The library was awash with an uncomfortable air. Buffy’s embarrassment was obvious and putting her on edge, and Giles wasn’t doing too much better either. Faith wasn’t so much embarrassed as highly aware of the need emanating from Buffy.

She was sure she could smell a hint of the blonde girl’s arousal in the air, tasting it with every breath. It was sending her silly, and causing her own desire to seep out of her neatly cropped pussy. She realised that if she could smell Buffy, then maybe Buffy could smell her. It did nothing to settle her pounding heart or cool the heat in her pants.

“Well, assuming it was the bite that triggered this, it does narrow down the research I have already done. I suggest we call the others to come and help out, and that way we can resolve this as soon as possible.” Giles pushed himself up out of his chair.

“No! You can’t call them. I don’t want anybody else knowing.” Buffy was close to tears, and Faith fought back the uncharacteristic urge to reach out to her and hold her.

“But, Buffy. . .” Giles looked on concerned.

“No!” Buffy practically yelled.

“Look, G man, we can do this ourselves if that’s what Buffy wants.” Faith knew already that she would do exactly what the blonde girl wanted, no questions asked; or not many at least.

Giles sighed and gazed over the heap of books in front of him then back at the two slayers. One was fidgeting because she was all hot and needy, and the other one looked serene and relaxed but her eyes gave away the fact that she too was hot and needy.

“Fine, here, try to find out any information on the demon you came across.” He handed the girls two very large old books. The covers were worn and frayed, gold lettering marking the front in some uncommon language.

“Wait, you know I don’t do the research thing. Faith can do it. . .research I mean, not . . .me. Oh my God, I’m turning into you.” Buffy groaned, waving in the direction of Faith, who wiggled her eyebrows and flashed her dimpled smile.

“Hey, I never get any complaints.” She was talking about her personality despite how it sounded; although she was aware a lot of people did have complaints about her attitude.

“I bet you don’t,” Buffy muttered to herself, causing Faith to wonder exactly what she meant; as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Buffy, if you don’t want the others involved then I’m afraid you’re both going to have to help out. There are a lot of possible reasons for your current condition, and not many of them are intended to give you an easy time. You’re a Slayer, and we can’t have you wandering the streets looking to satisfy your needs willy nilly. Plus, there’s Angel to think about. . .he, well, he mustn’t come near you whilst you’re like this. We don’t want a repeat of what happened after your last encounter.” Giles looked directly at Buffy, almost daring for her to defy him or argue. She didn’t do either, and didn’t mention the fact that she was no longer actually with Angel.

The two slayers both reached for the books at the same time. Their hands brushed against each other and before Faith could react Buffy landed on the floor with a thud, right on her backside. She had literally leapt out of her chair at the contact.

“I meant to do that. . .was just testing your reflexes,” Buffy said and stood up warily, brushing herself off. “You were supposed to catch me.” She pouted at Faith then sat back down, snatching her book and looking away before Faith could say anything in her defence.

Faith grinned, trying not to laugh and deciding to keep quiet. Buffy was irritated enough, and she didn’t want to make things worse. She was doing her best to stay in Buffy’s good books after all, and Faith was enjoying being her friend too much to throw it away with her usual sarcastic nature.

Buffy said nothing more either as she opened her large book with a disgruntled sigh. Faith did the same, feeling ever more uncomfortable and on edge with the fact she was sitting next to an ultra horny Buffy and unable to do anything about it.

They researched for about an hour but Buffy was growing more and more irritated and jittery. She couldn’t sit still and kept sighing heavily, almost groaning in her quandary. It was rubbing off on Faith and she couldn’t keep still now either. The combination of staying inactive and going back and forth between wanting to ‘help’ her fellow slayer out, and wanting to run from the situation, testing her patience and nerve.

It was abundantly clear that Buffy was having a hard time keeping her need under wraps. Now and again Faith noticed that the blonde girl was moving in a way that suggested she was getting some kind of friction from the seam in her jeans. Her eyes would close for a second, and she appeared to forget where she was.

Giles hadn’t seemed to notice, or at least he didn’t indicate that he did, but Faith was having a hard time concentrating on the text in front of her. She couldn’t stop herself from watching the way the other girl was moving, slowly and sensually, in a world of her own; rubbing her mound into the solid surface of the chair in an attempt to find some kind of relief.

“God. . .I can’t take this.” Buffy stood abruptly and began pacing the floor. “I’m. . .shit. You must have some idea how to stop me feeling like this.” She stopped close to Faith, questioning Giles with her hands on her hips.

“Because we don’t know the cause Buffy I’m afraid not. Until we find out why this has happened then the only way to ease the symptoms would be to. . .well, err. . .” He didn’t seem to want to finish his sentence so Faith did it for him.

“You’ll have to go pull yourself a stud, B.” She smiled up at Buffy, finding the whole situation quite funny given the normal prudishness of the other slayer.

“I’m not going to go and sleep with a random stranger. . .that would be. . .ew! We’re not all like you, Faith.” Buffy slumped back into her chair again, pushing the book to one side.

The comment hurt a little coming from Buffy even if it was fairly true. Faith didn’t want her friend thinking of her as some kind of slut, though, especially not now. Not now that she was growing closer to Buffy and wanting her for more than just a one night stand or a quick fuck.

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘till ya try it, B.” Her eyes narrowed at the smaller slayer, conveying the slight anger inside her.

“Sorry. I’m just. . .ungh!” Buffy banged her head down onto the table.

Giles furrowed his brow, his mind working overtime to find some way to ease Buffy’s discomfort. “I really don’t know what to suggest, Buffy. Obviously I’m not one to encourage promiscuity, or casual sex. Maybe you’re just going to have to do your best to ignore it until we find the reason, and then hopefully the cure,” Giles suggested, then lowered his eyes back down to his book.

“Hopefully?” Buffy raised her head to look imploringly at Giles.

“Yes, hopefully.” He said no more, moving onto the next book in a long line of them.

Faith ran her hand through her luscious hair, trying to think of some way that she could help, other than taking care of Buffy’s problem herself. It was something she would love to do, but definitely under different circumstances. She really didn’t think Buffy would go for the idea anyway. She was too straight, and far too worried about what other people thought even if some of her actions that day had suggested that maybe she wasn’t so bothered right now.

She looked Buffy over, and then an idea sprang to mind.

“What about Xander? He’s not a stranger, and at least. . .well, you know that ya can trust him,” Faith suggested, trying her best not to make it sound like she was taking the piss, and that it was no more than an effort to help.

Buffy stared at her with a bewildered look, as if she was absolutely crazy for suggesting such a ludicrous thing. In fact, she said as much.

“Are you crazy? Xander? That’s just. . .that’s. . .I don’t know what that is but it’s never going to happen. God, can you imagine how he’d be afterwards? He’s bad enough now.” She rolled her eyes at Faith and slumped further into her chair.

“Hey, it was just a suggestion, girlfriend. No need to bite my fucking head off.” Faith got up out of her chair and wandered over to the counter, stretching her legs and distancing herself from the horny girl.

“Ahem,” Giles cleared his throat, getting their attention, “as crazy as it might seem, Buffy, I have to agree with Faith. If it takes a while to find a cure for this, and it starts impeding on your slaying abilities, therefore rendering you an easy target, then. . .well, you might want to think twice about dismissing the idea so quickly.” Giles was ever the concerned and responsible watcher, thinking more about the safety of Buffy than her chastity.

“But Xander? I don’t think I could.” Buffy appeared close to tears now, her discomfort no doubt growing with every passing hour.

“If ya don’t want Xander to help out. . .what about. . .Will?” Faith thought that it would be a decent suggestion. They were best friends after all.

Unfortunately Buffy nearly fell off her chair again, and salty tears began creeping down her cheeks. “I can’t have sex with Willow, it would be so. . .awkward.” She sobbed as tears now streamed down her face.

Giles stood and moved around the desk to Buffy, placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked uncomfortable, not knowing how to console Buffy as she buried her face in her hands.

Faith took a few steps forwards but then stopped. She too had no idea how to console Buffy. She wasn’t used to being supportive, or close enough to anybody to do such a thing. She had never really had a friend like Buffy before.

She looked down at the floor, trying to get things straight in her head. Trying to work out how she should react. As she thought about it, something flashed across her mind. Buffy hadn’t been totally grossed out by the idea of sleeping with Willow. . .she had just said it would be awkward. Shaking her head to attempt to ignore the implications, Faith decided to take the perplexed watcher’s place.

She strolled over to where Buffy was sat. Giles moved away, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Faith pulled her chair closer to Buffy’s and took one of her hands from her sodden face, keeping it gently in hers.

“Hey, girlfriend, it’ll be ok. We’ll find out what’s going on and fix it. With me on the case things’ll be five by five in no time.” She smiled at her friend, looking into her teary green eyes; her own eyes conveying how much she already cared for her friend.

Buffy raised her sorrow filled eyes to hers and something clearly crossed her mind. She blushed a little and then licked her lips. If Faith hadn’t been too busy thinking about the tingles in her hand and the effect Buffy had just had on her by wetting her lips, she would have guessed what was coming next.

“Maybe. . .that’s it. I mean, to help me out until we can cure this.” Buffy looked demurely at Faith.

“I’m not getting you. . .what’s it?” Faith had an inkling about what Buffy was talking about but she wanted to be hit over the head with it, repeatedly.

“You, like you said. . .on the case.” Buffy bit her lip.

“Whoa there, Twinkie. I. . .that’s. . .” Faith couldn’t spit out what she wanted to say, because she didn’t know what she wanted to say. She leant back, letting go of Buffy’s hand.

It was being handed to her on a plate. Buffy on a plate with all the yummy trimmings. Faith was stuck between wanting to leap around the room in joy and hoping the hellmouth would take this opportunity to swallow her whole. It didn’t, and now she had to come up with an answer to Buffy’s request.

“Buffy, that’s not such a great idea. I mean, we hardly know each other. That’s why I thought Will would be better suited.” She was trying to talk Buffy out of it, but wanting it too much to sound convincing.

“That’s just it, I’ve known Willow too long, we’re too close. And you’re, well, you’re a slayer and you. . .like girls. Unless. . .you’re totally grossed out by me, or it’s. . .Giles, tell her its part of her duty,” Buffy whined, almost frantic now.

She had found her way out of feeling increasingly horny and didn’t seem to care about the ramifications of it.

“Buffy, I can’t force Faith into doing such a thing and neither should you. It’s entirely up to her. Although, I have to say, thinking about it. . .maybe waiting a while longer before jumping into something you might possibly regret would be a wiser choice. You have only been suffering this since last night.” Giles had on his “I know best” expression.

“But. . .you don’t understand how hard this is. I need. . .I need you, Faith.” Buffy pouted up at Faith, all but completely crushing her resolve.

She never thought for a second that she would ever hear Buffy utter such words to her. It sent butterflies tumbling around in her stomach, and her heart pounding like thunder in her ears. She was close to just leaping on the blonde and dragging her home with her, and not just in order to relieve Buffy, but to relieve herself of the monumental desire that had been building within her for the other girl.

She glanced over at Giles who was now making his way up to the bookshelves, murmuring to himself. Faith was glad he wouldn’t be in earshot. She wasn’t too keen on him knowing how much she really did like Buffy. She wasn’t sure why, but thought that maybe if he saw her as some kind of a threat to the older girl’s ‘normal’ straight life, he might be inclined to suggest to the council that she should be relocated.

“Fuck. . .that’s not fair, B. I don’t wanna mess up our friendship. You know I’d do it. . .you far from gross me out. Surely you can tell that ‘cause I know I’ve done a wicked crappy job at hiding it.” Faith did her best to keep eye contact with Buffy but was worried that telling her how she felt might completely screw things up between them.

“Faith, I. . .” Buffy’s chest was rising and falling quicker than what it normally would, and she was leaning towards Faith ever so slightly.

“Buffy, let me just say this.” Faith took a breath before continuing. “The reason I don’t think it’s a good idea for it to be me helping you out with this. . .is because. . .I’m attracted to you. I like you. . .so it wouldn’t be fair on you. It’d be like taking advantage. And here’s where I’m freaking myself out ‘cause I don’t want to take advantage of you, B. I want more than that.” She hadn’t meant to say quite so much, but once she had started, Faith hadn’t been able to stop.

Buffy seemed to be lost in Faith’s dark eyes. She just sat staring into them, her breathing coming harder and faster. They were gazing at each other, waves of desire passing between them; coming from Buffy because of whatever influence she was under, and coming from Faith because she had never wanted anybody as much as she wanted the other girl right now.

“This is too much. I can’t be around you when you’re like this, B. It’s too fucking tempting.” Faith got up from her seat, Buffy’s eyes following her every move.

Faith couldn’t risk her new friendship. She couldn’t risk messing up her chance at actually settling somewhere. Somewhere she already felt needed and appreciated. It was too much to throw away for a fuck, even if it was with the girl that had overwhelmed her every thought from the moment they had met.

Faith hurriedly made her way out of the library without protest, as Buffy was obviously too busy trying to comprehend what she had just told her. She watched as Faith strode out.

Faith caught the look of longing and wonder on Buffy’s face as she allowed the heavy doors to swing shut on her. She had to distance herself from Buffy. At least until she got a grip on her own desire, which was going to be harder than she could ever imagine.