Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Summary: It's Halloween after the collapse of the Hellmouth, and Faith wants Buffy to finally enjoy the holiday without the usual chaos.

A/N: Written for the Halloween Minific Contest on Dylan's Yahoo Group.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, nor do I make money from them.

"C'mon, B!" Faith urged as she pulled the smaller slayer down the crowded street by her left arm, weaving in and out of the last- minute costume shoppers in the heart of L.A.

On any other occasion, Buffy would have spun around and flung Faith over her back to free herself from the ever-insistent girl, but she couldn't help but find her excitement rather endearing. It made her happy that the gang was finally starting to get back to a similar semblance of what their lives looked like before the collapse of Sunnydale. Watching Faith get excited over Halloween? It made Buffy smile, and had her completely distracted as to what they were actually doing.

"For fucks sake, B, the costume place closes in 20 minutes. If we don't get there like . . . 10 minutes ago, we're cuttin' holes in the bed sheets and going as ghosts, and you KNOW how Dead-boy hates it when I mess with his stuff. Now stop draggin' your feet or I'm gonna toss you over my shoulder and carry you the rest of the way."

Buffy couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that Faith's threats, though somewhat annoying, were completely empty. Faith would never hurt her. She had come too far in her rehabilitation and making amends to ever fall off the wagon and lose everyone's trust again. Finally being accepted as one of the Scoobies was something worth behaving over.

Only after dismissing Faith's idle threats did the words finally come across to Buffy. She stopped dead in her tracks, anchoring herself to the ground and thereby yanking Faith backwards and into her.

The thud that their heads made when they collided drew only a few glances from onlookers.

Faith groaned and shook her head back and forth to gain some sense.

"You wanna tell me why you just tried to give me a concussion, princess?"

Buffy winced as she rubbed her forehead, her eyes widening as her fingers grazed over a slight impression in her skin.

"Oh my god! Are these your TEETH MARKS on my forehead?" She asked in disbelief, fumbling through her purse for a mirror. When she opened it and checked herself out, she sighed dramatically. "Great. Now I have the mark of Dracula, the mark of Angel, and the mark of Faith. Anyone else feel like laying a claim on Planet Buffy?"

Faith chuckled at Buffy's reaction, but her annoyance returned after just a few short moments.

"Hey, I'm not the one who forgot how to walk here. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. It's pretty basic."

Buffy glared daggers at Faith as she tried unsuccessfully to rub the small indentations in her forehead away.

"For the record, I did not forget how to walk. I merely stopped all movements as a protest to what you're trying to drag me into."

Faith gave her a truly confused look.

"B . . . it's costumes, not brain surgery. Though I'm startin' to think you could maybe use a bit of the latter."

Buffy pretended to laugh along with Faith, then put on a serious face.

"Thanks for clearing that up, Fai. You're so wise. So wise, in fact, that I didn't think for a minute that you FORGOT that Halloween equals bad things happening to Buffy and her friends, thereby creating a reason solid enough that we NEVER CELEBRATE IT ANYMORE."

Faith grinned.

"Nah, I could never forget that, B. I always remember the things that make you guys act like pussies. Makes me feel all big and badass when I can flaunt them in your faces."

Buffy wanted to laugh at Faith's comment, but instead she suddenly felt very defensive of her and her friends.

"We are not . . . pussies . . . Faith," Buffy began, hesitating for a moment on the word she knew would make her blush, "we're simply smart enough to realize that after having bad luck on Halloween for the last, well, multiple years, it's time that we lock up the doors and stay inside this year. Safer for everyone. Besides Faith, I thought that you of all people would understand the desire to NOT have repeat performances of the horrors of her past."

She knew that it was probably going a step too far. It was never her intention to make Faith constantly feel like she needed to redeem and prove herself, but . . . she couldn't help it. It was some subconscious way of always remaining the `top slayer' in her own mind. Whatever it was, she knew that it was wrong and that she had to stop doing that if faith was ever really going to properly fit into the group.

Buffy watched as Faith smile turned into a frown, and then how a flash of hurt crossed her features before she put on her mask of indifference. The brunette dropped her hand from Buffy's and looked over her shoulder, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.

"Yeah, I got it, B. Loud and clear. Faith bad." She mumbled.

Instantly, Buffy felt horrible. The one thing Faith had ever showed true excitement for and she took it all away with a few simple words. She didn't want Faith to feel bad about herself. She wanted her to be happy, and just be . . . herself.

Before Faith could get her walls completely raised, Buffy grabbed her hand and stood in her line of vision, looking into dark brown eyes. She took a step closer so that Faith couldn't pull away.

"Hey, I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It's just . . . Halloween always gets me all on edge, and I snap a little when provoked. I'm just . . ." she squeezed the brunette's hand and looked deep into her eyes, ". . . I'm sorry, Fai. Really."

If it was anyone else, Faith would have written them off and walked away without letting them apologize. But this was Buffy. It was different. Buffy was the only person that she had ever loved. Yes, loved. From the day that she had come to Sunnydale, Faith had felt something for Buffy that she couldn't explain or understand. Hence why she had jumped sides soon as it had felt like Buffy had rejected her.

Only after sitting in prison alone day after day did she recognize the feeling as love. Her feelings were affirmed when she saw Buffy again for the first time in the cemetery in Sunnydale. The butterflies in her stomach and the quick beating of her heart was all that she needed to know for sure.

But then there was Spike. Faith wasn't an idiot; she could see that Buffy was somehow drawn to him. Maybe it was because he was there for her after she had died and come back. Whatever it was, Faith put her feelings on the back-burner and concentrated on the problem at hand.

After Sunnydale had fell and Spike was out of the picture, Faith had every intention of swooping in and `saving the girl' and making Buffy her own. But there was too much going on. Restructuring, rebuilding, and many other changes. In a show of true restraint, Faith decided to bide her time and wait until the time was right.

And now, with Buffy looking deep into her eyes, apologizing and trying to make things better, Faith had no choice but to fall into the emerald depths and forgive and forget.

In a flash, she let down her mask of indifference and let a tiny smile creep up on her face.

"Well, I guess I am a bit of an instigator. What say we go and get costumes and then we call it even?"

Buffy frowned at the thought of donning a costume and the consequences that would ensue, but her frown turned into a smile when she saw the scheming look that Faith was giving her. The brunette already knew that she had won this round.

"Ohhh . . . fine. But I will not be a ghost, a demon, a devil, any type of animal, any type of serial killer, or Daphne girl from Scooby Doo. Too many people tell me we look alike, and all I need to do is find that I'm completely helpless and married to that Freddie Prinze loser."

"Deal." Faith agreed and flashed a victorious smile before pulling Buffy through the crowd again.

Neither one of them made a move to let go of one another's hand.

"No."

Buffy sighed and put down the Ninja outfit, then held up an Army outfit for Faith's approval.

"No."

In a last ditch effort, Buffy grinned as she held up a Superman costume.

"No. No, no, no." Faith said with passion as she stood up from the chair with her pirate costume wrapped carefully in a bag. "It's Halloween, B. The one night a year that you get to be someone that you're not. Have a little fun with it."

She casually browsed through the rack and handed Buffy a sexy Genie outfit and a French Maid outfit.

Buffy pouted. "Superman is . . . fun. And hey . . . nice and strong in case chaos ensues and we become our costumes again. I'll save the day . . . and I'll get to change back to my nerdy alter-ego in a snazzy little phone booth. Who wouldn't love that?"

Faith groaned, then faced Buffy with a serious look on her face.

"You will not be Superman. You will not be a Ninja. You will not be the Terminator, a Roman Warrior, and you will not be Xena." Faith paused for a moment, then smirked and waggled her eyebrows at Buffy. "Although . . . you could always get the Xena outfit and prance around in it another time. In fact . . . hell, I'll even spring for it if that's the case."

Buffy completely blew off the obvious flirting there, still focused on wearing a costume that she was comfortable with. Faith went back to searching through the racks, trying her hardest to avoid Buffy's patented pout. She knew she'd give in if Buffy persisted with it long enough.

"But Faith, I don't wanna be the damsel in distress if something goes wrong. I can't risk it. Not with all of my friends around, and not with all the Junior Slayers." She waited for a few moments for Faith to respond, but the brunette wasn't giving her any attention at that point. "Faaaaaaaaith!"

Just then, Faith's eyes lit up as she came upon a particular costume on the rack. Grinning, she tossed it into Buffy's arms, loving the look of dread on the older girl's face.

"You don't need to worry about the others, cos I'm gonna take care of them B. Tonight? I'm a pirate, and you're my pirate maiden. Now pay for that and meet me outside, we gotta motor if we're gonna make it back in time for the Junior Slayers' party."

Buffy frowned as she glanced down at the outfit in her hands, consisting of a small skirt with rips and shreds all over it, a bandana, and a small ruffly tank-top with no room for imagination in it.

"So, things go wrong and my costume-induced superpower is heaving bosoms?" She asked, watching Faith walk out the store.

The brunette didn't take the time to look back over her shoulder, but she called out loud enough for Buffy to hear, "Aye, matey. Can't wait to get my hands on some genuine pirate booty."

Buffy chuckled at Faith's reply, then sighed and stomped off to the register with the costume in hand. There was no use in fighting Faith on this, so she might as well just bite the bullet and be the best damn pirate maiden that there ever was.

"And here I was, thinking that I'd have a unique costume." Xander said as he adjusted his eye-patch in the mirror behind Faith.

"Sorry Xan-man, I thought you were gonna be Cyclops or something." Faith answered, smiling at Xander and giving him a wink as she finished the last touches of her costume. "What do you think? Am I wicked hot or what?" she asked as she spun around and gave Xander the full view.

Xander checked her over and gave her a big thumbs up.

"I'd definitely plunder that booty."

Both Faith and Xander laughed and gave each other a high-five. Since they had left Sunnydale, the two had become thick as thieves. He was, in fact, the only one who knew how Faith felt about Buffy. He was happy to hold the secret for her, because he felt somewhat special that he was the only one she had confided in.

Of course, secrets of that magnitude are always a little hard to keep.

"So . . . tell me. Is tonight the night you're gonna reveal your undying love for your slayer love-bug?"

Faith shrugged. "Nah, I think she's pretty pissed that I'm making her dress up as a pirate maiden. Yunno, she was actually gonna get a superman costume?"

Xander chuckled. "Well, that's the Buffster for ya. Always wanting to keep everything safe and under her control. Can you blame her though? The last eight years of her life have been about protecting people. It's hard to slip out of that mode with the flip of a switch."

Faith pondered Xander's words. She knew that he was right, but it didn't mean that it was still impossible for the night to be fun and carefree. Grabbing her plastic sword and hat, she turned to him one last time before venturing out to head down to the party and to a hopefully scantily-clad Buffy.

"Wish me luck, Xan."

"Before you go, I offer you two bits of advice. One - if you hurt Buffy in any way, shape or form, you will not see next Halloween."

Faith chuckled. "Okay, I got it. And number two?"

Xander grinned. "Always pillage BEFORE you burn."

The two laughed again before Faith walked over to give him a hug and ruffled his hair.

"You . . . are a pirate genius, my friend."

And with that, she walked out the door and down the stairs to the party.

What Faith saw when she walked down the stairs was a bit more than a shock to her. Willow stood in her Alternate-universe "Vampire Willow" digs and laughed as a roomful of demons and creatures hopped around the room and made a mess of the place.

"Holy fuck, B was right!" She said to herself as she peeked out from behind the corner, grumbling as she tossed her plastic sword to the side and cursing herself for not thinking to carry a real one.

Suddenly, it hit her that Buffy was lost somewhere in the chaos as a helpless pirate maiden. She frantically searched the room for Buffy and the others, hoping so much that everyone was okay. Guilt washed over her as she convinced herself that this was her fault for not letting Buffy choose the Superman costume.

Just as she was about to kick into panic-mode, she spotted Buffy across the room, hiding behind a large drapery and trying to remain unnoticed among the commotion. Taking her chances, Faith leaped into the chaos and darted across the room, making a straight line to Buffy.

When her way was blocked by a large group of demons that strangely weren't paying her much attention, she grabbed onto the chandelier and swung over them, landing on the table in front of Buffy. She hopped down and grabbed Buffy's hand, running with her out of the room and into a nearby closet without even explaining or saying a word.

Once inside, she closed the door and braced it shut with a coat rack that was in there.

"I thank you, kind ma'am, for coming to my rescue." Buffy said breathlessly. "I was afraid that I'd meet my end in there."

Faith tried to catch her breath, figuring out exactly what she was supposed to do next.

"Yeah, I, uhh . . . shit, I'm sorry, B. Never in a million fucking years did I think that you'd actually be right about Halloween. You must be cursed or something."

Buffy smiled softly, bringing her hand up to Faith's face and making her look into her eyes.

"Cursed, indeed. Years ago, I was promised by my father to the Dread Pirate Roberts. I always hoped that one day, my hero would come and rescue them from him. And here you are, having saved my life from those . . . creatures. I owe you a great debt."

Faith chuckled at Buffy's innocence as the pirate maiden. It made her want to hold the girl tight and protect her from all that was bad and wrong.

"Yeah, well . . . nothin' is needed. You woulda done the same if you were the Buffy I know and lo . . . umm, lost."

Buffy smiled a little more flirtatiously this time.

"But I do owe you a great debt, madam. This much is true. I don't have much to offer you. However . . . maybe I can be what this other Buffy that you speak of is to you."

Faith wasn't exactly sure what Buffy was going on about, but when she felt a small hand take hers and felt it being guided up the outside of Buffy's thigh, she was pretty sure what the girl was offering.

Faith closed her eyes and breathed hard as she felt Buffy lift one leg and wrap it around her back, the tattered skirt riding up even more, encouraging Faith's hand to drift further up her thigh.

"Is this how you want your Buffy?" Buffy whispered into Faith's ear, kissing it lightly as her warm breath tickled across it.

"Yeah." Faith breathed back, getting lost in the sensations that Buffy was creating all around her.

"Then this is how you shall have me." Buffy whispered back.

And as quickly as Faith had been pulled into the situation, she snapped right back out of it. Yes, she wanted Buffy in any way she could have her. But not like this; not when it wasn't really Buffy.

She opened her eyes and began to protest, but her words were instantly stopped when she felt Buffy's warm mouth descend on own, kissing her deep and hungrily. She couldn't help but yelp into the kiss a little being taken off guard so much, but she also couldn't help the way that her body instantly reacted to the kiss.

It was as if she couldn't stop herself; as if she was being drawn into the heat of the moment as well. Faith knew that it was probably wrong, but her brain wasn't functioning right now. Her body, that had wanted Buffy for so, so long, was now in charge.

Without thinking, Faith had backed Buffy against the wall and had pulled her other leg around her so that now Buffy was being pinned to the wall by Faith's body. Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith's neck and hung on tight, pressing her center against Faith's stomach and trying to get some friction.

Faith knew it was wrong . . . knew she shouldn't be taking advantage . . . but she just couldn't stop the way her body was reacting. Couldn't help the way that her hand slid from under Buffy's thigh into the front of her panties. Couldn't help the way that her breath caught in her throat when she felt how wet Buffy was for her.

And she definitely couldn't help the way that her fingers started to move of their own accord when she heard Buffy whisper, "Take me."

Faith slid her fingers tentatively between Buffy's wet folds at first, then started to rub her clit a little bit harder when she felt Buffy whimper into her mouth.

The loud sounds of the commotion just outside the door didn't phase either girl. All Faith could hear was the sound of Buffy's breathing and whimpers, and of the wet clicks that her fingers were making as they slid around Buffy's wet pussy.

"I need more of you," Buffy breathed, trying to wriggle herself onto Faith's fingers. Never one to reject such a request, Faith slid two of her fingers lower and into Buffy's dripping hole. Both girls moaned at the movement, Buffy clenching her eyes tight and wriggling as much as she could as Faith tried with all her strength to keep from dropping Buffy to the floor.

"Fuck . . . you feel so good." Faith said, loving the way Buffy's tight pussy clenched around her fingers, pulling her deeper and deeper inside with every thrust.

"Please . . . make me come." Buffy whimpered, moving her mouth back to Faith's and kissing her deep and hard again.

Faith swirled her tongue over and around Buffy's, basking in the sweet taste of Buffy's mouth. She could think of other places that she wanted to taste, but not right now. Right now, Buffy needed to come. And Faith was sure as hell gonna give that to her, because she wasn't quite sure that it would ever happen again.

Bending her knees just a bit, Faith let Buffy slide down the wall a few inches, enough to leave for the tiniest bit of space between them. She began to rub the side of Buffy's clit with her thumb as she kept her fingers buried deep inside her wet cunt, fucking her harder and a bit faster now.

Buffy began to squirm even more, arching her back and trying to press herself against Faith's hand. Faith responded by rubbing Buffy's clit a bit harder, covering her hand in the girls' wetness.

"I'm coming!" Buffy cried out and let her head rest back on the wall, gasping and moaning as Faith continued to fuck her nice and deep.

"Come for me, Buffy. I want you to come all over my hand." Faith whispered huskily into Buffy's ear, then began to suck and nibble at the skin just below it.

Buffy shook and trembled against Faith as she rode out her orgasm, her come flowing out of her and covering Faith's already sticky hand.

"Oh fuck . . . Fai," Buffy mumbled, going completely limp and resting her head on Faith's shoulder.

Faith stilled her fingers but kept them buried inside the other girl. She wasn't ready to end the moment yet. Didn't want to lose the feel of Buffy completely wrapped up against her, breathing heavy, whispering her name over and over again.

When she finally . . .

Wait, what? Why was Buffy saying her name over and over again? Pirate maiden Buffy didn't actually know her name.

Confused, Faith stood completely frozen for a few minutes, just holding Buffy and waiting for the roof to come crashing down on her. Unable to take the silence and uncertainty anymore, Faith finally pulled her head back and looked into sparkling green eyes.

"You . . . you called me Fai. Only my B calls me that. Wha . . . what . . ."

"I thank you very kindly," Buffy began with a grin, "for saving me from the evil creatures. And I thank you even more, Faith, for showing me the fun side of Halloween, and for letting me be someone else for a night."

Faith slowly let Buffy down, completely confused still as to what exactly was going on. Buffy readjusted herself, straightening out her clothes and fixing her hair, before leaning up and giving Faith a soft kiss on her lips. Just then, the grandfather clock in the large room began to strike 10:00.

Seeing Faith's confused look, Buffy giggled and opened the closet door an inch, encouraging Faith to look out.

Still completely lost, Faith peeked outside to see Willow smiling and trying to get everyone's attention.

"You have school tomorrow, girls, and it's just struck 10, so I bid you, Goddess, let this glamour end."

After Willow spoke, a large haze appeared around the room and the creatures and demons began to transform back to the Junior Slayers and the rest of the gang.

"And that is the last mystical spell I do for you girls! You wanted to know what it was like to be demons, and that was it. To bed now! Scoot!"

As the girls started to walk back to their rooms, Faith quickly closed the door so that they wouldn't see inside the closet.

She turned towards Buffy, a million thoughts crossing her mind, and tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So, the demons were . . ."

"The Junior Slayers. And Dawn too. She begged to be a part of it." Buffy answered.

"And you were . . ."

"Trying to be the best damn pirate maiden that I could be."

Faith cocked her head to the side.

"And you did this because . . ."

Buffy laughed. "Because I know how much you love Halloween, and Xander said that if I didn't push things forward, you'd be a pussy and never ever tell me how you really feel."

"So you . . ."

"Geez, Special Ed much, Faith?? Let me spell it out for you." Buffy walked up and pressed her body against Faith's, backing her up towards the wall. "I think you're wicked hot, Fai. And I wanted you. So I pulled the trick . . . and I got my treat."

She brushed her lips against Faith's, sucking on her bottom lip before pulling away and opening up the closet door.

Faith stood there stunned, frozen as Buffy walked down the hallway towards her room. Finally, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and poked her head out of the closet.

"What about my treat, B?" She asked with a grin on her face.

Buffy turned around and smiled seductively, calling Faith towards her with her finger.

"There's still two hours left of Halloween, Fai. Plenty of time left for you to teach me how to plunder some booty."

With that said, she turned around and ran down the hall to her bedroom with Faith hot on her heels.

"Well shiver-me-fuckin-timbers." Faith said before slamming the bedroom door shut, off to get her Halloween tricks and treats.