Golly, I feel the need to apologize for whoever must go after me. Sometimes my muse gets an idea in her head and she won't let it go no matter how bizarre. I hope you can work with this.
Title: The One Where Everyone Has A Go
Author(s): Various
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: See first page
Chapter 11 – Choices
Buffy stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the dark haired Slayer. Her mind couldn’t process fast enough that it was actually Faith standing there in front of her. Faith who was supposed to be laying unconscious in a hospital, in a coma which Buffy had put her in four months earlier.
“Better close your mouth, B. Don’t want to catch flies with that,” Faith pointed to the blonde Slayer’s open jaw.
“How…when…how?” Buffy was having trouble forming complete sentences.
“Are you enrolled in an English class here, B, cause I don’t think it’s working out for you,” the rogue Slayer quipped, then, eased up a bit. “Just take a deep breath.”
“When did you wake up?” Buffy finally asked.
“About two months ago,” Faith explained. “I found myself in this underground lab. At first, I thought the place must be part of the Watcher’s Council, but I couldn’t figure out who the soldier boys were.”
Buffy listened intently as Faith relayed the events of the last two months.
“When I got stronger, the Commandos told me I was in a secret government institution. I thought they meant nut house and now, I’m pretty sure I was right. Some Professor check signed me out of the hospital. She thought it would be cool to incorporate a Slayer onto her team. And it was,” Faith’s eyes lit up. “They’ve got some freaking cool weapons, B. Way better than those stuffy British guys.”
“So, you work for them,” Buffy interrupted. Her defenses were back up and she once again began to distrust Faith.
“Don’t get your panties twisted, B,” Faith snapped. “I hung out for awhile and learned the ropes. They’re demon hunters like us. Only problem was, they wouldn’t let me slay anything. They wanted them all alive. I figured there must be a reason, so I started snooping around.”
“What did you find?” Buffy’s patience was wearing thin.
“They’re trying to create some half-breed soldier. Part human, part demon.”
“What for?” the blonde Slayer asked.
“Don’t know,” Faith shrugged her shoulders. “Soon as I got too close, they decided I was expendable. I got away from them last week, but I’ve been keeping tabs on them. That’s when I saw they had nabbed Red’s wolf boy.”
“Why the big disguise?”
“So I could keep my eyes on them without being caught. Plus, I knew Red would never come with me if she knew who I was,” Faith remembered her last encounter with the hacker threatening to kill the redhead with her knife.
The dark haired Slayer felt bad for all the terrible things she had done while working for the Mayor. After killing the Deputy Mayor, Faith’s life seemed to spiral even more out of control than it was before. Her intense jealousy of Buffy and her friends drove Faith into the arms of true evil, where she had lost her soul. When she awoke from the coma, she hoped to make amends for the things she had done wrong. Staying with the Commandos wasn’t going to do that. She was headed for another descent into Hell, but this time she was wise enough to recognize it before it was too late.
“Why didn’t you come to us right away?” Buffy still wasn’t convinced.
“Hello, stabbed me with a knife,” Faith said exasperated as Buffy flinched a bit.
“I think we should go see Giles,” Buffy reasoned.
“Okay,” Faith agreed. “But first, I think you and I should go back in there and get dog boy,” Faith’s dark brown eyes flared with excitement.
“You really are crazy,” Buffy shook her head.
“Now’s the perfect time, B. They won’t be expecting us back tonight. They’re out looking for us now. Come on, B. The good guy needs rescuing, that’s what we do.”
Buffy couldn’t argue with that logic. Oz was a good guy and if the place was as bad as Faith said she wanted to get him out of there quickly. Though she didn’t want to be around when Oz found out about Willow and Tara.
“Okay, we go back. But once Oz is safe, we’re going to see Giles. Agreed?” Buffy asked.
“Five by five,” Faith smiled.
*****
Willow and Tara walked hand in hand back to their dorm room. Both girls were quiet, replaying the evening’s earlier events in their heads.
Tara was so giddy, she had to resist the urge to skip as they walked down the hallway toward their dorm room.
She chose me. Willow chose me over Oz. Oh. My. God. We kissed again, for the second time. It was so perfect. She’s so beautiful and geez, I just want to touch her and show her how much I already love her. Do I dare hope she might feel the same way?Tara stole a quick glance at the redhead.
Goddess, she looks pale. Maybe she’s regretting her decision. Maybe she thinks she made a mistake.Willow released the blonde’s hand to fish their door key out of her front pocket. Her palm tingled from where she had held Tara’s hand a moment before. In fact, her whole body was tingling, but it was her mind that was racing a million miles a minute.
Wow, I can’t believe I just did that. I left my boyfriend to be with this girl. This stunningly beautiful girl who makes my heart want to leap out of my chest. I could drown in the blue depths of her eyes and…oh goddess…I just came out to my best friend. I’m in love with a girl.Willow looked at the blonde’s beautiful face and noted the slight frown.
She thinks I’m insane. I’ve just met her and already I’ve pressed my lips to hers twice. She must think I’m a total perv.Willow smiled shyly at Tara and pushed open the door. She stood aside to allow Tara to enter the room first. The blonde walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. Willow closed the door and walked over to sit opposite Tara, on her own bed. They sat in silence for a long moment before they both spoke at once.
“Willow, I…”
“Tara…”
They both laughed softly before Tara said, “You go ahead.”
“I was just thinking that this is all so bizarre,” Willow began.
Tara’s heart deflated.
“I mean we just met and then, we’re like all with the kissage,” Willow stood up and began to pace between the two beds. “I started college with a boyfriend and now I find myself kissing a female someone and it’s different. Not bad different, just odd different. Because bad different would mean it wasn’t good or that I didn’t like it or that it made me kinda sick, like when I eat too much chocolate, but odd different would be something I’ve never tried before, like skydiving cause you know, you gotta be crazy to jump out of a perfectly good plane…”
“Willow,” Tara halted the redhead’s pacing by placing her hand on Willow’s forearm. Willow felt the same tingling sensation from before. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“Sorry,” Willow blushed slightly and sat back down on her own bed.
“It’s okay if you were just curious. I understand.” Tara dipped her head a bit and let her golden hair fall in front of her face.
“Oh no,” Willow shook her head and kneeled on the floor in front of the blonde. She took Tara’s hands into her own. “I never had these kinds of feelings for anyone before, not even Oz, and it was all such a surprise. I feel a little strange about just leaving him, because he’s a nice guy and well…he’s Oz. Now, it’s just all fallen into place for me.”
“You should be w-with the person you love,” Tara looked into sparkling emerald eyes that smiled back at her.
“I am,” Willow cupped Tara’s face in her hands.
“You mean…” Tara allowed her heart to believe it was true.
“I mean. Okay?” Willow asked still smiling.
“Oh yes,” Tara ran her fingers through silky red locks, to rest on the back of Willow’s neck.
Tara slowly pulled the hacker towards her mouth. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Willow reveled in the softness of the blonde’s lips as she felt her body respond like it never had before. Tara’s touch electrified her, filling her with a passion she had not yet experienced.
Willow managed to stand, without breaking the kiss, and brought the blonde up to her feet as well. Her arms made their home around Tara’s waist as she pulled the blonde into a fully body embrace. Their forms melted together like a key unlocking all their secretly wished for desires.
The tip of Tara’s tongue painted across Willow’s bottom lip, seeking access. Willow opened her mouth and welcomed Tara to deepen the kiss. The blonde didn’t disappoint, as both women continued to explore the newly claimed territory.
*****
Buffy and Faith snuck back through the elaborate maze of tunnels in the Initiative. Buffy followed behind the dark haired Slayer, still skeptical, but glad to be helping Oz.
“How are we gonna get Oz out of here if he’s still all teen wolf?” Buffy asked.
“The drugs have probably worn off by now,” Faith relayed. “You might be more concerned about seeing him full monty.”
“Ewww,” Buffy certainly wasn’t interested in that. When they reached the main holding area, she grabbed a lap coat off the back of an empty chair.
When they arrived at Oz’s holding pen, the young man had indeed reverted back to his human form. He was crouched in a corner cowering, when the two Slayers appeared in front of the glass door of his cell. Faith pulled what looked like a credit card out of the pocket of her leather jacket. She slid the card through the electronic lock, next to the door, and the glass door opened immediately. Buffy rushed forward, holding out the lab coat to the young musician.
“Oz, you okay?” Buffy asked.
“Other than an extreme case of nakedness…yeah,” he put on the coat and buttoned it completely.
“Let’s motor,” Faith said agitated.
Oz looked at the dark haired Slayer. Without any facial expression or change in his voice inflection, he said, “I’m guessing that coma is history.”
“Yeah, can we do the reunion outside? Now!” Faith insisted.
The three left the complex undetected. On the outside, Oz thanked the two Slayers for saving him.
“I gotta go find Willow,” he said taking off towards the redhead’s dorm.
“Oh, you might want to…wait,” Buffy said too late as the young man was already fast on his way.
She exchanged a sly smile with Faith as they headed towards Giles apartment.
*****
Willow and Tara had moved their intense make-out session to Tara’s bed. Willow was lying on top of the slightly larger blonde, still kissing her passionately. Both women were still fully dressed, but their bodies were quickly reaching the point of overheating. As the minutes ticked away, hands became bolder and sought out new areas of exposed flesh.
Willow finally broke the kiss when the need for air in her lungs finally took precedent over the blonde’s luscious lips against her own. Tara took a deep breath.
“Goddess, Willow, no one’s ever kissed me like that before,” Tara continued to catch her breath.
“Better get used to it,” the redhead quirked an eyebrow. “Cause I’m gonna be kissing you like that all the time.”
Tara felt her heart beat feverishly inside her chest. She ran her fingertips along Willow’s brow, down her cheek and across her chin.
“You’re so beautiful,” Tara felt her heart swell with love.
Willow kissed her quickly and added, “Not as beautiful as you.”
The redhead shifted off to Tara’s side and rested her ear over Tara’s heart. She listened to the soft thumping, which sounded like music to her ears. Tara ran her fingers through Willow’s hair. After a few minutes, Willow lifted her head and looked into Tara’s eyes.
“Tell me about your family,” Willow said.
The blonde tried not to show the panic on her face.
Oh Goddess, my family. Why did she have to ask about them? Everything was going so perfect. I can’t tell her what they’re really like. All of the humiliation and pain and loneliness. She’ll never understand. How can I tell her the shame of our dark family secret? I can at least hide it until Parent’s Weekend. Then, she’ll know for sure. Will she still love me when she finds out my family are circus performers? Will it disgust her to know that my life up until now has been one city after another, under the Big Top tent? What should I say?My f-family,” Tara stuttered nervously. “They’re alright I guess.”
A knock at the door saved the blonde from any further revelations about her unusual home life. Willow sighed heavily as she extricated herself from the blonde’s embrace. She got up and opened the door.
“Oz,” she gasped.
“Hey,” he said.
TBC
*****
She's my everything!
by XWickedXWiccan » Thu Sep 19, 2002 2:21 pm 
......k...sorry but what is it with slayers and their really bad timing? *shakes head*
at: 9/20/02 10:24:58 pm
But... it's okay, you can use it.
