The Vow

Disclaimer- All characters (apart from originals) are property of Joss Whedon, just taking them for a trip down my spiralled imagination...

The Vow: A take on “40 days and 40 nights” in the Buffy universe.

This is an AU fic with the following parameters.

1. Neither Faith or Buffy are Slayers
2. They both attend Sunnydale University
3. They have never met before now.


“Call me!” Another air head was ‘persuaded’ out of the room,

“Oh sure, sure.” The brunette nodded enthusiastically as she slammed the door. Another girl wandered out of the bathroom wrapped in towels and combing her black hair.

“Jesus another one Faith? We’ve been here like two weeks and that’s the seventh girl you’ve kicked out!” She sat down on Faith’s bed while working out a knot.

“What? It’s not my fault these girls like to experiment?” Her cocky grin shone, it was met with a sarcastic glare.

“They didn’t till you suggested it! I swear you’re trying to turn this entire fraternity.” The black haired girl strolled off into her room to dress.

“Well it’s not like they need much persuasion. Besides, I turned you without much resistance!” Faith jumped onto her bed and lay her hands behind her head. A voice replied from the other room.

“Faith, sweetie, I might be gay. But…how can I put this. You just don’t do anything for me.” She walked back in with a smile from ear to ear. Faith threw a pillow at her.

“You know you want some of this,” She gestured. The other girl walked to the bedside close to the brunette. She flipped her hair.

“I don’t think so. But I know you,” She pointed a finger that drew Faith’s attention. “Are itching for some of this.” She withdrew her finger and traced an invisible line from her chest to her stomach skipping over the mouth watering cleavage on the way.

Faith bit down on her tongue and turned away. “Steph, why you gotta do that?”

“Just because I like to see such a stud like you get worked up by someone else. Even if it is just a little.” She winked as she gathered her things for class.

“One of these days you’re going to do it and I will jump you. There’s only so much one person can take you know.” Grabbing her stuff she followed Steph out of the door to their classes.

“I don’t get you Faith. You get with all these different girls, why can’t you just stick with one? Don’t give me any macho bullshit, no one really cares how many of them you’ve banged.” Steph punched her friend on the arm when she didn’t reply.

“I don’t know man. I guess, I’m not really girlfriend material y’know. I used to be, but I’m just not anymore.” They both sat in their seats at the back of the lecture hall.

Steph leaned across and whispered so that the lecturer couldn’t see. “Why’s that?”

Through gritted teeth she replied, “I don’t really want to talk about this now ok,” About to insist, the two were hissed at to be quiet by three other students. Both the girls just stuck out their tongues while they took notes.

Later in the canteen Faith was being further accosted by her room mate. “Come on, tell me about it and I’ll drop it!” Faith shot her a sarcastic eyebrow.

“You’ll drop it?”

“I swear it. Come on Faith, what’s the deal?” Faith sighed out and readied herself to tell all to her.

“Back in high school there was one. Just one. Her name was Jo; we went out for at least two years. It was fun while it lasted.” Taking a bite of her sandwich Steph jumped in.

“Well if it was so fun, what happened??”

“Getting to it!”

“Ooh a flash back!”

“I was having a house party one weekend and it was in full swing, everyone had invited course mates or other friends and the house was packed! Jo was around somewhere filling my friends in with titbits of information that I’d rather she didn’t. It was only a few hours in and the alcohol was pumping, the atmosphere was fantastic. I was a little bummed out ‘cause I wasn’t the one she was spending her time with.

That’s what girl friends are supposed to do isn’t it? I know she had her friends too, and I didn’t want to smother her. But that was my party, mine and my high school buddies– she should have been there with me.

One of my buddy’s girl Alex had come over to talk to me. She looked at me like she’d seen a ghost. She put her hand on mine, her face was so pale and her eye’s so full of pity. She spoke, barely a whisper above the noise. She was telling me to follow her. I was lost, but she pulled on my shirt dragging me upstairs.

She stopped us both outside of my bedroom door. She told me she was sorry as she looked down covering her mouth with her hands. She wouldn’t look at me. And that’s when I heard it, noises in my room. Familiar noises. Jo was in there for sure, but there was another.

I placed my hand on the handle, as I walked in it felt like I was watching the whole thing on the tv, even me. I froze when I saw it. There were bodies on my bed, writhing and moaning. The blonde hair and tattoos of Jo were unmistakable. But there was someone else in that bed. They hadn’t heard me come in.”

Steph’s face was a mixture of shocked and intrigued. “Whoa. What the hell did you do?”

“Naturally I went berserk. I reached for the glass vase on my worktop and smashed it against the wall, the two ripped apart at the noise trying to cover themselves up. I was shouting at them,

“It’s a bit fucking late for that!! What the Hell do you think you are doing? With my girlfriend, in my bed??”

They stared back like rabbits in damn headlights. Jo screamed as I lifted my small table and threw it across the room. I just kept yelling,

“In my house! In my bed! You do this to me, in my bed!” The other girl was trying to speak to me “Get your things and go before I get REALLY angry!”

They slowly gathered their clothes and proceeded to put them on, the time was testing what little patience I had. She walked up to me, face to face.

“What makes you think you can come in here and stop this?” Her spite filled face soon faded as I grasped her throat with my hand.

“I’m only going to say this again. Get. Out.” She ripped my hand from her,

“Make me.” I saw Alex in the door way, her face was full of shock. I had never acted this way in front of her. I squatted and forced the girl up and over my shoulder. I marched out of my room in silence, but her shouts and screams drew attention to me. At the front door I threw her out onto the path.

“Come near me, this house or anyone I know again, and so help me God you’ll be whishing you never met that traitorous bitch upstairs.” I slammed the door and locked it; I heard her banging on the door to be let back in.

Alex was in front of me panicked, “Faith, I really didn’t mean it to be like this. I’m so sorry, please. Just stop, before you do something…” I stopped and cut her off.

“Oh like something stupid? What could I possibly do now that wouldn’t be considered stupid? Get out of my way.” My eyes were hollow; she saw it and backed down. I had never been like this in front of anyone. I couldn’t even be sure I wouldn’t hurt her now. I’d never seriously raised a hand to Alex, even when we played about I held back.

I ran up the stairs and into my room. Jo was there, frantically trying to put her clothes on. “You’re not even going to let me explain?”

“Explain? Explain what? Why you had to cheat on me? Why you had to do it here? Why you had to do this now? No I don’t think so!” She ran up to me, hanging onto my clothes she fell to her knees in tears.

“I didn’t mean to, it, it just happened,” I bit on my lip; she wasn’t going to have the liberty of seeing me cry.

“Get. Out.” She let go and covered her face with her hands.

“But, please. Please just stop – I, I love you,” The metaphorical coil in me snapped. I was grabbing anything and throwing it at the wall, glasses, plates, picture frames smashed against the wall and floor.

“Get. Out…Now.” She tried to speak again, and again I smashed a bottle. She ran from my room in fear, screaming, crying. I couldn’t care, I was hollow. I ran to my bed and threw off the covers. I ripped the sheets from the blanket and pillows and threw the remains out.”

Steph sat staring at Faith. “So because of all that, you screw about as much as you can?” The brunettes eyes shot open wide.

“What? No! I’m just saying I haven’t really had a girlfriend since then that’s all.” Faith sat playing with her food, staring at her alphabet soup she played with the letters with her fork.

“I can’t believe it, you’re still hung up on her aren’t you!” Steph slouched back in her chair with a self satisfied look on her face.

“Nah, it was ages ago. Why would she still bother me?” Faith looked down at her plate and realised what the letters said, she quickly scooped them up onto her fork.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that Lehane. You can’t hide from me, I’d find out one way or another.” She flicked a ball of paper at the girl across the table.

She sighed out. “Alright, ok, fine. You win, you happy now?” Met with another toothy grin she continued. “Yeah, she did me over pretty bad. I thought when I got here I’d get over her. But when it comes to the deed y’know, none of them are quite like her.” She pulled out her wallet, removing a photo she gently thumbed the face smiling back at her.

“Jesus Faith, I’d normally say you need to get laid, but this being you…Is that her?” Faith’s eyes snapped back up panicked.

“Huh, no! I mean, no it isn’t.” Steph nodded back at her.

“Uh huh. Yoink!!” She snapped up the photo and ran,

“What the fuck!! Steph get back here now!” Faith Leapt up after her. She chased her room mate out onto the grassy park outside. By the time she had ran out onto the common Steph was already half way up a tree.

“You get back down here now!”

“Well I’ll never fault your good taste Faith. She’s gorgeous. So if you’re over her, why do you keep a picture of her in your wallet??” Steph shouted down as she perched on a branch.

“You are so going to pay for this one Wiggins.” I stomped my foot on the tree in distain.



TBC ASAP