Chapter Seventeen: February 13
There are few days throughout the course of a year that have the ability to cause couples to groan in frustration at the way in which society dictates what they should do on that day. Valentine’s Day is one of them. In the past, Valentine’s Day had never meant much to Faith. Throughout her time in school it had meant candy, flowers, or seeing the vast majority of boys spending the small amount of money that they had on the girls that they liked or were dating. As she grew up, Faith came to detest this day, if only for the expectations put upon men and women to act more romantic, or spend that much more money. However, Faith currently found herself lying on her back on Xander’s bed, her head hanging off the edge, listening to him talk about Sandra’s favorite flowers, and how he was going to send them to her at the police headquarters she worked for part-time, and found herself starting to like this holiday- if only because she finally had someone to share it with.
“…and I know that she’d kill me if I sent her chocolates, so my master plan will be to take her out to dinner,” Xander finished, Faith tuning back in at the end of him explaining his plans.
“Sounds solid, and sweet,” Faith smiled gently and rolled over onto her stomach, needing the blood to drain from her head.
“So…” Xander trailed off, “You doing anything for Buffy?”
Faith blinked, and felt a small knot form in her stomach, “Uhh, I hadn’t really thought about it. Should I?”
Xander shrugged, “Buffy would never ask for chocolates, but she loves them anyway. A bouquet would be too over the top for her, and an extravagant night out isn’t her style.”
“Or mine for that matter…” Faith nodded, “So, simple then?”
Xander stood for a moment, thinking, then nodded, “Yeah, simple would work, but only do what you know both of you would be comfortable with, because well... where the hell do you two stand?”
The question popped out of nowhere, and Faith was silent a moment, processing it, “Well…it’s complicated.”
“You sleep in the same bed, you are, quote, unquote, couplely- but nothing’s happening. At least nothing I know of…” Xander smirked.
“Yeah…same bed…” Faith mused, ignoring Xander’s comment.
“Dear God Faith, you sound like you’re not getting any…” Xander laughed, then he saw the look she shot him, and a look of surprise crossed his faced, “Wait, are you serious? You’ve been in the same bed for… something like three and a half months, and you are seriously telling me that the infamously sexual Faith is not having sex?”
“I’m as pious as a nun, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening,” Faith allowed a sly grin to spread across her features, her brain thinking back to the many heated necking sessions they’d had, as well as how they always fell asleep in each other’s arms now.
“So then what is up with you two?” Xander inquired, still grinning from Faith’s answer.
“We’re together,” Faith shrugged, “And we don’t question much more than that. Not right now.”
“So no L word?” Xander asked.
“She doesn’t watch it,” Faith answered, grinning, “But yeah, something like that. We’ve lived too long thinking we may not survive the night, so the future isn’t something we want to plan right now, considering we’re both guinea pigs in the most recent apocalypse attempt.”
“Good point. All right, I gotta head out to the construction site to make sure everything is going smoothly, and then I’ve got the grocery run this week, so I’ll be back early this afternoon. If you want, when I get back, you can come with me when I go to set up my flower order for tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Faith shrugged, standing up and following Xander to the door.
Faith was in the meditation room in the barn, sweat making her Under Armor ride up underneath her t-shirt. She had just completed two laps of the Gauntlet, including the obstacle course, and was now in here to calm her thoughts and to relax. Stripping off her t-shirt and the Under Armor, Faith kicked off her running shoes and socks before taking a calming breath as she moved to the center of the room to do some Tai Chi exercises. After being interrupted several times by younger slayers in the training room in the mansion’s basement, Faith had decided to come out here, where almost no one would practice, except, she was told, during the summer months.
Tai Chi had come in handy when she was severely injured after averting an apocalypse in Mongolia almost two full years ago. Not that she didn’t do it regularly anyway, but Angel had told her of its aid in healing, and she couldn’t help but agree after being beaten heavily in the final battle against a small group of D’intik demons. That was her second of three apocalypses that she had averted almost single handedly, and she had grown up quite a bit after that battle, due to the leadership placed upon her shoulders when she had a small band of fighters working with her- many of which died in the fight. Her guilt over their deaths, knowing she was in charge of them, harkened back to Sunnydale when she had led the potentials into the winery- and into a bomb-laden trap- and grounded her quite a bit.
Faith felt Buffy’s presence as the blonde Slayer entered the barn, her thoughts about the events that went down in Mongolia dissipating as the Slayer connection jolted her slightly in her exercises. She could feel Buffy watching her as she slowly came to a finish, noticing the sweat glistening along her arms. She could feel beads dribbling slowly down between her breasts, soaking the bottom of her sports bra. Inhaling deeply, Faith breathed out through her mouth, opening her eyes to the blonde standing in the doorway. Striding over, Faith smiled in greeting and walked out into the training room, grabbing her shirts and shoes as she passed Buffy, who followed her.
“What’s up B? Seeking me out in secluded places…people will talk…” Faith joked, glancing back over her shoulder, glad to see a reciprocating grin on the other woman’s face.
“They already do, so what’s the point?” Buffy replied as she came to a stop to Faith’s left when the dark slayer turned on the faucet at the sink in the medical area and splashed cold water on her face.
Faith could feel Buffy’s eyes burning into her as she lifted handfuls of water to the back and front of her neck and splashed it against her sweating body. Turning the water off, Faith rubbed a hand over her face to clear off any excess water and turned to the blonde. She could feel the small rivulets of water torturously trailing down her heated skin, cooling mere fractions of her body- leaving the rest to burn. Smiling knowingly at the other woman, Faith turned and pulled on her shirts pulled yanking on her socks and shoes. As the pair walked towards the doors that would lead out to the yard, Faith stopped and turned to Buffy.
“Hey, is there anything specific you might want tomorrow?”
“I uhh…” Buffy stopped, and Faith noticed how surprised she was, “Well, I didn’t know that you were thinking of doing anything, but no. I like surprises.”
“All right,” Faith nodded and resumed walking, “You got any plans for tomorrow?”
Buffy shot her a look, “Maybe.”
Faith grinned, “I can work with ‘maybe’.”
As Faith entered the mansion with Buffy a few minutes later, they both looked at each other upon hearing several voices sounding slightly alarmed. When someone said “go get Buffy” the pair moved quickly into the living room where the commotion was and looked around. Faith saw Willow, Andrew and Tracy looking over at them, and a small Toalith demon standing in the middle of the room, in front of the television. Moving around the couch, Buffy spoke first.
“What’s going on?” Her eyes fell to the Toalith demon, and Faith could see that she was wary, her eyes assessing the situation quickly.
“This Toalith demon came to our door, asking for you two,” Andrew explained.
“I have a name,” the Toalith demon spoke up, and suddenly Faith realized that this was a mere youngling, not an adult.
“What is it?” Faith asked.
“T’wanii. I’m the last of the clan in the area. All of the rest of my clan has been completely wiped out by the Kartuk,” the demon replied, immediately launching into his explanation for being at the mansion.
“Why did they kill your clan?” Buffy asked.
“They were angry that we had given you information. We had thought that maybe our assistance would not become known to them, and my clan paid the price of doubling crossing this violent breed. I am here to ask for refuge from the Kartuk. As you can tell, I am not yet what my clan would have called a warrior adult. Until I am, or until the Kartuk are dissolved, I ask for protection,” T’wanii explained.
“Why would a demon willingly ask for human assistance and shelter?” Willow asked.
T’wanii turned to look at her, “I have heard tales told by my parents about how the group that resides here has worked with and helped other demons, and even some vampires. I do not know the circumstances surrounding those instances, but if those tales are true, then I think that my request isn’t that shocking. I cannot protect myself from the Kartuk, or any of the other breeds that prey upon pacifist demons, but if you need any encouragement in agreeing, then I can tell you that I do have inside information on the Kartuk and their plan, as well as the spell that they are using on the two Chosen Ones. My parents felt it was necessary to tell me in case anything ever happened to them,” T’wanii blinked, and Faith realized that it was the first time he had done so.
Buffy glanced over at Faith and Willow before nodding, “You can stay with us, but the only bedroom we have is in our separate mansion.”
“I need a cool space, not a bedroom,” T’wanii corrected, looking less nervous and almost relieved at Buffy’s acceptance.
“I can convert part of the barn into living quarters for you, it is very cool right now, and you will not be disturbed by many people. Can you move in the daylight?” Buffy inquired.
“Yes, but I prefer the shadows. The sun hurts my eyes, as it does to every Toalith demon,” T’wanii replied.
“Well, there is a back entrance into the woods in the barn, which gives you plenty of shade when necessary, and a trail is nearby that can lead you up to the house,” Buffy explained, “What about food?”
“Most anything. I can survive on regular human foods, but if you could keep a constant store of vegetables, I would be most grateful. That is my main source of food,” T’wanii answered.
“That can be arranged, I’ll make sure we have an extra stock of vegetables for you,” Buffy nodded, then, seeing Willow gesturing for her to talk in private, continued, “Faith can show you to your quarters, and I’ll have Andrew bring out some bed linens for you. Come up here whenever you choose. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go,” Buffy nodded at T’wanii, and followed Willow quickly out of the room.
Faith watched her leave before her eyes fell upon the small demon, “I’m Faith,” Faith opened, T’wanii’s attention quickly shifting to her, “Follow me.”
Faith yelled to Andrew that she and T’wanii were in the meditation room when he entered the barn shortly after she and the demon had arrived. She had shown him around, pointed out the second entrance in the meditation room, the running sink, and various other things, including an emergency phone used to connect directly to the house phone- to be used only when and if necessary.
“All right. I brought a sleeping bag for padding, as well as an eggshell mat, and a pillow and sheets. You can use whatever you want, I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I just went all out,” Andrew explained quickly, dropping the sleeping bag and rolled up mat to the floor, placing the pillow on top of them and the sheets on top of the pillow, “Oh, and if you’re hungry, you can come in and eat whenever you choose, but if you want to meet the people who live here, everyone will be in the dining room around 7.”
“Thank you,” T’wanii replied quietly, watching Andrew nod awkwardly before leaving the pair.
“He’s just a quirky guy, don’t worry about him acting all weird around you,” Faith explained after Andrew had left.
“I understand how it can be odd for humans to look past the visage of a demon. I have heard tales of similar issues humans have had with themselves,” T’wanii shrugged, pulling open the eggshell mat and laying it out.
“Still have, unfortunately,” Faith replied in agreement, “I’m surprised you have learned about humans.”
“Why? It is necessary for us to understand you in order to survive alongside you. It is the same for all living things capable of thinking rationally,” T’wanii explained, tossing the sleeping bag on top of the mat.
“You speak as if you are far older than you look,” Faith mused, surprised at very mature response he had given her.
“I am,” T’wanii replied shortly, “My growth rate and lifespan are both far slower and longer than any human’s. While your kind may be a teenager from the ages of 12-19, my breed enter that same growth span from somewhere around 53 until 87- human years at least. So I am older than you, yet I am not as physically mature.”
Faith nodded in understanding, “I see, I’ve seen quite a few demon breeds like that.”
“It is a common thing in the demon world, I am not surprised that you have encountered it,” T’wanii replied as he finished making his sleeping area, Now, I need to rest; it has been a long few days for me. I will come inside after the sun sets, and speak more with you and the others if need be.”
Faith smiled gently, “No rush, please, rest up.”
Faith left silently, her mind racing. He could seriously help us in this battle against the Kartuk, provided that he knows enough information- or even the right information.
Faith was tossing the second of three salads for dinner when Sandra came in, asking where Dawn and Tracy were.
“I haven’t seen them since before I left to go out with Xander,” Faith shrugged, glancing out the window into the darkness that filled the yard.
“That’s odd. Hey Andrew, do you know when Dawn and Trey left? Or even where they went?” Sandra asked when Andrew ambled into the kitchen.
“Uhh, they went to get candy for the other kids for tomorrow. They left around 4:30, I think,” Andrew replied, stopping to reply before moving to the stove to stir the sauce for their pasta dinner.
Faith glanced at Sandra, the same thought running through their minds – a little long for candy shopping. As Sandra came over to help Faith with the salads, Buffy entered the kitchen, “Hey, where’s Dawn? Or Trey for that matter? They’ve been gone for almost three hours.”
“We’re not sure,” Sandra replied, the two brunettes watching the blonde closely.
Faith could see a slight change in her demeanor- she was getting nervous. Before she could speak, the door to the front of house slammed open, and Trey yelled “Help!” from the hallway. Literally dropping everything, Faith, Sandra, Andrew and Buffy exited the kitchen in a rush, meeting Xander- who was setting the tables- in the main hall before proceeding into the entrance hallway. Tracy looked shaken, and had a bruise along her neck that disappeared diagonally down under her shirt. Faith stared at it- that’s from a seatbelt.
“What’s wrong?” Buffy asked, placing her hands on the shaken woman.
“My father, he…h-h-he followed us from t-the mall. He chased us down the highway and crashed into us on the exit ramp. Dawn… she..s-she lost control of the car and we went off into the middle of the intersection at the bottom and we got hit from both sides. I-I was okay, but Dawn was unconscious, and t-they took her in an ambulance. I couldn’t find my father, but I got a taxi ride back here, and he…I saw him following me home. He’ll be here any minute!” Tracy stammered her way through the story, before jumping when a car door slammed outside the door.
Silently, Buffy ushered everyone into the living room, placing Tracy between Sandra and Faith. Xander remained standing, arms crossed, and Andrew hung back behind the couch, leaning on it with his hands. Faith knew all that Buffy wanted to know right now was if Dawn was okay, but a more pressing and possibly more dangerous problem was about to raise it’s ugly head. At the sound of a loud knock on the door, Tracy jumped, and Sandra put a hand gently on her back and rubbed it softly. Buffy looked out to the group quickly before she walked over to the door and opened it just enough for her small frame to fill it.
“Can I help you?” Buffy asked kindly.
“My daughter is in there! I demand to be let in!” A man who looked to be about 50, with short, red hair, streaked gray on the sides and a thick, gray beard, insisted.
He was about as tall as Xander and in decent shape, and he was attempting to use it to his every advantage. This man however, did not know that the small woman standing in front of him was much stronger than he, so when he attempted to push the door open, he stumbled backwards a few steps when it didn’t budge. Faith could see Buffy’s hand holding the door, and she could see how upset she was as her fingers paled, the blood draining from them because her grip was so tight.
“Sir, that is no way to properly attempt to enter anyone’s house- I don’t care who you are. You could be the Pope, and I wouldn’t let you in without you properly asking,” Buffy replied coolly, her grip on the door loosening slightly after hearing a quiet crack emitted from it.
The man stood outside, his face reddening in anger, and Faith could see him taking deep breaths to calm himself so that he wouldn’t yell.
“Could I please come inside, I would like to discuss something with you,” the man whispered, rage barely controlled behind his words.
Faith saw Buffy smile sweetly, “But of course,” Buffy swung the door open, swinging her arm towards the living room.
Faith knew that type of response- it was the perfect way to allow a human in, but not good enough for a vampire- and one could never be too careful. Faith watched the man shuffle past Buffy and move into the living room; his eyes alight with fury upon seeing Tracy sitting on the couch. Before he could even utter a word, Faith stood and shifted to block his view of her, demanding his attention.
“Something bothering you, sir?” the last word seethed out of her mouth.
“That’s.. that’s… you!” the man whipped around to face Buffy, who brushed past Xander and came over to stand near Sandra.
“I have a name sir, and I would like to know yours as you are asking to speak with me, and I have absolutely no idea who you are,” Buffy crossed her arms and kept a sort of innocent look upon her face.
“Max Kincore. I’m here, because my daughter ran away from home, and she needs medical help. You, all of you, are infringing upon a father’s legal right,” Max glared around at the group, his vision of Tracy still blocked.
“Well, Max,” Buffy started, “Who is your daughter?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake! She’s sitting right there! What do you take me for, an idiot?”
“It’s crossed my mind,” Faith murmured, the cold look in her eye just begging him to challenge her.
Max blinked, surprised at both the comment and the look he was being given before refocusing on Buffy, “What right…”
“By what right does she need medical attention?” Buffy cut him off, her tone losing all the mock-innocence it had before.
”She thinks that the monsters from the movies exist! It’s ludicrous! She even went to some school where they teach it! If that isn’t an example of someone who needs mental help, then I don’t know what is!” Max threw his hands up, letting out an angry huff.
“Willow,” Buffy called out, not turning her head, keeping her gaze on Max. The group as a whole jumped, realizing that both Willow and Kennedy had been standing in the other hallway entrance behind the couch, listening silently, “Is it not a law that, by the age of 18, you are a full adult, and the decision for any type of psychological or institutional help for mental problems of any sort are to be made by the individual- barring the possibility of that individual being a threat to others?”
Willow coughed, clearing her throat, “Why yes, it is. I am surprised that you would have ever asked that,” The redhead locked her eyes on Max, and Faith- who had turned to look over at her, saw something in the witch’s eyes that spoke of her having been through this type of ordeal before. Turning to look back up at Max, Faith saw his eyes hardening.
“You cannot keep my daughter from me, she needs help!” Max’s hands balled into fists, his body shaking slightly.
“Let’s see. She’s 20 years old; let me ask her,” Buffy turned to Tracy, “Trey? Do you want to go home with your father?”
Tracy shook her head quickly, “No!”
“Why you…” Max moved forward, but Faith held up her hand, pushing it against his chest, keeping him from getting any closer, “Who do you…” Max tried to shift around, but Faith held him fast.
As he lifted a hand to push her away, Buffy stepped in, grabbed his wrist, twisted it down and behind his back, her other hand clamping tightly onto his shoulder. Spinning him, Buffy shoved him towards the door, which Xander held open for her. Shoving him out, Buffy re-crossed her arms again. Faith, Willow and Xander all crowded the doorway behind her.
“Now, Max, you go on home, and leave Tracy be. She wants nothing to do with you, and frankly, I can see why. So, as of right now, if I ever hear of you chasing her, following her or bothering her in any way, I will call the police. The intersection where the accident earlier occurred has traffic cameras, and frankly, your ass is about to get screwed by me anyway, as you not only hit my sister on purpose, but you pushed her car into the middle of traffic, and we’ll have evidence. So, if you don’t want any further entanglements aside from this evening’s accident, I suggest you leave. Right now.”
Max’s face drained of it’s color as Buffy spoke. When she was finished, he silently turned and walked to his car, his posture slumped in defeat. Buffy didn’t shut the door until he had gone out of sight down the driveway. Turning around, Buffy’s eyes swept over to Tracy’s.
“We’ll talk more later, but right now, tell me which hospital they brought Dawn to.”
Buffy was pacing back and forth; fifteen feet by five feet of the tiled waiting room had been claimed her territory- and no one dared enter it. Xander had caught Faith’s gaze and began to gather the troupe that was spread out throughout the waiting room, telling them all to come with him to help in getting food and other various things. No one questioned him. This was Faith’s moment to be there for Buffy in a way that none of her friends could, and Xander didn’t want any prying eyes or eavesdropping ears to be privy to it.
Faith watched Xander’s retreating back as he ushered the last few young slayers out of the room before turning to look over at Buffy. The blonde had stopped pacing, but was now fidgeting, obviously flustered and upset. Faith walked over to her and stood in front of her.
“B, Dawn will be okay. She’s your sister and a tough woman. Both are proof enough of her ability to pull through,” Faith started, capturing the older slayer’s attention.
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, and Faith could see her attempting not to freak out. Closing her mouth abruptly, Buffy turned and paced away from Faith, who was at a loss for how to talk to this woman in the current situation. Watching Buffy pace her way back, Faith could see the emotions vying for dominance on the blonde’s face, and just as she reached Faith, the dark slayer saw her face begin to crumple. Faith acted quickly.
Grabbing her by the arms, Faith pulled Buffy to her and kissed her. It wasn’t hard, but it was forceful, demanding her attention – as if she didn’t already have it by now. It was open-mouthed, soft, and without tongue. After a moment, Faith broke the kiss, only to have Buffy grip her, wrapping her arms around her, pulling her in for more.
This kiss was open, wanting, and full of tongue. Buffy’s tongue pushed into Faith’s mouth, swirling around her own, eliciting sparks of heat throughout her entire body. God this feels so damn good. One kiss melded into another and Faith found her hands reacting, one tangling in the hair at the back of Buffy’s head and the other pressing between her shoulder blades, holding the blonde to her.
It was all over far too soon, and Faith leaned her forehead against Buffy’s, trying to catch her breath. The thought, damn that was hot, gave words to the liquid fire burning its way throughout her body. Faith knew that what she had just done was more comfort than anything else, but if the calmer look on Buffy’s face said anything, it was that Faith had succeeded in her goal.
“I just…I don’t understand what is taking the doctor so long to tell me what’s going on,” Buffy murmured as she pulled her head away from Faith’s.
“Well, I’m sure it won’t be much longer,” Faith replied gently, stroking the shorter woman’s jaw.
Buffy smiled softly up at Faith before her gazed ticked over her shoulder. Faith turned and saw the rest of the Scoobies standing in the room, candy, chips, soda, flowers and stuffed animals in all of their arms.
“We kinda went overboard,” Rona stated, her eyes glancing around at all of the things they had bought.
“You guys seem to do that a lot at hospitals,” Buffy replied before turning around when someone cleared their throat behind her.
“Hello, Ms. Summers?” the male doctor was short with a bushy brown beard and a pair of glasses perched on the edge of his nose.
“Yes?” Buffy replied, wrapping her arms around herself. Faith moved closer, subtly invading Buffy’s personal space, but not touching her.
“I’m Doctor Hedig. You sister, Dawn is just fine. She suffered a concussion, and woke up about half an hour ago. She has a sprained wrist, and her left ankle was severely bruised, most of the tendons were over-extended in the crash. Otherwise, barring various bruises and cuts and scrapes, she is fine. You can go in and see her now, she’s in room 121. If you have any further questions at any time, please, feel free to talk to me,” the doctor smiled gently and motioned for Buffy to follow him.
Buffy followed him closely, Faith walking beside her, with the rest of the group trailing behind. When Faith entered the room after Buffy, she saw Dawn sitting up on the bed, looking a little beat up but alert.
“Buffy, hey, did Trey tell you what happened?” Dawn asked quickly.
“Yeah, she did, but that’s not important right now. I want to make sure that you’re okay,” Buffy replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and picking up her sister’s hand.
Faith glanced over her shoulder and saw the rest of the Scoobies crammed just outside the doorway, Xander and Willow the only two who stood inside the room. Turning back to smile at Dawn, Faith flicked her gaze to Doctor Hedig when he started to speak.
“Now, we would like to keep her overnight, just for observation, but you can come over in the morning and bring her home,” The doctor smiled.
“All right,” Buffy replied, nodding, “Is there anything else we need to know, or is she all set for now?”
“I would actually like to talk with you. In private, if you don’t mind,” the doctor glanced around at the large group before his eyes landed back on Buffy.
Buffy nodded mutely, and stood. Looking back at Dawn, Buffy smiled, “I’ll be back soon hon, don’t let Faith eat your Jell-o.”
“As if she’d ever have a chance,” Dawn replied confidently, before she glanced up at Faith, who was grinning down at her.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Faith ruffled Dawn’s hair gently before turning back to the door, “Hey guys, you can come in, I’m sure Dawn wants to see you all.”
Dawn’s face brightened at seeing everyone come in, and Faith was glad that she was in such good spirits. God knows someone needs to be after the ordeal everyone has gone through this evening.
