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Heart's Desire	By : PencilNeck Category: -Buffy the Vampire Slayer > FemmeSlash - Female/Female > Buffy/Faith Views: 9582 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter 17: Pictures Of You

Dawn walks to her office. HER office.
Complete with a fancy new title and an insignificantly small pay
raise.

She turns the handle and walks into
a tiny, grey room with a small turret window.
The sun forces needles of light through the layers of grime. But Dawn doesn�t see any of that.

She�s just basking.

She puts her box of personal things
down on the rickety desk. Leans gently
against it, feeling it give more than it should. Looking at the bare stone walls, imagining
the light and colour she�ll put there.

A head peeks in through the open
door. �Ms. Summers?�

�She�s not here. Try the training room�� Dawn roots through the box, looking for the
spray cleaner she�d put there.

�Er� This is the Translations D-Department,
right?� The voice sounds unsure. Shaky, but pleasant and warm.

�Yup!� Dawn turns, wanting to match the voice to a
face.

The young woman standing hesitantly
by the door� She�s pretty. Petite, but curvy in good places. Dirty blonde hair tinged by streaks of pink
and black. Wide blue eyes, and full lips
set in a lopsided smile. Dawn is struck
by it�

�Then you�re Ms. Summers�� She moves farther into the room. The light changes on her face and the mirage
slips away, leaving only a trace.

�Oh! Right!�
Dawn shakes her head, recovering.
�Duh. Just call me Dawn. It�ll save any future confusion.�

�Sure! Dawn��
She takes a few steps forward, pulling up her oversized sleeves to shake
Dawn�s outstretched hand. �I�m Emma. Emma Reeves.�

�Good to meet you, Emma.� Dawn smiles at her. �What can I do for you?�

�Actually, it�s the other way
around. I�m your new research
assistant.�

�Really? I get an assistant! That is so bonus!� Dawn�s feet shuffle around in a little happy
dance. She hears a soft shy giggle from
the other girl, and it�s so familiar.

�S-Sorry!� Emma mistakes the look on Dawn�s face. �Rule number one, don�t laugh at the
boss. Got it.�

�No, I�m sorry. You remind me of� someone.� Dawn really wants to reassure her. �And it�s OK to laugh at me. I�m a goof.�

�I don�t think you�re a goof.� Emma shifts nervously. �I think you�re b-brilliant.�

Dawn laughs loud and from the
belly. Replete with snorting and
everything. �It�s your first day. You don�t have to suck up yet!�

�I�m not sucking up� I begged them to transfer me here from Cleveland
so I could work with you.� Emma�s ears
turn reddish at the tips.

Dawn stops laughing.

�I didn�t mean to� Like I said, I�m a goof.� She realizes she�s being rude. �So tell me about you��

�I�ve been in Cleveland,
working with the team there. Before
that�� Emma sighs. �There�s not much to tell.�

�I�m sure that�s not true. Like, for instance� How�d you find out about� all this?� Dawn waves her long arms around, indicating
more than the small room.

�I got attacked. It was a demon, but at the time I thought it
was some thug on PCP. A-anyway, I
ran. He� It chased me. And then this group of girls comes out of
nowhere and kills it.� Emma smiles,
remembering the solid beat-down the demon received. �When it was done, and they noticed I was
still hanging around� we went for coffee.�
Emma shrugs.

�And they told you�
everything?� Dawn�s aghast. This is so against protocol. She needs to have a word with Cleveland.

�Not everything. But enough.
Demons. Hellmouth. Slayers.
And Watchers.�

�See? You have stories!�

�Not like yours.� Emma�s eyes briefly glimmer with what Dawn
can only describe as awe. It makes Dawn
a wee bit uncomfortable.

�So, Emma. Have you seen the whole operation yet?�

�Not yet. Giles wanted me to report to you��

�And now you have! See?
You�re doing great already!� Dawn
grins at her. �C�mon. I�ll give you the five pence tour.� She stands up, shaking the dust off her slim
legs.

�I thought it was euros now?� Emma follows her out of the office, and
through the maze of cubicles.

�Yeah. I know.
But the old money was� friendlier� somehow.� Dawn stops at the elevator.

�And strangely, I know exactly
w-what you mean.�

The doors open with a ding, and the
two girls walk in.

Emma�s voice filters through as the
doors are closing.

�So, who do I remind you of?�

***********************************************

Faith takes Kennedy through the
slow, delicate movements. The same moves
she learned from Angel. Concentrating on
the slight adjustments of her body, the careful deliberate breathing. It had helped her. Brought her a little focus. She doesn�t know the words for the feeling,
but she knows that it�s right to pass this gift along.

When they first started, Kennedy
was skeptical. She said that Faith
looked like a really tired mime. But
eventually, she realized how hard it was to keep her whole body in control. To keep her movements measured, her breathing
even. Finally, she understood what Faith
was trying to teach her. And she�d
gotten a lot better. She looked smooth,
and even graceful. She�d stopped
swearing when she made a mistake, and had even stopped arguing when Faith
corrected her form.

�We should go through it
again. You were a little twitchy.� Faith considers.

�Can�t. Plans.�
Kennedy shakes out her muscles.

�Hot date?� Faith grins.

�Right. That must be it.� Kennedy rolls her eyes, then grins back. �Don�t tell Willow!�

�Don�t tell me what?� Willow
pushes through the doors.

�She�s got a date!� Faith feigns shocks and disappointment.

�Is it that hussy, Satsu?� Willow
plays along, forcing her mouth to frown.
�I�ll rip out her sassy pigtails!�

�Why do you two always gang up on
me?� Kennedy punches Faith on the
arm. She turns to Willow, pouting. �I�m sorry, Will. You know you�re the only girl for me.�

�Promise to never do it
again.� Willow
can�t help but grin.

�I promise never to have a fake
date with anyone but you.� Seeing Willow�s
frown return, Kennedy backtracks. �I
mean� I won�t� UGH!�

Faith and Willow
laugh at her flustered groan, and raise their hands in a celebratory high
five.

�And that�� Faith puts her arms around her friend�s
shoulders. ��is why we gang up on you.�

�It�s how we bond.� Willow
fakes a solemn tone. A little light goes
on in her eyes, making them sparkle. She
smiles, wide and full of mischief.

�And what�s a little bondage
between friends?�

She turns for the door, putting as
much sex into her hips as she knows how.
Not bothering to look back at the two stunned slayers. They
deserved that. Mud-wrestling, my heinie.

***********************************************

�OK. I�ve dragged you through
almost every room in the place� except the�
Oh, you wanna go meet Xander at CC?�

�N-no thanks. I mean.
I�d love to meet your friends.
I�ve heard so much about them�
But I�m kinda wiped out.� Emma
smiles and dips her head, forcing a few strands of streaked hair to fall in
front of her face. She pushes it back
behind her ear with an apologetic giggle.

Dawn doesn�t gape. Doesn�t let herself see who she so
desperately wants to.

�Long day, huh.�

�Yeah. And a little overwhelming.� Emma shrugs her hunched shoulders. She covers her mouth with her sleeve, hiding
a little yawn.

�S�cool. I�ll walk you to your room.� Dawn gestures down a brightly lit hall. �This way�s faster, and there�s something I
really want to show you.�

Emma smiles her tilted smile. �Lead the way.�

They walk along the castle�s
twisting passageways. Dawn�s talking
with her hands as they walk, pointing out details in the ancient tapestries
that line the walls. Suddenly she stops,
taking Emma�s hand to get her attention.

�I found that one.� Dawn says softly, looking up at a towering
piece. She remembers that she has Emma�s
hand captive, and lets it go.

�She�s beautiful.� Emma gazes up at Dawn�s treasure. It�s a masterful work. Coloured threads carefully woven into the
delicate linen. Faded now, only a hint
of the richness left. But still it
demands her gaze. SHE demands it. The tall muscular woman, clad only in armour,
standing in the centre of the tapestry.
Filling it with her defiance as she holds the head of some unnamed
monster in her hand. The other raising a
sword in triumph. �Is she a slayer?�

�We think so.�

�Wow. It looks 12^th century. Maybe early 13^th.� Emma wants to reach out and touch it. But she knows better. �But it�s so far advanced from the art of
that period.�

�I know. The perspective, the detail.� Dawn sighs.
�It could be a Michelangelo, with all that shading work. If I could only�� Dawn frowns, and Emma fells like she�s lost
her.

�Did Michelangelo know how to
embroider?� Emma nudges Dawn with her
shoulder, trying to pull her out of the portrait�s spell. �Cos if so, that whole gay theory�s starting
to look pretty good.�

Dawn rewards her with a soft
laugh. She tears her eyes away from the
picture and its mysteries. �Oh
yeah. He was down with all the domestic arts. Embroidery, knitting, macram�.� It�s Emma�s turn to giggle.

�I bet he made beautiful pot
holders.� Emma�s laughter stilts her
words.

�And his monogram work is
legend.� Dawn adds her mirth to the mix,
and soon they�re gasping for breath.

�Oh� It�s not even that funny.� Dawn chokes out between breaths. �But I can�t�� She looks at Emma, and they both break out a
fresh batch of hysteria.

The vicious cycle continues for a
few moments. Dawn will calm herself,
whistling out her breaths, using her hands to physically push the giggles
down. Then she�ll hear a smothered
snort, and look up. And that fatal
mistake will send them both back into fits.

Eventually it passes, and both
girls get a grip on themselves.

�Ow. Cramping!�
Emma grabs her stomach, sucking in short breaths. �Ow��

�Are you OK?�

�Yeah. Just�
It�s been a while since I�ve had the giggles so bad, you know?� Emma bends forward, trying to work the knot
from her muscle.

�You have an excuse. You�re delirious from travel and lack of
sleep.� Dawn holds her aching
sides. �I�m obviously crazy.�

�Nuh-uh! I�m just brilliantly funny.� Emma smiles.
Then stops, cos her cheeks hurt too.

She flicks her eyes up to meet
Dawn�s. �Thank you. For showing me that. I-I��

�It�s nice to share it with someone
who sees what I do.� Dawn really means
that. �Most people don�t get it. They don�t see��

�It�s power.� Emma finishes the thought for her. �Or y-yours, for that matter. Right?�

�Me? I�m not.
I mean, Buffy� They�re slayers. And the Wiccas. They can do things� Me?
I�m definitely nothing special.�
A flustered Dawn stuffs her hands into her thick wool pants, trying to
find a place for her eyes to rest. Emma
forces them to land on her, to meet her gaze.
The illusion settles over Emma�s face like gauze, and it lulls
Dawn. Calms her like nothing else
can. She watches Emma speak with someone
else�s lips.

�No, you are.�

It�s too late by then. Too late to hear heavy wooden doors opening
and closing down the hall. The clack and
shuffle of heels and heavy boots coming toward them. Too late for Dawn to say anything, to warn
anyone, when she hears the high strangled word hit the stone walls.

Willow�s
soft voice, twisted and choking.

�Tara?�
- 16
- 17
- 18
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Heart's Desire