A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!! I'm glad that everyone seems to be fond of my Faith! I really enjoy writing her, so it means a lot that you guys like her!! There shouldn't be too much left in this story. I'm not big on the super long fics. Lol but I am going to be starting a new story very soon called "True Love", and I'm super excited about it so I hope you check it out once it's up!! Also don't forget about my Angel/That 70s Show crossover "Monsterfest"!! For now enjoy chapter 5 of Into The Light!!!
Chapter 5: Million Dollar Questions
"Oh come on Buffy!! Pleeeeaaaase!!" The teen's full lips formed a pout as she pleaded.
Buffy sighed "For the last time, no!"
"It's just not fair." Dawn crossed her arms and pouted.
"What's not fair, Dawnie?" The fiery-haired witch asked the girl she considered her own baby sister, as she approached her and stroked her hair.
"Dawn keeps begging me to tell her what happened between me and Spike last night." The blonde's eyes rolled in exasperation.
"Ooo I hate to say it, B, but I'm with the little girl on this one." Faith's eyes gleamed. She always enjoyed getting a rise out of her slayer counterpart.
"Hey! I am not a 'little girl'!" Dawn screeched in fury, setting a death glare on Faith.
The brunette slayer's hands rose in defense "Sorry sugar." Her attention turned to Buffy "Damn B, your little sis is scarier than you are."
Buffy couldn't help but smile in pride at her sister, before smirking devilishly "Yeah she's tough, until she comes across a spider. Then it's 'watch out hills, Dawn's coming, and she's running.'"
Dawn's large eyes rolled "Arachnophobia is a legitimate disease. You'll be sorry when a giant spider swallows me whole."
The elder sibling shrugged "Eh I might just send it a thank you card."
"You guys, maybe we shouldn't joke about giant beasty bugs, because in our world it could happen." Willow added with a weary look.
"Well if my annoying sister would just tell me what happened between her and Spike last night, I'd behave…well I'd try to at least."
"No." Was all she said in response.
"Ah come on, B, what's the big? Just tell us about all the kinky sex you had with Spike."
Willow and Dawn grimaced at Faith's words "Well, we don't need visual aids or anything. Just tell us, are you and Spike back together?"
Buffy looked on at the three sets of eyes that were staring her down, waiting for an answer with desperate anticipation.
"Uh…I don't know?" She wasn't sure exactly what she and Spike were now.
"You don't know? That's it? Lame." Dawn frowned at her sister.
Green eyes rolled "Yeah yeah. Now get your backpack and get to school. If your tardy again, I won't let you train with the slayers tonight."
She squeaked as she flipped her long, straight brown locks over her shoulder and marched off to class. Buffy smiled having averted her sister's endless questions.
"So B babe…you gonna dish now that it's just us big girls, what the hell happened with you and the vamp last night?"
So she had averted Dawn's inquiries but not Faith or Willow's "We kissed."
Faith scrunched up her nose "That's it? I figured after he came back from the land of the dead after saving the world and all, you'd of at least given him a quick romp in the sack."
Buffy grimaced "You never cease to surprise me with your class and elegance, Faith."
"Hey it may not be classy, but at least I know how to get the job done."
"I'll have you know I am very good at getting the job done." Buffy spoke through gritted teeth.
Once again Faith's hands went up in defense "Relax B, I'm sure you got the moves. I just want you to make use of 'em, that's all."
She sighed "Well, thank you for the advice Faith, but I don't think I can deal with your tutelage until I've had some coffee."
Buffy marched off to the kitchen, leaving Willow and Faith alone in the lavish living room. Sitting on the arm of one of the couches, Faith eyed Willow curiously. There was something about the witch that intrigued her.
"So Witchy Woman, how are things with the bossy gal, Kennedy?"
Willow stared at the other woman in shock. It wasn't common for Faith to just spark up a conversation with her like that, not to mention the use of the nickname.
"Uh…good?" She stammered a reply.
Faith chuckled "You're that sure hah?"
The redhead straightened out her blouse and huffed "Of course I'm sure. Kennedy is great, not that it's any of your business." Willow wasn't sure why this topic of conversation made her so jumpy. Perhaps it was that things weren't going all that great with her girlfriend, or perhaps it was because she was having a conversation with this woman in particular.
She nodded "Chill Red, I'm just asking."
Willow eyed her curiously "Why are you asking?"
Faith broke the momentary eye-lock, as her eyes traveled to the floor "Just lookin out for ya, Will. Your girl's been actin' weird the past couple days. Normally she's all bossy annoying, but she kinda seems like a ghost or something. She hasn't been bitching at all. So I just wondered if everything is cool between you."
Her words made Willow's mind race. It was true, Kennedy had been quiet since she arrived in Rome. Maybe something happened when they were apart. Maybe she had cheated. Willow was surprised at how little she seemed to care. The thought of her girlfriend cheating on her should make her sick, but why was it that the nervous knots in her stomach seemed to have nothing to do with that brunette?
As Buffy entered the large kitchen, she smiled at the sight before her. Spike stood in his typical black jeans and shirt, in front of the microwave.
"You know, it's like 7 a.m., you are allowed to have rumpled hair." She reached her hand up and messed up his perfectly slicked back platinum locks.
"Ey! Watch the do, woman!" He exclaimed, as he flattened his hair.
She giggled "You are such a girl about that damn hair."
He took a long sip of his freshly heated blood before smirking at her "I think you and I both know I'm far from bein' a girl, pet."
At the delicious smirk on his face, she felt a tingle through her entire body. Oh he definitely wasn't girl.
She poured coffee into a cup as she continued to tease him "Yeah okay, poetry-boy. Any nice sonnets you'd like read to me this morning?"
"Shove off, you love that I'm poetic." He slinked toward her with a grin "I am the only one who can make you weak in those beautiful knees of yours with just a few words, goldilocks."
She let out a giddy giggle, and he couldn't help but laugh in return.
"So what was the bit nagging you about earlier?" Spike asked as he took another drink of blood.
Buffy rolled her eyes "She was dying to know what happened between us last night."
"Why didn't you just tell her about the hot, sweaty shaggin' I gave you?" He pulled her to him tightly with a slight growl.
"There was no hot, sweaty shagging." She smiled up at him.
"Sorry, love. In my version there was." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.
"Spike, you just ate blood! There's still some on your lips, and I am not going on the liquid diet, if you know what I mean." She grimaced in disgust.
His sparkling blues rolled "Fine no kissing…on the lips anyway." He pulled her back to him and tilted her neck, laying a gentle kiss upon it. Angel rushed in and pulled them apart, throwing Spike against the wall.
"Buffy, are you okay?" The tall vampire asked in concern as he grasped her shoulders tightly.
She pushed him away from her "I'm fine. What the hell do you think you're doing, Angel?"
He looked confused "I thought…I thought he bit you."
"What? Why?"
Spike made his way over to the two of them as Angel's gaze went back and forth between the blondes.
"Well, his lips had blood on them, and they were on your neck. I just…" Seeing Buffy's unimpressed facial expression, he sighed "I'm sorry."
It was Buffy's turn to sigh "We need to talk."
She flashed an apologetic smile at Spike as she led Angel out of the Kitchen and into the empty library. Spike couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that shot through his undead body at the sight of his Buffy walking off with Angel. Though he supposed he couldn't really call her his Buffy. Captain Forehead had made that clear over the past year, constantly demeaning him and berating what he shared with Buffy, making it apparent that Buffy could never be his. "That's why Buffy never loved you. You're not me." The words his grandsire had spoken out still played in his head. Maybe he was right. In fact, he probably was right. She had undoubtedly lied to him when she spoke those three words he had waited ages to hear from her lips. The pompous sod was right about everything, but Spike intended to soak her in while he had the chance, for this upcoming battle would not be something he would survive, he just knew it.
Angel leaned against the massive marble desk as Buffy stood before him looking grave.
"I think we need to talk about Spike." She spoke resolutely.
His eyes met the Persian rug "Yeah okay." He relented.
She sighed heavily. Angel was her first love. She still cared for him, she always would, but over the years things had changed so much. She was a little girl when she loved him, innocent and naïve, but now she was a woman, strong and wise. Part of that was Spike. She wasn't sure what was happening between them, but she knew that her feelings for him were strong, but hurting Angel was just not something she wanted. It was all so confusing.
"Look, Spike and I have this huge history, and last night…" She was cut off by his words.
"I saw you two snuggled up on the balcony."
"Okay, so if you saw us together because of your incredibly creepy voyeurism, then why did you think he was attacking me this morning?" She asked in puzzlement.
He shrugged "I don't know. I guess it's just my instinct to protect you."
She smiled sadly "That's sweet, but I don't need protection. I'm not some weepy little girl. I'm the slayer. Well, the original one anyway, and I certainly don't need protection from Spike."
"I know…So…are you two…together?"
"That seems to be the million dollar question today. I honestly don't know if we're together or not, but I do know that he's in…"
"Your heart. I remember." He smiled sadly, remembering the night he gave her the amulet.
She took a seat next to him on the desk "You're in my heart too, Angel. You always will be, but things have changed so much. We're both different people. All that time apart altered things. Then me and Spike happened, and you weren't exactly pining over me. Your attention was focused on someone else."
"Cordy." Was his only response. It didn't even take him a moment to know exactly who Buffy referred to. He knew that just as much as he wasn't thinking of her when he looked into Cordelia's chocolate brown eyes, Buffy was not thinking of him when she stared into Spike's icy blue ones, no matter what he tried to claim with Spike. He knew they had both moved on, their hearts shifted to other people, He supposed he just always believed that one day they would shift back.
"Look, I don't know what's going to happen in the future, what with this epic battle we have to face, but I know that we'll get through it. I need you there. I can't win this war without you." She implored sincerely.
He smiled a small, accommodating smile "I'll be there."
"And I need you to be nice to Spike." She insisted.
His hands flew up "Whoa there, that's asking a lot. Fighting an apocalypse is one thing, but being nice to Captain Peroxide is just too much."
"Angel." Buffy said warningly.
His brown eyes rolled "Fine! I'll try to play nice, but just so you know, I hate that guy."
She chuckled "Duly noted."
As Willow sat in her room, she tried to focus on anything but long dark hair and the smell of leather, vanilla, and cinnamon. She was so not having these thoughts! This was the crazy killer slutbag, Faith, after all!
"For the love of Hecate, get a grip!" She chastised herself as the bedroom door opened, and an absent-minded Kennedy stumbled in muttering to herself.
"It's not there. I can't find it. Where can it be?" She babbled as Willow approached her.
"Hey good-lookin', whadya lose?" She asked in a bubbly manner. As long as she focused on Kennedy, all these Faithful thoughts would go away…She hoped.
Kennedy jumped, startled by Willow's presence "Oh…uh…my favorite axe. I can't find it." She stammered.
The redhead smiled "I'll do a locater spell if you need me to."
Something clicked in the brunette's brain "How exactly does a locater spell go?"
Meanwhile, a certain slayer was working off some tension in the training room, attacking the punching bag with immense force, when a certain vampire came up behind her.
"So who's the poor bloke got you out for bloody murder?" Spike asked as he took a seat on the bench behind her.
"Who says it's a bloke, blondie?" Faith asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
He grinned widely "Wow slayer, I didn't know you batted for the other team."
She scrunched up her nose as she took a seat next to him "I never got that expression. If you're a girl who likes other girls, then shouldn't it be battin' for the same team?"
He nodded "Ne'er thought of it like that. So…who's the bird?"
She laughed "There's no bird, English. I don't get attached to anyone, you know that."
"Ah so it's Red then." He spoke knowingly.
Faith scoffed "The witch? No way, man. You're way off."
"Riiiight. You've got it right bad for her, pet. You can't bloody well fool me."
She punched him in the arm "Cuz you sure as hell got it bad for B."
He nodded and smiled "Got that right. I'm a bleedin' Nancy boy when it comes to that woman."
"Where is Queen B?"
"Reckon still off with Captain Forehead." He answered stiffly.
"B off with Angel?" At his nod she gave a sympathetic look "Ouch that's gotta sting."
He shrugged "Nothin' I'm not used to."
Feeling incredible sympathy for this bizarrely sensitive vampire, Faith placed her arm around him and gently patted his back.
"It'll all turn out cool, ya crazy vamp." She assured.
As Buffy walked into the training room, her eyes bugged out. Seeing Faith sitting so close to her vampire brought up strange feelings of jealousy. Why did she feel like she had been here before?
She walked up to the twosome and cleared her throat.
Seeing the look of anger in Buffy's eyes, Faith removed her arm from Spike "Hey B. How's it hangin'?"
"Good." Her teeth clenched "How are you, Faith?"
"Five by five." She rose to her feet "But I got some place to be. Catch you to lovebirds later."
"Have a blast wearing red tonight!" Spike shouted to her with a wicked grin upon his face.
"Bite me, Blondie." Was all Faith said as she left the room.
Buffy wearily took the seat that the other slayer had just vacated "So you two seemed cozy."
Spike couldn't help but relish in her jealousy. She was so cute. "No worries, kitten. That bird's not interested in me, that's for sure."
She pouted "I was so not worried."
His arm snaked around her "It's okay, love. You're sexy when you jealous over me."
Her emerald eyes made a circular motion "Don't make me stake you!"
They both laughed for a moment before the atmosphere became serious "So how'd it go with the wanker?"
"Be nice." She instructed.
"Love, there's not a bloody chance in Hell of me being nice to that ponce."
"He said he'd be nice to you." She countered.
Spike scoffed "Course he did. He'd tell you anything you want to hear, pathetic sod."
She pushed him back and quickly straddled his lap "Spike, behave."
"If you want me to behave, I think you might be sitting the wrong way." He pressed her against the hardness in his jeans "But alright, I'll try to be nice to Captain Forehead, but just so you know, I hate that guy."
She laughed on the inside at how similar both vampires' words were. She ground her center against him teasingly "Maybe Angel's not the only one I can bend to my will." She smirked devilishly.
He groaned "You're playing with fire, Slayer."
"I guess I might just get burned." She leaned down and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth as he began to kiss her back hungrily. Unfortunately, she pulled away much too soon for his liking.
Buffy looked down into Spike's glorious eyes "You know, you are the only one who hasn't asked me if we're together."
He shrugged "Doesn't matter. Whether we say we're together now or not, it won't change anything. We've always been together, you and me, and we always will be. No matter what. Just want you to know that, love."
His voice seemed to trail off sadly to her, but she couldn't understand why. She simply smiled and attached her lips to his again. She wasn't sure what was going to happen in the future, but she was sure he was right. They had always been together, maybe not technically, but they were Buffy and Spike, connected by some unseen force, and for the first time in her life, she admitted to herself that she hoped that connection lasted forever.
"She has yet to acquire it, Master." The spindly demon chocked out nervously.
"It is irrelevant. There are more pressing tasks ahead of her. I will make her puny mind see the big picture. I will not allow my plans to be foiled." The large, yellow, horned demon spoke with immeasurable depth to his voice.
"Of course not, Master. The plan is in motion."
"Yes, and in mere days, the humans will not know what hit them."
To be continued…
A/N: Well, I hope you liked it!! Please review!!!