Mercy

Disclaimer: See Part 1
_____________________

Faith jerked awake when the early morning sun glinted through the window into her eyes.

At first she didn't remember the night before, she certainly didn't know why there was a warm body cuddled up against her trying to get a few more minutes of sleep.

Glancing down she realized that Z was the warm body. Thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't some random guy or girl she'd have to kick out of her bed before her watcher woke up, she nudged Z awake.

"Hey kid? Go get in your own bed"

The girl grumbled turning over "I'm in my own bed"

Faith rolled her eyes and roughly shoved the girl off "No you're on the floor"

Z sat up stunned at the impact and glared at the slayer "That was rude!" pulling herself up she stumbled out of Faith's room and into the hall, slowly making her way towards her wing.

'Why the fuck was she in my bed anyway?' Faith mulled trying to remember the night before. It all came as a blank.

Shaking her head at her lack of memory she pulled herself up and into the bathroom adjoining her bedroom. Dropping her clothes carelessly on the floor she flipped on the light.

Catching sight of her reflection she flinched. Whatever she'd done the night before, she hadn't been watching herself. Oil and dirt clung to her arms, dried blood was smeared across her cheek and her eye was yellowing as if healing after being struck.

Turning on the hot water as she caught a whiff of herself, she grabbed the 'girly' fragranced soap that Isabelle always insisted she should use. This time she was happy the Watcher had ignored her usual preferences and put the pink bar in her bathroom.

As the hot water impacted her body rinsing away the grease and grime, Faith allowed herself to relax. Loosening each tense, clenched muscle she rolled her head getting her hair wet, rinsing yet more blood away.

"Fuck. I got my ass kicked or something" Faith complained grabbing the nearby shampoo. As she worked the lather into her hair the suds came off pink, and dark red.

Dark red... the vampire!

She'd staked a vamp and it had dusted only to come back to life- or unlife- seconds later, after a little hellion had attacked her for killing off the threat to humanity.

"That little nut? Naw, there's no way she could beat me. She'd be lucky to weigh a buck soakin' wet" Faith shook her head in disbelief as she rinsed the red suds from her hair and body. She stilled as her memory fully returned. "Witch!"

Yanking back the shower curtain Faith ran from her, down the hall. Skidding on the hardwood floor she took the sharp turn and followed the sounds of running water into Z's bathroom.

"Kid!" Faith slid on the tile floor pulling the curtain away as she regained her balance.

Z spun in shock staring at the naked and sopping wet slayer who stared at her in disbelief.

"Last night. That girl she was a witch" Faith reached into the shower ignoring both their nudity and pulled the girl to her "That's why I didn't fight her. I couldn't move"

"I guess. I mean you just kinda laid there and let her beat you" Z mumbled the events of the night before returning to her also. But the explination of how she ended up in Faith's bed still eluded her.

"And the vamp I dusted?" Faith's grip on Z's upper arms tightened.

"She...came back. She was dust, then she was....naked" Z nodded slightly secretly enjoying the memory "She pulled the witch off me. They did something then..." she trailed off her memories ending there before being rudely awakened by the slayer.

"Then you both ended up naked and in one shower?"

Z spun giving a startled yelp as her Mother's voice interrupted.

"Something like that" Faith smirked eyeing the girl speculatively "I mean, she's kinda hot. For being so young"

Isabelle scoffed, pointing silently to the open bathroom door.

Faith winked at both Z and her watcher before strutting out. Turning in the doorway she shimmied, her breasts swaying shortly from side to side before she snapped at both of them and walked away.

Isabelle turned to her daughter who's eyes were fixed on the point Faith had disappeared. "She's a bit of and exhibitionist"

Z made an inarticulate sound.
______________________________

Willow stretched out making herself comfortable. The fact the the movement slid Mercy fully ontop of her was merely luck.

Or atleast that's what the vampire told herself.

Lovingly she stroked the witches reddish blonde hair, savoring her closeness as she mumbled in her sleep.

Willow closed her eyes letting the human warmth surround her in peacefulness. Fighting away the memories the few moments of her sd ded death cursed her with.

Mercy sensed the slight unease and nuzzled into Willow's arms, planting unconscious kisses along the nude vampires clavicle.

Willow continued to rub her back as the human settled in to sleep, seemingly, through the morning hours. Not that she minded much, being a vampire and all sort of let her appreciate the laziness of her human in the morning.

Mercy groaned and murmured in her sleep "Bad slayer..."

Which brought Willow's mind back to the following night. She should, by all laws of magic and science, be dead again. But she wasn't. She was here, holding her witch, living her unlife as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't been staked by an incredibly strong, though somewhat naive, slayer.

"I don't like her"

It took Willow a moment to realize Mercy had awoken and read her thoughts.

"I don't think I like her much myself baby" the vampire chuckled "Though that yummy little morsel she was with..."

Mercy pinched her somewhat human mattress at the gentle teasing.

"Ow!" Willow sank her teeth, still in human form, into the fleshy part of Mercy's shoulder.

"Hey!" the witched pulled back sitting up on Willow's belly, straddling her as she stared down at her giving her dirty looks "I knew I should've left you outside last night" she teased back.

"It was cold! I was naked, Why did it take you 30 minutes to open the window again?" Willow babbled sounding amazingly like her human self.

"I had to wash my hair?" Mercy teased, gasping then giggling when the vampire rolled them over reversing their positions completely.

Mercy looked up at Willow trustingly "I was arguing with the doorman and the concierge. They saw my hands and wanted to call the police"

Willow took one of Mercys hands in her larger one. The nails were broken, the skin on her finger tips scratched and beginning to scar over. Her fingers were still tinged red from the blood after she'd scrapped her hands on the cold cement when some of her wildly thrown blows missed their target.

Willow licked at Mercy's fingers, tasting old blood and oil. She frowned after a few moments "Some of this blood isn't your's"

"Maybe it's the slayers, or her little friends" Mercy shrugged "They hurt you. I didn't really care who I was beating on at one point"

Willow rolled to her side hugging the little witch to her "You were defending me?"

"More like avenging you" Mercy gently stroked down the vampires cheek ignoring the stinging pain her sore fingers gave as complaint. As she smoothed her hand down a pale cheek she noticed the place Willow licked was completely healed over, the scars and scratched that had been on the backs of her fingers were gone "Willow, is your saliva supposed to heal?"

Willow was floating in the place where Mercy's touch always seemed to send her "It closes the bites when you feed off drones. I don't know about healing"

"Drones?" Mercy sat up and studied Willow as she came out of her daze.

"Humans that let us feed off them. There haven't been 'real' drones in Sunnydale for years. The Master wanted us to take what we wanted. He said we were the 'Master Race' and that humans are cattle" Willow spoke the remembered words with a childlike quality that worried Mercy.

"Is that what I am to you? Cattle" Mercy slowly backed away from Willow.

The vampires arm shot out and dragged the witch back up against her "No you're not cattle. You're mine. Not a sheep, not a cow, just Mercy" Willow nuzzled the frightened girls neck, enjoying the race of her pulse "Just my Mercy"
__________________________________

"So what exactly happened last night?" Isabelle sat before the two tired looking teens and sipped her tea.

"We went to a movie" Z picked at her bagel and watched Faith practically swallow her's whole.

"Fought this vamp. I staked her and she dusted" Faith guzzled down her orange juice and reached for the buttered toast and milk "She had this girl with her. A witch or somethin', when I dusted the bitch the chick went crazy and starts beatin' on me. I can't hit her back, cuz I can't move and shit. So Z pulls her off and she starts wailin' on her. Then the vamp comes back, stops Z's ass kicking. Then we woke up this morning"

Isabelle, stunned, began to pour her tea directly into her lap. She gave a rather ladylike squeal and leapt from her chair, pulling her pants away from her skin.

"Gee Faith did you 'have' to try and kill her" Z sniped as she calmly pulled a chunk off her bagel.

"Thought she'd take it better than that" Faith chuckled.

"Hmm" Z chewed and shook her dark head.

Isabelle was slowly beginning to recover from her shock, and the liquid on her pants began to cool a bit. She sat back down and eyed the two girls at her table "So a witch... 'wailed'... on both you 'and' my daughter last night. You somehow got home safely, after dusting a vampire who was 'with' this witch and neither of you have a mark on you?"

"Basically" Faith saluted as she drained the milk.

"Lovely" Isabelle sighed "Just bloody lovely"
___________________________________

"I have to go home" Mercy walked through Willows apartment looking for the clothes she'd worn the night before.

"You 'are' home" Willow pointed out. She sat on a couch, casually twirling her hair, leisurely watching the nervous witch skitter about the rooms looking for her hidden clothing.

"No I meant my 'old' home. You know the one with all my 'clothes'." Mercy gestured to herself, she wore only a pair of panties and black socks.

"I like your outfit" Willow smiled devilshly.

"I'm just getting more clothes. I'll come back to you. You know this\rcy rcy assured Willow knowing she probably wouldn't find her missing clothes unless the vampire wanted her to.

"Then wait 'til nightfall and I'll go with you" Willow approached the girl and embraced her "I can keep you safe then"

"The slayer will be out then. In the daylight nothing can get me. The whole 'creature of the night' thing generally means they don't come out during the 'day'" Mercy embraced the vampire back molding her small form into the taller body.

"I don't like you going out alone" Willow pouted and leaned back to place a kiss upon Mercy's forehead.

"then find me a bodygaurd. I just want to get some clothes" Mercy pleaded "Can't you trust me Willow? Just a little?"

"I trust you" the vampire backed away and pulled Mercy's missing clothing from beneath her own "I just want to protect you" tossing the rumpled skirt blouse and sweatshirt to the witch she picked up the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Mercy picked up the clothing and quickly pulled it on.

"Your bodygaurd" Willow turned her back and began to speak softly into the phone.
_______________________