Fleeting

Part XVII – Wake Me Up Inside
A/N: ah ha! shorter time between updates. now R&R you lazy s.o.b's!


As the couple walked out of the bedroom, they found Willow and Dawn comfortably sitting on the sofa, sharing coffee and they chatted. There was noise coming from the kitchen, and without even having to think about it, Buffy knew that it was Jaq’s scouring the fridge for some form of food.

“Hey guys.” With the announcement of their arrival, they received a cheeky, knowing grin from Dawn and a puzzled look from Willow. Dawn’s look came from knowing exactly how both of the slayers felt towards each other, and that finally they’d gotten into gear and told each other.

Willow’s look was because Faith was decked out in her brown leather and had enough weapons to keep the American army in stock for a good few years. Everyone knew that Faith had paid a high price to claw her way out of hell, but no one knew what it was, the brunette refusing the talk about it at all, and quickly changing the subject whenever it was brought up.

She’d been using a child’s way of thinking; if you didn’t talk about it, or think about it at all, then it wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately, Faith was no longer a child, and somewhere inside of her, she knew this day was coming and what it could mean for her.

“Long story red.” Faith threw her weapons down as she dropped into her favourite armchair and leaned her elbows on her knees, sitting forward and giving Willow a deeply enquiring look. “So you wanna fill us in that the light show from this morning?”

The redhead grinned, “well you already know most of it..”

“Willow!” Buffy blushed and flickered her eyes over towards Faith, who was no help at all, because she was also grinning mischievously.

“Ok, so here’s the deal. When I invoked the power of the slayer, so I could help find Faith? I felt a lingering residue of power. Not from Faith but from the slayerness. Way in the back, covered in shadows.” She leaned forward and put her mug on the table and frowned as she thought about it. “It was kind of like a forgotten power, or as near to it as I can guess. But as for that, I have no idea what the hell that was. Maybe you both invoked it or something? I dunno. I’ll have to start researching it and, you know, do some tests and stuff.”

The slayers looked at each other, Buffy sending Faith an enquiring look as her lover shrugged and sat back in the chair, her eyes focusing on a photo on the mantle, or Buffy Dawn and herself messing around on the beach.

“What? What is it?” Dawns voice cut through the sudden tension that had formed in the room as she looked from slayer to slayer and back again, occasionally sending Willow a glance too.

“Don’t ask me Dawnie, I have no idea.” Willow shrugged, picking up her mug again and taking a sip.

“Look guys, the thing is, Faith isn’t gonna be here for a while. You know? She has.. stuff.. to take care of.” Buffy squirmed inside as her sister and best friend starred at her with hard glances.

“Buffy, this is really important. This power could fade or disappear, so now would be the best time to start trying to figure out what it is.”

The room filled with silence, Buffy’s mind suddenly focusing solidly on Faith, her eyes starring at her as if she were someone she’d never seen before; constant and interested in what she was seeing. Small slivers of red dancing light as they passed underneath the surface of her skin, her hair’s color darkening again as she watched those same red streaks of fire shiver their way through out her raven tresses.

What she was seeing, the witch couldn’t even guess, but she figured it was something extremely interesting.

“This won’t fade.” Faith voice came out in such a low pitch, she startled the redhead, her eyes instantly focusing on her friend. “You can’t lose, what you always had.”

“Always?”

The brunette turned her eyes towards Willow and for the first time she saw something dancing through the deep, chocolate brown of their depths, something knew and powerful, but right all at the same time.

“Always.”

If either Dawn or Willow had taken the time to look, they would have seen a white grey light, shining softly underneath Buffy’s skin, a call to her lover, the only other person in the world that shared the power that had always been there, always been waiting, always wanting to be free.

The only other person in the room who noticed, was Faith. Who’ skin had once again darkened to it’s bronzed, sun kissed color. The flashes of red that travelled through her veins and reflected themselves under the surface of her skin finally becoming known to Willow as she watched, her magical eye finally twigging onto something deep and resounding happening in the room.

She sat and watched as Faith slowly stood, walked around the coffee table and stood in front of the blonde. It was only then that she noticed the color of her best friends skin, of the swirling light that filled her eyes.

Without another word, fait held out her hand towards her lover, clasping her fingers within her own and pulled her to her feet. A small smile danced around the corner of her lips as she looked at the small blonde, before she turned and led her back towards the bedroom, closing the door solidly behind them.

“I’m guessing you might need to put up another protective bubble will..”


Continued Next in: Hear My Call