Act3

That very same night, Faith and Tara entered the ‘Holding the night’ about one hour after its opening. Many patrons were already there, leaning on the bar, sitting around the coffee tables lining the dance floor or already dancing around. Despite the muggy heat of the bar, Faith kept her leather jacket to be able to conceal the two short daggers at her belt. After glancing at the crowd, both friends marched resolutely toward the bar and looked for the waiter from the night before. Faith quickly became annoyed when she noticed he was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s our new friend?” she grumbled.

“Maybe it’s his day off?” Tara suggested. “Or he starts his day later?”

Faith looked around again then glanced at her watch with an annoyed look on her face.

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see,” she said, perching herself on a nearby stool.

Tara did the same and just like Faith, she started to search for any clue that her demonic assumption was right. Several silent minutes of watching passed before the bartender was free and came to take their orders. Like the night before, Faith ordered a beer and Tara a pineapple Malibu.

“Drinking while on duty?” the blonde smirked, once the drinks were in front of them.

“You did not know that Slayers can hold their drink much better than the average?”

“Is there anything that Slayers doesn’t have better than the average?” Tara asked with a smile.

“Hum…” Faith pretended to think about it. “Life expectancy?” she suggested after a brief pause.

Tara’s smile vanished from her face, as the implication of what Faith had just said, sank in. The Slayer shrugged and smirked in turn.

“Just kidding Tar, take it easy. Not planning to die any time soon.”

“It was stupid of me,” Tara apologized.

“Forget it, just kidding,” Faith insisted.

She swallowed a few mouthfuls of her beer while watching her surroundings in case the waiter might arrive. Tara just remained attentive as well without touching her drink, until she decided to take action, tired of seeing Faith fidgeting on her seat.

“Do you want me to ask the manager if he’s going to come tonight?” she suggested.

“Great idea,” Faith admitted.

Tara left her stool and walked away toward the other end of the bar where the manager was taking the orders of a group of young men. As Faith was watching the blonde waiting patiently for the owner to be done to be able to talk to him, she suddenly turned around just before a young man shyly tapped her shoulder. Surprised to see her turning to him even before he could draw her attention, he jumped a little to the brunette’s great amusement.

“Yeah?” she said casually while eying the young man from head to toes.

He was around her age or Tara’s, and rather good-looking, the Slayer decided, and on that conclusion, she put a charming smile on her lips and turned frankly to him.

“Hum, hey,” he greeted her, obviously embarrassed. “May I offer you a drink?” he finally asked after a short moment of thinking.

Faith grabbed her beer on the counter and waved it under his nose with a knowing smile.

“Already got one, but maybe when it’s empty!”

At first quite disconcerted, he smiled back when he understood that Faith just in fact accepted his offer. More at ease, he went closer and leaned against the bar near the brunette before holding out his hand to her.

“I’m Luke”

Faith slightly and briefly shook his hand.

“And I’m Faith,” she answered.

“Not fromhere?” Luke resumed. “Never seen you around before yesterday night. “

Faith could not help an amused chuckle.

“Looks like someone already noticed me yesterday!” she exclaimed with a frank irony.

“I guess I can’t pretend otherwise now,” Luke replied just before drinking a mouthful in his own glass. “You’re quite noticeable I must say,” he then quickly added.

“That’s right,” Faith confirmed, not embarrassed in the slightest.

Far from being impressed by the brunette’s total lack of modesty, Luke became bolder and sat on the stool Tara had deserted a little earlier.

“So, where are you from?” he insisted.

“Here and there,” Faith answered in an evasive tone.

This vague answer did not appear to discourage the young man.

“And what are you doing around here? New in town? Holidays? Visitingsome relative? “ 

“Not at all, I’m just passing through,”

“We all are,” he joked. “Just for a more or less long time.”

Faith did not answer and sipped at her beer.

“What about you? Coming here often? “ She asked after.

“I’ve grown up here if you’re asking where I’m from,” he said after wavering briefly. “And I come quite often to the ‘Holding’ if you’re asking if I hang around here often.”

Faith was about to answer something but she was interrupted by Tara’s return. The blonde came to stand beside the brunette with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring pointedly at Luke and his stool.

“He’s there,” she said without warning. “He’s unpacking stuff in the stockroom in the little street behind the bar”

“Who’s there?” asked Luke, a little abashed by Tara’s breaking into the conversation.

“Sorry handsome, “Faith answered. “Duty calls. See you later. “

Then, without giving him time to answer, the Slayer slid down her stool and followed Tara in the crowd toward the exit.

“Good call, Tar,” she complimented when she caught up with the blonde. “You’ve been efficient.”

“Thought it was YOUR job?” Tara grumbled.

“It is, so what?” Faith asked, surprised. “What do you think we’re doing right now?”

“I was looking for info, you were flirting,” Tara clarified, rather dryly.

Faith rolled her eyes and smirked.

“He was hitting on me,” she replied. “It’s not my fault if I’m hot and guys are all after me.”

It was Tara’s turn to roll her eyes but she refrained herself from commenting as both friends went out in the street. A few patrons were standing in front of the bar, some smoking cigarettes, others probably waiting for friends before going in.

“The manager told me to go on the left,” Tara said as she met Faith’s questioning gaze.

The girls went in said-direction and turned in the first street they found only a dozen feet away from there. Narrow and short, the street was a dead-end only nimbly lit by a single street lamp and where they recognized the waiter from the night before, throwing cardboard boxes into a bin near an opened door. Focused as he was on what he was doing, he did not notice the girls’ arrival, even when they stopped only three feet behind him.

“Hey,” Faith said coldly.

Surprised, he jumped sharply before turning round. He looked widely relieved when he saw them and raised his hand toward them in a greeting fashion.

“Hey,” he answered. “You startled me!”

He regained his composure, looked around and appeared to realize they could only be there for him. He took a half step toward them.

“What are you doing here?”

“We’ve been looking for you,” Faith replied in a neutral tone.

He smiled proudly at this, but Faith did not give him time to savor the moment.

“We’re here to talk about your demonic brotherhood.”

“My what?” he said, frowning at the Slayer.

“Your demonic brotherhood,” Faith repeated coldly. “You know, that demon you made a deal with and that you feed with innocent girls from time to time.”

The young man looked between Faith and Tara once or twice and burst out laughing.

“Is this a joke?” he exclaimed. “It’s…”

But Faith did not give him time to finish his sentence. She closed the distance between them, grabbed his collar and pinned him without care to the dustbin behind him.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” she said in such a threatening tone that she could feel the waiter nearly collapsing under her strong grip.

“N-No, you don’t,” he stammered, his eyes roaming around him frantically.

“Waiting for you demon friend to come and help you?” Faith mocked as she noticed. “How do you make him come? Do you have a code? A ritual? Or you need a new victim for him to come? What did he give you in exchange?”

The young man did not answer and tried to free himself from the Slayer, but she took quite some pleasure to show him how useless it was. She saw a glimmer of terror and surprise passing in his eyes when he realized how strong she was.

“I’m waiting for an answer,” Faith grumbled, pressing him a little harder against the bin.

“What are you talking about?” the waiter whispered, and again, he looked around him frantically.

“Stop it,” the brunette growled. “We know you sold your bride to a demonic brotherhood, we saw their symbol above your bar, we…”

“You’re crazy or what!” the young man exclaimed as he absorbed Faith’s words’ meaning. “I never sold Rebecca to anyone! You’re totally nuts!”

“Listen buddy,” Faith resumed dryly. “Either you tell us nicely how we can find your demon, or I’ll make you tell me in a not so nice way.”

“But I…”

“No buts,” Faith interrupted again. “Haven’t you noticed that we’re no ordinary girls? Feel my strength? I’ve got a lot of other skills too. And see Tara just behind?”

Saying this, she turned slightly to the blonde and released her grip a bit for the waiter to be able to bend toward Tara too.

“Show him Tara,” Faith ordered.

Tara opened then openly her palm to the waiter and conjured a small fireball. The young man’s eyes grew impossibly wide in surprise at the sight and the blonde closed her hand, which caused the flames to disappear. Faith grabbed the waiter firmly again immediately.

“Got it? Save your ‘it’s not me’ talk for someone else. We’re experts, we recognized the sign you’ve drawn and…”

“I swear I don’t understand a word of what you’re saying!” the young man screamed, suddenly overwhelmed by a true panic. “What’s your deal? You want to steal stuff in the storeroom? Take whatever you want but leave me alone!”

Faith rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him.

“Give up this crap!” she shouted in her turn. “Or you’ll be his next meal!”

“I don’t get a word!” he yelled again, which earned him a new slap on the top of his head.

Tara went closer then and watched the scene with interest.

“Faith…” she began in a low voice. “I think that..”

But she never got the chance to finish. A gust of wind as violent as unexpected pushed her violently against the wall behind her and she bit her lip as she choked on the words. The Slayer bit the dust as well and released her prey in the process before crashing in the opened door while the waiter hurt the wall near her then slided to the ground.

Faith was the first one to recover and to stand up. She did not need to look for what was responsible for this phenomenon. A high, stocky figure, with dark skin resembling burned earth, was standing in the middle of the dead-end. Faith immediately looked around for Tara and when she saw that the blonde was slowly standing, her eyes came back to the demon in front of her and a satisfied grin lit up her face.

“Here we are”

The demon produced some guttural growls that Faith considered to be not exactly friendly at first sight, and the monster confirmed that impression quickly as he rushed at her. His heavy footsteps echoed so loudly in the dead-end that the ground slightly shook and Faith imagined a second the whole crowd in the bar going out to see what was going on outside.

She dodged the attack, not as easily as expected as the demon’s briskness surprised her.

“Hey! Easy!” she protested. “We haven’t even been introduced yet!”

The demon growled loudly again and brought his huge arm down toward the Slayer’s head. The brunette rolled on her side.

“Hey, what a way to behave!”

She rolled on the other side to dodge a new blow and found herself on her behind with her legs stretched in front of her and she opened her arms in a dramatic gesture.

“No, seriously? No dramatic speech and all?” she asked in a mocking tone. “No threats?”

A new unhappy growl commented the Slayer’s questions and she shrugged:

“Really, nothing?”

From the other side of the place, Tara rolled her eyes and she thought it was time to step in:

“Faith, I don’t believe he can do any better,”

“Better than what?” the brunette asked, turning to her friend.

“Better than that,” Tara replied as the demon growled again while marching toward the Slayer.

Faith stood and sent her fist right in her opponent’s head after spinning on her side. Then she turned to the waiter who was still on the ground near the bar’s backdoor.

“How do you communicate with that thi…” she started, addressing him.

But she interrupted herself when she saw how the young man was looking between her and her enemy with a terrified gaze. She did not have time to question him any further as the demon attacked her again with a new loud, guttural cry, obviously meaning he had not liked the Slayer’s riposte at all. Faith rolled on the side once more, then swept her opponent’s wide legs with her own, but well-built as he was, he hardly staggered to the brunette’s great displeasure. Surprised by his resistance, the Slayer had to retreat hurriedly when the demon’s huge fist came crashing down strongly where the brunette’s head had been a few seconds earlier. She then found herself stuck in the corner of the dead-end, between two walls and the large dustbin where the waiter had been throwing cardboard boxes when they first arrived. Faith quickly weighted her situation up and was about to smash the container in with a kick to get herself free when Tara’s voice rang, getting the attention of Faith’s opponent, who turned around.

“Hey, simple-minded!” the blonde exclaimed in an unsteady voice. “Come and see over there!”

The witch raised her hand forward and created a new fireball, which definitely switched the demon’s attention to Tara. He had hardly took a step toward the blonde when Faith scrambled to her feet, seized her two daggers concealed in her jacket and jumped forward, driving both her weapons in the demon’s back up to the hilt. He stopped short, yelled a first time in pain, then a second time when Tara’s fireball came crashing on his chest, and finally fell heavily on the ground when Faith removed her daggers from his back. Both friends found themselves face to face and considered the demon’s body silently and attentively for a few seconds. When she was sure he was indeed dead, Faith looked up to Tara and gave her an annoyed grimace.

“Remember what we said?” she grumbled.

“I don’t; remind me,” Tara replied.

“You’re supposed to stick to the plan and not put yourself at risk? NEVER put yourself at risk?”

“You know, you could just say ‘Thanks for your help Tara’,” the blonde answered, ignoring the question.

“I’m a Slayer, I can cope,” Faith responded.

“Doesn’t mean you never need help,” Tara protested.

“I was about to get over it,” the brunette insisted.

“I have no doubt about that,” Tara gave in, slightly rolling her eyes.

“So, what are we doing about our new fr…” Faith started, but she interrupted herself when she saw that the waiter was not there anymore. “He’s scrammed!” she exclaimed, indignant.

“Well, he probably took advantage of the fact that you were yelling at me to clear off!” Tara smirked knowingly.

“I wasn’t yelling at you,” Faith protested.

She cleaned her daggers with an old handkerchief found in one of her jacket’s pockets, and hang them back at her belt.

“He must have come back to the bar to tell daddy,” Faith said. “Let’s go find him.”

Saying this, she started to walk to leave the dead-end, Tara following close.

“You know, I think this poor waiter has nothing to do with our demon,” the blonde affirmed.

“Why are you saying that?” Faith asked. “It’s you who demonstrated that everything was against him.”

“Right,” Tara admitted. “But if you had seen how he looked when he saw the demon! I think he had never seen him in his life before, neither that one nor any other else for that matter.”

Faith pouted.

“And what about your great theory?”

“It wasn’t perfect.” the blonde remarked.

“But it wasn’t that bad either,” Faith resumed. “You were right, the demon was there. That symbol on the bar’s sign can’t be there only by chance.”

“Someone else might have suggested it to him?” Tara offered.

“But what about his fiancée?” Faith went on. “It can’t be a coincidence, all this crap is linked.”

“If he hadn’t cleared off, we could have asked him.”

“Yeah, let’s go back to the bar”

“I’d be surprised if he’s back there.”

“We’ll see,” Faith said as they turned at the corner of the street. “Anyway, we took care of the demon, that’s what matters most. Our little demon conjurer can wait for tomorrow.”

“Really, seeing how scared he looked, if it was him, I think he’ll never do it again.” Tara commented.

They crossed the remaining distance to the bar’s door and Faith pushed it without hesitation in front of a group of smokers who did not appear to have noticed anything particular.

The bar was even more crowded than when both girls had left half an hour earlier. Faith gazed around, looking for the waiter, but unsurprisingly, he was nowhere in sight. Both friends elbowed their way in up to bar, and settled in the first free space they found.

“Only two days after the murder and everyone is back,” Faith noticed.

“The Bronze was always full in Sunnydale,” Tara remarked.

“That’s right”

 

“So, you’re back ? “

 

Faith slightly jumped at this new voice and turned around to face Luke who was standing there with two drinks in his hands. He held one to Faith with a smile.

“I’ve ordered this just in case you’d be back,” he said.

Faith was slightly taken aback and hesitated briefly, then she shook her head and pointed to Tara beside her with her chin.

“I can’t accept anything and let my friend here dying of thirst,” she answered.

“Oh!” the young man exclaimed, a little embarrassed. “I’m verysorry. What do you want to drink?” he added, turning to Tara with a charming smile.

A not-so-telling grimace appeared on Tara’s face and she opened her mouth to answer but Faith interrupted.

“Pineapple Malibu,” the Slayer answered for her.

“Consider it’s done.” Luke said, already leaving toward the nearest waiter.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tara grumbled. “I thought we were supposed to find the waiter?”

“Forget about the waiter for the moment,” Faith replied casually. “We got rid of the demon, that’s what’s important. Everything else can wait for tomorrow, and until then, we’re gonna have some fun.”

She cast a glance toward Luke who was patiently waiting for his turn behind a laughing group of girls, then grabbed Tara’s wrist and dragged her behind her toward the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” Tara asked, trying as best as she could to resist the Slayer.

“Let’s go dancing,” Faith announced.

“I don’t know how to dance.” Tara protested.

“We don’t care,” Faith replied. “It’s full, no one will notice. And don’t tell me you never got to dance with the scoobies at the Bronze”

“I’m rather sure it has nothing to do with the way YOU dance.” Tara grumbled in a low voice, but Faith nevertheless heard.

“Stop being so grumpy,” Faith smirked. “A little fun can’t be bad.”

She pulled Tara – who looked quite impressed by the dancing crowd around them – against her, holding firmly her back with one hand, and gave in to the music, trying to take Tara with her. The blonde was not very at ease, but the Slayer found it amusing, and as she had announced, no one was paying attention to them, which encouraged Tara to try to follow Faith despite her obvious clumsiness. Just when the witch started to get a little more confident, the brunette suddenly released her and nearly ran toward the bar, after whispering quickly “don’t move, I’ll be back” in Tara’s ear. Slightly annoyed, the blonde looked at her friend meeting with Luke at the bar, the young man busy with their three drinks. Tara rolled her eyes and watched Faith chatting with the guy between two mouthfuls, before rushing back toward her as quickly as she had left. The Slayer pushed her way easily through the crowd and when she finally reached Tara, she held her the drink Luke had offered with a triumphant smile on her face.

“Drink,” she said, sipping in her own glass as she said so. “It’s hot in here!”

It was true and Tara was only too happy to take a sip as she was invited.

“T-thank you,” she stammered.

“In one go Tar,” Faith suggested. “The glass is going to burden you while you dance.”

Tara opened her mouth to answer but Faith interrupted her.

“In one go!” she insisted as she emptied her own glass. “Don’t you feel hot?”

Tara looked to waver again but a firm frown from the Slayer finally convinced her and she emptied her drink of Malibu in a few mouthfuls as she was instructed. A large, satisfied smile appeared then on Faith’s face. As soon as the drink was finished, she got rid of both their glasses, just leaving them on the nearest table behind them, not even noticing the people around said-table. She pulled Tara again behind her toward the center of the dance floor.

“Leaving your escort all by himself?” Tara giggled.

“Not for long,” Faith answered, while making the blonde turning with her. “But a girl must play hard to get. And I don’twant to leaveyoualone“

Tara welcomed the last part with a brief smile. Faith pulled her a little closer and the blonde relaxed.

“I’ve spotted a short blonde who can’t keep her eyes off you,” the Slayer whispered in her friend’s ear.

“She probably can’t take her eyes off YOU,” Tara replied absent-mindedly.

“What do you think?” Faith asked, not paying attention to what Tara had just said. “Ten o’clock after I make you turn another time.”

“Faith…” Tara said, exasperated.

“Ready?” Faith questioned, as she swung around, dragging Tara with her. “Ten o’clock, the blonde, half-long haired, with a red and black tee-shirt.”

As Faith insisted, Tara slightly looked up to follow her friend’s instructions. She hardly had time to look at the woman – who was indeed looking at her from head to toes and who gave her a fleeting smile when she noticed Tara watching toward her – when Faith asked:

“Cute, isn’t she?”

Tara shrugged and appeared to have nothing to answer.

“Admit it!” the brunette insisted. “Of course, she’s not as hot as I am, but for someone who isn’t me, she’s not too bad!”

Tara rolled her eyes but nevertheless nodded.

“She’s cute,” she admitted.

“So, are you going to talk to her or do you want me to do it for you?”

“What?” Tara choked. “I’m not going to talk to her, it’s not even a qu…”

Faith did not give her time to finish: she released her and took a step toward the blonde. Tara caught her wrist just in time.

“Faith! What are you doing?”

“You’ve just said you wouldn’t go,” she said casually. “So, I’m going for you!”

“It’s out of the question!” Tara ordered. “I…”

“Hey, remember what we’ve said: we’re going to find someone for you tonight”

“YOU’ve said that” Tara replied, insisting strongly on the word ‘you’.

“C’mon, Tar, relax. It’s just for one night, it’s not like I’m looking for the woman of your life!”

Faith did not notice the imperceptible change in Tara’s expression, but as Tara’s grip on her hand weakened, she read this as an authorization and got away from her friend toward the short blonde with a light smile. Tara remained stupid, not really knowing what to do or how to stand. She finally crossed her arms over her chest awkwardly while Faith talked with the cute girl. Her awkwardness grew incredibly higher when only two minutes later, Faith came back toward her, shortly followed by the blonde girl. The young woman held a drink to Tara as Faith slightly tapped her shoulder.

“Hey Tara, I’m Marina. I can offer you a gin tonic, but if you want something else, I can go and get what you want for you…” the newcomer said with a charming smile.

“I’m leaving you in good hands,” Faith breathed in her ear, nearly at the same time. “If you need me, I’ll be around. Have fun.”

And with that, the Slayer made her way back to the bar. Tara looked at her, lost her a moment in the crowd of the dancers before seeing her again as she appeared at the bar near Luke, who had been patiently waiting for her all this time, which earned him a large knowing smile from the brunette.

“Is this okay or do you want something else?”

Marina’s voice snapped her off her reverie and Tara turned from Faith and Luke to face the young woman who was still holding a glass of alcohol to her.

“It’s fine,” Tara said as she grabbed the drink with a half smile.

As to convince her new date she was telling the truth, she ended up swallowing the whole drink in one go, which earned her a surprised frown.

“Wow! You’re able to take your drink!” the other giggled. “I’m going to get you some more if you want!”

Then, she shyly grabbed Tara’s wrist to drag her toward a clearer spot of the dance floor and the witch did not display any sign of resistance.

From the bar, Faith observed them for a few seconds, and Luke did as well.

“So, your friend’s gay?” he asked after a moment.

Faith turned to him and arched an eyebrow.

“Is that a problem?” she asked, rather dryly.

“Oh, no, no, no,” he answered quickly, raising in hands in submission, having clearly picked up on the Slayer’s aggressive tone. “Absolutely not. I was just being curious.”

“Good,” Faith simply commented.

A brief uneasy silence followed before Luke resumed:

“But what about you? Are you gay too? Just wondering.” He hastily added.

Faith could not help smirking in front of a so awkward and obvious question but nevertheless answered.

“I’m not. Tara and I are just friends.”

Luke tried not to show his satisfaction too openly and nodded with a simple “Ok”.

“She’s kind of shy,” Faith thought best to explain with a hint of mischief. “So, I’m giving her a hand.”

“That’s really sweet of you!” Luke chuckled. “She’s lucky to have you.”

“That’s what I keep telling her!” Faith exclaimed, while raising her drink. “You’ll tell her when she comes back.”

“Absolutely.” He answered, before suddenly changing the subject. “So, where you two have gone earlier?”

Though she should have expected that question to come, Faith nearly choked on her drink. After swallowing long mouthfuls to give her time to make up a believable story, she finally gave up to find one and stood abruptly from her stool.

“C’mon,” she said, seizing Luke’s forearm.

She pulled him behind her up to the dance floor and he allowed her to drive him after hastily leaving his own glass on the counter.

If he had any intention of asking her again where she had gone, he did not have the opportunity. Faith hardly gave him time to breathe, quickly becoming excited with the music and the dancing crowd, and Luke had to devote all his energy to keeping her with him.

When the Slayer eventually left the dance floor again to come back to the bar, Luke had forgotten his question a long time ago and he was only too happy to follow her and to plop down on a stool beside Faith.

“Whoa! ” he exclaimed, gesturing to the bartender at the same time. “I can’t believe how you dance! What do you want to drink?”

Faith asked for another beer, and while Luke ordered their two drinks, she turned to the dance floor and looked for Tara. She caught a glimpse of the blonde on the other side of the dance floor, still holding a drink. Her friend turned to her at the same moment and their eyes met briefly.

“Looking for your friend?” Luke asked as he turned to her again, holding her a new drink. “She won’t get lost, you know.”

“I just hope she won’t drink too much,” Faith explained without thinking. “She’s not used to drink.”

Luke smiled to her as she turned again to him, and Faith could not help but finding him charming.

“It’s really sweet to take care of her this way,” he commented, and it drew a disgusted grimace out of the brunette. “How long have you known each other?” he resumed.

“A few months,”

“Only?” the young man asked with surprise. “You’d think you’ve been friends for like forever.”

Faith smirked and shrugged with indifference.

“Going back to the dance floor?” she offered, already standing.

Luke gazed at her with surprise, and then shook his head vehemently.

“I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing. “But I won’t be able to follow you again this time around, I give up!”

Faith pouted and appeared to waver about what to do next. She glanced once more toward Tara, and for a brief second, she thought about giving up her Adonis to go dance with the blonde. She finally gave up on that idea, not wanting to spoil Tara’s chance with her date, just as Luke resumed:

“So, tell me a little about you,” he asked hastily, obviously wishing Faith’s attention back to him. “What are you doing when you’re not dancing?”

Faith smirked again and just swallowed her drink in one shot. Luke looked a little surprised, but he pulled himself together quickly and gestured to the bartender to refill the brunette.

“And when you’re not drinking?” he added hesitantly.

“Oh, nothing terrible,” Faith answered ironically. “Slaying vampires here and there…”

Luke looked expectantly at her for a moment, waiting for her to laugh in his face and confirm she was joking. Seeing nothing was coming, he decided to act good-naturally.

“And when you’re not slaying vampires?” he asked carefully.

“You know, it takes a lot of time,” the Slayer answered, amused. “But I also travel around the country, doing casual jobs here and there” she added quickly.

“And how have you ended up here?”

“It was part of the ‘travelling around the country’ plan”

“Where are you coming from?”

“We left Cleveland last September”

“Great, “Luke exclaimed, with sincere enthusiasm. “You must have seen a lot of things! Which roads have you taken? Where do youthinkyou’ll go afterwards?”

 

Faith agreed willingly to tell him about their journey, even if avoiding carefully the too supernatural details of it. Luke looked really interested with her tale and the conversation between them went smoothly, so that Faith caught herself kind of liking him and started to wonder if enjoining Tara to find someone for the night had been such a brilliant idea.

While thinking about how she could organize the end of the night, she was talking about Montana and how they got lost in the mountains, when she suddenly fell silent and turned round to Luke’s surprise. In front of her, Tara had just arrived and was looking at her, glassy-eyed and looking really tired.

“Hey, you fine? “ Faith asked, immediately worried as she stared at her friend’s exhausted face. “What’s wrong? What d’you want?”

“I’d like to go home…” Tara whispered, staring into space, her voice somewhat unsteady, obviously drunk.

“Home?” Faith repeated and frowned. “What do you mean ‘Home’?”

“Anywhere with you,” Tara answered in the same tone, as she got closer to the Slayer and leant on the bar to support herself.

The brunette frowned a little more then finally nodded slowly.

“Okay, I see,” she said kindly. “I believe you need some rest and calm.”

She jumped at the bottom of her stool and slipped her arm round Tara’s waist to keep her standing. Then she turned to Luke and offered him an apologetic smile.

“Duty calls,” she said briefly. “Sorry to have to go. Thanks for the night, was nice. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

He waved at her, wanted to say something, but did not have time. Faith had already her back to him and was dragging Tara toward the exit.

“You’re blind drunk!” the Slayer smirked as her friend was staggering beside her. “By the way, what have you done of your cute blondie?”

“Don’t really know” Tara admitted, waving vaguely behind her, toward the dance floor. “I’m ashamed of

myself; she’s kept buying me drinks.”

“Get over it: her only goal was to get in your pants” Faith commented as she pushed open the front door of the bar.

They went outside and the fresh air of the night appeared to liven the witch up a little.

“I thought that was kind of the plan?” she remarked.

“What?”

“Getting in my pants.”

“True, but you shouldn’t have drink that much then,” Faith answered as they were going away in the street. “I bet you’ll fall down asleep as soon as we get to our room.”

“Dunno,” Tara said absent-mindedly while she relaxed a little bit more against Faith.

“Why?”

“I’m hungry”

“Oh!” The Slayer exclaimed, amused. “But I can’t blame you. I’m starving too.”

She stopped walking and looked around, as if looking for a solution. As an idea came, she resumed her stride in the street, resolutely this time.

“There’s a sort of pizzeria on our road back to the motel,” Faith explained. “We’ll get something as we get there.”

“Faith, it’s two in the morning,” Tara remarked. “It will be closed.”

“Open all night on Friday and Saturday nights!” the Slayer exclaimed triumphantly. “We’re gonna have our pizza!”

Half an hour later, Faith opened their motel’s room’s door, with indeed a box of pizza and a pack of beers in one hand, as she still helped Tara to stand with her other hand. After she struggled with the lock and finally opened the door, the blonde collapsed on the bed with her arms spread while the Slayer put pizza and beers on the coffee table by the window.

“You should eat before falling asleep, Tara,” Faith invited her. “Or I’ll eat everything myself.”

The threat was serious and believable enough for Tara to manage to stand up back and to come and settle cross-legged in front of Faith who was already cutting pieces of the pizza up. She held one for Tara with an opened beer.

“I thought I had already drunk enough?” the blonde remarked.

Faith just shrugged.

“Whatever. You’re not going anywhere else. And you don’t have a blonde to impress anymore.”

The reasoning appeared to bear fruit and Tara took the beer thankfully and clicked it lightly with Faith’s one.

“To us.” She said simply.

Faith just nodded approvingly and they both drank a full mouthful before starting with their piece of pizza.

Of course, Faith swallowed hers at lightning speed, but drunk as she was, Tara did not even notice or failed to comment on, as she usually did. The girls quickly ran out of pizza – Faith being responsible for the disappearance of much of it – and the brunette started to finish the remaining beers before going to bed, receiving help in this from a more and more drunken Tara.

“You can hold your drink better than I thought Tar”, Faith smirked, getting quite tipsy in her turn. “I think you even managed to get me drunk.”

“I haven’t done anything,” Tara protested, not sounding utterly convinced. “You’ve been the one to get me drunk for hours!”

“I would have stopped long ago if you had passed out!”

“Oh!” Tara exclaimed, faking indignation. “You indeed were trying to get me drunk!”

Saying this, she suddenly stood up and accusingly stretched out one of her finger toward Faith, who was still sitting cross-legged near the empty pizza box. But she acted too briskly considering her current condition, lost her balance and fell over backwards. Waving chaotically her arms about did not help her to regain her balance and to remain standing, and the blonde fell heavily on the bed behind her, which did not fail to trigger Faith’s hilarity. Tara pouted at first, then encouraged by her friend’s infectious good mood, she started to giggled as well. She tried to sit up but her head was spinning so badly that the effort needed to be able to sit appeared to be impossible to make. Faith watched her useless attempts for a moment, only able to laugh, before she finally calmed down and got up to come to her help.

“C’mon, miss ‘I-drink-too-much-malibu-and-i-can’t-deal’!” The Slayer said as she stretched out her hand.

“I can perfectly deal,” Tara protested without moving.

“Well, I saw that with cutie-blondie!” Faith smirked and stretched out her hand further.

“She was talking weird,” Tara tried to explain, slightly sitting up as she seized Faith’s offered hand.

The brunette giggled at this and lightly pulled on Tara’s arm to help her to stand up back. The blonde followed, but as soon as she was on her feet, she staggered again and fell backwards once more, dragging Faith – who had not let go off her yet – down in her fall. Both being drunk, none tried a single gesture to catch themselves, and Tara found herself lying on the still made bed with Faith half on top of her. The brunette Slayer could see the witch’s glassy eyes and smell her breath heady with alcohol. In other times and others circumstances, Faith just like Tara, would have quickly pulled away, embarrassed by such a closeness. But the circumstances being what they were, Faith did not want to move. She was staring at Tara’s lips, pursed in an innocent and frank smile as Faith had rarely seen her wear before. A little voice in her head was yelling that what she was about to do was a complete mistake and that she should gave up on that idea; but everything she had drunk since the beginning of the night along with repressed desires hidden under mountains of good reasons drowned that little voice. Then, giving in to her impulse and against any logic or coherent thinking, Faith kissed Tara. As her lips touched Tara’s with a wild passion, her hands seemed to completely stop obeying her and slipped under the witch’s long skirt. At first, Tara did not react, then when she finally realized what was happening, she pulled free from the kiss to weakly protest:

“Faith, what…”

But Faith hardly heard her and immediately took back possession of Tara’s lips fiercely, her hands pulling frantically the blonde’s skirt up along her thighs up to her hips.

“Faith…” Tara resumed weakly. “I…”

She wanted to sit up and tried to free herself from Faith’s embrace. But the Slayer kept her into place by the strength of her wrists and she moved one of her legs between the blonde’s ones while putting the other on her side, blocking any movement in the process. Tara’s mouth opened again to protest but the words died in her throat when she felt Faith pressing her leg against her while the brunette’s hands opened her shirt in nearly one only gesture. Tara’s breath caught in her chest in surprise when she felt the Slayer’s hot and strong hands sliding in her back, searching for the hook of her bra, while in the meantime, Faith plunged her face in Tara’s neck. The feeling of the brunette’s warm breath on her nape and of her fingers running on her breasts got the better of what was left of the blonde’s consciousness. Faith felt then the witch’s hands grabbing her neck to pull her closer and Tara’s body straightened under her as her lips searched the Slayer’s in her turn.

Faith felt as if her blood was boiling in her veins when Tara captured her lips with her own, kissing her with unexpected passion, biting, sucking on her lips without any inhibition left. Her fingers frantically finished to free Tara‘s chest, which she kneaded with both hands, not exactly being gentle or tender, but the blonde did not seem to notice her partner’s lack of softness. GrippingFaith’sdarklockswith one hand, Tara looked for the bottom of the Slayer’s tank top and pulled it up to her shoulders. The brunette agreed then to stop for a brief moment what she was doing to be able to get rid of her top while Tara was already searching awkwardly for Faith’s buckle with her free hand and finally managed to open it with great difficulty. Faith then unzipped her jeans herself and slipped them off before sliding her thigh again between Tara’s. The blonde quivered at the sensation of Faith’s naked skin against hers and her hands went down along the Slayer’s back. Faith shivered slightly in her turn when Tara slid her hands along her buttocks. This contact decided the brunette to remove Tara’s panties along her thighs. Tara moaned lowly in anticipation and gave up on Faith’s lips to tilt her head back and breathe deeply. Any air literally deserted her lungs when the Slayer slipped her strong fingers between her thighs. Faith did not try to play with Tara, or to keep her waiting. The blonde’s hands went up back to the Slayer’s hair that she clutched with the same strength her partner was using to force pleasure out of her.

There was nothing in that moment of the strange and subtle tenderness they sometimes shared. There was nothing in Faith of Willow’s heady and suave sensuality. There was nothing in Tara of her usual restraint and discretion. The world appeared to have suddenly jumped into the unknown, dragging the two friends along, in a swirl of emotions and feelings they had never imagined sharing.

And as Tara bit her upper lit in response to Faith’s caresses, the Slayer’s mind filled with other similar images of the blonde, felt the exhilarating desire the witch had once felt for someone who wasn’t her, so long ago and not so long ago at the same time. If she had been sober and more lucid, the Slayer probably would have realized how unique and peculiar this experience was. She probably would have understood that what she knew of the blonde in that instant, Tara knew just as much about her. That realization would probably have been too much for her to bear. Maybe she would have pushed the blonde away, despite her embrace becoming firmer, more comforting and desperate at the same time with each passing second. Maybe. But there was nothing of all this in that precise moment. Just the almost animal and common will to satisfy her own desire and her partner’s. As quickly and as good as possible. It had been such a long time. Far too long.