Rating: R

Pairing: Faith/Buffy

Summary: All Faith wants for Christmas is Buffy, and she's willing to do anything to get her.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, nor do I make any money from writing about them.

Bah Humbug.

That's always been my motto when it comes to the holidays, 'specially Christmas. A girl can only take so many years of not gettin what she asks for before she gives up and says fuck it all.

'Cept this year I'm gettin what I want cos I'm not taking no for an answer. It's an all out battle, no holds barred, for the heart of Buffy Summers.

Maybe a little for what's in her pants, too, but that's beside the point.

Moving back to Boston's been pretty therapeutic, or at least that's what Angel keeps telling me. 'Go back to the beginning. Face your past to build your future.' I guess it's pretty good advice after all, cos if B's gonna be in my future - and trust me, she will - I gotta make sure I have something to offer her besides a lifetime of fuck ups and psychiatry bills.

See, I'm pretty confident that things are gonna work out. Me and B? We kinda worked out our issues before we blew up Sunnydale. Took me almost gettin blown up by that crazy preacher guy and his eyeless wonders for B to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with me, but I couldn't really blame her.

So, we agreed to play nice and lo and behold, we killed the Hellmouth. Hard. Not a piece of it left standing. Course we all stuck together for a while so that everyone could work out where they were going and with who. Besides B and Dawnie and Red and her girl, everyone pretty much went their own ways.

On our last night together, everyone decided to have one last hurrah. We left Dawnie at the hotel with Giles and went out and got hammered. It was a pretty fun time to be honest. I never thought I could get down and just be myself with the Scoobies, but they just wanted to have a good time.

At some point in time during the night, we got to playin drinking games. Beer pong, quarters, suck and blow . . . you name it, we tried it. Best part though? Gotta be the little game of Truth or Dare we got into. Xan dared Red to flirt with some random guy and Kennedy went nuts and tried to kick his ass when he asked for Red's number. Gotta say, I just sat back with B and laughed while Xan tried to clear up the whole mess.

So anyhow, it came to B's turn and, after the whole thing Red went through, she chickened out and chose truth. Now, remember, we were all pretty tanked and feeling no pain, so Red asked Buffy who she'd make out with if forced to do it with one of us. I was waiting for her to say Xander so that we could get on with the game, but then she went and shocked us all by choosing me.

Now, I just about spit my beer halfway across the room, but I tried to keep some sense of cool about me. I just raised an eyebrow at her, pretty much lettin her know that I thought she was bluffing.

"What?" She said, meeting the doubtful glances we were all giving her. "Not a single one of you can tell me that you haven't thought about making out with Faith at least once in the past four years."

Red and Kennedy just burst out laughing while Xander clutched his beer bottle a little tighter.

"Been there, done that, still in therapy over it," he said with a goofy smile.

But a question was on my mind and I had to know.

"When did you ever think about making out with me, B?" I asked with a smile, trying to hide my eagerness.

She just shrugged at me and said in a teasing voice, "Guess you'll have to wait for me to choose Truth again, huh Faith."

But I never got to ask her the question because ten minutes later, Red was puking in the bathroom and Xander was out front hailing down a cab. Me and B ended up in the coat check room looking for all of our jackets when we found ourselves pushed into a corner by a bunch of drunken club-goers looking for their jackets, too.

Maybe it was the fact that we were a bit too close for comfort. Maybe it was the fact that we'd both been drinking. And maybe it was the fact that her gloss-covered lips looked like dinner, but I had to ask.

"Hey B," I said, taking a step closer so that we were practically pressed together now with no escape. "Truth or dare?"

"Faith," she warned, her voice low. But I wasn't backing down, so she finally gave in. "Fine . . . truth."

And I grinned.

"If you could make out with me right now, no repercussions, would you?"

I flicked my tongue out over my lips as I looked down at hers, wanting to taste them more than anything I ever had in my whole life. Slowly but surely, I was closing the space between us, bringing our faces closer and closer together.

Man, you shoulda seen it. She looked scared but excited at the same time, and once I licked my lips, she was done for, unable to take her eyes from them.

"Well, I . . . you and me . . . I think," she stammered, her breathing picking up as I moved imperceptibly closer. "I think that -- with us both leaving in the morning -- this isn't a very opportune time to be acting on horny fantasies."

"So there are other fantasies?" I asked with a grin.

"I, well . . . uh," her eyes had widened, but something going on to the side of us finally pulled her attention from me. "Isn't that your jacket?"

"My what?" I asked, caught up in the moment.

"Your jacket," she said, putting her soft hand on my face and turning it towards the direction she was looking at. "Isn't that girl putting on your jacket?"

And she was. Some drunk chick thought my jacket was hers and was busy fumbling around trying to put it on. Being drunk and all, I guess it's needless to say that I caused a scene spinning the girl around while trying to get my jacket back.

Bitch can get her own jacket. That one was mine, fair and square.

So, the night ended without incident. B pretty much tried to avoid the conversation for the rest of the night and the next morning, and I guess I was okay with that. Drunken games, yada yada yada. No big, right?

Yeah, I woulda played it off as that too if B hadn't kept in touch with me more than anyone else since she moved to Italy. And yunno what? She ignored everyone else's invite to visit for Christmas except mine. She coulda gone to see Giles, or Xander, or anyone she wanted, but she chose me. She called me three weeks ago and said she bought her plane ticket and was looking forward to seeing me.

And that's where we're at. Christmas is in three days and I'm picking B up at the airport today. It's snowy as fuck and her plane is delayed four hours, but I'm sat here at the airport wearing a grin on my face so big that people are looking at me like I'm some kinda mental patient.

Ah, fuck 'em all. I've got an agenda and I'm not lettin them distract me from the plan. By the time B leaves in ten days - if she leaves at all - she'll be mine. I don't know how I'm gonna do it yet, but it's gonna happen. Trust me.

I walk over to the arrivals monitors and check for B's plane. Arrived? Since when? I furrow my brows and walk over to the waiting area, but there's no one walking in from the arrival area. Where the fuck was I and where the fuck is B?

"Shit," I say as I look around and run a hand through my hair. Great fucking hostess I am, right? My first guest in six months and I let her wander around lost at the airport.

A minute later I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I could purchase a nice stake in this town? Homeland Security had a slight issue with me bringing mine on the plane."

I turn around and see B standing there, smiling and as beautiful as ever. God, I forgot how much I love this chick.

"Stakes?" I ask, scratching my chin as if in deep thought. "I can hook ya up. I know a guy who knows a guy . . . very shady stuff. And I'll only take 20%, pretty lady."

Comfortable. It's not awkward in the least, and that's definitely of the good. Comfortable banter, comfortable silence, comfortable . . . hug? Oh, hug. I can do this. Unexpected, sure, but I'd never turn down a hug from this girl. Have I mentioned that I'm kinda in love with her?

"It's great to see you," she says against my shoulder.

"You too," I say, leaning my cheek against her head. "I missed ya." No time like the present to be honest.

She pulls back and smiles at me and I feel that old familiar pang in my chest.

"Me too," she says honestly. "I feel like our time was cut short when we left. We were finally doing the progress thing, moving on and all that."

We start walking towards the baggage claim area, talking easily as if we haven't missed a beat. It's good. Real good. It goes the same way on the car ride back to my apartment, and it doesn't change for the next two days that fly by like magic. B offered to sleep on the living room couch seeing as that I only have a one-bedroom apartment, but I wouldn't let her. I gave her my bedroom and I took sofa city. It's fine. Not like I've never spent a night on a couch before.

It's been a fun visit. We've done the touristy thing as much as possible in the snowy weather. B keeps complaining about the snow, and I smile every time she does. If she thinks this is bad, she needs to see what it's like when a NorEaster blows through the area. Once when I was young, my ma's car was buried under a pile of snow for six days. I'm not gonna scare B with that bit of information though.

We've also done the crazy fun thing, too. Last night, we stayed out 'til 3am, dancing and drinking and acting like we were teenagers again, without all of that teenage angst stuff. She let me buy her drinks and dance with her, and it felt so much like a date it was scary. 'Cept for the part where she slept in my bed and I slept on the couch, but I'm workin' on it.

Yeah, I still haven't figured out what I'm gonna say or do to let her know I want her. I mean . . . hell, I can flirt with her all I want, but how is that different from the way I've always been around her? I've gotta do something to make it obvious. Fucked if I know how, but I'll figure it out eventually. I've got almost eight days left to get it right.

And let me tell ya, if I don't, I'm seriously gonna kick my own ass.

Tonight, with it being Christmas Eve and all, we've decided to just be chill and stay in. B picked out a few movies that she watches every year, and who am I to fuck with tradition? We're gonna run out and do a patrol later, but not until after she makes her calls and we watch the movies.

So, at about 6pm, we settle in with a heap of Chinese take-out and the first of three movies, A Christmas Story. Now see, I actually know this one. We used to watch it when I was a kid. I used to think Ralphie was cool, cos he was able to keep the soap in his mouth so long. I only used to last a few minutes before I'd give in.

Yeah, I always was a foul-mouthed little fucker. Ain't a thing changing about that anytime soon, either.

Halfway through the second movie, The Year Without A Santa Claus, B asks if she can do my hair. I hide in the bathroom for twenty minutes until she gets distracted and forgets about it. When I go back into the living room, she's laying across the couch, hugging my pillow and using my blanket.

Part of me feels possessive of my stuff - no one EVER gets to use my pillow - and part of me has never seen something so beautiful in my entire life. In the end, I relent and lift up her legs and take a seat, laying them across my lap. I tell her that her feet stink, and she tells me that she's gonna braid my hair in my sleep. We call it even and continue to watch the film.

By the time the third film begins, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, we're both hungry again. Stupid Chinese food. You eat and eat and make a total pig of yourself, and two hours later you're rummaging through the cupboards looking for a snack. We settle for popcorn and Cheetos, but both agree that Who Pudding and Who Roast-Beast sound so much better.

When The Grinch ends, I realize how stiff I am from sitting in the same position. Normally I move around a lot, but I was pretty happy sat there with B so close. I stand up and stretch, then walk over to the window to check on the weather sitch outside. My eyes light up as soon as I see the snow falling down all soft and pretty.

"It looks like a snow globe out there. Vamps are gonna be too busy shivering their asses off to even see us coming," I say, and I can't hide the excitement from my voice. I love the snow. And snow on Christmas Eve? Bonus. Probably one of the coolest things ever.

Buffy just frowns and pulls my blanket up tighter around herself. She looks so damned sweet right now. I know that she's gonna try and cute her way outta patrolling cos she's really having a hard time coping with the snow. She keeps goin on about how she's a California girl, and there should be sand, not snow. I'm not havin' any of that, though. She's gonna learn to love the snow, cos I plan on keeping her around for awhile. Forever, if possible.

"Don't you think that's the perfect excuse to skip patrol tonight?" She asks, an almost pleading tone to her voice. "I mean . . . the vamps are gonna be too cold to be out causing trouble, and I'm perfectly warm and snuggly right here."

I can't help but grin as I walk toward the front door and start putting on my boots.

"Faith?" She asks, but I'm not giving in. "Are you ignoring me?"

"Yep," I say evenly.

"Sure, but you heard that last part," she grumbles as she pulls the blanket off of herself and stands up.

"I what?" I ask with my hand up to my ear, teasing her. She's so easy to rile up.

Just as I think she's dropping the stubborn act, a pillow whizzes past my head and hits the door. I freeze, then turn around and look at her with an eyebrow raised. She looks all smug, her arms folded across her chest.

"Tell me you didn't just throw a pillow at me," I say, fighting the smile that's trying to break through my glare.

"Okay, I didn't," she says with a daring smile. She raises a challenging eyebrow, then walks over toward me casually and starts to get dressed in her boots and huge winter jacket.

"You realize this means war, right?" I ask as I pull on my coat and gloves.

"I'm pretty sure I understand the consequences," she says, still smiling, as she finally finishes getting zipped up and stands to fully face me.

Her pink fluffy coat has this huge hood on it with a faux fur rim. She's got it pulled so tightly around her head that I'm pretty sure that not only will she not be able to see a vamp coming at her; she won't be able to hear him either.

"You look like an Eskimo," I tell her, flicking the fur on her hood.

"Yeah, well you look like an . . . Eskimo," she copies.

I grin as I pull my Red Sox knit cap on my head. She can say what she wants, I look badass in this.

Half an hour later, we're making our way through a local cemetery. Boston's vamp and demon population is pretty minimal, but that doesn't mean that we don't have the occasional baddie pop up. Truth be told, we probably coulda skipped patrol tonight with it being Christmas Eve and all, but I wasn't ready to say goodnight to B yet.

Call me greedy, but I want as much one-on-one time with her as possible.

Hopefully some of that time will be naked time.

"Why would anyone choose to live here?" Buffy complains as she stumbles around through the nearly knee-deep snow. I look over at her and can't help but laugh. She really isn't cut out for this weather.

"Basically cos there are no mudslides, wildfires, earthquakes or tornadoes. We can handle the snow, just keep that other shit away," I reply, my hands buried deep in my pockets.

A second later, I see Buffy start to slip. There's a nice layer of ice under the snow, and if you're not careful, one wrong step can send ya tumbling like a moron. Before she has a chance to hit the snow, I reach out and grab her elbow, steadying her. I chuckle and can't help but say to her,

"Careful, hidden ice has been known to make people look like complete losers."

She shakes my hand from her elbow, determined to make the rest of the journey without my help. I don't wanna piss her off, so I continue walking ahead, letting her fix her rumpled coat.

I'm certainly not expecting it when I feel a snowball explode on my ass. My hand shoots down and rubs the spot as I spin to face her. Snow or not, anything thrown with slayer strength stings like bitch.

She's just stood there, looking all smug and proud of herself. I don't think she has any idea what she just started. We're both poised, ready to attack at any given moment. I see her fingers flex and I know she's ready to make another snowball. My breath hitches and she bends down, grabbing two big handfuls of snow.

Before she can even stand back up, I'm dashing between trees and gravestones, taking cover. I'm not stupid; I did this shit hundreds of times when I was a kid. You don't stand there in the open like B is. You find something to hide behind, make a shitload of snowballs, and then you strike.

It's Snowball Fights 101, the basic stuff. B is gonna have to learn it the hard way cos she's lookin pretty clueless out in the open with her two little snowballs.

I make about a gabillion snowballs and pile them up, and then I let 'em rip on poor defenseless little Buffy.

I'm pelting her like crazy with snowballs left and right and she's having a real hard time defending herself being all out in the open and stuff. For a split second I think that I should take it easy on her, but then I remember that she's a slayer too.

She finally smarts up and dives behind a headstone. I can see her scrambling around, trying to get as much snow together as possible.

See, she thinks that the bigger the snowball is, the better. Fact is, you wanna load up on a bunch of smaller, compact snowballs. Easier to throw with the same effect as a big snowball.

I start rolling a few more snowballs, tossing them onto the pile, when I see B stand up from behind the headstone with a smug grin on her face. She's got a snowball the size of a boulder in her hands.

Yeah, I know exactly how this is gonna turn out.

Don't mess with experience, kids.

I stand up and move from behind the tree, leaving my small arsenal behind. I won't be needing it. Buffy sees me take a few steps toward her, and that's when the taunting starts.

"Aww, is little Faith afraid of the giant snowball of doom?" she asks, barely able to carry the enormous snowball. I mean, this thing is massive. I don't know where she got all the snow from to make it. It's like a little Volkswagen.

"Yep, big with the afraid. This is me, shakin' in my boots, ready to accept the consequences of my actions. I yield to the World's Best Snowball." I hold my hands up, letting her see that I'm unarmed.

I don't need a snowball. Hers will work just fine.

She smiles all proud, adjusting so that she can lift the snowball up higher.

"That's what I like to hear," she says smugly. "If you take it like a big girl, I can be crowned Queen of the Snowball and we can get on with our night in a dignified and mature manner."

"Dignified and mature, check," I say, trying not to bust out laughing. She's in for it and she doesn't even know it.

She takes a few last steps, then lifts the gigantic snowball over her head. All of the extra weight makes her sink down in the snow an inch or two more . . . right down to the nice layer of slippery ice.

Before she even realizes what's happening, B's laying flat on her back in the snow, covered in what remains of the giant snowball. Her huge hood is covering the parts of her face that the crumbled snowball hasn't, but I can almost feel her blushing from here.

I walk the few steps between us and stand above her, chuckling.

"Snowball Rule #3, B: never carry something too heavy, cos you're gonna fall on your ass and end up eatin' snowball pie."

She starts brushing the snow off of herself, but she's pretty buried. I take pity on her and help brush her off, and then I offer her a hand to help pull her up.

Next thing I know, I'm flat on my back next to B. She pulled me right down into the squishy snow next to her. It flies up my jacket and under my shirt, and some lucky snow even crept into the back of my pants and down my crack.

I can only sit here and shiver as Buffy laughs victoriously. Fuck, I can't even be mad; I fell for it, after all. Snowball Rule #4: Never trust a foe when they're down, cos they'll get you when you least expect it.

If she hadn't looked so cute and pitiful in her huge coat, all covered with snow, I never woulda fallen for that little stunt.

"Okay, B," I say with a wry grin, "I'm laying on the freezing snow and ice with snow all jammed up in my crack. You win. Happy now? We ready to be dignified and mature yet?"

Before I can process what she's doing, Buffy's straddling my lower half, wiggling around and pressing me down in the snow. The snow in my pants gets smushed more than it already is. Guess that's the danger of going commando.

"Hahhh, that's cold!" I shiver out as I try to squirm free, but B has me pinned down pretty good.

"What's wrong, Fai? I bet you're melting mad snow right about now, huh," she says with a grin.

All the wriggling she's doing is really starting to turn me on. My lack of panties suddenly seems really stupid to me.

"Yeah, gettin' pretty wet here, B," I answer back with my own grin. I put my hands on her thighs, holding her in place.

See, this is the point where B normally folds and calls it quits. She can flirt, but only to a certain point.

'Cept this time, she's raising a daring eyebrow and staying firmly in place.

Okay. I like this Buffy. And I'm fully prepared to stay right here in the snow so long as she keeps wriggling around like that.

About a minute later, she smiles and asks me,

"Truth or dare?"

I grin. No way am I choosing dare. That'll mean I have to get up and do something stupid, and I'm pretty happy where I am right now, thanks.

"Truth."

She smiles softly and stops wriggling, and is that a shy look on her face?

"If you could make out with me right now, no repercussions, would you?"

My own words from months ago echoed back to me. Could this be it? Is B giving me the sign to swing away?

Cos shit, I'm so not passin' up this opportunity after she set it up so perfect for me.

Instead of answering, I sit up, making it so that we're chest to chest. She's pretty much sat on my lap now, so she's just a bit higher up than I am. I look up into her eyes and instantly I'm drowning in a sea of green. There's no turning back for me now, even if I wanted to.

And I definitely don't want to.

I shake my hands, sending my gloves flying off into the dark of the night. My thumb brushes over her cheek and we both shiver a little. Her skin is so soft, I can't even describe it. I take a few moments and brush the snowflakes off of her cheeks and nose, then I brush a few strands of hair from her face. She smiles all soft at me.

There's my sign.

I smile back just a little before I lean in and press my lips against hers, eager to taste her kiss. I'm not disappointed because she starts kissing me back all soft and slow, almost like she's a little bit scared.

She doesn't have to be. I'll love her forever if she lets me.

Hell, I'll love her forever even if she tells me not to. It's not something I can help; it's there for good. Let's just hope I don't make an ass outta myself with it.

Much to my surprise, I feel her tongue sneak out and flick over my lower lip, and I'm more than happy to deepen the kiss. I mean, who am I kidding here . . . Buffy Summers is on my lap having a nice ol' make out session with me. I'm not happy, I'm fucking ecstatic.

I wrap my arms around her back and sneak them just under the bottom of her shirt. I want . . . no, I need to feel her skin.

But I guess my hands must be kinda cold now, cos she jumps a little and squeaks into my mouth.

"Cold hands, cold hands!" she says against my lips, finally breaking our kiss.

Instead of pulling away and doing the freak out thing, she rests her forehead against mine and closes her eyes, taking in the moment.

"I've wanted to do that for a really long time," she says, a shy smile on her face.

"Not as long as I have," I answer back, and it musta been the right thing to say cos it gets me another kiss. Fuck, I'll tell her that she's Princess Honeypants from the planet Zaboo if it gets me more kisses.

A few minutes and lotsa kisses later, she pulls back and rests her head on my shoulder. I smile when I hear a happy giggle leave her lips. It makes me wrap my arms around her all the more tightly.

"Can we go back to yours now?" she asks. "I wanna give you your Christmas present."

Presents and kissing? Score.

"Sure thing, B. What did ya get me?" I ask. Yeah, I've never been patient.

She pulls back and looks into my eyes, playing gently with my hair.

"Me."

I smile all big at her.

"Think maybe we can trade ya in for an Xbox?"

And then she pushes me back in the snow and pulls my hat over my face. I laugh as she tries to tickle my sides through my jacket. Kinda pointless, but it's just such a sweet and Buffy-like thing to do.

"I'll give you 'Xbox'," she says, trying hard to keep the upper hand, but I roll her over easily and rest most of my weight on her, keeping her planted firmly beneath me.

A few moments pass and she takes pity on me, lifting my hat up from my eyes so that I can see her.

"I was just kiddin," I tell her. "I already have an Xbox."

She smiles and leans up and kisses the tip of my nose. No one's ever done that to me before, and I doubt I'd ever let anyone, but this is Buffy we're talkin' about here. Nose kisses? Just might be one of my new favorite things.

"So . . . is the present okay then?" she asks almost nervously, biting gently on her lower lip.

I lean down to kiss her, but before I reach her lips, I manage to mumble out,

"Best present ever."