Date Night (8 page)

Faith smiled wistfully. She reached out and smoothed down a few of Buffy's errant golden locks. “You know I'd stay if I could, B. But Duty calls.”

The blonde remained silent and only nodded her understanding.

They two women stood up from the couch and slowly walked toward the front foyer. Silently, the dark-haired slayer pulled on her leather jacket and gathered her small duffel bag.

“Oh, by the way…I got you something.” Faith pulled out a small, carefully wrapped package from the inner pocket of her leather jacket and handed it to Buffy. “It's not a big deal,” she shrugged, “but don't open it until I'm gone, okay? I get embarrassed easily.”

The elder slayer looked down at the gift in her hands. “But I didn't get you anything…if I had known you were going to stop by…”

“Don't worry about it, Princess,” the raven-haired beauty winked. “Just seeing your smile was present enough.”

Buffy laughed. “Wow. If
that
wasn't ever a line.”

Faith smiled cheekily, but didn't respond.

“You should…visit more often,” Buffy noted. “As much as I like the phone calls and online chats…this…” she motioned between their bodies, “is better.”

Faith's mouth twisted into a small smile. “Then I guess we should make a habit of this, eh?”

The brunette woman leaned forward and gave the smaller slayer a gentle, almost chaste kiss on the lips. She righted herself and flashed a deeply dimpled grin. “Merry Christmas, B.”

Buffy readjusted the camera and stared into the tiny lens.

“Is that better?” she said out loud, not sure of exactly how loudly she was supposed to be talking.

“A little lower,” a voice called out through her computer speakers.

The blonde slayer chewed her bottom lip as she tried to readjust the webcam. She had no idea how any of this worked; it might as well have been magic as far as Buffy was concerned. “How about now?” she asked again.

“Little lower,” came the reply.

Buffy breathed out a small huff, but continued to move the camera's lens further south. “Good now?” she called.

“Perfect,” the voice responded.

The Californian sat down at the desk in the Scotland guest bedroom and smiled at Faith's mischievous grin in the small window on her laptop screen. She frowned when she saw the view from her own web device, however.

Buffy was in Scotland visiting Kennedy, Willow, and Giles for the New Years holiday. But even though she was on vacation in a different country, that didn't mean wanted a vacation from talking to the Boston slayer. Because of the international phone costs, she had gotten Dawn to give her a rudimentary lesson in using the webcam feature on her laptop.

“Why is my camera aimed at my boobs?” she complained.

Faith snickered. “Can you blame me?” she joked. “You gotta hot rack, Blondie.”

Buffy couldn't help but laugh herself, but she readjusted the camera so it once again was aimed at her face.

The Boston girl stuck out her full bottom lip. “Awww, B,” she whined from her remote location. “That's not fair.”

“If I have to look at your face, then you have to look at mine, too. It's only fair,” the Chosen One quipped.

Faith's mouth curved upward. “So if I show you mine, you'll show me yours?” she challenged.

Buffy's jaw dropped. “I, uh…that's not what I…”

The dark haired girl released an easy laugh that rattled through Buffy's laptop speakers. “I know, Princess. I'm just pullin' your leg.”

The blonde moved some files around on her computer desktop and her silver cuff knocked against the laptop's keyboard. When Faith had unexpectedly showed up at her front doorstep on Christmas Eve, she'd also brought along an unexpected gift. The bracelet itself was nothing out of the ordinary - a solid silver cuff that fit snugly around her wrist.

There was no design on the bracelet; it had just a smooth, polished surface. On the inside was an engraving, however. Ever since she'd received the gift, Buffy had worn the accessory everyday, even when her outfit didn't warrant any jewelry. The Californian had called to thank her sister-Slayer for the present as soon as she opened the gift, much to Faith's embarrassment. The brunette had tried to pawn it off as not being a big deal, but the cuff was just another example of how thoughtful the Boston slayer had become since her wilder, youthful days.

“So any big plans for New Years?” Buffy chatted easily. “It feels so weird talking to you when it's so late here, but only like dinner time where you are.”

Faith shrugged nonchalantly. “No big plans,” she admitted. “Probably will do a quick patrol on the Southside and then watch some re-runs of
Mr. Bean
on Public TV.”

Buffy giggled. “
Mr. Bean
? Isn't he that English guy that doesn't talk? He just makes weird noises?”

The Boston girl grinned. “Heck yeah. That dude is cool as shit. Used to watch marathons of that show when I was little. It's kinda tradition now to watch him on New Years.”

“You're not at all what I expected, Faith Lehane,” Buffy said, shaking her head and smiling.

“You keep sayin' that, B.” Faith leaned forward in her desk chair and peered into the webcam. She raised an eyebrow at her sister-Slayer. “What did you think I normally do on New Years Eve? Drink until my liver gives up? Pass out in strangers' beds?”

The blonde slayer made a face. “Stop it,” she chastised. “I'm not trying to start a fight. But you know how you portray yourself. Am I
entirely
to blame that I always assume the worst when it comes to you?”

The Boston girl laughed and leaned back. “Okay, you got me there.”

Buffy's mouth twisted. “Why
do
you always brag about stuff like that anyway?” she asked.

Faith sighed. “I've actually been thinking about that a lot lately,” she revealed. “I think maybe…maybe I was just always trying to impress you.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “And you thought telling me about your alcohol-inspired sexual conquests would impress me?”

“I was young and naïve, B,” the formerly rogue woman admitted with a shrug. “I didn't know how else to get on your radar. I never really had girl friends growing up, ya know? Just hung out with dudes who were into that kinda braggart stuff.”

Buffy nodded knowingly. “But why would you want to be on my radar in the first place?” she asked.

Faith grinned cheekily. “Well, you
are
the Chosen One,” she teased.

The blonde slayer made a face. “And you're a dork.”

“What are you guys doing for New Years?” the Boston girl asked, changing what was quickly becoming an uncomfortable subject for her. She didn't like to dwell much on she and Buffy's complicated past. “Big blow-out in Scotland tonight?”

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “Actually, there's a big party going on right now,” she admitted. “A bunch of the girls wanted a big party to celebrate the end of their first year as slayers. I think Dawn's taking full advantage of the legal drinking age over here, too.”

Faith looked mildly surprised. “Then why aren't you out there livin' it up, too?”

The Californian gave her sister-Slayer a shy smile. “Because I wanted to talk to you?”

Faith felt her heart flutter inside her chest. “You're all kindsa adorable, B,” the dark-haired girl chuckled. She paused and took a deep breath. “I-I wish we could have spent New Years together. I liked being with ya on Christmas, even if it was just for a little while.”

Buffy nodded. “Me too,” she admitted quietly.

“You got someone to kiss at midnight?” Faith asked in an equally quiet tone.

The blonde chewed on her bottom lip, and shook her head. Preston had made the trip over with her, insisting he wouldn't be apart from her their first New Years as a couple. Plus, he said he wanted to make up for the debacle that had been Christmas Eve.

At first Buffy balked, knowing how difficult it would be to explain why her closest friends lived in a Scottish castle, let alone why an army of young women lived there as well, but her boyfriend had been adamant. Buffy had failed to mention this to the Boston girl, however.

Moreover, her boyfriend thought she was just upstairs in the guestroom getting ready for the party, not chatting with the woman she had cheated on him with. Preston didn't know just how frequently she and Faith talked, or that she'd showed up at the house on Christmas Eve, and he certainly didn't know the context and content of their conversations.

The Californian knew she was being unfair to both her boyfriend as well as the Bostonian. But until she was faced with a situation that forced her to pick one over the other, she wasn't ready to make that choice. She certainly had feelings for her boyfriend, but she couldn't deny how the dark-haired girl made her feel. But Faith had never once mentioned she wanted a relationship with the blonde girl. For all the golden-haired slayer knew, Faith might just consider this as a fun way to spend her evenings and nothing more.

The Boston woman licked her full, generous lips. “I know it's not midnight here in Boston yet,” she noted in a raspy tone, “but that doesn't mean we can't start the New Year out right.”

Buffy felt her breath hitch in her throat. She coughed abruptly, clearing her airway. “Oh, really?” her voice cracked. “Wh-what do you have in mind?”

The corners of the dark-haired beauty's mouth curled up. “You. Me. Naked. Fun.”

Buffy made an uncomfortable noise in the back of her throat. The way Faith said the word “naked” made her involuntarily warm. The word by itself was innocent enough, but coming out of that twisted smile, it was anything but innocent.

The Californian glanced briefly at the clock in the corner of her laptop screen. It was just after 11:30pm, British time. As long as she made it down to the party before midnight, she wouldn't be missed, right?

“H-how do you propose we….” the blonde trailed off.

Faith grinned excitedly. “Holy shit, B,” she exclaimed. “I didn't think you'd actually take the bait.”

“So you were just bluffing?” Buffy asked, wildly embarrassed. She averted her eyes from the computer screen, unable to look at the brunette's taunting face.

Faith whistled lowly. “Hell no. Let's have some fun,” she whooped.

When Buffy returned her gaze to the computer screen, she nearly choked on her tongue. In just that short time she had kept her eyes turned away, the Boston girl had removed her top. She sat in front of the webcam wearing only a flimsy, lacy bra.

The dark-haired slayer gave the Chosen One a wide, dimpled grin. “As nice as you remembered?” Her hands cupped her well-proportioned breasts and she hefted them up slightly, causing her cleavage to become more pronounced.

Buffy's eyes bulged, and she unconsciously licked her lips. “They'd be a lot better if I was actually there,” she said, her words surprising even herself.

Faith smirked and dropped her hands from her chest. “Your turn, Princess,” she grinned lasciviously. “Show me what you got.”

The blonde woman glanced fleetingly at the closed bedroom door.

“Is it locked?” the Boston slayer asked, knowing exactly what her sister-Slayer was thinking.

Buffy nodded, still looking at the closed door. “Uh-huh,” she stated.

“Then what are you waitin' for, cutie?” the dangerous brunette purred.

The Chosen One took a deep breath, summoning her courage. It was just a top, she reasoned. Other women had seen her in far less - bathing suits, hanging clothes for gym class. And Faith had certainly seen her in much, much less. She grabbed the bottom hem of her sleeveless top and pulled it up her torso and off over her head.

“Lookin' good, Sunshine,” the Boston woman approved, her eyes roaming to appreciate the elder slayer's defined collarbone, perky bra-encased breasts, and taut abdomen. Seeing certainly wasn't as good as actually being there to kiss and lick and bite along all that exposed flesh, but the dark-haired slayer wasn't about to complain about the current view.

Sitting in just a skirt, underwear and bra, Buffy suddenly became nervous. Just how far was she going to let Faith take this? How far did
she
want to take this? The unstated answer frightened her sensibilities.

Faith's pouty lips pursed together. “You sure you're ready for this?” she asked.

“I'm not exactly sure what it is we're doing,” the California slayer stated.

“We're just having fun together,” Faith said with a sly wink. “Let me know if it gets to be too much for you, okay?”

Buffy didn't think the Boston girl was taunting her about her inexperience, so she didn't let herself be offended by the comment. It's not like she imagined that the younger slayer was more experienced at…at whatever they were about to do, either.

Buffy watched as Faith moved around slightly, her body becoming blurred and pixilated as the webcam tried to keep up with the motion of her body.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Buffy asked.

The picture of Faith's body came into focus again with no visible changes from before. It still appeared as though she sat with her bra and other clothes on. A wide grin broke out on the Boston slayer's face. “Had to take off my pants,” she announced. “Don't want my leathers gettin' ruined.”

“Ruined?” the blonde squeaked. “H-how would that happen?”

The brunette smirked into the camera. “You're so cute when you're trying to play innocent.”

“I
am
innocent!” the Californian insisted.

“Says the girl who boinks the undead in her spare time,” the formerly rogue slayer quipped, not unkindly.

“Hey,” Buffy protested. “Those were productive relationships for me. Well,” she countered, “at least Angel was.”

“No offense, cutie,” the brunette interjected, “but talkin' about your exes isn't how I imagined this goin' down.”

“Then what
did
you imagine?” Buffy replied, afraid of the response. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“Oh, my mind is a cavern full of all kindsa naughty thoughts with you playing the Lead Role,” the brunette practically growled.

“What happened to you being good for Christmas?” the blonde pointed out. Buffy fanned at her face. How had it gotten so cursedly warm in the guest bedroom?