safe haven

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Joss Whedon. I just borrow them. No copyright infringement is intended nor implied.

part one

chapter one

Dawn's stomach was doing flip-flops, making the pancakes she'd had for breakfast the leading candidates for a merger with one of the mounds of filth scattered across the room. She swallowed painfully as every part of her body began to churn. She could taste the bile at the back of her throat. Her chest heaved, and her ribcage ached sore from trying not to add to the other piles of shit on the floor. God, she needed to think about something else…

It was warm–very warm.

There was no air in the box-shaped room and only one exit–the front door–and it was chained shut with a twenty-pound padlock. Definitely designed to keep enemies from coming in–not so concerned about keeping anyone inside, thought Dawn. Of course, that made big sense to her in a once you got in no way you were getting out unless you had the key kind of way. On the other hand, the purpose of the window above the thin cot in the corner escaped her. A small slither of glass embedded in a brick wall that faced another brick wall–definitely pointless. No light of day could find its way into this dungeon of an apartment. But she didn't do business during the daylight. Her jobs were always in the dark. So she decided the size of the window didn't' really matter in the big scheme of things.

Damn, damn, damn. She was being avoidy girl again as her big sister used to say.

Dawn fixed her eyes on the sight in front of her and pulled at the front of her shirt, snapping her bra to release the drops of moisture gathering between her breasts. This wasn't going to work. She wanted to turn around and run away. Lift the heels of her well-scuffed black boots and run like hell. However, she knew she wouldn't do that. She'd stand and watch until it was over. Just like she always did.

Blunt, sharp, cold, hot, and loud. Dawn debated in her mind, but couldn't readily point to which of the five torture groups included strangulation. Faith was tightening the garrote around the Scourge demon's neck. Maybe, it was sharp, she figured, as the garrote sliced through the coarse skin of the creature's throat like a laser before disappearing beneath its flesh.

Dawn moved her hand to the back of her neck and lifted the heavy batch of damp hair pasted to her skin. She would need to shower for a week after this. Then again, maybe not; she was already sopping wet, perspiration dripping from every pore.

Faith tugged at the loop on the end of the garrote, tightening it once more. Dawn thought the demon's head was going to drop to the floor, but she didn't look away. When it didn't fall and only dangled, she let out an audible sigh. Faith's knife tricks didn't bother Dawn as much as the slayer's strangulation techniques.

Or maybe not.

Faith was pulling long strips of rubbery flesh from the demon's backside using her serrated paring knife, only this weapon was a foot long—definitely not the usual kitchen utensil.

Jesus freaking Christ!

Dawn inhaled sharply. She should be used to this after all this time, but still it got to her. Now she couldn't figure out if the knife or the garrote was making her sick to her stomach. Only it didn't really matter. There was nothing worse than a demon huntress barfing all over a prisoner. Didn't exactly seal her rep. Besides, she'd held it together during these sessions since—well, for a long time. Hadn't really showcased any weakness since that first time back in Rome. Since then, it had been pretty much act like it was all routine as far as the Scourge was concerned. She'd done well, too, she thought as her stomach twisted into knots.

She glanced at her watch.

Shit, it was late. Faith was ignoring the game plan again, and wasn't following the script.

But when did she ever?

They had thirty minutes, max, until sunrise. Just enough time to finish off the Scourge demon, grab the book, and get out. But no. Not Faith. She had to play. Always had to show the beasts she was in charge. But that didn't make sense to Dawn because in the big picture of this new world, the demons were in charge. Least the pure demons were. Didn't matter to Faith, though. She had to dish out the pain. The girl simply loved to torture a demon to death. Couldn't just kill ‘em. That would be too easy. Too fast. Too merciful.

Okay, perhaps, Faith did have a point, conceded Dawn. Mercy wasn't a word in Dawn's vocabulary either.

“Faith, this is going to take all night. I've got what I need. Let's go," she insisted, twirling the silver band on her left index finger absently.

Dawn was trying to avoid staring at Faith. Pain had been everywhere they went. In every small town between Rome and Cleveland, they'd seen nothing but death, pain, and suffering. Of course, they'd dished out a lot of it themselves. But she assumed that was the consequence of having saved the world at least once. But she didn't have to like watching it.

The sweat was pouring from Dawn's body, soaking through her bra, and sticking her jeans to her thighs. She really needed to get out of this small closed space, get back to the hovel she and Faith called home. Get some rest, eat and maybe, lay quiet for a few moments and rediscover that human being feeling. On the other hand, perhaps they'd go back to their small apartment and just fuck. That's what Faith usually wanted to do after a few consecutive nights of torture and mayhem.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

A sliver of light was creeping through the sliver of a window above the cot and the room was beginning to brighten. It was nearly dawn and Dawn didn't want to witness the start of another day staring into the black eyes of a Scourge demon. She wanted to rest. Have a few moments of peace. The hunting, killing and destruction weren't going to end anytime soon, so why make every night such a long one? Slow kills did nothing for her. Dawn was all about figuring things out, orchestrating the hunt, and dissecting the discovery. She was the essence of strategy and tactics, finding the demons, and then besting them. When she knew more, understood more, and could make more sense of the world, she had her good time. A swift merciful kill always worked better for her. A slow death just wasn't her cup of tea. Not since watching Buffy die.

“Faith, enough! I've got what I need. We can roll. Let's go.” Dawn began to chew on her lower lip. The fucking last Slayer on Earth just didn't know how to listen. Faith conveniently seemed to lose her sense of hearing when pressed to consider the quick kill. She just wanted to make demons hurt. So once again, Dawn had to make the choice.

Dawn moved swiftly to the demon's side and, pulling the steel machete from the waistband of her black jeans, thrust it through the creature's heart.

“Damn it! Why do you constantly spoil my good time, you silly bitch?” Faith snarled and then rolled her eyes at Dawn's knife and then mumbled. "Don't understand why you had to kill it anyway. I woulda gotten around to it, eventually." Faith swiped the splattered green blood from her cheek with her left hand. Then she loosened and lifted the garrote from around the demon's unmoving throat, wiped her knife off on her pant leg, picked up the book on the table, and extended it to Dawn.

“Fine, whatever. Can we go home, now?” muttered Dawn snatching the book from Faith's hand. She then pulled the padlock key out of her jacket pocket, strolled across the room, unlocked the door and walked out without saying another word to Faith.


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Cleveland, Ohio, well actually, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, didn't sound like a city where a Slayer and her partner in demon hunting would hang out. Faith claimed that Cleveland hadn't been that much different from Sunnydale when she and Robin Wood had first arrived seven years earlier in 2003BS, 'Before the Scourge' as Faith liked to say without the barest hint of a smile. Just like in California, the good folks of Cleveland Heights chose to ignore the signs of evil and gladly left the demons and vampires to the former high school principal, a seasoned vampire slayer, and a bunch of young girls learning the pitfalls of being the Chosen Ones.

"Course the Cleveland Hellmouth didn't have a chance against our team," Faith would boast to Dawn when she was in the mood to reminisce fondly about the good old days. But surprise, surprise, Dawn thought sadly, the demons and vampires that plagued the Cleveland Hellmouth weren't the baddies that eventually killed Robin and the slayers in training. The Scourge were the masterminds of that slaughter.

Dawn lay naked at the foot of the bed watching Faith as she leaned against the bedpost, her legs spread wide apart in front of her, brazenly giving Dawn an eyeful. She was such the temptress, lazily shifting her hips from side-to-side, a slow smile curling her lips as she massaged her swollen breast and pulled on her dark nipples. Even after so many years, it still made Dawn quiver to look at Faith when she was like this, and she shyly dropped her gaze onto the sheets crumpled in the middle of the bed between them. She wanted her so much sometimes she almost felt ill, like if she didn't have her, she'd die.

Dawn's body was tingling all over, starving for the feel of Faith's tongue inside her, separating, tasting, and devouring her.

She knew this was more than foreplay to Faith. It was torture, Faith's exquisite specialty, thought Dawn as she raised her head to look into her lover's face.

“Hey, baby, come here,” murmured Faith, reaching out her hand to Dawn.

Shifting onto her knees, Dawn placed her hand in Faith's, crawled across the sheets, and rested her head on Faith's thigh.

“Sorry about today,” said Faith, moving Dawn's long brown hair from her path as she scooted down to lay next to her.

“Was okay,” breathed Dawn as Faith took one of her small firm breasts into her mouth and rolled her tongue over the pointed nipple. The pulling sensation traveled to her core, and she trembled as Faith's sucking became more urgent. In an instant, Dawn was on her back with Faith's dark head buried between her legs, her fingertips rubbing and caressing her breasts as Dawn's legs fell further and further apart.

It often began like this, sighed Dawn. At first, Faith was gentle, concentrating on Dawn's body, her pleasure. Then Dawn was moaning Faith's name, as the Slayer tugged at her breasts harder, and lapped at her pussy like an animal feasting on a fresh kill. Nearly out of her mind, Dawn grabbed Faith's head and pushed it between her legs, needing to be consumed by her tongue. A slow almost burning sensation pulsed from her clit into her stomach as Faith licked her ravenously, surrounding the engorged nub with her tongue and stroking it with her fingers.

“Oh god,” Dawn groaned, thrashing from side to side. “Oh, sweet god.” She was coming; the orgasm was shaking her body from head to toe. She tried to lay still and cherish it, but she couldn't as the almost painful sensation increased in intensity, and the pleasure overcame her senses.

Then finally Faith let her exhale, and covered her soaked cunt with light kisses.

“You good, here? ” Faith raised her head and looked at Dawn from between her now bent knees.

“Oh yeah. Real good.” Dawn smiled and eagerly grabbed a handful of Faith's hair, pulling her gently up her body. Then she flipped her onto her back. The Slayer responded obediently, allowing Dawn to manipulate her into the position she wanted.

Dawn was straddling her, and had lowered her body between Faith's legs, pressing their sexes together. When she felt Faith's moist pussy against her own, she started moving back and forth slowly in an even rhythm, swaying lightly, as their two bodies joined. Dawn then put her weight into it, grinding against Faith until both of them were whimpering in ecstasy with each thrust.

“Who's good, now?” She leaned forward and found Faith's lips, her tongue darting in and out of the Slayer's mouth, not giving her a chance to latch on. Dawn wanted her longing, and craving for her touch. She didn't want to give Faith what she wanted every time she wanted it. She enjoyed holding back. As Dawn rode her, Faith began to buck beneath her, mindlessly urging Dawn for more; more of her body, more of her soul. Dawn understood completely that they were both getting exactly what they wanted; what they needed.

Giving each other what they needed was what it was all about for Dawn when she was making love with Faith. Yet there was also the other thing. It kept her close to Faith—during the day, and that was what really mattered to Dawn. She could take care of Faith then, make certain nothing happened to her. Time away from killing was Faith's true enemy. She might find another outlet for her passion, her need, and that would be bad because Faith had a long record of careless unions that ended in loss. And Dawn couldn't afford to lose anyone else.

So it was kind of a gift, Dawn decided, that her body could keep Faith safe in the daylight and her mind could keep her safe at night.

To be continued…

tbc