Ginger Snap

Had some problems with the chapter numbering--chapter four and five were the same, so I actually had one less chapter than I thought, and it was this whole thing. So, here's the real part seven. Sorry 'bout the mixup.

Chapter Seven

*

The merry-go-round in the kids' playground was covered in flowers and pictures of the dead children. The tiny flames of the guttering candles emphasized the dark night more than they illuminated the shrine. Buffy walked up to it after her patrol, studying the kids' faces. In the flickering candlelight, their eyes seemed to follow her, judging her, demanding why she hadn't saved them. She saw her mom's eyes there too, disappointed, bewildered, angry. Empty, when Buffy left her behind and refused to listen to her.

She glanced over when Faith walked out of the darkness to stand beside her. "Hi."

"Hey," Faith said.

Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith's neck and simply held her for a long moment. Some of the tension and pain of the evening melted away, and Buffy let out a long sigh, relaxing. "I love you," she murmured into Faith's shoulder.

"Love you too," Faith said. Buffy could hear the smile in her voice, as if Faith would never stop being amazed at hearing those words, or at saying them.

Buffy looked up into Faith's face, searching for a trace of that smile in her expression. Faith's dark eyes seemed very far away. "How are you?" she asked.

"I'm all right." Faith smoothed her hands down Buffy's back, one long stroke after another. Buffy sighed and settled into the touch. "I think I'm better than you right now."

They both looked over at the merry-go-round. Buffy leaned into Faith's body, meeting the dead children's eyes, getting the feeling again that the pictures were watching them. "You heard what happened at school today?"

"Yeah. Xander told me. I came looking for you..."

"Mom wanted me home straight after school." Buffy felt a touch of fury at the thought. She wouldn't let herself be controlled like that any more. She would be eeen een in a week, and she could make her own decisions. "God, Faith, I'm so sorry." She slid her hands up into Faith's hair, combing her fingers through the soft, loose strands. Faith dipped her head and kissed her, softly at first, then more hungrily. Buffy opened her mouth, accepting what Faith offered. It was easy to forget Mom when Faith's lips were so soft, her tongue exploring the sensitive places of Buffy's mouth. Buffy licked the tiny hollow in Faith's lower lip, then Faith caught her mouth again and nibbled and sucked her way across, then back again. Warmth flooded through Buffy's body, letting the fear and anger drain away, until there was nothing left but Faith's mouth, Faith's body, Faith's love.

"Mmm...Faith..."

"Yeah..."

"Let's go to your place."

Faith looked at her, one hand massaging small circles on her lower back. "Your mom okay with that?"

Buffy dropped her eyes. "Maybe I don't care if she is or not."

"Maybe I do."

Buffy felt the helpless anger breaking over her, threatening to drown her. "What does it matter to you? She's not your mother."

She knew the moment the words were out of her mouth that it was the wrong thing to say. Faith's hand stilled on her back. She hated it when anybody mentioned her family. She stared past Buffy, over her head.

"Faith, I just meant--" Buffy loosened her hold, wondering if Faith would leave now; if she'd just broken something before it had a chance to grow.

"Yeah. I know." Faith let go of her and pointed at the carousel covered in mementos. "Because she's fucking right, Buffy. About us distracting each other. We're supposed to be tracking down whoever did this, not copping a feel right in the middle of the crime scene and then ditching patrol because we wanna fuck."

Buffy bridled at Faith's emphasis on the word 'fuck', as if that's all it was. As if she wasn't risking so much to be with Faith--her entire social standing at school, her relationship with her mom--and yes, even the danger of getting caught up in each other while they were patrolling. "If you've got any leads, I'd love to hear them," she said. "I was in there today when they took Giles' books. I want to research. I want to patrol. But, as you remind me so often, that's not all there is to life. Faith, I want you, too."

"There's gotta be something we can do. Hunt a few vamps, see what they ." ." Faith threw up her arms. "We can't just--we can't just pretend it's all okay, B, because it's just fucking not!"

Buffy's shoulders slumped. Faith was feeling just as guilty as she was over the kids' deaths, and taking it worse. With Giles and Buffy both coaching her, Faith was becoming a better Slayer, but that meant she didn't see patrolling as only a game for her amusement anymore. Probably seeing Mom's reaction to finding the kids had made it worse, because she and Faith were starting to get closer. Faith had finally seen, up close and personal, what it was to be responsible for a death. Buffy walked over to a bench sitting near the merry-go-round and sat down, giving Faith some space.

"It's strange," she said, touching the nearest "Never Again!" sign. "People die in Sunnydale all the time. But I've never seen anything like this."

Faith shrugged. "They were kids. They never hurt anybody. It makes a difference."

Buffy gave a weak laugh. "And Mr. Sanderson from the bank had it coming?" She sighed. "My mom...said some things to me..." Buffy stopped, wondering whether to tell Faith she'd been forbidden to see her. "Some things about being the Slayer," she finished. "That it's fruitless." She waved at the shrine. "No fruit for Buffy."

Faith turned on her heel, pacing angrily. "She's wrong!" she said, nearly shouting, ignoring Buffy holding out a hand, inviting her to sit on the bench beside her.

"Is she?" Buffy asked. Faith grimaced and kept pacing. "Is Sunnydale any better than when you first came here, or since I did? I mean, we battle evil. But we don't really win. The bad keeps coming back and getting stronger. Like that kid in the story." Buffy gestured, trying to keep her train of thought from derailing. "The boy that stuck his finger in the duck."

Faith stopped pacing at that, her anger receding in an instant. Her grin flashed in the darkness. "Dike."

Buffy drew back, confused. "Like you're one to talk, Miss Really Black Pot?"

Faith stared at her in disbelief for a second and then burst out laughing. "B, tell me you learned to spell! Dike with an I, not a Y. It's another word for dam."

"Oh." Buffy felt her face going red. "Oh, okay, that story makes a lot more sense now."

Faith guffawed harder, bending over and wheezing with laughter. "I'd hate...to be the dyke...the boy tried to stick his finger in..."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Faith was holding her stomach, tears leaking out of her eyes. She stumbled over to the bench and sat down beside Buffy to support herself. "Fine, fine, laugh it up," Buffy said. "What I'm trying to say is that we never win."

Faith'sglesgles subsided and she leaned back, but she was still smiling. "We never win. Not completely. I know."

"Yeah." Buffy leaned back too, studying Faith out of the corner of her eyes, moving her leg slightly so that their knees touched. "But I still have to fight. And I still want to do other stuff, too."

Faith moved her knee, returning the pressure. Now they were nearly facing each other as they sat on the park bench. "At least with vamps, they just show up and we dust 'em. This cult thing--I'm sorry I freaked. You know I'm horny as hell."

Buffy smirked. "I know."

Faith's eyes darkened, and her grin grew. "I loved having my hand down your pants, B, you were so wet, I coulda just fingered you all night, getting your clit all hard for me. I woulda made you scream. I bet you got yourself off last night just thinkin' about it, hmm?"

Buffy quivered at Faith's words, remembering how long she'd tossed and turned in bed last night before giving in to her arousal. Already she could feel it again, her heart pounding faster at the memory. "Faith, you know we're trying. Giles even tried to turn on his computer. Willow's grounded, but she'll be back at it at school tomorrow..."

Faith's smile deepened. She lifted her leg and placed it over Buffy's thigh, placing her foot in Buffy's crotch. "So what you're saying is there's really nothing we can do tonight," she said, emphasizing her words with a quick press of her foot. "About the kids, I mean."

Buffy closed her eyes and nodded, concentrating on the back-and-forth movement of Faith's foot as she flexed her ankle. "That's right..." she said on a shaky breath.

"We're gonna keep fighting the good fight tomorrow?" Faith said, pressing again. Buffy lifted her hips into the pressure, rubbing her pussy as best she could against Faith's boot, which was now making small circles against the seam of her jeans.

"Fight. Yes. Tomorrow. Faith--"

"All right. And your mom's gonna be pissed."

"Uh-huh," Buffy said, not really paying attention to Faith's words anymore. "But tomorrow."

Faith sighed, and suddenly her boot was gone, and Buffy gasped at the loss. "Then I guess we're going to mine," she said, and she hauled Buffy off the bench and kissed her again, like a promise.


*

To be continued.