Trials and Complications

Part 5: Panic

Leaning up on her elbow, with one arm around her naked lover, Faith gently stroked up and down Buffy’s stomach, causing the blonde slayer to .

Buffy took the hand and linked her fingers with Faith’s own.
"Morning."

"Mornin’ gorgeous," Faith replied. She kissed her lover’s cheek. "Did I thank you for last night?"

Buffy smiled. "Many, many times."

"Well thanks again." Faith got out of bed. "I feel like I should return the favour," she said, looking for and locating her towel. "Don’t you have any fantasies you want me to do?"

"Nope."

"None?"

Buffy thought about it. "Well maybe one," she replied.

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Faith entered the room to see Buffy still in bed. She opened her closet, found a shirt and put it on. She grabbed her jeans and wore them. Doing up the top button, the slayer looked at the clock placed on the table beside her sleeping lover to see it show eight o’clock. Faith climbed onto the bed and kissed Buffy’s naked shoulder, waking her for the second time that morning.

"B. It’s time to get up," she told her, before getting up and leaving the room.

The sleepy blonde, groaned and pulled up the covers.

Upon grabbing her keys, Faith returned to her bedroom to find Buffy still in bed. She sighed and knelt at the bed’s side. "C’mon B, wake up."

Buffy’s eyes fluttered open to see Faith in front of her.

"Don’t you have to be at work soon?" the brunette asked her.

"No," the blonde replied, sitting up. "I don’t start ‘til two."

She watched as Faith stood up and put on her jacket. "Oh," the brunette said, picking up her eyeliner and positioning herself in front of the mirror. She applied the makeup. "Hey," she continued. "Don’t forget you’re picking J up today."

"I am?"

"Yeah," Faith replied, turning. "I told you yesterday remember. You said it was ok."

Buffy scrunched her eyebrows trying to recall the conversation.

"Because I told you that I had to go present hunting," Faith added, in attempt to jog her memory.

"Why?" Buffy asked, before realising. "Oh. It’s this Saturday."

"You forget?" Faith asked.

Buffy remained pensive.

"Look," the brunette suggested. "Why don’t I find her something from the both of us."

"Would you?" Buffy asked.

"Sure," Faith replied. "Just don’t forget to pick J up."

She finished applying her makeup and turned.

"How do I look?" she asked.

Buffy groaned. "Do you have to go to work today?" she asked. "Can’t you call in sick and stay home, with me, in bed. We can make love all day."

Faith smiled. "That’s very temping," the brunette replied. "But. I have to go."

"Fine," Buffy replied, pouting.

Faith’s smile grew. She walked over to the bed. "I’ll be back as soon as I can," she assured the blonde. "And then we can ‘make love’ all night."

"Promise?" Buffy asked.

Faith answered with a kiss and a "Later." before leaving the room.

"Joyce!" she called. "Kiddo! Let’s motor."

Joyce ran into her parents’ bedroom and hugged her mother. "Bye mommy," she said to her.

"Bye sweetie," Buffy replied, giving the child a kiss, before letting her run after Faith.

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Faith processed the customer’s order. "That’ll be twenty five dollars," sold old him.

The customer handed her the money, picking up his new merchandise.

"Thanks," Faith told him, giving him change. "Later."

The man replied and left the store. Looking around to see more customers entering, the brunette shouted to one of the workers. "Hey Rob, take over," she told him. "I gotta go."

The assistant nodded and stood up from the chair upon which he sat. He moved to the cash register as Faith searched for her car keys, she looked to the phone when it started to ring.

"I got it," Faith told Rob, who was getting up to answer it. "Serve the customers."

The slayer picked up the phone. "Hello," she answered. "Greener’s gifts."

"Hello, may I speak to miss Lehane, please."

"Yeah, speakin’. Who’s this?"

"Hello, I’m Mr. Barton from Sunnydale junior school. I’m just calling because school closed about forty five minutes ago and Joyce hasn’t been picked up."

Faith sighed. She rubbed her forehead, telling him, "I’ll be right there," and dropping the phone. Tossing her assistant a bunch of keys, she told him, "Lock up, when you finish."

The man nodded and watched as the brunette left the store.

Faith ran towards her silver jeep. Unlocking it with its remote, she opened the door and entered the vehicle. Starting the car, she pulled out of the parking space and drove towards the school.

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"Doctor Summers!" Buffy heard behind her. She turned as the person who called her approached.

"Doctor Abrams, hi."

"Hey," he replied, catching up. "You’re not going home yet are you?"

"No. Actually, I was on my way to the cafeteria to grab a bite. I have way too much work to think about going home."

"Me too. As in, I was on my way to grab lunch. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Buffy replied, walking on.

Parker stopped. "Y’know what? There’s this great place Dr. Richards was telling me about… er, café…"

"Rouge?" Buffy completed.

"Yeah, that’s the one. Do you know it? ‘Cause we could go there."

"It’s right across the street, but I don’t know...."

Understanding her fear, he adopted a more lax expression. "C’mon," he coaxed. "Just two friends having lunch. Where’s the harm in that?"

Buffy thought about it. "Ok," she decided, with a nod. "I’m in."

Parker smiled. "Lead the way."

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Eventually reaching the school parking lot, Faith parked her jeep, left the vehicle and walked inside the building. Looking around for any sign of the youngster, she stopped a nearby staff member.

"’Scuse me," she said. "I’m looking for a little kid. Her name’s Joyce Lehane-Summers and she’s about yea high."

"Oh?" the faculty member asked. "I haven’t seen her. Wait let me ask, someone."

The woman disappeared for a few minutes and returned with another member of staff.

"Miss Lehane," the man recognised.

"Oh, ‘sup Mr Harrison."

"Hi. Yeah, Joyce was picked up earlier," he told her, adding, "by her uncle."

"Uncle?" Faith asked him.

"Yeah," the teacher replied. "I hadn’t seen him before but Joyce seemed to recognise him."

Faith looked at him in disbelief. "Moron, Joyce doesn’t have an uncle," she told him. "You let a kid go with a stranger ‘cause she seemed to recognise him."

"Well he…I thought-"

"You'd better hope she’s ok," the slayer warned, leaving. She raced towards her car, opened the door and entered. Quickly starting the vehicle, she pulled out of the parking space and entered the road. Keeping one hand on the wheel, Faith picked up her cell phone with the other and dialled Buffy’s number.

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"Parker stop, you’re killing me," Buffy told the brunette, laughing.

"No, wait, this is the best part," Parker continued. "I trip and fall, head first into the entire vat and the whole stadium’s looking at me and I get up and skate off. Needless to say I’ve never been back to that rink."

Buffy let her laughter subside. "Oh c’mon, you’re gonna let one tiny, though hugely embarrassing, moment stop you from skating?"

"Oh, I could never stop skating," Parker assured her. "I just love it. The way the blades glide on the ice. It’s a wonderful feeling. I just have to find a place where nobody knows who I am."

"There’s one not too far from here. Although, I guess I’d know who you were."

Parker smiled. "I could deal with that," he told her.

Buffy blushed, causing the brunette to change the subject.

"Do you go often?" he asked her.

"I used to, but not so much anymore."

"What made you stop."

Buffy turned away, bashfully. "It’s silly," she answered.

"Sillier than skating head first into a vat of water?”

"Well, no," she replied, remembering the story and almost laughing again.

"Then, you can tell me."

"Well-" she started, cut off by her phone’s ringing on the table. Reaching for the phone, she stopped when Parker beat her to it.

"How important could it be?" he asked her, cutting the call off and replacing it on the table.

Buffy shrugged.

"So?" the brunette coaxed. "I'm in suspense here."

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Faith hung up when she found the line suddenly cut. Glancing periodically at the road ahead, she quickly dialled the number to her home, cursing as battery failure caused the phone to switch itself off. Throwing the phone to one side, she cursed again and sped up.

TBC...