Complement

XXIX - Crown of Scars
(Part B)

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They quickly put on the jeans and t-shirts that were tossed about the room from last night. Faith half ran to the door in her bare feet yelling, "All right, already," when the knocking started again. "Jeez, already, give a girl a chance to get dressed; you two are worst then mother hens..." She said as she swung the door open, then gave them a sheepish grin when she saw the concern on both Immortals' faces. "Come in..."

She stood back from the door to let them in. She took a good look around the cottage. It was one big room, made ood aod and stone, almost like a warehouse loft. There were large exposed support beams in the ceiling and two round, telephone pole-like columns that went from the floor to the ceiling on opposite sides of the room. The floor was hardwood with at least five scattered oriental rugs. The large four-poster brass bed was off to the right on the other side of the room. There was a fireplace in the wall by the bed, made out of stone and the size of a small closet. Another stone fireplace was on the opposite side of the room a little bit larger with a deep, dark, thick blue rug in front of it. An extra long, extra wide chaise lounge, it was bigger than the one at the Mansion and could easily hold two people comfortably, stood by the fireplace. A double black leather recliner sat opposite of the chaise lounge and Faith made a mental note to herself to find out about getting one of those for the Mansion. There was stereo cabinet with a state of the art CD player, tuner, and surround sound. A good hundred or so CD's were in the little wooden slots that were built right into the cabinet.

On the other side of the room was a floor-to-ceiling, in-the-wall bookcase that took up the entire wall. Books, hardcover, paperbacks, oversized were stuffed into every single available space; it would take a few lifetimes to read all the books there were. There were even a few piles of books on the floor. Two high back leather chairs faced the bookshelves and each chair had its own reading floor lamp and a small mahogany side table. A wide, low mahogany coffee table was in front of, but between, the two leather chairs. Not a TV or Playstation was in sight. The room was done in shades of dark blues, and with the exception of the kick ass stereo was very rustic. There was a swinging door over by the chaise lounge, which Faith could only assume, led off to the kitchen, and then there was the bathroom door, or what was left of it anyway. The bathroom door was hanging haphazardly off its hinges and was splintered from the force of a certain golden-eyed Slayer slamming into it.

'Maybe they won't notice. Right, Faith good one!'

Faith closed the front door and made her way back over to stand by Buffy, she reached her hand out and took Buffy's into hers. After yesterday, she needed the reassurance of Buffy's touch, she felt Buffy squeeze her hand silently letting her know that she understood and felt the same way. The four of them stood in awkward silence staring at each other.

Lilith broke the silence because just like her kindred sister Faith, patience was not one of her many virtues. "I don't know about the three of you but I could use some coffee." She started making her way towards the door that Faith had been correct in assuming was to the kitchen. Right before she pushed the door open she asked the Slayers over her shoulder, "What the hell happened to the bathroom door?"

Tact wasn't one of her many virtues either. Then again, she and Clotho had talked in length about Buffy and Faith this morning. Lilith and Clotho had been through something very similar many years ago and they had decided that maybe a little push would help to open the channels of communication between the Slayers. The fact they had been standing there holding hands was a good sign, but the broken bathroom door also showed that something major had happened here last night. Over the last six weeks, Clotho had told Lilith that the Slayers seemed to be alternating between an almost friend-type relationship, to an almost completely strangers-type relationship. All three Fates as well as Luc were worried and had collectively decided that Clotho would lend a helping hand if it were needed. Lilith was recruited to help as well, as if she could ever say no to her mate. She was still a little amazed that the Fates, Luc and now Mars, Lily and Chronos, had put aside all of the rules for the Slayers and their extended family of friends.

"Um... the door was like that when we got here?" Buffy shot Faith a look, she couldn't believe Faith had actually said that as they trailed into the kitchen after the Immortals.

"Really?" Lilith shot back as she put on a pot of coffee. The sarcasm was so thick in her tone that a chainsaw wouldn't have been able to slice it.

"No... I was being an ass last night and... I'll pay for the door to get fixed."

"No I'll pay for it; I'm the one who broke it, not you..."

"Yeah but if I..." Faith stopped and turned towards Buffy she took both of her hands into hers, she lowered her voice a little below a whisper. Clotho and Lilith busied themselves getting food out of the refrigerator trying to give them as much privacy as possible. "You shouldn't have had to break down the door. After all this time I should have believed and trusted in what you said, in you, in me, and what we have together. But I won't ever doubt or disbelieve you or in us ever again, not after last night. No one has ever done what you've done for me. No one B. No one has ever come after me and you've done it more then once. You came for me in LA..."

"You wouldn't have been in LA in the first place if it hadn't been for me Faith. If I hadn't been such an asshole."

"Yeah you were an ass..." She stopped and smiled taking the sting out her words. "In the long run it doesn't matter, because you came after me. You didn't have to, you knew I would come back because I was in love with you. But you came after me anyway. Then you forgave me for everything that happened in the past. You gave me a second chance, a real second chance. You told me you wanted me in your life, as more than a friend. You didn't push for anything I wasn't ready for because you knew you had hurt me. And you knew you could of and knew I wouldn't have said no to you. But you didn't. You just let me know you would be there for me when I was ready. You waited for me and no one has ever given me a choice when it came to that." She stopped for a second trying to gather her thoughts, not sure, if she was making sense.

"... And then you waited again, waited to tell me you loved me, because you knew I was scared to tell you, scared of love. Knew that for me love had always been something ugly and hurtful. And again you didn't push me to tell you anything, you just let me know when I was ready you would be there to listen. When we were there, when they had us you did everything in your power to protect me. No one's ever protected me, no one's ever even tried. You didn't turn away in disgust, you didn't judge me, you were my strength and to my amazement you loved me even more, even after you knew everything, even after everything you saw..." She stopped again and gently stroked the side of Buffy's face.

"...And then last night after everything I said, after I told you it was over, tried to push you away. You didn't leave, you refused to give up, you still fought for me. You refused to let me go, you refused to let me run away, to turn my back on you, on me, on us. You never lost faith in us." She paused and smiled, and saw Buffy's answering smile on her playing off her own name. "You came after me, you didn't let me go. Nobody B, not one person has ever fought for me, including myself. You've been right there for me catching me when I fall, helping me to learn how to stand on my own two feet. You taught me what love is, given me the first place I could ever call home, given me the first real family I've ever had. You've given your love to me unconditionally, without reservation and it's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me. I promise you right here, right now that I will never doubt your love for me, or what we have together ever again." It was a promise that for the rest of her life Faith never once broke.

"I will always come after you Faith, always fight for you, for us, for what we have together. I would have torn the house down, piece by piece with my bare hands to get to you if that was what it would have taken to get you back. With you, by your side, is where I want to be. I believe in you, in us and I trust you not with just with my heart, my soul, but with my life, with my sister's life, with everything, everyone I hold dear."

Faith leaned down and kissed Buffy softly, trying to express in that kiss all that she had just said, all that she felt for the golden-haired Slayer. Buffy thought she was going to start crying; the kiss was so tender, so loving, so soft, and so the gentle, the innocent side of Faith that she rarely let anyone see, but who Buffy was getting to know more each day. Faith pulled Buffy into her tightly and was just about to kiss her again with a little more passion when a discreet clearing of a throat reminded her they weren't alone. They turned to face the Immortals.

"Eggs okay and ba... you're blushing! I don't believe you're blushing! Clotho, hurry get a camera! Nobody will ever believe that Faith blushes... Hurry..."

"Why was it that nobody friggin' bothered to tell me that trying to find redemption included blushing...?" Faith griped under her breath and turned even redder.

Buffy leaned in close to Faith and whispered in her ear, "I like it when you blush; you look all cute and hot at the same time... Takes all my will power not to just drag you off somewhere and ea..." Now Buffy blushed and she couldn't believe what had almost come out of her mouth. She wasn't sure how Faith would react, she waited in agony to see if the fear would find a home in her mate again. Instead, she heard the soft half growl, half purr rumbling low in Faith's chest.

"I should blush more often then," Faith whispered back low and husky.

"Oh now the other one is blushing. They're so cute aren't they?" Lilith poked Clotho in the side, "Come on aren't they cute. Like a couple of frisky cubs..." Both Slayers growled at Lilith.

"Keep it up Lil and I'll tell them what makes you blush..." Clotho threatened, only her tone was so silky and sultry it left no doubt in either Slayers' minds what might make Lilith blush. Then all three started laughing when Lilith actually started blushing. "Works every time," Clotho laughed then gave her blushing mate a soft kiss on the mouth.

Lilith turned her head away from her lover her nose in the air, and was rewarded by Clotho grabbing her up and kissing her so hard, so hot, so passionately that the even the Slayers started to sweat.

"B, I'm thinkin' those two might need a cold shower."

"Huh... What about the power?" Buffy was alternating between watching Lilith and Clotho kissing and Faith's mouth and hadn't heard a word that she said. She couldn't help thinking they look so good, so hot kissing, Clotho's all light, innocent, pressing against, into Lilith who was all dark and fiery. She wondered if she and Faith looked like that when they kissed, because it sure felt like they should. Then she drifted off thinking about the way Faith had been kissing her this morning when they were both half asleep, she felt a familiar tingle of desire course through her.

"B?" Faith watched Buffy drag her eyes away from the Immortals and even without their echoes she would have been able to read what she was thinking.

It took Buffy another second or two to drag her eyes up to Faith's. Buffy's eyes were flashing gold at her, only they weren't feral, more like primal in their desire-filled look. She wondered if hers were flashing emerald, it seemed their merging with the mystical energy that made them Slayers had done more then just increase their Slaying Powers. She felt the half growl, half purring starting in her chest, and gave Buffy a wicked smile when she heard an answering one from her. She realized that Buffy had probably never seen two women kissing quite like that before. She remembered the first time she had seen two women kissing passionately for the first time, she had thought it was the hottest thing she ever had seen in her life and she imagined Buffy was thinking the same thing. It certainly helped that both Immortals were very hot in their own way. The Immortals reminded Faith of she and Buffy, light and dark.

"They look pretty hot don't they B?" Buffy just nodded to her and Faith watched as Buffy's eyes lowered again to her mouth.

Buffy's tongue peeked out and wet her upper lip, then she captured her bottom lip between her teeth. She looked up at Faith again, their eyes locked and the heat in the kitchen went up a few more degrees. More than anything, she wanted to kiss Faith but she made no move towards her, she relinquished control once again over to Faith.

She felt Buffy's desire come to her in an echo and she heard an answering response in herself. For a second or two, it felt good then she started to get scared. What if she freaked out like she had this morning? No, if she kept on thinking like this she would. And she did want to kiss Buffy, with more then just a soft tender kiss, she remembered how good, wonderful it had felt kissing her this morning when she was still in that in-between place before her memories came back to haunt her.

It suddenly dawned on her that while she had been staring into Buffy's eyes this whole time, that even though Buffy wanted to kiss her, she had made no move to do so. Like she had yesterday and this morning Buffy had given control over to her, trusting her to lead them where she willed. Buffy would not force her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with, or ready for and she already knew that Buffy would stop the second she asked her to. Somehow having total control over this gave Faith the comfort zone she needed and freed her from all the thoughts playing havoc in her head, all but one. She wanted to kiss Buffy as much as Buffy wanted to kiss her.

She stepped in close to Buffy and put her hands on her waist, then slowly started to back her out of the kitchen, preferring privacy. The minute they cleared the door, she turned Buffy and kept walking her backwards until she was flush up against the wall. She planted a hand on either side of Buffy's head; she slowly started to lower just her upper body down towards Buffy, like she was doing a push up. She watched with heavy-lidded eyes as Buffy's eyes fluttered close, Buffy's soft sigh of her name the second before her mouth covered Buffy's sent desire whipping through her.

Faith's mouth came down so softly on hers, it was as if they were kissing for the first time and Buffy had to restrain herself from wrapping her arms around Faith and pulling her tightly to her. She left her hands at her sides and concentrated on the soft lips pressing down on hers, the only part of their bodies that were touching. She felt as Faith started to almost naturally deepen the kiss, then pull back to run teasingly light kisses over her lips. Until finally her mouth captured Buffy's bottom lip, which she held captive with her teeth for just a second, before pulling it in and suckling, nibbling on it, Buffy's felt her knees go weak.

Her knees grew weaker still when she felt those soft lips trail over her jawbone. She leaned her head back against the wall, her breathing shallow from just these slow sensual kisses Faith was bestowing on her. Faith could make a living out of doing this tho thought, and then quickly tossed that thought right out the window; she didn't want Faith kissing anybody else but her. EVER! Then she lost her train of thought as Faith slid her mouth over her neck and every part of her woke up at the lips that felt like a hot summer breeze trailing along her sensitive neck.

"God you smell so good. You taste even better..." She captured Buffy's earlobe with her teeth and traced its edge with her tongue. "I've missed kissing you, being near you, touching you, missed just you..."

"I've misse..." Buffy never got to finish as Faith captured her mouth once again and gave her a kiss that, had she been a vampire, would've turned her to ash.

Her hands curled into balls at her side as Faith teased her lips with her tongue and Buffy couldn't stifle her moan as Faith's tongue began a slow erotic dance with her own. She just melted into Faith as she let her dominate this lavish ballet of the most sensuous kiss Buffy ever had in her life. And if it were possible Buffy would have sworn that her mouth was climaxing. She felt the kiss with every single cell in her body, her blood was surely boiling and she didn't think her heart was capable of beating any faster.

Faith was in heaven. This felt so good, she had forgotten how incredible, how beyond incredible it felt, how special it felt, how special it made her feel, to kiss Buffy. Every part of her was alive with joy, alive with want, with need, with love. She felt Buffy's desire for her coursing through her, Buffy's love blanketing and holding her in its embrace. Buffy's mouth on her own was slowly erasing the memory of his. She stepped in closer to Buffy until the whole length of her was lightly leaning into, on the whole length of Buffy. She ran her hands down over Buffy's neck her fingertips once again tingling with joy at the feel of the silky smooth skin beneath them. She continued down over Buffy's collarbone, shoulders, down her arms, until she clasped each one of Buffy's hands in each of her own. Then Faith just let herself go and got lost in Buffy, lost in their kiss, moaning Buffy's name.

She was in fear that her knees would buckle when Buffy's tongue came out to play with her own. When they parted for just the briefest of seconds to breathe and Buffy once again moaned her name in that low throaty way that sent ripples of desire running riot over all of her, her legs began to shake. She could feel Buffy trembling against her andlizelized that she was trembling too. They continued to kiss, both lost in the feel of the other against them and what they made each other feel, until finally after the fifth time what Clotho was yelling from the kitchen sunk in.

"I don't think I can walk..." It came out more like a caress then a simple fact and the look that Faith gave her almost made her knees buckle. The kiss that Faith swooped down and gave her did make her knees buckle. She reached up and grabbed a hold of Faith's shoulders before she melted into a puddle on the floor. She looked up at Faith after she had finished ravishing her mouth and this time Buffy swore her mouth had multiple orgasms. "Now I know I can't walk."

The smile Faith gave her was radiant and Buffy gave her one that was just as bright in return. Then Faith swept her up into her arms and planted tiny little happy kisses all over her face as she carried her into the kitchen on her own none to steady legs.

The four of them took one look at each other's kiss swollen lips and burst out laughing before they sat down to Lilith's surprisingly kick ass breakfast.
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They all watched Faith with amazement as she ate more food then the three of them combined. It amused Clotho and Buffy to no end that the two Bad Girls drank their sugar and cream with a little coffee. Both blondes received threatening growls from their raven-haired counterparts. Their response was to laugh harder. When Faith had finished eating every single last crumb on the table she turned and gave Buffy a wide grin, and Buffy couldn't help but give her one back and think that Faith looked absolutely fucking adorable. There was a little dollop of jelly in the corner of her mouth, without thinking twice, Buffy leaned forward and gently kissed Faith her tongue sneaking out to lick off the jelly.

"You missed a spot," she whispered before she leaned back in her chair.

Much to Lilith's delight Faith blushed again, "Oh my god she's blushing again!"

Faith just shot Lilith a look but didn't say anything. She started piling up the dishes on the table Buffy started helping her. "We'll clean up since you two cooked," Buffy said to the room in general.

"Oh don't worry about it; I'll take care of it."

"No you cooked Lilith we'll take care of it."

"Nah..." Lilith waved her hand and the dishes, pots and pans were cleaned, dried, and put away in the blink of an eye. She shrugged her shoulders, "Gave up doing the whole mundane housewife thing when I left Adam in the Garden."

'Adam? Garden? Why is that familiar? Like Professor Walsh's Adam? First man. Garden! No, no way that would...'

"Not Adam, Adam... Like Adam and Eve. That Adam? The Garden of Eden, that Garden?" Buffy sputtered then her mouth dropped open when Liland and Clotho both nodded yes. "But there wasn't any Lilith in the Garden of Eden." Buffy protested.

Faith started laughing, "I knew you were older then me but I didn't figure you were old enough to be my Great Grandmother times a zillion, Grandma. Yup, Gran it is from now on. So, Grannnn what's it feel like to be made from someone's rib?"

"Considering that men wrote the story of the Garden of Eand and Adam and Eve do you find it surprising that I'm not in it? After all, I did leave his sorry ass." She waved her hand at the Slayers to stave off their questions. "To make a long story short. First off, I was not created from Adam's rib that was Eve. I was created from the same things he was, and I was there first, not Eve. Only mister I-am-the-King-of-the-Garden, tried to do a 'Me Tarzan you Jane' deal and I wasn't going for it. As far as I was concerned we were equals, but Mr. Anti-feminist didn't see it that way. He thought just because the Creator, created him first that he got to be my master. So I left him. Didn't really like men that way too much even way back then. I am part of the Hebrew Myths, which is probably why Willow recognized my name. I am also referred to in the Bible in Isaiah 34:14. I've been accused of being a succubus. I've also been accused of killing infants..." Her voice changed to one of repulsion at just the thought alone. "Supposedly I kill the children that don't have a certain amulet over their cribs. That rumor in particular I find repulsive and it pisses me right the fuck off because I would never, ever, hurt a child. It is also told that I bore a hundred children a day by the Red Sea, does this body look like it bore a hundred children? What the simple truth is, Adam and I were in the Garden together, the Creator intended for us to be mates, it didn't work out and I left. Considering that women were men's property back then, it's not so surprising that I was removed from the story and portrayed in, shall we say, an unflattering light. And that was a very long time ago, and since I left the Garden before Adam and Eve's fall from grace I retained my immortality."

Clotho and Lilith couldn't help but laugh at the two openmouthed gaping Slayers. "Okay, kiddies, time to get showered we've got a long day ahead of us! So move it. I'm sure Gran," Clotho received a light punch on the arm from Lilith for her use of Faith's new nickname for her mate. "As I was saying, I'm sure we can find something to occupy ourselves with while you two get ready. Jeans, t-shirts, boots and a light sweater or jacket will do. And the bathroom door is fixed by the way."
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Lilith waited until the Slayers had left the kitchen before she spoke. "So what do you think, you think everything is okay? Well as okay as it could be considering all they've been through." She and Clotho had been up almost the whole night worrying about the Slayers after Clotho had faded them here last night. Neither one of them had missed that Faith had not responded to Buffy at all before Clotho had sent them here. Clotho had been surprised at how quickly Lilith had taken to both Slayers, but not nearly as surprised as Lilith herself. For the most part Lilith was, while sociable and knew probably more beings then Clotho, she had few that she called friend and even fewer still that she called family. Already Clotho could tell Lilith considered not only the Slayers family but the rest of the Slayers family of friends, her family as well.

"I think they are getting better. I was worried at first when I saw the shattered door, but they seem closer than they've been in weeks. I think whatever happened yesterday between them forced them to stop trying to hide what they're feeling from each other, from blocking their bond. We both know what trying to keep the bond blocked all the time does. Sometimes it's hard to remember that they are so young they've both been through so much. And I can't even begin to comprehend what Faith must be going through, but I think with Buffy's help they will get through it together. They had a solid, strong relationship before all of this and their commitment to each other just grew stronger when they were being held. I think they need just to be kids or just twenty-year-olds for a little while, instead of Slayers who are twenty-year-olds. So, as Faith would say, we are going to help them find the fun again. They remind me of us, I think we're all a lot alike and I really enjoy their company."

"Find the fun eh, as if we ever lost it. And I think you're right they're a lot like us, which means they are both stubborn, hardheaded, hot tempered, passionate, gentle, loving, and mated for eternity. I also think that Faith is more like me, while Buffy is more like you and this definitely should be fun. Finally have someone who will understand my humor..."

"I don't think even Faith will be able to understand your warped humor..."

"Care to wager on that. Either case it's strange because you know I don't take to people or Immortals, demons, well you know what I mean. I don't take to anyone quickly or easily but with those two it's like I've always known them and it's not just them but all of them. Sort of freaked me a little at first, not to mention that you or rather the Fates broke their absolute golden rule of not interfering, hell not just you three but Lucifer, Crow and now it looks like Lily and Mars have jumped on the bandwagon too, which means the rest of the Incarnates will soon follow. It just feels right somehow, which in and of itself should scare the living shit out of me..."

"Yes it does feel right doesn't it... They're so cute together, actually a beautiful sight and I haven't seen a bond as strong as theirs in eons. It funny being around them makes me feel twenty all over again."

"So I noticed..." Clotho just arched an eyebrow at Lilith's cryptic comment. "The kiss you gave me this morning." Lilith told her, her eyes grew darker just thinking about it.

"What? We agreed that we would act normally around them. That it would be good for Faith, for both of them too see, to remember what it is like to be affectionate with their mate..."

Lilith couldn't help but laugh at the innocent look Clotho tried to give her. "Clo... while that kiss was most definitely affectionate, it was a far cry from a just-because-I-love-you affectionate kiss."

Clotho got up from her chair and walked over to lean against the counter. "I don't know what you mean."

Lilith stood up and slowly walked closer to her lover, whom she knew was definitely playing with her now. "You know exactly what I mean. That kiss was more of a, and pardon me for being crude, it was a, I-want-to-fu...mmm...."

She never got to finish because Clotho reached out and pulled her to her by the waistband of her leather pants.

Clotho leaned up and into Lilith and gave her another 'affectionate' kiss that sent Lilith's senses reeling. She pulled back gasping for air after a minute or two, then gasped again as she felt Clotho's hand slip into the front of her leather pants of which all the buttons had been miraculously undone without her knowing.

"You wouldn't dare..." She mumbled into Clotho's neck, and a second later, she found out that her mate would, and did dare.

"You were saying..." Clotho's husked to Lilith, not giving her a chance to answer as her mouth captured both her mate's mouth and her moan.
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They grabbed clean clothes from the drawers, because their bags had apparently been magically unpacked. Much like they assumed how the bathroom door had been fixed, with a simple wave of the hand of Clotho or Lilith. An awkward silence had settled around them out of nowhere. They both headed for the bathroom at the same time, they stopped and faced each other in front of the door.

While Faith felt like she would be comfortable taking a bath with Buffy or even now sleeping wiothiothing on, she wasn't comfortable, in fact she was terrified at the thought of taking a shower with Buffy. She could not recall a time that they had showered together that they hadn't ended up making love in the shower or dragging the other out into the bedroom. In essence, they had not once ever been able to shower together without ravishing each other.

She knew that Buffy wouldn't try anything unless she initiated it but just the thought alone of showering together was causing the knots to start coiling in her stomach. It confused the hell out of her especially after the kisses they had shared first thing this morning, and then the ones that had left her shaking while Lilith had made breakfast. She wasn't sure how to tell Buffy and she didn't want to hurt her feelings by making her think she didn't trust her or making her feel rejected. Things had been going so good, she felt good, she desperately wanted it to stay that way and she was just afraid that showering together would change that and more than anything she just wanted to take a break from the roller-coaster of suppressed emotions today.

Buffy watched Faith as everything she was thinking played across her face. She got it all in an echo as well, because Faith had completely dropped all of her blocks, all of her shields. It was like both their feet were glued to the floor and Buffy decided to take the lead this time, to follow her instincts and hope they were right. "Faith, it's okay. I understand... We don't have to shower together."

"B, it's not that I don't trust you... its just, for some reason this is...I don't know how to explain it. It felt so good to kiss you before, and I just want to keep that feeling for now. For some reason showering together, it's just making my stomach knot up. I just, I don't want you to think it's you. Am I making any sense?" As she was saying it she felt to her surprise the knots in her stomach start to loosen some, as if expressing her fear was taking away its power, his power over her. They weren't completely gone, even though she wasn't ready for them to shower together, the idea didn't terrify her anymore either.

"Yes, you're making sense and I do understand. You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything at all, even if you think it might hurt my feelings. I know you love me. When it comes to this part of our relationship, I am going to follow your lead. I trust you completely. Just tell me what you need, what you want, and I'll do everything in my power to give it to you. And when you're ready to talk, I'll be right here waiting for you, ready to listen."

Faith moved closer to Buffy, pulled her into her arms, held her tightly and smiled when she felt Buffy return her embrace. "I know you will B... and I'm so glad I have you to help me through this, 'cause I don't think I could make it alone this time."

They just held each other quietly for a time, then they both started giggling when they heard a gasp, followed by a low moan come from the kitchen.

"They so wouldn't be doing what it sounds like they're doing in our kitchen. Would they?" Buffy whispered between giggles to Faith.

Faith never got a chance to answer, Lilith unknowingly answered Buffy, when she moaned Clotho's name, followed by a, "Yes there!" Buffy collapsed into Faith muffling her giggles in her shirt, mumbling, "Oh my god! I don't believe them! Do you believe this...?"

Faith couldn't answer her right away she was too busy stifling her own giggles in the crook of Buffy's neck. "No. But since I think they're a lot like us I'm not surprised. One of us better get in the shower."

"You go first. I hope there are some headphones for that stereo, or maybe I can put my fingers in my ears."

"Or maybe you could come in and talk to me while I'm showering. Keep me company." Faith got a huge echo of joy from Buffy at her request. She didn't wait for Buffy to answer her instead she said, "I'll take that as a yes."

They practically ran over each other in their haste to get into the bathroom, they almost broke the bathroom door slamming it closed when they heard another, even louder moan from the kitchen.
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Neither Slayer had noticed last night that the bathroom was actually two rooms. The first room only had a marble-topped double sink with a mirror the length of the counter. The main part of the bathroom was off through a doorway on the right. Both Slayers stopped in awe, their mouths hanging open when they got a good look at the room. The sun streaming in through the skylight that was almost the size of the entire ceiling brightly lit the bathroom. There was a Jacuzzi tub exactly like the one in their bedroom at the Fates' home; only this one was the size of a small swimming pool. The glass shower stall that could have easily fit five grown men comfortably and it had two massage showerhead jets on each of its four sides. There was another door off to the side, Buffy peeked her head in and saw that there was a toilet and a sink, affording the user a little more privacy. The whole room, the floor, the walls were done in black and white marble, and was gorgeous.

There was a shelf lined with all different types of bath oils, soaps, shampoos, lotions, just about anything and everything either Slayer could dream up. Big fluffy, soft looking towels and washcloths were on the shelf next to the other bathroom toiletries.

With delight, both Srs srs saw that their amber and black silk robes from home were hanging side by side on a hook on the wall.

"I can't wait to take a bath in that tub. A bath at night. When the moon is out, the stars shining, and alose ose bath oils. Not an alone bath, you know. Not a by-myself bath, but a bath with you, Faith." Buffy groaned in her head, babble mode had kicked in and she was extremely nervous, she could never remember ever being this nervous.

"Me either B," Faith walked over and looked at the shelf with all the bathroom toiletries, she was never going to be able to pick one. Buffy walked up behind her, reached over her shoulder, grabbed a bar of lavender musk soap and handed it to her.

"I like the way this smells on you..." She grabbed shampoo and lotion and handed those to Faith as well.

"Okay... I'm ah, gonna jump in the shower now." Faith suddenly felt awkward and shy, wondering if this was such a good idea after all.

Buffy made a big show of inspecting everything on the shelf, trying to give Faith a little space. She fiddled with the bottles, acutely aware of Faith undressing behind her. She waited until Faith was in the shower for a minute or two before she turned around. She stood frozen as she watched Faith, whose head was tipped back, eyes closed, her hands in her hair pushing it back off her face, as the water ran down in rivulets over her body. Buffy slowly moved forward on shaky legs, she slid down to the floor by the shower and rested her back against the wall. She tried to calm her breathing, which was shallow as she just stared at the unconscious beauty that was Faith.

Faith had felt Buffy eyes on her and at first she had felt uncomfortable feeling the lust coming from Buffy, until she realized through her own fear that it was wrapped up in so many other emotions, the strongest of them once again, love. When she opened her eyes, she saw how Buffy quickly averted her own and then Buffy started a babble that would put Willow's best babble to shame.

Buffy looked away quickly when Faith moved out of the direct spray of the jets and opened her eyes. "You think we can get one of these showers at the Mansion or even the tub? Cause then..."

Buffy was babbling about everything and anything, her eyes looking everywhere but at her, and Faith thought she was absolutely adorable. She was sitting on the floor, fiddling with the hem of her shirt and every once in a while Faith would catch Buffy sneaking a peak at her. Buffy was so cute, so endearing right then, trying so hard to put her at ease, make her feel comfortable that Faith could only think of one thing to do.

She opened the shower door and leaned her head out, "B." Buffy just kept on babbling, Faith wasn't sure if she acty hey heard her, she tried again. "B!" She waited again and finally Buffy stopped babbling and looked at her. "B, I can't hear you too well..."

"Oh... I'll, ah... I could speak louder then..."

"I could hear you a lot better if you got in here with me B."

"Really?"

"Really, B."

"Are you sure Faith?"

"Yes," and Buffy gave her another one of those smiles that blinded Faith for a minute it was so beautiful. Then Faith started laughing when Buffy took her clothes off at the speed of light, and was in the shower with her so fast that had she blinked she would have never seen her move. "Eager much B?"

Buffy blushed, her eyes peeked up at Faith through her lashes shyly, "Always where you're concerned Faith."

Then Faith gave Buffy one of those smiles that blinded Buffy for a minute it was so beautiful.
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Faith couldn't help it, she teased the shit out of the Immortals for the entire day as they showed them around. Neither Clotho nor Lilith really minded they were just happy to see the two Slayers smiling, laughing and acting like twenty-year-olds should act.

The immortals found themselves acting like kids too, especially Clotho. Which Lilith didn't mind at all, especially after what happened this morning in the kitchen.

They took them out to the lake first which was a short distance from the cottage. They explained to them how the lake and cottages, which each of the Incarnates had around the fifteen-mile lake were surround by a magical protection and privacy spell. There were boundaries set up for the land and the lake that belonged to each of the cottages that ensured privacy; no one could cross the boundaries without permission first. Nor could anyone see into the area surroundihe che cottage and lake the spell surrounded. There was approximately two feet of in-between space between each cottage's boundaries. The spell that surrounded the cottage and the lake for where SlaySlayers were staying had been set up to allow Lilith and Clotho to enter this one time without permission. After today, anyone wishing to gain entrance had to basically ring the magical bell and get permission from one of the Slayers to step onto the property or use the part of the lake that belonged to the Slayers' cottage.

"So if you want you could run around naked anywhon ton the property, in fact, do whatever you want and no one would be able to stumble upon you or see you." Lilith told them slyly, planting the seeds of all the possibilities in both Slayers' minds.

"And you will never see a sunset or sunrise in any realm anywhere that can compete with the one here. The lake itself glows with all the colors, and I am not even going to try to describe it. Describing it would just fail miserably." Clotho remembered seeing in the Tapestry of Liow tow the Slayers used to rise every morning to watch the sunrise together and what it meant to both Slayers. She had no idea whether or not they hatchatched the sunrise together since their return from Glory's hell. Once the Fates had decided to include, and throw out the rulebook where it concerned the Slayers and their extended family, they had stopped watching their lives vicariously within the Tapestry. Like the other Life Threads that belong to the rest of the Incarnaand and the others the Fates considered family the Fates turned blind eyes to the weaving of the threads on a personal level, affording all their family members privacy. The Tapestry would alert them if need be to any impending mortal danger or if a prophesy was involved with any of their family members. Clotho explained this to the Slayers as they walked the short distance to their next destination, the stables.
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No one was surprised to see Faith walk directly over to the pure black stallion at the far end of the stable. The stallion, Obsidian and Faith stared at each other, both recognizing the wild nature and proud spirit of the other. No one ever had been able to tame or ride the stallion, including Lilith, Mars and Lily, who had a way with all things belonging within her sphere of power as The Green Mother.

Obsidian moved forward in his stall at a speed that only an Immortal or a Slayer could see. He had been known to knock people on their asses or bite those who had gotten within his reach more than once. The warning both Immortals started to shout at Faith died in their throats, they watched with amazement as Obsidian nudged then nuzzled his nose in Faith's shoulder trying to get her attention. The light peel of laughter from Faith delighted them all.

Faith nuzzled the black stallion back, loving the silken texture of his mane; she could feel the mischievous spirit of the stallion. "We're a lot alike aren't we? I'm a Bad Girl and you're a Bad Boy. You want to meet my mate?" Faith whispered to the stallion, who neighed in response. "B, come on over here and meet..."

"Obsidian," Clotho supplied for her.

They all watched amused as Buffy hesitantly made her way over to the huge stallion, keeping a leery eye on the horse. The horse brayed softly at Buffy when she moved to stand closely a little behind Faith, unconsciously reaching out to grip Faith's hand within her own as she peeked at the stallion over Faith's shoulder.

Faith gently stroked the long snout of the horse, "You're going to be nice and let my mate pet you aren't you Sid?" Obsidian snorted and tossed his head at the raven-haired Slayer. Faith didn't know why but she was drawn to the spirited stallion, it felt like she knew him, just another odd thing to add to her list of odd things that had happened since she had become a Slayer. Faith gently brought Buffy's hand up to stroke Obsidian, her head close to both Buffy and the horse as she whispered softly to them both.

The Immortals watched them with indulgent smiles on their faces. They were being given a rare glimpse into a side of Faith very few people were ever graced to see besides Buffy. There was such an innate gentleness to the way Faith was speaking so softly to Buffy and yes, even Obsidian, calming, gentling, both the stallion and the golden-haired Slayer. The way she was ensnaring them with her words and soft touches, which neither of the Immortals had to be able to read minds to know made both Buffy and the horse feel special, loved, cared for.

A soft braying came from behind the Immortals and they turned around to see Obsidian's mate, Sol, pushing against the bottom half of the stall trying to get free. Clotho waved her hand and the stall door opened, the large albino mare exited the stall and made her way towards the Slayers and her mate. She nuzzled her nose into Buffy's hair, and the Immortals heard the sound of soft laughter as both Slayers laughed when Buffy almost jumped into Faith's arms at Sol's affectionate nuzzling. Sol, gently nudged Buffy aside so she could get to her mate. Obsidian tossed his head, his mane flying, preening for his mate. They slid the sides of their faces together in greeting, nickering softly to each other. The Immortals watched as the two horses and the two Slayers snuggled into each other. Buffy's hand reached out of its own volition to gently stroke the pure white mare's long nose, feeling drawn to the mare in the same way Faith had been drawn to the stallion.

Lilith snuggled into her own mate, feeling a peacefulness and a sense of serenity surround all of them, animals included. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, young, carefree and with a feeling in her heart that everything and anything was possible. She felt her mate tighten her arm around her waist and the same feeling came to her frlothlotho through their bond. They watched the Slayers and in particular Faith whom they could see was beginning to feel comfortable not only with Buffy but within her own skin once again. They could see no trace of the 'Bad Girl'. She was nowhere in sight. In her stead, was a big-hearted, gentle, loving woman. And next to her stood her mate another, big-hearted, gentle, loving woman. They were each other's compliment, and Lilith finally got to see first hand why Clotho, why they all thought the two Slayers were a beautiful sight together. And she couldn't help but to agree wholeheartedly.

The spell was broken when Faith opened the stall at Obsidian's gentle nudge, she understood what he wanted, understood his need to be close to his mate. The white mare wasted no time in entering the stall; the horses leaned into each other, their heads resting lightly, gently against the other's.

"They're beautiful aren't they B? Light and dark..."

"Yes... just like us, light and dark. Beautiful just like you..." Faith felt herself start to blush from Buffy's words.

"She's..."

"So do you two ride?" Clotho asked the Slayers quickly, cutting off Lilith before she could start teasing Faith about blushing again. They both shook their heads no. "Would you like to learn?" They both nodded their heads yes quickly, both of their eyes shining with excitement. "Okay! Then Lilith and I will start teaching you tomorrow. You'll find what you need at the cottage! Are you ready for our next stop? I think Obsidian and Sol want to be alone!"

Faith and Buffy laughed when they saw that what Clotho said was true. Obsidian was getting frisky with his mate, who was playfully pushing him away, and both Slayers swore that Sol was peeking up at Obsidian with playful, flirtatious eyes.
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Their next stop was at a large barn-like structure that was out behind the cottage. Both Slayers started bouncing with glee like five-year-olds who had just been set loose in Disneyland. It was the biggest training room either had ever seen. There was an arsenal of weapons, from stakes to crossbows, all of which both Slayers were sure Clotho was extremely versed at using. The Incarnate told them, if they would like, during their stay, she as well as Lilith and Mars would resume their hand-to-hand and weapons training. Faith and Buffy both said yes so loudly that the Immortals were sure that the humans back on Earth surely heard them.

There was also weight-lifting equipment, both machines and free weights. Both Slayers were again delighted. Buffy had started lifting weights with Faith over the last six weeks since their escape from Glory's domain, right now both Slayers were a little obsessed with being in the best possible physical and combat shape. It was a natural reaction to what had happened to them, and one that both Immortals understood.

They left the barn deciding that they would work out the details for the training over dinner and began a leisurely stroll around the fifteen-mile lake. Clotho had permission from all the others around the lake to enter their domains without having to knock first. They ended the tour at Lilith and Clotho's cottage which as it turned out was right next door to the cottage the Slayers were staying in, just in time for dinner, they just had taken the longest way possible to get there.
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Continued in Chapter XXIX – Crown of Scars (Part C)