| Stories ~ Leave Comments ~ Links |  |
View Comments ~ Disclaimer ~ Email |
Witch's Faith
"Buffy?..... Buffy!?"
Willow's legs were weak with fear for her friend, and crushing guilt threatened to overwhelm her.
"No!" Buffy replied. "Nobody even saw your pal Faith. Or Elise for that matter. And so much for your spell! We slew half of them and the rest just ran–" The Slayer stopped in mid-sentence. Willow was crying uncontrollably.
Tara moved to Willow and held her. Willow must really have formed some kind of bond with Faith. It was a scary thought, but right now Willow just needed her support.
Willow melted into Tara's warm arms, crying with relief. Buffy and Faith were both safe!
Then Xander brought over the cardboard box that had been hidden under a bush. Willow looked inside, and at first she could not understand what it meant. Then she was hugging Tara all over again, laughing and crying at once. Tara didn't understand, but she couldn't help but laugh as well.
"Buffy, listen to me! Faith is a lot better now. You don't need to go after her!" Willow was exasperated, but she didn't have much credibility after all she had done, and the Slayer would not listen.
"She could have killed one of us last night. That's what she was after! What if she had killed Dawn? Or Tara?"
That did give Willow pause, but she continued."It won't happen again." As soon as she said the words, she knew that they wouldn't mean much coming from her. "Buffy, Faith and I did some bad things. But we were slaying! We were helping you! That's all she wants is to be a Slayer."
"Yeah, that and her own power. It's funny how when you were gone, vampire attacks went through the roof! Your little gang you were protecting did more damage than you could possibly have made up for slaying! And putting a spell on me... thanks, but I don't need that kind of help!"
Willow was taken aback. Whatever other motives she and Faith had had, she really had thought they were protecting Sunnydale with their plots. Willow wondered how much Faith knew about the trouble Elise's band was really causing. But Faith had made the right choice in the end. "Buffy, she didn't use the spell. The potion had to be lit on fire to work, and she didn't. She just left it for us to find." It suddenly occurred to her what the matches meant–Faith had been planning to use the potion right up to the end. But she hadn't gone through with it. That's what counted.
"I see. In other words, you ruined her plan, so she came up with a new one. She used your potion as a ploy to gain our trust." Buffy was furious. "That's not half as devious as some of the things that murderer has done!" Buffy realized there was just a little suspicion in her mind that Willow might still be in league with Faith even now. Damn, you Faith! This is what you are doing to us!
"What if you're wrong, Buffy? Remember once a upon a time when you used to give her a chance?"
"You mean back before she turned on me and showed her true colors?"
This was hopeless. "Faith is my friend," Willow said simply. "Especially after last night. If you kill her... I will never forgive you."
"Then I hope she gets the hell out of Sunnydale. I'm not giving her a second chance to harm Dawn or anyone else."
"I want to do it," said Willow.
Tara was surprised–last night, Willow had shown no interest in magic. But Willow herself had made this potion against Buffy. It made sense that she would want to destroy it herself. She nodded, took the pot out of the box, and stepped back. It would take a lot of energy to disrupt the spell, but she knew Willow could do it.
Willow concentrated, reached toward the pot resting on the kitchen table, and released a blinding flash of light. She and Tara were thrown against the walls, chairs and plates toppled all over the room, and bits of shrapnel rained down. A burned circle on the table was all that remained of the dangerous potion.
"I'm sorry! Are you all right?" Willow ran to Tara.
Tara had the wind knocked out of her and she'd have painful bruises from hitting the kitchen counter with her back. But she nodded. When she could speak, she hissed, "What's wrong with you, Willow!?"
"I don't... I just misjudged... I..."
"You've been doing other spells... Serious spells. Storing them up! That's why you wanted to do this, you wanted to expend all that energy! What were you thinking, Willow?! After you promised!"
"I'm sorry, Tara," said Willow, crying at the sound of her voice saying the same old words yet again. "I was afraid Buffy and Faith would hurt each other... Because of my potion... I couldn't let that happen..."
"You can't just fix everything with magic, Willow! That's what got us all into this battle in the first place!" Tara was crying now. Sometimes she couldn't even remember how Willow had been before her magic addiction.
Willow looked down at the floor. Tara was right, and Willow felt like shit.
"You don't have to sleep on the couch anymore, Willow." Tara did not mean to be cruel. But Willow's first thought was that, against all reason, Tara wanted her back in her bed again. Willow's longing for the witch flooded over her. But that wasn't Tara's meaning. "I'm leaving again." Tears flowed down Tara's cheeks. "I can't watch you do this to yourself. To all of us... I'm sorry."
The hotel manager rushed towards Willow as soon as she entered the lobby. "Mr. Reese, you must leave these premises at once, or I will call the police!"
Willow was speechless. Mr. Reese? Then she remembered the magic disguises she had created for herself and Faith here. Why call the police? Had Faith done something stupid and gotten the credit card canceled? Perhaps she had been unable to stay here.
Willow left without argument, looking up at their old windows with concern. She put a hand over her mouth. The windows were missing, covered with plastic. Faith must have trashed the place!
Willow felt sudden panic. She would never find Faith now! But Buffy would hunt her down–Buffy had the whole gang to help. Especially Spike, who thought he knew how to find Elise. That was an excellent lead, while Willow had no leads at all. And she had to get to Faith first! She had to warn Faith.
Day after day, as the Slayer hunted Faith and Elise, so did Willow. Willow went to all the places where she and Faith had met with Elise. No trace of anything. She went to Faith's old motel from years ago. Nothing. Meanwhile, Buffy was closing in on Elise. And Faith would be next.
Only Tara gave any heed to Willow's pleas that Faith should not be harmed. Tara promised Willow that she would try to get Faith and Buffy to talk if she could. Willow was grateful. Buffy was relying heavily on Tara now–Willow was still not permitted to come on patrol–and her opinion might have some weight with the Slayer. Buffy had even persuaded Tara to stay–leaving Willow on the couch still. Tara offered to trade with her sometimes, but Willow declined. She really didn't think she deserved better than the couch.
The two witches still cared about each other deeply, but things were very tense and awkward between them. Willow felt left out again–although she was glad to be free to search for Faith on her own. Tara felt hopeless in the face of Willow's problem with black magic. And they both wanted desperately to be together again. Seeing each other daily was a painful reminder of what they had lost. And they both blamed Willow, without seeing any way to change her. Even now that Willow admitted her problem, she still would not stop using–and abusing–black magic.
Every night, Tara looked sadly at the empty pillow beside her, sheer force of will preventing her from asking Willow to sleep with her. That would only encourage Willow's problem, which was a danger to both of them–to Dawn–to everyone. So Tara suffered her love in silence, and her fingers beneath the sheets took the place of Willow's warm tongue. She felt she would give anything for Willow to be herself again.
Willow, in turn, hoped and prayed each night that Tara would come to get her. But she knew Tara was right to stay away. Tara was so sweet and good. It seemed like years since they had been together. Willow tried to work through her problem by telling herself to be like Tara. But it didn't help. There was always something that she needed to do magic for. Lately, she was secretly using magic to search for Faith, and it was making her sleepless and ill. Tara knew Willow was doing some kind of black magic, but could not get Willow to stop–or even tell her what for.
And worst of all, Willow still loved Faith. It was no use telling herself that it had been a brief affair, purely physical, the result of weakness during a troubled time... Her love for Faith was as real as her love for Tara. And she was hiding it from Tara. How could she not tell Tara? But... how could she tell her?
Tara, however, knew Willow too well. She saw something in Willow's eyes when she spoke of Faith. Something that betrayed more the friendship. Something that made Tara cry secretly in her bedroom.
All of this perplexed and frustrated Dawn. Willow was back! She was sorry! Why couldn't things be the same again? The Slayer's sister began to reject the friendship of both witches. It was the only punishment she could deliver.
Willow returned to her car outside yet another graveyard, hopeless and afraid. The city was too big and Faith was too smart to be found, with or without magic. Willow was so tired, but she could not rest. The Oracle had predicted a Slayer's death, and it had been many days since she had seen Faith alive. She would not consider the possibility that Faith had been killed. She would keep searching.
Great. A parking ticket. The perfect day.
But it wasn't a ticket. The note on Willow's windshield contained only an address and the words, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
The blood drained from Willow's face. She sped away, her hands shaking on the wheel. She knew she would find Faith's body at that address.
"I can't believe you actually came." Faith and Willow stared at one another in the doorway of the Slayer's rented basement, emotions welling up.
"Faith, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Willow's voice shook. Faith had not taken her own life.
"Why?"
"Because Buffy's after you. Because I was worried... Because... I love you..."
Willow wanted to hug the Slayer but she didn't know Faith's feelings about her.
"Willow, I'm so sorry. I've done such shitty things to you... I said things... I turned you against your friends... I attacked Buffy... I can't believe you would still love me. I can't believe you ever did." But Faith saw in Willow's eyes that the witch did love her still.
"You don't hate me?" Willow's voice was very small.
Faith pulled Willow into an inescapable hug. She squeezed Willow so hard it hurt but it still wasn't tight enough for Willow. "Willow... I love you."
Willow wrapped her legs around the Slayer's waist and they embraced, tears of joy streaming down. She didn't know what amazed her more... Faith's love, or the fact that she was able to confess it.
"I'm so bad, Willow. So, so bad. I need your help to be good."
"Faith, you are good. You have always been good. And nobody has ever seen that. Not even you."
"You don't know how close I came to killing Buffy that night... I've been obsessed with her for so long. I wanted to hurt her so badly."
"Well, the obsession is mutual, I'm afraid. But you didn't kill her. You didn't even use the spell on her."
"I just couldn't kill her. And do you know why?"
"Why?
"Because of you. Not just because you wouldn't want me to, it's more than that. I couldn't because... if you had been me, you would want to–but you wouldn't do it. Because you're good. I wanted to be good worse than I wanted to hurt Buffy. I wanted to be like you."
"Oh, Faith... I'm not as good as you think. My black magic... I can't stop! Tara and Buffy don't trust me, and they're partly right. I keep hurting people, hurting myself, and I just can't stop. I want the power so bad!"
"I know. That's pretty much what I feel every day. But it's wrong, and... I'd rather be with you, and be good, than be powerful."
"Faith..." Willow was crying again. "Faith... me too!... Will you help me? Will you help me be strong?" The two girls understood each other when no one else on Earth could.
"I will if you will," said Faith. "I'm not sure either of us can change on our own. But we can help each other. You can make me strong and I can make you strong."
"Yes, Faith... always..."
The two moved to the bed to cuddle. Willow felt a nagging guilt: she wanted to be more like Tara, yet only Faith's love could make that happen. She saw no way around her feelings for both women. Now that she was reunited with her Faith, terrible heartbreak seemed to be looming inevitably. But for now, Willow just wanted Faith safe.
"Faith, promise me you'll stay in hiding. Buffy's after you and she's ready to kill you."
"I can't blame her. I won't stop patrolling, but I'll stay out of her way."
"Does Elise know you're here? Buffy's hunting her as well."
"No, I burned all my bridges with Elise's gang that night. I shot two of our vampires myself. And I made sure there were witnesses the second time. Probably wasn't too smart of me–I've heard Elise is still up to something, and I've been trying to meet with her to find out what–and stop her. But she won't meet me or even acknowledge when I try to send a message. She'll never trust me again."
"I suppose not. Buffy will get to her though if you don't. So what else have you been up to?"
"Well, besides slaying... I have a job."
"That's great, what are you doing?"
"It's... nothing much. Just a way to get paid for my strength. The pay's not bad." Faith seemed embarrassed.
"Faith? What is it? Come on, tell me!"
"I'm a gravedigger. Don't laugh!" But it was too late.
"Don't they have... machines for that?" Willow tried to control her giggles. A Slayer working in cemetery!
"The digger broke down. They can't afford to fix it. So it's just me and Mr. Shovel. I knew my way around so well, they gave me the job on the spot." Willow's laughter was contagious–soon Faith was laughing too.
Yet again, Faith felt happier than ever before in her life. Thanks, again, to Willow Rosenberg.
Willow bent close with a giggle and kissed the Slayer briefly on the lips. But days of pent-up lust would not let either girl stop there. Willow started to climb on top of Faith, but the look in the Slayer's eye and a sudden tension in the body beneath her warned her off. Willow nodded and lay back, allowing the Slayer to mount her instead. They kissed again, with passion, and Faith's hands explored Willow's body under her blouse.
"Faith..." said Willow with a sly smile, "would you like to fuck me?"
Faith winced slightly and spoke with tenderness. "I would like to make love to you." Then, expressing her tenderness in a manner more her style, she tore Willow's blouse apart with her teeth.
Somehow, not even Willow's socks survived this time.
Faith stripped herself as well, and began rubbing her wet vulva on Willow's hip.
"Faith, I want your wetness on me. Everywhere...." Willow had already noticed that the Slayer's tongue never went dry. Did the same hold true for other areas?
It did. Faith slid her pink folds over every inch of Willow's body, massaging her lover with thrusts of her hips. Eventually, Willow was wet and glistening, feeling the heat turn cool as Faith's love dried on her skin.
Faith placed her sex over Willow's mouth when she neared orgasm, but Willow wanted to see. "Sit up, Faith." The Slayer lifted herself a bit, and Willow was once again astonished by the breathtaking perfection of the Slayer's genitalia. She kissed the opening reverently and then switched to her fingers, moving slowly despite Faith's pleas, watching the slick flesh fold and slide under her fingertips. Finally, Willow's fingers found the shiny button of Faith's clitoris. Slow circles. Make it last. "Willow... Willow... Willow...!' Faith's orgasm made her cries turn to unintelligible grunts.
Soon Willow was bent over the side of the bed, her arms held tight to the mattress by Faith, and the Slayer's face was buried in her. Willow dug her fingers into the mattress so hard the sheet ripped.
It didn't occur to her until afterward that, in her mind, the mouth feasting upon her sensitive flesh from behind, the silky hair caressing her buttocks and the backs of her thighs... was Tara's.
Continue to Episode 9 – Caught.
Two days in a row, Willow went directly to the same basement apartment. Not to the library or the park as she had told her friends. Tara had only two theories: either it was Faith down there, or a dealer in black magic. She didn't know which scared her worse.
I would be grateful if you would give me your comments and rate my stories in my Guestbook, or email me. Reader responses will determine whether I publish more stories, and will help improve them! Thanks for reading!
| Stories ~ Leave Comments ~ Links | |
View Comments ~ Disclaimer ~ Email |
www.angelfire.com/grrl/wyndgyrl
