Finding Her Way Home
by rebelrsr
Chapter 18
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: Pretty much everything after the Gift.
A/N: Character thoughts are enclosed by **. Flashbacks are enclosed by //. Thanks to Zenithar and Zigpal for the beta and encouragement! I couldn't do it without you.
Archiving: By permission only.
A/N2: I'm mixing parts of S6 and S7 with very little regard to canon. For purposes of the fic, Dawn is over the age of consent *wink*.
The Slayer pulled Dawn closer. "Hang on, Dawnie. Where's the breaker box?"
"The what?"
"Fuck. OK." Faith led her young friend downstairs. When they were safely on the ground floor, she let go and stepped away. "Stay put, D. I'm gonna check on Blondie and see if there're candles or something in the kitchen." Before she could leave, however, someone started banging on the door. "Welcome back to good ol' Sunnydale," Faith bitched to herself. Enough time had passed for her enhanced vision to adjust to the dark. Working her way to the front door, she reached for the knob.
The door flew open before she could grab it. Wind whipped leaves and other debris into the house. "Faith, what's going on?" Even Dawn's powerful lungs had trouble overcoming the storm that raged outside.
"I don't know," the Slayer shouted back. She managed to get a hand on the door and slowly forced it closed. The silence that followed was broken by another series of loud thumps. "I ain't answering this time."
"We need to check on Tara," Dawn said.
Faith nodded before she remembered the teen couldn't see her. "Come on, then." Gripping an arm gently, she steered them toward the kitchen. Suddenly, the lights flickered on. "Man, I hate the Hellmouth."
Dawn giggled. "It makes things interesting."
Shaking her head and smiling at the teen's infectious laughter, the Slayer finally entered the kitchen. "Tara?"
"I'm fine, guys." The blonde stood in front of the microwave, a strange expression on her face.
Dawn catapulted across the space, wrapping the witch in a bear hug. "Please, please, please don't ever leave again. My sister is evil. You have to stay and take care of me."
"Fuck, D, laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?" Faith smirked at the scene. "And your sister isn't evil. She's too uptight for that."
"Faith!" Both brunettes laughed at the protest. "Did you guys notice anything besides the lights going out?"
"Thumping on the door and a nasty wind." Faith hopped up on the counter. "Something wrong with the microwave?" The witch was holding the power cord in her right hand.
"You could say that." She plugged the appliance back in. It roared to life and the lights blinked out. The microwave kept going and Faith heard the TV in the living room come on.
"B so owes us, T. This was supposed to be a big slumber party for three." Faith jumped off the counter, pulling a knife from the caddy. "I can't feel anything. Slayer senses say nothing's on the horizon."
The witch frowned. "I can't feel anything either." She closed her eyes and chanted. Blue light flared, coating the walls and ceiling. "This is bad. I just warded the room. Nothing magical should be able to get through." As if to taunt her, the small radio next to the sink blared music.
"Dawn, see if you can get in touch with Buffy." Tara handed Dawn her cell phone. "It's the first number in memory." She turned to the Slayer. "Can you check the rest of the house?"
Not at all comfortable with the idea, Faith nevertheless nodded. "Any idea what I'm looking for?"
Tara gave a half-smile. "Something evil?"
"Wow, thanks, T." The Slayer crept from the room, knife at the ready.
Noticing Dawn closing the phone, Tara asked, "Not working?'
"No."
"OK, Dawnie. Let's try to increase the strength on the warding. Do you remember the meditations we did last week? Relax and let me merge our auras."
The teen looked terrified but grabbed the older witch's hand and closed her eyes. Several minutes passed as she struggled to clear her mind and float in the inner dark. Sensing Dawn was finally ready, Tara touched the girl's aura and merged it with her own. It was an odd feeling, like being two people at the same time, but it gave the witch a power boost. She began the warding spell a second time.
"Dawn? Dawnie?" a voice crackled out of the still-playing radio.
Tara grunted as her student abruptly pulled from their link. "Mommy?"
The microwave exploded with a flash, glass covering the floor. Pale silver light overshadowed the blue glow from the earlier warding. Slowly, it began to take shape.
***
Faith moved through the hallway. The light from the TV ebbed and flickered with each scene change. No one was around, but the volume on the set blared in the empty room. The Slayer flicked the switch, but the screen didn't go dark. The remote didn't stop the images, either. Sudden lightening lit the room through the large bay window. Faith blinked, trying to see. When her vision cleared, she took an involuntary step back. Every piece of furniture hung upside down in the air. "Damn. I hate magic. What happened to normal vamps and shit?" she asked out loud. "What the fuck do you want?" No one answered, and the Slayer felt stupid.
"Whatever." She stalked through the room and climbed the stairs. Everything looked normal, and she smiled a bit at the utter mess in Dawn's room. Buffy's room was sterile, but Faith went in, praying her sister Slayer still kept the weapons chest in her closet. It was there, and she yanked out a short sword and a stake, dropping the kitchen knife on the bed.
One more room and then she could go check on the girls. As she stepped into the hallway, the lid of the chest snapped shut. Only Slayer reflexes kept her alive. Buffy's two-handed axe sliced through the air where her head had been. Rolling under the weapon, Faith got to her feet, sword in her right hand, stake in her left. The hallway was narrow, and the brunette cursed the lack of room. The heavy axe moved in unseen hands, forcing the Slayer back to avoid injury. She managed to block several of the swings before the short sword snapped in half.
Now Faith found herself really struggling to avoid the blade. It drove her back toward the stairs, and she knew she had to be careful. However, she miscalculated as she ducked a particularly nasty shot at her head. All her weight fell on the stair railing, and the wood pulled from the wall. The Slayer dropped toward the ground floor.
***
Willow had to bite back a cheer at the Slayer's husky words. "You sure, Baby?" She gazed into Buffy's eyes, trying to gauge her sincerity.
Her friend didn't reply verbally. Instead, she reached up, brushing the redhead's lips with her own. A sweet smile tilted her lips, and her hands slid slowly up to cup the witch's head.
"You are so beautiful, Buffy." Willow bent and kissed the girl below her. "I just don't want you to feel pressured. I know how you get with prophecies and all."
"You know what my first thought was when I heard Slayers and witches go together?" Willow had trouble following the conversation. Her body hummed with arousal, and she watched the blonde's lips move as she talked, imagining them pressed to her own.
"Will, you OK in there?" Laughter threaded the Slayer's voice.
"More than OK, Buffy." She pressed down into the blonde, groaning at the pressure it put on her swollen clit. "What was your thought?"
Breathing audibly after the redhead's grind, Buffy replied, "I was mad, because we wasted all those years." She stood, lifting her witch into her arms. "Do you believe that I want you, Will? That I'm not doing this because your parents expect it?" She met green eyes fearlessly. "I love you, Willow. I have for a long time."
"Oh. Um, OK."
Buffy grinned, seeing the return of the shy hacker from her sophomore year. "Breathe, Will." She laid her bundle on the bed. She desperately wanted this, but wasn't sure where to start.
Willow held out her hand, inviting the suddenly hesitant blonde to join her. When Buffy was stretched out next to her, the redhead looked at her seriously. "This isn't any different than being with a man, Baby. I may be missing a few pieces, but you should be familiar with their replacements. Do whatever you want. Explore, play, tease. This is our time, Buffy. We don't have to rush or do anything that makes you uncomfortable."
The blonde tried, really. But the Slayer broke down and giggled.
"Well, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting." Willow smiled at the carefree sound. "What's so funny?"
"We are." Buffy managed to stifle the laughter though she continued to smile. "It's been five years. I've lusted after you. You lusted after me. And we both dated how many other people? My God, Will. I could have had you and not Parker or Riley." She sobered and shuddered. *Or Spike.*
Willow responded to the change in mood. "My turn to ask...you OK in there?"
"Hmmm, yeah. Got a bit lost for a minute." She shook off the memory of the blond vampire. "I'm back now. Please, Will, I want you, and I have no idea what that means or what to do."
The redhead accepted the responsibility. "Shhh. Don't worry. I know what to do. Let me show you what your feelings mean." She rose up on her elbow and reached for Buffy's shirt with her other hand. Despite the fine tremor in the long fingers, she deftly unbuttoned the silk blouse, brushing the edges open before gazing at the Slayer's bra-encased breasts.
"Tell me if anything makes you uncomfortable or you don't like it." Willow reached underneath the Slayer and unhooked the bra. "Raise up a little, sweetie." Wide hazel eyes looked at her trustingly as Buffy did as requested. Seconds later, the witch gently stroked the pale skin of the blonde's breasts, circling, but not touching the nipples. Continuing the caresses, she slowly drew her mouth down Buffy's torso, licking and nipping the flesh. Her reward was the deep moan torn from the Slayer's throat and the suddenly heavier breathing.
"That's it, Baby. Relax and enjoy. You can trust me, Buffy. I'll never hurt you. Let go." She moved up the bed, replacing her fingers with her mouth, laving the hardened peaks with the flat of her tongue.
Small hands tangled in her hair, pressing her harder into the pale mounds. "Oh my God, Will."
"I'm doing OK so far?" Willow asked, before going back to her task.
"Do any better, Will, and I'm not going to last for whatever you do next." Buffy's voice cracked on the last word as the redhead bit gently on her right nipple.
Letting her voice slip up an octave, the witch asked with false innocence, "Then you don't want me to keep going?'
"Bitch." The word exploded from the writhing Slayer.
"Now, now. Be nice, or you won't get the prize." Willow flicked a fingernail at a nipple and smiled triumphantly at the hoarse shout from her lover. Deciding to move her teasing farther south, she worked to remove the blonde's pants and lingerie. This time, she didn't have to ask Buffy to help. Slim hips bucked up as soon as the zipper hit bottom, inviting the redhead to slide them down. The witch was quick to comply with the unspoken request. "Good girl. Are you ready, Sweetie?"
"Please, Will. Please. No more teasing." The Slayer's hips moved restlessly, seeking to ease the ache at the blonde's center.
"No more teasing," Willow agreed.