Ginger Snap

NOVEMBER 25, 2004 -- No new chapters, just editing the details. And, to Wynter, for your very perceptive feedback--I completely agree! Thank you so much! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks so.


Title: Ginger Snap

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Two children's deaths, a surprise for the Scoobies, and Faith and Buffy's first real date are only the beginning. Well, and parts of the middle.

Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, UPN, Mutant Enemy, so on, so forth, yadda yadda yadda. Me = poor. Suing = mean. Feedback = my only reward.

Author's Note: The long-awaited sequel to Ski Trip! Whee! It's probably going to be mostly fluff. But, hey, I'm a fan of the schmoop. What can I say?

Author's Second Note: I, um, got distracted from True Faith. Oops.

Author's Third Note: I'm between jobs. That means I actually have to, you know, work. Pound the pavement. And so forth. It hurts my updates. But I'm trying!


Chapter One

Buffy stalked the vampire through the children's park, her stake gripped firmly and confidently in her right hand, her mind focused but her body loose, ready to spring into action as soon as the stupid moronic cowardly vampire would quit running and turn around and fight, damn it!

The bushes ahead of her rustled, and she held her breath, raising her arm to strike.

There was a chuckle from the shadows. "Is that a stake in your hand, or are ya just glad to see me?"

Buffy let out her breath in a sigh. Suddenly the night seemed a lot warmer. She smiled. "Faith, doe doesn't even make sense."

Faith stepped out of the bushes, twirling her own stake absently, her eyes wandering appreciatively over Buffy's body. Buffy found herself doing the same, although Faith's outfit was tame by her standards--the leather pants didn't look painted on, and the t-shirt underneath her jean jacket, while tight, didn't have a neck that plunged down to her belly button. It had been three days since they'd gotten back from their ski trip, and that time had somehow been filled with--in Buffy's opinion--some rather meaningless activities. For one, Willow had convinced her that doing her term-break homework was important before school started again. For another, Mom had been pretty insistent that they do some bonding.

Faith hadn't phoned, or shown up, but Buffy wasn't too worried about that. She knew how Faith felt about "getting mushy", as she called it. They did have a date scheduled for Friday night--their first date!--and Buffy was getting very curious indeed about what Faith had planned. Probably she figured meeting up in a cemetery, stakes in hand, was all the romance a Slayer needed.

Probably she was right.

Faith pocketed her stake and grinned, not her usual leer, and looked like she didn't know what to do with her hands. Buffy could feel her heart tremble. That smile--the real one, that showed off Faith's dimples--wasn't for just anyone. It practically melted Buffy every time she saw it, and last week when they'd been skiing she'd seen it a lot. It was a seduction all on its own...though, in the end, Buffy had been the one to make the first move.

That wasn't going to be the case this time, she could tell. Faith jerked her head back toward the playground and grinned an invitation. Buffy was pretty sure she wasn't turning Faith mushy--the other Slayer was a born romantic, whether she knew it or not. She stepped forward and grabbed Faith's hand.

Instantly she found herself wrapped in Faith's arms, being firmly and insistently kissed. She closed her eyes leaned forward to enjoy everything that was coming to her.

"Jeez, B, three days." Faith spoke between kisses, running her hands down Buffy's back. "I'm gonna show you what you were missing..."

"Wait..."

Faith pulled back a fraction of an inch and paused for only a moment. "What?"

"It's a kid's park," Buffy said, embarrassed to hear the words come out breathless and short. God, she was practically panting. But it had been three days, and Faith's mouth was warm and wet and moving and...

"It's fucking midnight." Faith kissed her way down Buffy's neck, nuzzling behind her ears and over the pulse point under her chin. "No kids, B, don't worry, I wouldn't want to warp their tiny minds..." Her whisper was thick and husky, her breath hot against Buffy's skin. One hand was kneading Buffy's breat over top of her shirt, the other sliding over her jeans and pulling their hips together, tight. Buffy could feel her trembling, and a thrill shot through her to know she did that--she was the reason Faith's breath was coming faster and faster, her breasts pressing against Buffy's as her chest moved.

"But..." Buffy closed her eyes, trying to remember why she was objecting, and instead finding that her fingers were pushing Faith's jacket off her shoulders. "But we're...outdoors...night time...there could be--ah..."

"Hmm? There could be what?" Faith cut off her answer with another kiss, her tongue swirling through Buffy's mouth, until she felt like her bones were melting. How did Faith manage to do this to her, every time? Buffy gave up and turned her full attention to the kiss, moaning. She cupped her hands behind Faith's neck to bring her closer, rubbing the small, tense muscles just under the heavy fall of Faith's dark hair.

Faith finally broke the kiss, her eyes darker than ever as she gazed at Buffy, smirking slighty. "Don't tell me you've never wanted to do it outside," she said. Her hands were roaming, squeezing Buffy's ass. She slipped her thigh between Buffy's legs and started rocking slightly against her. Buffy leaned back, her heart hammering, pleasure drumming through her. "We're the Slayers, B..." With each word, Faith pressed her thigh into Buffy's crotch, making her gasp. "What's gonna...uh...bother us? Demons? Vampires...?"

"Mom!"

"What?" Faith backed off, confused.

Buffy jumped away, out of Faith's arms, and stared over her shoulder. Her mom was walking across the park, carrying a lunch bag and a large thermos. Buffy smiled sheepishly and waved at her. It wasn't like her mom didn't know that she and Faith were together, but they had not yet had The Talk about it. She was pretty sure there was eventually--and inevita-goi-going to be a Talk, and that it was going to be capitalized.

"Hi, girls! Are there any vampires around?"

Buffy gave a painful smile and mouthed, "Later," at Faith, then walked forward. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Her mom blinked and shrugged, then held up a bag and a thermos. "I brought you two a snack. I thought it was about time for me to come out and watch. You know, the slaying."

"Mrs. S., the slaying..." Faith flapped a hand, trying to explain. "It's kind of a Slayer thing, you know?"

Buffy rolled her eyes--that was a brilliant explanation--and Faith shrugged back at her.

"But it's such a big part of both your lives, and I'd like to understand it," Mom said. "It's, um, you know, something we could share."

Buffy groaned inwardly. Apparently she hadn't managed to get in enough mother-daughter time over the past three days--now her mom wanted to come out to the cemetery to bond. Plus, she had a sneaking suspicion that this was her mom's way of ambushing her with The Talk. "Actually, it's pretty dull's--'s--" There was a rustling in the bushes to her left and Buffy spun around, mirrored by Faith, who already had her stake out. "You know," she continued, still staring into the shadowy leaves. "Bam, boom, poof."

The vampire she'd been stalking before Faith showed up leaped out of the bushes between the two Slayers. Faith muttered, "Shit!" and hauled him backwards by the scruff of his neck, tossing him head over heels into a nearby bench. It splintered in half under the impact. Buffy followed after him and lashed out with a crescent kick that caught him in the stomach and rolled him over. The vamp got to his feet right on time to run into Faith's fists, a flurry of hard punches to the face that he couldn't block.

For a moment, he backed off, then came swinging back into the fight. Dimly, Buffy could hear her mom cheering as she pounded on him.

"Good, honey! Kill him!"

The vampire shook his head, growling, and backed away cautiously. He glared at the only human who hadn't managed to hurt him, and charged. Buffy and Faith both rushed to get between her mom and the vampire.

"Oh, my God!" Mom exclaimed behind them, as the vampire approached. "It's Mr. Sanderson from the bank!"

The vampire looked back and forth between Buffy and Faith, both of them holding stakes, and realized that discretion was the better part of valour. He feinted at Faith, then ran back into the bushes.

"He's getting away!" Mom cried, and Faith was after him like a shot, disappearing into the darkness.

Buffy gave her a stern look. "Stay!" she said, and followed Faith. Who knew how many friends the dearly departed Mr. Sanderson had? If Faith was ambushed... Buffy ran faster. She came out in a clearing just in time to see Faith launch herself onto the vampire's back, tackling him and driving her stake through his back.

Faith flipped to her feet and turned to Buffy. "Hey! What about your mom?"

Buffy shrugged with exasperation. "I swear I don't know. If she signs me up for a seminar on interpersonal communication, or gives me tickets for all of us to appear on Dr. Phil, I will not be surprised."

"I mean, you left her. You know. Outdoors, at night time, remember?"

"I came to help."

Faith dusted herself off. "I got him. Come on, let's find her."

They arrived back at the park, but there was no one in sight. Buffy called, "Mom?"

Faith glanced towards the playground, and pointed. "There."

Mom was standing over the merry-go-round, staring down. "Oh, my God. Oh..."

Buffy hurried up to her. "Mom? What is it?"

A boy lay on the merry-go-round, his eyes empty and staring. Next to him, in the sand, was a little girl. They were dead. Buffy hugged Mom tight and pulled her away from the children, but she knew what Faith was thinking. The bodies were fresh. How could this happen only a few feet away from them, and they hadn't even noticed?

Well, actually, she knew why they hadn't noticed. Faith met Buffy's eyes behind her mom's back, and she knew exactly what she was thinking.

This was their fault.

*

To be continued, oh yes.