say and she pulled Buffy's head up by her hair:
"Faith want Buffy."
Buffy smiled, then yanked Faith's head back too:
"Faith rough."
Faith's grin was dangerous looking:
"Buffy like."
She stood, flinging Buffy over her shoulder and looked around confused. She'd been planning to throw Buffy down onto the floor and just take her there, but something in the recesses of her brain told her there was someplace better that was available to them.
Faith tried to remember, but it was hard with Buffy hands sliding under her sweatpants and squeezing her butt. Her nails glided along her ass and Faith jumped with a strange little squeal. She swatted Buffy hard on her butt, but Buffy just laughed and didn't stop what she was doing. She soon had Faith swaying in place and moaning in rhythm.
After a couple of minutes, Faith's half opened eyes spotted the partially closed door and she knew where to take Buffy. She headed there, almost falling because her sweatpants were puddled at her feet. She tried taking baby steps, she tried hopping, but nothing seemed to work.
She was certain if she concentrated she could solve this new problem, but Buffy wasn't letting up for a second. In fact, she was accelerating her actions, actually crawling further down Faith's back to allow her access to new and sensitive places.
"B stop now."
Buffy laughed:
"No."
Once again Buffy got smacked, but her only response was to pull Faith's shirt up and drag her tongue along the small of her back. It wasn't long before there was a ripping sound and Faith felt Buffy's mouth roaming all over her skin as her shirt gave way.
Faith growled again, then tried to escape from the pants that were cuffed around her ankles. As Buffy's nails scored lightly from her ass up to her back and down again, Faith let out a frustrated whimper. Then it came to her.
She stood on the excess material with her other foot, holding it to the floor as she yanked her leg straight up, and suddenly she was free. She smacked Buffy's butt triumphantly and headed for the bed, her sweatpants dragging behind her with one foot still being held prisoner.
Faith tossed Buffy down on the bed and pounced on her. Buffy squealed and tried to escape, but Faith moved too fast. She pinned Buffy's hands with her own, then delivered a forceful kiss. Buffy bit at her lips, but it was a bite designed to tease not hurt, and in seconds her tongue met Faith's.
Faith let go of Buffy's hands to hold her head as the kiss intensified, and Buffy's arms wrapped around her pulling her in closer.
"Mmm…Faith taste good…like food."
They both began giggling and Faith buried her head in Buffy's neck as they laughed.
"B like meat."
That started the laughter again and it only ended when Buffy ripped Faith's shirt all the way off, leaving Faith totally naked, except for the sweatpants still wrapped around her left ankle. Buffy looked at her, her hands trailing lightly up and down the body hovering above her:
"Faith pretty."
"Faith know."
They both smiled and then Buffy pulled her head down to kiss her. When they broke apart, Buffy looked her in the eye:
"Faith Buffy's."
Faith nodded happily as she answered:
"Faith Buffy's."
"Take Buffy now."
Faith needed no further encouragement. She ran her hands over Buffy's breasts, liking how the little bumps appeared under the T-shirt material. She swirled her fingers gently over and around them, watching with fascination as they became more prominent and hard.
"Faith like this."
Buffy didn't answer, her moans of pleasure her only response. Faith bent her head and sucked on one, then the other, her actions causing Buffy to squirm.
"Faith…"
Faith liked how Buffy said her name, how she held on tight, and how the little points of pleasure made themselves known even under cover. What Faith didn't like was the taste of cotton, she wanted to taste Buffy.
She tore Buffy's shirt from her and her mouth engulfed a nipple in one motion. Buffy arched up to meet her, her fingers entwined in Faith's hair as she tried to keep her right where she was. Faith's hand pinched Buffy's other nipple softly, then harder until Buffy cried out.
Faith slid down her body, kissing the warm skin until she reached the barrier of Buffy's sweatpants. She tried to rip them off, but they didn't tear as easily as Buffy's shirt had. She gripped them firmly as she prepared to use her full strength, but as she did, they slid further down Buffy's body and Faith just kept dragging them along.
When she got the pants down to Buffy's feet, she considered leaving them around her left ankle, but she pulled too hard and they came all the way off. Faith tossed them aside, then reached for her own. She nearly fell off the bed as she awkwardly bent her leg up and yanked, but Buffy quickly grabbed onto her arm, steadying her.
Faith grinned as she flung the pants aside and pushed Buffy back down, running her hands all over Buffy's naked body:
"Faith like."
"Buffy too."
As Faith's head drifted downward slowly to rest between Buffy's legs, her trademark smirk appeared:
"Five by...It five..."
Buffy looked confused:
"What Faith say?"
She shrugged, her wicked grin back in place:
"Fuck B."
The next several hours passed in a haze of food and sex. The room looked like an explosion had taken place in it, and in some ways that was an accurate assessment.
Both Slayers were quiet now, resting although not asleep. They were sprawled on the bed and each other somewhat precariously as the mattress was partially angled off the box spring and trying to make its escape to the floor. Faith was lying on her back with Buffy resting on top of her, her face smushed between Faith's breasts.
Their breathing was slow and even, contradicting everything that had gone on in the last few hours. They'd had sex in every part of the room on every available surface and when they'd needed to take a break, they'd eaten, watched tiny people, and drawn on the walls. When the fire built back up between them, they'd happily gone at it again…and again.
Now they rested, content and happy, safe and warm…Faith's head lifted and Buffy stirred. Sleep was ready to claim her, but she fought it off as she sensed the change in her partner's mood. Her body came alert and her head turned towards the danger.
The noise was soft, sneaky and both Slayers didn't like it. They rose as one, each grasping their couch leg clubs as they padded silently into the other room and dropped into a crouch. They stood a ways apart, instinctively knowing not to present a single target. Their eyes were riveted on the door that led to somewhere else and they tensed for a battle.
A weird noise came to their ears, then a burning smell, and both became nervous.
"Fire, B?"
"Fire, bad!"
A roundish object fell from the door, landing on the carpet and Faith moved forward excitedly. It looked like it would be a good weapon, heavy, solid, and small enough to throw from a distance. She started for it, but Buffy's hand on her arm stopped her.
"No."
"Good thing!"
"No, bad. Stay."
Faith looked longingly at the doorknob, then nodded. Buffy was right, she should wait even though she was sure she could run up, grab the shiny rock and be back before anything bad happened. But she would wait, it was smarter and safer.
In just a matter of seconds the door flew open, and the Slayers prepared to leap into action. They stopped when they saw who the intruders were.
"Giles."
The Watcher smiled, his voice soft and calm, his body language as innocuous and non-threatening as he could make it:
"Buffy, Faith."
Xander's eye was almost bulging out of its socket as he tried not to stare at the two naked Slayers, but he was a man after all, a man who appreciated the female form in all its beauty and that beauty was beautifully on display in two totally different , but equally beautiful ways of beauty that were …
"Xander!"
Giles voice brought him out of his lustful imaginings and he entered the room fully, closing the door with his foot so that he could keep his gaze trained on the Slayers. He lifted the tranq gun and leveled it steadily as he awaited his cue.
Giles was proceeding as planned:
"It's good to see both of you. I was wondering if we could …"
"Giles no move."
He stopped instantly. Buffy's eyes had narrowed and Faith had lifted her club back into a fighting position.
"I'm not moving, neither is Xander."
"Good Giles. Buffy happy."
"Splendid! So, perhaps we might all sit discuss…"
"Down."
One simple word spoken to Xander that carried a wealth of information as Faith's eyes drilled into him. He instantly began to sweat and his voice came out all shaky:
"Uh,Giles? Angry Slayer staring at me."
"Hold steady, Xander. Faith, we're not here to hurt you."
Buffy's head tilted, her confusion plain to see:
"Giles not hurt. Giles good."
"That's right, Buffy. Giles is good and would never hurt...."
"Down now!"
Faith was staring hard at Xander and it was clear she didn't like what she was seeing.
"Faith, it's just me your buddy `Cyclops'."
She smiled at the nickname, then her expression hardened again:
"Down."
"Faith, he cannot put the gun down. We need to…"
With a speed they could barely see, Buffy threw her couch leg at Xander. The gun was knocked from his hand and it slammed up against the wall. He wasn't really hurt, but it stung and he grabbed at his wrist.
Buffy was unconcerned with his reaction, her attention already on Faith:
"Down now."
Faith smiled and her posture became less aggressive.
"B good."
With a grin Buffy turned back to the men:
"Giles okay?"
He was glad he'd decided to equip both Xander and himself with hidden tranq pistols.
"I'm fine, Buffy. Giles worried about the two of you."
Buffy smiled and pounded her chest:
"Buffy strong!"
She punched Faith in the arm:
"Faith strong too. And pretty."
Both Slayers laughed and Giles and Xander joined in, although it wasn't all that clear what they were laughing about. Still, happy Slayers were easier to deal with than mad as hell ones, so both men were more than happy to play along.
"Yes, Faith very pretty."
Giles began moving again and although two sets of eyes tracked his movements, neither girl ordered him to stop this time. Xander began talking to provide a distraction:
"So Buff, I see the tiny people are back."
She glanced at the TV and then to Xander:
"Tiny man fight! Kiss girl!"
"Yes, and did tiny man drive a car too?"
Buffy was puzzled:
"Buffy not know. Tiny man good."
A growl emanated softly from Faith and Buffy whirled to look at Giles. It seemed innocent enough, but he had somehow managed to take up a relatively secure position behind one of the large food carts.
Although both girls unquestioningly liked and trusted the man with the round things on his face, they also knew it wasn't good to let anyone flank them either.
"What Giles do?"
"Just admiring the available food, Buffy."
He lifted up a steak and made a show of smelling it.
"Mmm…steak smell good. Giles take steak."
He'd anticipated a negative reaction, but the Slayers surprised him. Faith merely grunted her approval and Buffy nodded:
"Giles take."
He felt ridiculously touched, they were both willing to give up their food to him, and here he was trying to trick them. It made him feel guilty, but there was nothing that could be done about that. It was a necessary evil that couldn't be helped, no matter how rotten it made him feel and he steeled himself to continue.
He removed his pistol from his pocket and held it unseen at his side behind the cart. Xander tensed, his own hand in his pocket as he awaited the signal.
The Slayers clearly sensed something was happening, and Buffy's eyes narrowed again, her expression suddenly not so friendly:
"What Giles do?"
"Merely trying to…"
"Move!"
Faith practically bellowed the order at him.
"Now Faith, perhaps we can…"
"Faith move man."
Buffy didn't seem at all inclined to stop her, but Giles stayed where he was and attempted to distract them.
"Mmm…steak smell good. Faith want steak?"
Faith growled again and Buffy spoke up:
"Giles bad. Buffy no like. Move."
"Xander?"
Three sets of eyes turned to Xander.
"Do you remember the plan?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sure exactly when I'm supposed to soil my pants."
"Hold steady. Buffy, surely you're not…"
The men didn't hear anything, but the Slayers did. The noise came from behind them and then they felt the faint breeze brushing against their backs. They knew what that meant: the enemy was in the room they'd just come out of, but despite the temptation, they kept their focus on the people in front of them.
Faith seemed to have paired off with Xander and Buffy had Giles, but no one moved or said a word until Faith growled down low in her throat:
"Man bad."
"Not `man', Faith, your buddy `Cyclops'…remember? Dear sweet God, Faith, please remember, it's just me."
If she did remember, it didn't make any difference. She began advancing on him and he panicked, pulling the tranq gun clear from his pocket and firing twice. The first shot went wide, but the next one caught her in the arm. She never even broke stride, but then she suddenly staggered and looked at Buffy.
"B…"
And then she was down, out cold…and that's when all hell broke loose.
Buffy yelled:
"Faith!"
but all too quickly her attention was back on Giles.
"Buffy, I know this looks bad, but trust me, it's for your own…"
"Buffy trust Faith."
She backed up slowly towards Faith as Xander struggled to reload without knocking himself out. Giles kept his gun trained on Buffy, his hand steady as he waited for an opening…and then there it was.
He fired, the tranq dart right on target, but Buffy caught it in mid-flight and in the same motion threw it into Kennedy's neck as she came rushing in from the bedroom. She went down instantly, the super dose taking a regular Slayer out of commission without the slightest problem.
Her sudden collapse tripped up Vi and Satsu, and they fell in an ungainly Three Stooges pile which Rona smoothly leapt over. Buffy was on her as she landed, spinning quickly and shoving her in front like a shield to let Giles' second dart hit her in the shoulder. Rona crumpled and Buffy shoved her into Xander as he began taking aim.
His shot went wild, hitting Vi just as she was regaining her feet and bringing her own weapon to bear. She went down, her dart firing harmlessly into the ceiling as she lost consciousness. Satsu however was up and she shot at Buffy three times in rapid succession, but the Slayer managed to avoid each dart. She leapt over the last shot, landing a step from Satsu.
Satsu wasn't stupid, and she used her rifle as a club, connecting hard with Buffy's head…except Buffy moved faster, catching the butt of the rifle and wresting it from her grasp. Satsu let her have it, instead bringing Buffy down with a leg sweep. She quickly grabbed onto the rifle again and pulled, but Buffy outsmarted her.
As Satsu yanked the rifle towards her Buffy shoved it in the same direction, striking her firmly on the forehead, and Satsu was out cold before she hit the floor. The Slayer flipped to her feet, holding the rifle like a club as she surveyed the scene.
There were only two left standing and it quickly became a stare down between Watcher and Slayer. Giles kept his gun aimed at her, his hand steady as they faced off:
"Buffy, can we perhaps settle this amicably?"
Her only response was a warning growl.
Xander was back up on his knees and he began to take aim. The rifle left Buffy's hand and struck him a glancing blow on the side of the head. He was down and out, leaving Giles as the sole conscious member of the rescue team.
"Giles not trying to hurt, Buffy. Giles just…"
"Giles bad! Hurt Faith!"
"Buffy, she is not hurt. She's simply…"
"Put down…Now!"
"I cannot do that, nor can I allow you to leave. Please understand…"
She advanced on him so quickly, he barely had time to get the shot off. It whizzed by her as she turned sideways, never slowing her approach. He found himself pinned against the wall with Buffy's forearm applying pressure to his neck.
"Buffy mad."
He struggled to breathe, uncomfortable, yet not exactly afraid.
"Yes, so I've…gathered."
"Giles stay away. All stay away."
"Buffy, I can't agree to…"
She applied more pressure and Giles did his best to nod in agreement.
"Good. No more or Buffy hurt."
She stared at him for a few more seconds, then released him. She removed the gun from his hand and walked over to Faith, hoisting her up onto her shoulder and leaving through the broken balcony window. She looked down and saw four other Slayers "hidden" below and growled deeply.
"Bad people."
She could hear the man rushing up behind her, and despite her anger, she didn't want to hurt him. He called up a softness in her, a love and a desire to protect, but his actions were confusing her. He'd come with people she knew and had hurt Faith, and Buffy could not understand what was happening.
This man she knew and trusted was behaving bizarrely and she had no real way to figure it out. To her it was cut and dried: the familiar people came and hurt Faith, Buffy didn't like that, and they were now leaving.
She leapt to the neighboring balcony, then continued jumping until she'd come to rest on the corner room's balcony with a "view". She glanced back and saw the man shouting into a squawking box he held in his hand, but she didn't hesitate.
Buffy tightened her grip and jumped off the railing into the thicket of trees that led to the woods behind the hotel. She missed the branch she was aiming for, but managed to easily snag another not too far away. She grunted with the impact, but kept moving as fast as she could.
"Faith safe. Buffy have."
She was miles away in minutes.
