Disclaimer See Part 1
Send feedback to: k.w_jordan@yahoo.com
Visit me at: http://kw-jordan.livejournal.com/
Chapter Nine: Falling
Faith kissed her, and it was nothing like any of the others they had shared. There was something infinitely gentle in the way Faith's lips glided over hers, in the way Faith's tongue teased her lips apart. The fire and ice in her veins simultaneously cooled and melted. A slowly simmering desire crept in, soothing the cold heat that still pulsated in the bite mark at Buffy's neck, and it was in no way any tamer.
Buffy slipped her arms up behind Faith's back, smoothing her hands over the marks she'd left behind. Her fingers traced over a set of deep scratches, causing Faith to arch into her. Buffy swallowed the long, drawn out moan. The sound reverberated inside her head and her heart.
***
Faith broke the kiss, her left hand cupping Buffy's face. Her thumb traced over Buffy's cheekbone, causing her eyelids to flutter shut. Faith pressed a kiss to each eyelid. Then she reached behind her, prying Buffy's arms away from her back to slip out of Buffy's lap. Buffy groaned, annoyed.
Faith...please ?
Shhh, Faith whispered against her mouth, I'm not goin' anywhere.
Under Buffy's watchful gaze, Faith guided Buffy's thighs apart, settling between them on her knees. She shifted into a split, letting her bent knees spread as far as she could get them to go. Her hands caressed the length of Buffy's thighs, then she clasped her knees firmly, tugging Buffy's ass into her lap. She draped Buffy's legs over her hips and surged forward, capturing Buffy's lips with hers.
Buffy's legs encircled her and Faith could feel the faint undulations of Buffy's hips as she ground herself into Faith's abdomen. Faith slipped an arm between them, clamping her forearm across Buffy's pelvis to restrain her, and a subvocal growl filled the room. Faith's lips traveled down Buffy's chin, and then down the arch of her throat as Buffy tilted her head back. Her left hand followed a path up Buffy's thigh, and then between their bodies as Buffy gripped her hair.
Faith's fingers traveled across wet skin, slipping and sliding through a soaked patch of neatly groomed, dark brunette curls. Her mouth lavished attention on the long column of Buffy's throat, teasing her with her lips and tongue. Buffy was making soft, breathless noises of pleasure that sent shivers up Faith's spine. Then two things happened at once; Faith slid her fingers home inside Buffy's core, and she latched her mouth onto the bitemark, causing Buffy to bow up off of the bed.
Faith wrapped an arm around Buffy's back, holding her up as she sucked hard at the bite mark. It tasted of sex and blood, and something spicy that scorched Faith's senses. Finally, when she felt the walls quivering around her fingers in a way that was familiar, Faith drew back. She licked her lips, gazing down at the woman in her arms, and only now, did her fingers start to move inside her.
She knew the pace of her arm was maddeningly slow. She could see it in the way Buffy writhed against her, feel it in the way she shook, hear it in the broken pleas for more. Dipping her head, Faith lowered her mouth to Buffy's breast, breathing softly against a hard, dark pink nipple. Her tongue darted out, tentatively circling the areola, not quite touching the nipple just yet.
Faith , Buffy moaned breathlessly, Need more...
Faith had seen porn, and she'd fantasized about women, but she had no idea what she was doing here. It was almost enough to make her nervous, but for the woman reacting to every touch. Buffy's hands were fisted in her hair, her voice was rising with passion, and Faith's hand was drowning. She closed her eyes and finally took Buffy into her mouth, mimicking the things she did know.
Where Buffy's mouth had been punishing, Faith's was gentle. She pressed Buffy's nipple to the roof of her mouth, softly sucking. She switched breasts, pressing open mouthed kisses to the scattering of freckles that covered Buffy's upper chest as she passed. Brushing her lips against the stiff peak, Faith swirled her fingers inside Buffy, drawing a deep, lustful moan from her.
Yes, Buffy hissed.
Buffy's grip tightened on her hair, pulling her up. Faith followed Buffy's wordless request, being guided back to Buffy's mouth. They were kissing, and Buffy was coming in Faith's embrace. A foreign chasm deep inside Faith was tearing open, and she felt like she was falling into it.
***
Faith was still inside her when Buffy forced her eyes open again. Her body was draped over Buffy, one arm propped up next to the pillow under Buffy's head, her mouth pressed gently to Buffy's shoulder. The tears took Buffy by surprise, rolling silent and slow down Faith's cheek. Faith's eyes were closed, and Buffy was pretty sure she didn't even realize she was crying.
Gently, Buffy rolled them over, her body protesting the loss as Faith's fingers slipped from within her. She paused, kicking the long forgotten tray off of the bed. The clatter made Faith open her eyes, and her expression turned confused as she felt the wetness scattering across her face. Buffy caught her wrist in a loose grip and drew it up over their heads, hovering over Faith.
Lowering her head, Buffy closed her eyes and pressed her mouth to Faith's tensed jaw. Her tongue darted out, tasting the salty moisture. Flattening her tongue against Faith's skin, Buffy dragged it along the curve of Faith's face, gathering Faith's tears. Then she treated the other side of Faith's face to the same, and then she drew back, gazing at Faith with a question in her eyes.
Faith didn't respond verbally, but Buffy felt it all the same. They were touching all along the lengths of their bodies, their legs tangled together. Buffy could feel the tension drain out of the body beneath her, in the way that Faith's body turned softer, relaxing into the bed. Buffy had silently asked if she could return what Faith had given her, and Faith was consenting.
Buffy had already explored every inch of that body. She knew just where to touch Faith if she wanted to make her squirm, in more ways than one. She knew how hard to bite if she wanted to make Faith scream. She knew how deep her fingers could go, and how many could fit before it started to get painful. She knew how much it took to make Faith beg. She knew what Faith's voice sounded like when she was close, what she sounded like when her patience finally snapped.
She knew how softly Faith could sigh. She knew that indescribable noise Faith made whenever Buffy's tongue slid along the roof of her mouth. She knew the raspy, broken voice that would beg off after a fifth consecutive climax, asking Buffy to let her come down for a while. She knew the sleepy whine Faith's voice took on after the sixth. She knew the beguiling, dimpled smile and the whiskey on rocks tone of voice that would lead to Buffy begging and crying out Faith's name.
Faith's skin was like sun-warmed silk under her hands, draped over living steel. Her name on Faith's lips was like a benediction, and every cry a prayer. Buffy's hand slid down Faith's abdomen, soothing the trembling muscles, promising relief. Capturing Faith's mouth, Buffy lead her fingers where Faith needed her, and as velvet walls clung to her, Buffy felt herself falling.
***
It wasn't daylight anymore. Buffy had reluctantly raised the blinds and cracked the window a little more to let some fresh air in, for Faith's sake. The glow of the moon caressed taut, sweaty skin and highlighted muscles in motion, glinting off eyes that shined in the dark. Their hands coaxed the other's body to respond and then soothed, and their mouths relentlessly searched out one another.
***
Buffy was sleeping. Her body had finally given out. Faith lay next to her, very carefully not touching her. She didn't want to wake her up, knowing Buffy desperately needed the rest.
Even in sleep, Buffy's body was still so tense it made Faith ache. Her fingers twitched against the torn, twisted tan and white checkered sheet. Her eyes flickered agitatedly under her closed eyelids and lines of distress creased her forehead. Faith briefly wondered how much of it was due to the bite mark, and how much of it was the anguish being Called as a Slayer had caused for Buffy.
How would you like to be helpless again, Faith ? Buffy whispered darkly, Your arms bound in front of you, feeling their poison in your veins, keeping you from getting free?
Faith now knew Buffy. She understood what Buffy was, and Faith was nearly devastated by the reminder that neither of them was just a Slayer. It was exactly why Buffy had spared no expenses in taunting Faith throughout the day. She'd been driving that point home in a very painful way.
Buffy had every reason to feel just as alone as Faith did. They'd both been abandoned at one point or another by the people they needed. They both had to stand between the entire world and the darkness they lived in. Faith wanted to tell Buffy it didn't have to be that way, neither of them had to be alone anymore, but she knew it wouldn't work that easily. Just as Faith was terrified of needing someone, Buffy was as well, and it was now obvious Buffy's willpower was stronger.
It was with a distinct sense of surprise that Faith realized she didn't resent Willow and Xander anymore. She knew from personal experience it was a little easier to let yourself be dependant on someone who wasn't your equal. It wasn't as big a risk if they needed you more than you needed them. Buffy probably didn't look at it that way, but, then, Buffy actively tried not to be that way.
Faith figured maybe it had something to do with being a cheerleader. They had to be optimistic or some shit, or the coach revoked their privileges or whatever. She had a silent laugh over that, and decided that it worked for Buffy. She'd seen Buffy when she stopped caring, and it was scary shit.
Sometimes I really want to wrap my hands around your throat and clamp down. Buffy's fingers caressed her throat, and Faith worried for a minute that she was going to do it.
She thought it scared Buffy, too. Over the past sixteen or so hours, Faith had seen Buffy in the moments when she came down from her arousal. She was still almost coming out of her skin. Even in the grips of the Slayer's control, there were moments when Faith could taste Buffy's terror.
If I were to run off right now, would you stop me from becoming a monster? Could you?
Faith's eyes swept over Buffy, landing on the exposed wound at her neck. It was heavily bruised from Faith's mouth, and the sight brought a half smile to Faith's lips. It was healing, the waxy saliva from the Incubus was all but gone, and the skin was slowly knitting together. A wave of exhaustion followed the relief she felt, and Faith's eyes slowly drifted shut of their own accord.
***
Buffy's knees were burning from the near-constant friction against the carpet. Faith was on all fours beneath her. Buffy's forearm ached, but she still kept driving her fingers into Faith's wet heat. She sunk her teeth into a fresh bite mark again, then rested her forehead against Faith's sweaty, bloodstained shoulder. She felt the wet, velvety muscles convulsing around her fingers again, and she brought her lips to Faith's ear, gritting her teeth as she taunted her.
If I were to run off right now, would you stop me from becoming a monster? Could you?
Buffy woke up abruptly and she knew something was different. Her head ached, and the wound at her neck stung. She shifted around to see the clock and her entire body protested violently. Her back arched up off the bed and she rolled over, curling in on herself. Her hands clenched, balling the tattered fitted sheet in her fists and she bit back a cry of pain as her thighs brushed together.
Oh, God, She whimpered.
The room was pitch black, but to Buffy's eyes it was lit up like high noon. The night was silent, but she could hear the heartbeat and rhythmic breathing of the woman next to her. Her skin felt raw with the threads of the ruined sheet digging into her. The mattress was still damp, and the room reeked of sex and blood, and the overwhelming odor made Buffy's stomach churn with nausea.
Abruptly, Buffy remembered... everything . Panicking, she forced herself to roll up out of the bed, not once looking back at Faith. On trembling legs, Buffy stumbled away, nearly tripping over her discarded bathrobe. She snatched it up from the floor and frantically pulled it on, tying the belt tightly. Escaping her bedroom, Buffy headed down the hall to the bathroom.
Leaning heavily against the counter, Buffy stared at her reflection, wide-eyed. Aside from the massive hickey, the bite looked...normal. The wound was healing, and Buffy knew it was going to leave a scar, but she didn't care. Her legs almost gave out on her as relief threatened to drown her.
It was over. Movement caught Buffy's attention and her gaze lifted instinctively, catching sight of Faith. Faith faltered, hesitating in the doorway, and Buffy swallowed. Except, Buffy knew with a feeling that weighed heavily in her heart, that it would never really be over now.
Buffy now knew Faith. She'd always understood what Faith was. How could she not, when she was holding the same thing that controlled Faith inside? But she'd been trying so hard not to think about the woman inside the Slayer. To know her, Buffy would need her, and that terrified Buffy.
Faith , Buffy said hoarsely, barely audible over the still-running shower.
All better now, B? Her voice was even more strained.
Faith crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the doorframe. Buffy was intensely aware that Faith was still naked and she clenched her eyes shut, almost fearful. Her grip tightened on the counter until she heard something crack and the wood crumbled in her hands. She let go, allowing the pieces to fall to the floor, smiling bitterly at the sense of irony she felt at the sight.
I'm good, Buffy lied.
Faith didn't need to know that Buffy felt like her world was going to fall to pieces if Faith touched her again. Buffy tried to ignore the bleak knowledge in Faith's gaze. She wasn't doing too well on that front. They stared at each other, both painfully aware of the understanding between them.