Ginger Snap

Wow, it's been a while since I worked on this one, hasn't it? But someone commented in the reviews for Je me souviens that I couldn't let a good start go to waste, and I agreed wholeheartedly. So here's part two. Shockingly enough, I do know what's happening in this story. Let's see how it goes!

Chapter Two

*

Police car sirens whooped, the swirling red and blue lights cutting through the darkness of the kids' playground. Buffy stood next to her mom, waiting for the detective to return and tell them they could go. Faith was half-sitting, half-leaning on the low stone wall that bordered the park. Her arms were crossed, and she glared at any crime scene investigator that ventured too close. Buffy chewed her lip, watching the man taking pictures and roping off the merry-go-round with yellow tape. Her mom was still in shock, staring wide-eyed at the little kids' bodies as if she could never look away.

Finally, the detective broke off his conversation with a small knot of police officers and headed over to them. Buffy put her arm around her mom. Faith stood up and came closer, one hand on Buffy's back, out of the detective's sight. "If there's nothing more you can tell us, you're all free to go," he said.

"Just that we found them," Buffy said. "There's really nothing else...?"

"We'll call you if we need to ask any questions," the detective said.

"Okay." Buffy sighed and started leading her mom to the street. Faith followed, and Buffy smiled at her gratefully. She didn't want to do this alone.

"They were little kids," her mom said. "Did you see them?"

"I saw," Buffy said softly. She'd never seen her mom like this, so lost, as if she were the child and Buffy the parent who was supposed to make it all better. Except, this time, she didn't know how.

"Who could do something like this?" her mom asked. "I just..." She trailed off and looked down.

Buffy met Faith's eyes again. She wanted to cry, more for her mom than for the children. It was a horrible thing to say, but she'd gotten used to people dying. Her mom hadn't. Faith didn't say anything, only walked along beside her, close enough that Buffy could feel the warmth of her body in the cool night air. For now, that was enough.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see this," Buffy told her mom. "But I promise, everything is gonna be okay."

"How?"

"Because, Mrs. S., we're gonna find whatever did it," Faith said, her voice loud and rough with anger. "And we're gonna make 'em pay, whoever they are. Right, B?"

Buffy nodded. "That's what we do, Mom. We're the Slayers."

Her mom smiled, but it was a weak effort. "I guess. It's just you can't...you can't make it right."

Buffy turned and hugged her mom as she started to sob. Faith watched them, shoving her hands into her pockets. She fidgeted, uncomfortable, and Buffy reached out a hand to her behind her mom's back. Faith smiled a bit and held it, squeezing.

"Come on, let's get you home, Mom." Buffy urged her mom to keep walking. They were all silent until they reached Buffy's house. She opened the door for her mom, then hung back while she went in. "I'm just gonna--" she started, edging back onto the porch where Faith was waiting.

Her mom wiped her eyes, but her voice was firm when she said, "I don't want you staying out late, Buffy. Not tonight."

"I'll only be a minute."

Buffy closed the door quietly. She and Faith looked at each other in silence for a few moments, then Buffy let out a half-strangled laugh.

"What?" Faith asked, taking a step closer.

"Just...this wasn't how this evening was supposed to go, was it?" Buffy tried to smile, then realized that tears were streaming down her face. "Faith..."

Faith closed the last step between them and enfolded Buffy in a hug. Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith as tightly as she could, knowing she wouldn't hurt Faith with her strength. She buried her face on Faith's shoulder and cried. She was seventeen years old and used to people dying, for God's sake. She remembered all the times she'd groaned when Giles wanted her to patrol instead of going Bronzing, and wondered how many innocent lives had been lost each time. And tonight, even though they'd been right there, they hadn't stopped it from happening. Two kids were dead, and she was responsible. Her mom was right. She and Faith could kill whatever demon had done this, and it still wouldn't make it right. But even now, Buffy knew she couldn't save everyone. She couldn't be everywhere at once. It just made her feel so helpless.

"Hey, Buffy, shh..." Faith stroked her hair, her hands moving delicately. Buffy burrowed closer. "I know. I'm sorry too." Faith lifted her chin with one hand and placed a kiss on her lips. It was so gentle Buffy hardly felt it, but it burned like fire. "We'll take care of everything," Faith whispered, and kissed her again, slowly, the barest touch of soft lips. "I promise."

Buffy closed her eyes and tipped her head back, pressing up to kiss Faith again, more firmly this time. She opened her mouth and felt Faith's tongue sliding against hers, silky and warm. She whimpered, her hands pulling Faith closer. There was something so tentative in Faith's manner. It made Buffy want to protect her at the same time that Faith was comforting her.

Buffy knew she should go inside; her mom might be upset, but that didn't mean she didn't know exactly what was going on out on her front porch at that precise moment. But the touch of Faith's lips against hers, the heat where their bodies were pressed together, made it so much easier to forget what had happened tonight. She sighed when the kiss ended, as slowly and tenderly as it began.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning her forhead against Faith's, not loosening her hold a fraction.

"For what?" Faith smiled a bit, a hint of teasing in her easy drawl. "That was hot."

"I meant...you know, tonight. I wanted to--"

"Yeah," Faith breathed. "Me too." She slid her hands down Buffy's back, pulling them together one last time, then releasing her slowly. "It sucks. But we're gonna find the motherfucker, right? We'll talk to Giles tomorrow."

"Thank you so much. For being here." Buffy met Faith's eyes, dark in the darkness. "With my mom...I don't know what I'm supposed to tell her. Why did she have to pick tonight?"

"At least she's okay." Faith brushed a hand across Buffy's cheek. "We still on for Friday?"

Buffy smiled. "Of course."

"And your mom's getting over the whole me-and-you thing?"

"She's...working on it." Buffy shrugged. "She'll be fine. She wanted to bond with you, right?"

"She's an awesome mom." Faith glanced over Buffy's shoulder at the door. "You should probably go in."

"Yeah." Buffy started to turn, then, with an impatient noise, went back to Faith. She took Faith's face in her hands and kissed her again, hard and quick. "Good night."

"No kidding," Faith said. She shook her head and backed down the porch steps. "I'll be at the school tomorrow."

"Okay," Buffy said. She leaned on the porch post and watched Faith walk away. With a sigh, she entered the house.

Her mom was sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen. She cupped both hands around a mug of tea and staring out the kitchen windows into the backyard. Buffy said a silent thank you that she hadn't been looking out front instead. She took a seat at the island and poured herself a cup of tea. Breathing the minty steam, Buffy relaxed a bit. It had been horrible in the park, but there was also a plan of action. She was a bit nervous about Faith meeting with them at the library--neither of them had told anyone that they were together. She'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it. She knew that Faith loved her, and she was quickly falling head-over-heels herself. The way Faith kissed her was like a promise she knew would be kept.

"Buffy..."

Buffy glanced up from her tea. "Yeah, Mom?"

Her mom shook her head. "I wish you didn't have to go out there every night, that's all."

"But I have to." Buffy hunched over the countertop. "Sacred duty, blah blah blah...it's not about that. It's about keeping people like those kids safe. Because I can."

"I remember when Faith came, you were thinking about retiring..."

Buffy frowned. "I can't--I won't make her do it alone. Together, we can protect each other, we're a team--"

Almost laughing, her mom shook her head. "I did see you when I came into the park, you know. I know we haven't talked about it yet, honey, but..."

"That was different." Buffy stood up and put her mug in the sink, trying to explain how it was different without getting completely wigged. She didn't want to know that her mom had seen. "We were just--"

"Distracted." Mom's eyes were sad as she looked up. "It's just one more thing for me to worry about when you go out. And I don't know if I can ever understand it."

"You don't need to understand it." Buffy hugged herself. "It's not up to you."

"I want you safe." Mom pushed her mug away. "We'll--let's talk about this tomorrow, Buffy, when we're both more awake. But I want you to think about what I've said. I'm not forbidding anything. I'm just trying to tell you how I feel."

"Fine." Buffy looked down. "I'm going to bed."

She left her mom sitting in the dark.

*

To be continued.