A spin off jaunt with Faith, Madalene & Buffy from our Season Seven stories - please note this relationship WILL NOT appear in the main season

Three for Fun.

 Madalene knew there had to be other nice ways to spend a Saturday night. Running through the cold, rain soaked forest trying to get away from a dozen heavily armed vampires could not be counted as one of them.

"Faith..." She tried to whisper almost inaudibly to the dark slayer who was curled against the tree hiding with her only to find a hand going over her mouth.

Faith shook her head and kept looking out in the dark.

With her other hand the dark slayer pointed slightly into the gloom, where two figures could just about be made out walking through the trees, but they were not vampires, they were instead a young teenager couple, obviously out walking together then finding themselves caught in the storm.

Madalene's eyes went wider as well seeing the pair who were going to be in distinct trouble soon. She looked back at Faith wondering what they should do.

Faith sighed harder and then removed her hand from Madalene’s mouth.

"Stay here." She pointed to the tree.

"Be careful." Madalene nodded and mouthed the words.

Faith nodded and smiled, slipping out from their cover she headed straight for the two teenagers. After what seemed like a brief exchange of words the boy of the couple suddenly took his girlfriends hand glancing in panic around. She didn’t seem to share his initial panic and pulled her hand free, only to have the young man make a mad dash for the break in tree cover.

"Oh shit!" Faiths annoyed growl reached Madalene’s ears the slayer obviously torn between staying with the girl and running after her lover.

*Go, I'll stay with her.* Madalene hummed quickly and moved out to pull the girl behind the tree.

Faith nodded smiling gratefully at the Spellcaster before running off

The girl beside her shivered a little

"would the biker gang really come after us like she said?" she asked mads

"Unfortunately yes." Madalene looked around. "We should hide, if you don't mind. She'll come back to get us once she finds your boyfriend." She motioned to the tree.

"I don’t think she should be out there if they're that bad, aren’t you worried your friend might get hurt?" The girl protested a little

"She can take care of herself, she's in the CIA." Madalene used the bad cover. "Which is why we should listen to what she says."

"The CIA, wow." The girl squeaked loudly.

"Yes." Madalene moved over and pushed her down by the hollow of the tree.

"Are you her partner, are you in eh CIA too?" The girls eyes emptied of fear and sparkled instead with excitement.

"I'm a consultant, I don't do field work." Madalene conceded not liking how this lie was getting bigger. She felt her skin crawl as suddenly she could hear rustling and footsteps nearby. She just prayed that the vamps wouldn't find them... Somehow. Whatever did happen she had to protect this obviously hell mouth oblivious girl. She tried to weight her options as the footsteps got closer.

'I hope this works.' She thought reaching up and casting a short sleep spell on the girl, she then cast a glamour to hide her in the hollow of the tree. Of course this left her open and vulnerable but she didn't have a choice.

"You eat her?" To Madalene’s surprise their visitor was Faith.

"Faith." Madalene breathed a sigh of relief. "No, I hid her." She stood up and waved her hand pulling down the glamour. "Where is the boy?"

"In the car on his way to Buffy’s place, hopefully she'll understand the cryptic message." Faith explained. "You knocked her out?" The slayer chuckled, "Wow Mads I never knew you were the violent type."

"Sleep spell." Madalene waved her hand again and the girl started to come too.

"Damn you woke her up I was going to use the quiet time to flirt." Faith grinned

"This is not a time to flirt." Madalene shook her head. "Did you get rid of the vampires?" She questioned.

"They're busy with a couple of Ferala demons I led them to." Faith gave a Shrug.

"That's not exactly dealing with them is it?" Madalene started to lead the disoriented girl to the path. "Just go that way, and drive home, you'll be fine." She assured her.

"God you know if you want B so bad that it makes this grumpy, why don’t you just seduce her or something. Make all our lives a little easier." Faith sighed hard and watched as the young woman moved away quickly.

"What?" Madalene turned around snapping the question.

"Oh come on." Faith scoffed. "I mean I know I’m stunning and I know most dykes that I've met practically beg me to do them, now I didn’t expect that from you but I so didn’t expect ice queen either, it's obvious that the one you want is the sexually repressed blonde slayer."

"Sometimes Faith, you are the most singularly conceded person on earth." Madalene rolled her eyes huffing loudly. "For your information, that comment alone would keep me from ever begging you for anything because I refuse to ever be another notch on your bedpost of sexual adventure. Now if that makes me an ice queen, fine... But I'd appreciate if you keep the Buffy comments to zero. It's not appropriate."

"Oooooh not appropriate eh." Faith folded her arms across her chest. "What her that bad." She laughed, "well I suppose she has got that sexy tight girl thing going on."

"Faith, stop it." Madalene said sternly. "This act you put on, this bravado... Do you think it really impresses anyone? I don't know why I bother, I try to get to know you, try to actually have some sort of friendship with you and you spend your time calling me names and belittling me." She threw up her arms.

"Easy, easy, I've not done either of those things. And I told you the day I met you I don’t do friendship." Faith felt herself tense up.

"Ice queen? Witch bitch?" Madalene reminded her of a few. "I know you don't do friendship Faith, but as I tried to tell you I don't just jump into bed with people, so I'm sorry this hasn't worked out in any way shape or form." She sighed. "I'll let you patrol and go home, I'll make sure Buffy gets your message about the vamps."

"There’s nothing wrong with just jumping into bed Mads." Faith sighed too shaking her head.

"I'm not saying there is for you, I don't begrudge you making yourself happy." Madalene admitted. "I just..." She stalled looking at the dark slayer framed in the vague casts of the park lights far away on the path. "I've never jumped like that."

Faith breathed out and stepped slowly up to Madalene.

"And I've never been in love." The slayer leveled with the Spellcaster looking deep into her eyes, "Doesn’t make the whole love story wrong though."

"I've been in love... And I lost everything... I guess I'm just shy about the whole one night thing." Madalene licked her lips holding the gaze.

"Different life Maddy." Faith shook her head. "come on you told me as much yourself. Texas survived, but a new life, you should too." The slayer reached out and cupped Madalene’s cheek. "And the good thing about one nights." She added brushing her thumb over Madalene’s slightly damp lips, "Is that its your choice if you're there in the morning or not."

"And in the morning you decide you don't want me, I'm supposed to act like I'm an ice queen and it doesn't bother me?" Madalene questioned sadly.

"In the morning I wake up and decide what happens just like you do." Faith pulled her hand back with another shrug. "Mads, you gotta understand something about what I’m talking about, I'm talking about sex, I'm talking about feeling great and making someone else feel great, I’m talking about hot, sweaty, dirty sex, I'm not talking about marriage and settling down with some fish and shit. I'm a slayer, this time tomorrow I could be snuffed out on patrol like that." She clicked her fingers, "For me the memory of fish wouldn’t cut it, the memory of my writhing girlfriend would."

Madalene was about to answer when a vampire came out of the bushes and tackled Faith, ending all possible conversation.

***

Faith's motel room was dark, after all it was some ungodly hour of the early morning, late enough that even the dark slayer was under the blankets trying to catch a few hours before the sun rose up and burned through the sheer curtains at the window making sleep only possible with her head under a pillow or blanket.

The door was locked, that was it was locked until it jiggled a little and eased open without a sound. The door opened after the movement and slowly a small petite figure came in and closed the door locking it behind her.

Madalene tried to remember the layout of the hotel room as she moved to the bed, barely able to see anything in the extremely dim light.

"You're either a vampire whose looking for a quick easy snack, or a thief who's chosen the wrong room to try and do over." Faiths growl came from the bed, as the slayers arm snaked out and flicked on the bedside light.

"Not either." Madalene put her hand up, trying to squint through the suddenly bright light. She was dressed in a long light wrap around skirt and a tight shirt. "Just me." She summed up pulling down her hand.

Faith pushed the heel of her hand into her eye rubbing it, then blinking Madalene into focus, pushing to sit up in bed, fixing the spaghetti strap of her skin tight black strap top in place as she sat up.

"Mads? Is everything okay?" She checked instantly worried.

"I don't know..." Madalene said honestly moving closer to the bed and slipping off her shoes she moved up on her knees, feeling Faith watch her and sensing the dark slayer's confusion. "I feel off centre." She admitted hiking up her skirt a bit and moving closer to Faith. "You make me feel off centre." She admitted in a softer more luscious voice as she slid her leg over and sat across Faith's thighs. "You... We didn't finish talking, the vamp interrupted."

Faith felt her confusion completely forgotten for a moment and a bolt of pure desire and arousal flared through her body, pulsing between her legs as she felt the light weight of Madalene rest on her thighs over the blankets. She swallowed running her hand briefly over her forehead and licking her lips.

"No we didn’t." She admitted, cautiously she moved her other hand and rested it against Madalene’s thigh resting lightly on the blue material. "You want to talk." She added.

"Not really, no." Madalene shook her head. "I think if we keep talking I'll just forget the real reason I came over to see you." She pushed her body closer and finally pressed her lips to Faith's.

Faith groaned into the kiss her hand tightening on the spell casters thigh, her body pressing up against where Madalene straddled her thighs. The kiss that Madalene began, the Spellcaster may have meant to be brief and somewhat chaste, but faith captured Madalene’s lips, keeping them pressed together for a long while as she pressed her tongue out to explore the spell casters lips, her free hand moving to hold Madalene’s middle back in support.

The sheer fact that Faith was so instantly responding, without hesitation or contemplation, caused Madalene to press closer, her mind feeling her body responding to every touch without her thinking at all. She boldly opened her mouth, capturing Faith's tongue and drawing it deeper.

Once more Faiths hand tightened on Madalene’s thigh, the other sliding a little up and down the spell casters back as the slayer pressed her tongue in deep exploring the hot wanton mouth at her lips, breathing in Faith took in the smell and taste of the Spellcaster, moaning low in her throat as another surge of pleasure throbbed through her to rest aching at her centre.

Madalene's slim body pressed closer to the slayer, her weight hardly anything across Faith's legs, and the slayer's strength more than enough to keep her upright as she lost concern for balance. She let Faith explore for a few moments before beginning one of her own, twisting her tongue around the Slayer's as she brought her hands up to mess into black hair.

Oddly for her the slayer let Madalene explore, letting the Spellcaster feel all she wanted, tipping her head a little when smaller hands tugged softly at her hair to tip her head slightly to the left or right. Faith began pressing her hand up and down Madalene’s thigh, to match the passage of the one sliding up and down her back.

Madalene sensed the relaxation Faith had, and took the time to enjoy the other woman's mouth for a long time, the rubbing against her body making her hips press back and forth slightly as her body grew more and more aroused.  This is exactly what she had been thinking about as she'd walked over, this crazy sudden need she had to see Faith and just... Be.

She slowly pulled her mouth back, finding her lungs burning for air and looked into the slayer's dark eyes as they opened.

"Lets get you out of these clothes." Faith offered the move without actually moving to fulfill her words, waiting for any response from the Spellcaster.

Madalene nodded as she reached up and gracefully pulled the shirt up over her head, she had on a silky white bra.  It took less time to get rid of the skirt, the knot at her hip undone and the material unwrapped to be tossed off onto the floor.  A lacy thong matched the bra in color.

"Fuck Mads." Faith breathed out as she literally just stared at the spell casters body. "You're fucking awesome." she reached out both hands and drew finger tips down milky white thighs.

"You don't mind the tattoos?" Madalene questioned slightly more conscious of them now that they were on show so to speak.

"They're damn sexy." Faith grinned more. "I mean it mads, I never thought that beneath that funky Spellcaster wear, you were quite so fucking sexy." She gave a short whistle. "Must have hurt like a son of a bitch." She moved a finger tip to trace a little over the dark pattern.

"They did... Traditional needles, not that easy electric stuff." She teased running her hand over the barbed wire on Faith's upper arm.  "Oh and I'm not sexy." She blushed deeply.

"Quit it okay Maddy." Faith shook her head, "Every single woman on the face of this planet is sexy, you are extra sexy." She smiled brightly. "I should know, I've seen a few." she added, her finger tips rubbing over one of the strap of the lacy bra. "Pretty bra too, I didn’t know you wore this kind of undies." She grinned again brightly

"I like pretty things sometimes." Madalene smiled and looked down.  "I didn't quite realize this bra was so big on the cleavage though."  She laughed feeling more comfortable.

"Cleavage is good." Faith laughed too happy to see a little of the tension drop out of the spell casters shoulders. "You know, you could slip under the sheets with me, I  promise I'm decent." She smiled softly.

"I thought you didn't sleep in clothes?" Madalene teased as she moved to climb under with Faith.

"Depends." Faith gave a shrug, pulling back the sheets, revealing the smallest pair of boy-shorts, and the fact that the strap top she had on ending just a little below her breasts. "Most people don’t call these nightwear." She grinned.

"They cover the essentials."  Madalene smiled as she leaned one arm under her head letting her eyes roam over Faith's body.

"like what you see?" Faith asked, her voice low and thick.

"I always have." Madalene admitted softly as she reached out, running her fingers over the muscles of Faith's stomach.

Faith smiled more shifting a little closer to Madalene, with her hand she pressed over Madalene’s hand, pressing her fingers and palm flat to her stomach. Tensing and flexing the muscles beneath them.

"I like it when you touch what you like." She growled low.

"That was my purpose for coming over and breaking in."  Madalene admitted dragging her hand up higher, tracing her fingers along beneath the bottom of the tank, just skimming the bottom edge of full breasts.

"A move I really, really appreciated." Faith arched her back for the Spellcaster, moving her hands quickly to easily peel off the tight black material, pulling it over her head and tossing it off towards the door.

"Faith." Madalene breathed out somewhat surprised by the bold move, though she knew she shouldn't have been.  It was probably more that now being faced with a half naked Faith, stretched out taunt before her, her mind was having very erotic thoughts that surprised even her.  She dragged her fingers up over the slayer's left breast, feeling the texture of the soft skin and the small bumps that rose around her puckered nipple.

"Right here Maddy." Faith smiled giving a little wiggle on the bed. "Right here for you to enjoy, however you want to." she added, tucking one hand behind her head she propped her self up a little more and pulling one of her legs up, bent at the knee, opening herself for the Spellcaster in a semi-subtle way.

"But..." Madalene pressed closer but hesitated for a second.  "I want you to enjoy too." She admitted her worry.

"Mads listen okay." Faith shook her head, "Right now, you're in my bed, you're semi naked and you smell like nothing on earth. I'm already enjoying." She underlined, "And believe me, if you make me cum, I'll be more than enjoying." She chuckled. "If im fucking lucky, I'll get to make you squirm too." She winked with a grin.

"It's sandalwood and rosewater." Madalene explained as she continued closer, her hand moving to trace up Faith's thigh, running up over her stomach and then closing around one perfect breast, massaging with her palm.

"I love it." Faith grinned. "dip me in sandalwood and rosewater and feed me to the dark haired spell casting lesbian." She chuckled, groaning in pleasure as her breasts stiffened and ached more for Madalene’s touches

"You always seemed more... Attentive.. When I wore it in the past." Madalene admitted as she watched Faith's reaction to the touches, her thumb rubbing back and forth over her hard nipple.

"What can I say," Faith gave a soft shrug, "Turns me on." She admitted easily

"What else turns you on?" The Spellcaster asked her finger rubbing harder and pulling lightly, edging on each press of Faith's hips.

"Hot women, who know how to touch me." Faith growled making her hip press more pronounced. "Shapely girls who can dance like goddesses."

"Makes it sound like you like women."  Madalene grinned as she looked down where her hand played and slowly lowered her mouth, dragging her bottom lip across the hot flesh.

"Ahhhhhh fuck Maddy yesss." Faith arched her back and groaned loudly.

The sheer responsiveness of the slayer's body made Madalene repeat the move before she began flicking with her tongue.

"Mmm yeah, come here baby." Faith growled, flipping onto her back, dragging the Spellcaster with her, so that Madalene landed laying out against Faiths stomach, the slayers legs spread around her.

Madalene groaned as their hot bodies settled together and she pressed closer, her lips closing to suck on the flesh they were teasing.

Faiths hands immediately slipped around Madalene’s body, stroking down over the warm skin on her back to then rest and cup the spell casters ass firmly as she began rocking them together.

"Goddess Faith." Madalene moaned as the ache between her legs was fuelled by the pressure, she kissed across, licking and sucking every available inch of faith's other breast.

Faith tipped her head back, supporting it with a pillow, panting louder and louder as she introduced a grinding motion to the simple rock their body shared, her hands squeezing Madalene’s tight butt pulling her tighter to her body.

Madalene braced up more on her arms, pushing harder to the Slayer's body as her being was filled with the hot feeling of pleasure.  Her mind was busy with thoughts of exactly what they were doing, the realization of how she had wanted this for so long and the ignorance of any guilt she might feel about just showing up to have sex with Faith.

Looking down at the passionate slayer she didn't recognize the signs in her own body and she arched harder, screaming out softly as a flare of pleasure made her insides contract and spasm.

A strong smile filled faiths face as she gripped Madalene tighter and pushed up extra firmly with her hips, panting hard.

"Fuck yes Maddy, ahhh god baby you're fucking amazing." She encouraged the Spellcaster loudly.

"You..." Madalene panted pushing up a bit.  "have a dirty mouth."  She kissed Faith hard.

Faith met the kiss fiercely and moving one hand off the spell casters ass, and in a smooth motion putting it on the back of Madalene’s head keeping her tight in the kiss as she pressed and twirled her tongue in and around Maddy's mouth, her hips never stopping their hard motion, and then with strength and agility, she rolled them quickly over, soon being the one to be pinning Madalene down with her hips. Breaking the kiss briefly Faith grinned down at the Spellcaster.

"And you sound amazing when you cum." She smirked kissing her again hard.

"Was I too loud?" Madalene blushed more through hot cheeks as she reached around , her hands rubbing up and down Faith's back.

"Barely heard ya." Faith grinned moving to kiss Madalene’s neck lightly over

and over.

"Mmmm." Mads tipped her head back enjoying the exploration as her hips pressed to Faith's over and over.

"See doesn’t feel so bad does it." faith purred as she licked around Madalene ear.

"no..." mads moaned again.  "Feels good." She admitted moving her hands to Faith's breasts to massage them as they moved.

"You bet it does." Faith easily agreed, capturing Maddy’s earlobe and nibbling it a little. "You know the twins love the attention, but god my pussy needs you to touch it." She growled in-between kisses, nips and licks.

Madalene groaned and bit her lip as the words sent a hot flow of sparkling pleasure through her body.  She couldn't refuse and she moved her right hand down between them and as Faith pulled back a bit she was able to cup her hand around the very damp cotton shorts.

"Ahhh yeah, see." Faith groaned loudly and danced her hips round in a hard jagged movement pressing her ache to Madalene’s palm over and over. Seeing the extreme satisfaction it brought the slayer, she curled her fingers around the barrier and slid them in between swollen wet lips, she groaned at the feeling.

"Ohh fuck yesss" faith groaned in pure pleasure

Madalene began to work her fingers back and forth against the hard ridge of Faith's centre, her hips pressing with her hand to support the press of faith's hips.

"God that’s good Maddy." Faith panted hard with every press and rub.

"You're very wet." Madalene appraised in a aroused voice as she moved her fingers faster.

"Fuck yeah, Mads how could I not be, you fucking turn me on, you always have." Faith growled shifting her hips in a circular motion trying to get as much friction and excitement as possible.

"I have?" Madalene asked putting her other hand to Faith's breast to add the double stimulation, her fingers pressed and flicked harder against the motion of the Slayer's hips.

"Yeah." Faith easily admitted, "Oohhh Fuck Maddy, that’s sooo goood." Faith squeezed her eyes closed as her body moved more on instinct.

Madalene kept up the stimulation that Faith seemed to be enjoying so much, she had ideas of other things to do but she didn't really trust her instinct yet.

"You're driving me crazy here Maddy, are you planning to torture me like this forever." Faith growled and grinned at the same time, her body hot and flushed as she made her movements harder.

"Mmmm I think you'd like that." Madalene looked up at her and gave a sultry smile, she moved her fingers in a circular pattern one way and then back the other way

"You bet I would." Faith agreed easily, "though we might have to get some kinda engine strapped to the bed and maybe some sheets for when we go on patrol, you know you could get a little cold just like that." She grinned cheekily.

"Mmmm you are thinking way too much." Madalene noted as she slipped her fingers back through wetness and pushed two into Faith's body groaning at the sudden tight press of muscles around them.

"Holy sh...." Faith arched hard as she felt Madalene press into her body, "OOh fuck Maddy yesss." She growled biting her lip.

"You feel... Mmmm." Madalene moaned pressing inside against the tight muscles and pulling back to start a solid in and out rhythm.

"Enough talk." Faith pressed her lips urgently to Madalene’s pressing her hips harder in a quick rhythm, her inner muscles gripping and flex around the Spellcaster fingers as the dark slayer felt herself building quickly.

Madalene kissed her back hotly, enjoying the feel of the strong woman's pleasure as it rode up towards release.

Faith didn’t take long, the firm penetration of Madalene’s fingers had been exactly what she needed to push her over the edge. With a loud groan of pure lustful climax faith pushed down extra hard against the Spellcaster grunting as she forced their movements at her pace for a long few thrusts teasing her more until the point when her body bucked and writhed over Maddy’s her muscles releasing and griping in fast spasm as she came even harder.

Madalene watched in awe at the Slayer's completely embraced release, it was like Faith didn't just fall into orgasm, she dived into it and drank up every moment she could find.

After long moments of pushing rocking and panting Faith stilled on top of the Spellcaster, breathing out heavily as she opened her eyes looking at Madalene with a satisfied grin.

"You're amazing." Madalene whispered reaching up to tuck wild black hair behind her ear.

"Why thank you." Faith smirked more. She gave Madalene a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back off her, leaving the spell casters body open to the chilled air.

"Evil too." Madalene gave a light groan at the new feeling of chilled air. 

"I was getting a throw." Faith held up the grey and navy plaid throw she had taken off the chair by the window. She took long strides back to the bed and laid down on it next to Madalene, laying it over the top of the Spellcaster.

"Thank you." Madalene said softly, touched by Faith's obvious concern. Still feeling the heady pleasure running through her body she snuggled closer to the dark slayer without thinking.

It was obvious that the dark slayer wasn’t expecting the move as the Spellcaster spooned herself against Faith side. For a brief second the dark slayer felt her muscles tense, but then she forced the to relax.

"You better not snore." she said closing her eyes.

*********

Madalene couldn't help but feel anxious as she looked between the tome she was researching and the clock near the front counter of the Magic Box.  This would be the first official time that she'd be seeing Faith after their little escapade the night before.  Of course the dark slayer had been there in the morning, but she'd been forced to extract herself from the bed well before Faith wanted to be starting her day.  She's gotten the brunette awake enough to explain she was leaving and the reasons why, which she hoped Faith actually remembered.

So now she was just waiting, feeling the butterflies doing loops in her stomach.  All day she had been left with the ache of the night before, a good feeling that had made the hours pass quickly up until now.

'Just have to wait and see.' She tried to comfort herself, making a game of trying to guess what Faith would be wearing.

"You know you're fucking impossible sometimes." The door of the magic shop was flung open, the bell threatening to pitch off into oblivion with the aggression put into the move.

Buffy stalked in first, dressed in dark maroon jeans and a pale cream sweater, she cast an angry glance over her shoulder at Faith who had been the one who had opened the door with such force.

"I think Giles wants that intact." Buffy replied in her sickly sweet, belittling Faith tone that she had this habit of using when with the dark haired slayer.

"I didn’t break the fucking thing." Faith snapped but despite her initial reaction to slam it closed, she eased the door back into place, her eyes quickly turning from the slayer to scan the room, falling almost instantly on Madalene. She straightened up almost immediately and pressed both hands into the pockets of her deep blue jeans, a pair that Madalene hadn’t seen before.

"You have some extra energy to burn off Faith, why don’t you go work out." Buffy said almost patronizingly.

Faith turned to her ready to give her a mouthful in response, but instead she just pulled the tight white sleeveless shirt she had on down and tucked it into her jeans where it had come untucked a little, and pressed through the shop floor going towards the back room but stopping near the research table first.

Madalene watched the slayer with her eyes, waiting until she was close to the table before she said anything.  She had on a t-shirt with a sparkly motif on the front and a long dark stretchy cotton skirt in black.

"Hello Faith." She said softly, trying to use a normal her tone.

"Hey, how you doing?" Faith smiled a little at the Spellcaster, "I kinda just got my marching orders to go work out." She glanced to the door to the back.

"Researching." Madalene waggled the book.  "You want me to bring you a juice later when I take a break?" She asked glad when the question didn't make anyone at the table react.

"Great idea." Faith nodded her eyes lingering on the sparkly motif that spread across Madalene’s chest.

Madalene smiled under the attention for a long moment before forcing herself to go back to her book.

Faith turned and jogged through to the backroom as Buffy came over and dropped into the chair beside Madalene.

"Hey, how you doing?" the blonde asked looking at the Spellcaster.

"I'm okay, trying to figure out your demon riddle." She looked up at Buffy.  "How are you?"

"I’m good." Buffy nodded, "Is the book worming helping?"

"A little, I have a few leads to follow up." Madalene nodded.  "So what was going on when you two came in?" She couldn't refrain from asking, not that it was uncommon for the two slayers to be at each others throats.

"Oh who knows, Faith's going on about talking to Giles about getting signed back up with he council and looking for a place." Buffy shrugged.

"Why would that have caused an argument? That's the most logical next step." Madalene pointed out.

"We don’t need faith here permanently, she's to, volatile to have around 24 /

7." Buffy shook her head

"So you just disagree to her staying in Sunnydale, but you think that she should be back with the Council and they should arrange a place for her?"  Madalene checked the issues.

"To be honest I don’t care what she does, as long as she doesn’t do it in my backyard." Buffy was clear. "Anyway why are we talking about this, let me rescue you from the evils of research and drag you out for a coffee and a donut." The blonde smiled.

"You have an easy way of distracting me from research I'm doing for you." Madalene laughed lightly and closed her book.  She watched Buffy take everyone else’s orders and then followed the blonde outside.

"So how you doing?" Buffy asked as soon as they got outside. "And before you think I'm prying, because I’m not, but you look kinda, different today."

"I'm good." Madalene smiled, wondering how on earth Buffy could see anything different in her.  "I had a very nice sleep." She thought back to waking up in Faith's arms.

"That’s good, we've been kinda worried about you." Buffy smiled.

"Worried about me? Who? Why?" Madalene stopped and looked at her.

"Tara mainly." Buffy stopped too, "You know since you've been back you've been different." Buffy shrugged slightly. "We're all just worried that you're feeling something that we cant help with."

"I found out a lot when I went away, about who I used to be and I guess a lot about who I am and who I want to be."  Madalene admitted.  "I feel more 3 dimensional now."

"3D is good, unless you have to wear those blue and red glasses." Buffy laughed softly.

"No, no glasses." Madalene laughed and then slipped her arm into Buffy's to urge them to walk again.  "I'm sorry if you think I've been avoiding telling you about all of what happened, it's just... Hard.  Seeing Sarah, seeing how she'd rebuilt her life."

"But good too right?" Buffy quizzed, "That she's got a life to rebuild that is." She clarified her statement.

"Yes, I never want to see her hurt." Madalene agreed seeing Buffy's distinction.  "But a part of me just wanted to walk up to her, but I knew that would hurt her... Which is a hard thing to realize."

"Because you still love her?" Buffy queried.

"I'll never stop loving her." Madalene clarified what she knew was the truth.  "Will you ever stop loving Angel?" She turned the question around.

"No." Buffy shook her head. "so we now have to find you someone to have some fun with." Buffy changed the focus slightly, not comfortable with any angel discussion.

"Fun eh?" Madalene laughed.  "Are you on the Faith bandwagon that I need to have some sweaty fun with someone to let off some steam?" She said the comment with absolutely no malice.

"I never want to be compared to faith." Buffy underlined flatly, "But I don’t see anything wrong with finding a special friend to hang with." She clarified.

"Well I will admit that I feel totally open to the idea now that I've figure things out." Madalene smiled at her. "So you wouldn't mind if I found .... How does Willow put it... Snuggle bunny friend?"

"Mind? Why would I mind?" Buffy frowned just slightly.

"I don't know, because you're lovely and you worry about me." Madalene assured her that it wasn't a bad thing.

"Thanks." Buffy smiled, "And no I wouldn’t mind. It would be good for you." She added, "Everyone needs a bunny."

"So what are you getting?" Madalene let Buffy pull the door of the shop open.

***

Madalene came into the work out room and watched for a second as Faith went through some paces of punches and kicks.

"I have juice and sugar." She held up the extra large bottle and small brown bag.

Faith bounced down catching her breath slightly, before pushing up to stand, wiping her sweaty brow with the back of her hand, picking up a towel that she'd thrown over the pommel horse in the corner. she threw it around her neck and jogged over. Having stripped off the jeans, and slipped on a pair of short black lycra shorts Faith looked far less tense in one way, but worse in another.

"Great." She reached for the juice. "I stuck my head out a while back, Tara told me you'd gone off with B."

"Coffee run." Madalene nodded. "And it got me an explanation on why you two were heading off at each other again." She filled in.

"Oh right." Faith sipped her juice not saying anything else.

"So do you want to stay in Sunnydale?" Madalene leaned against the horse as she asked the question in a non threatening voice.

"I’m sick of the motel." Faith nodded.

"You should be, it's too small for you." Madalene smiled.  "Do you want me to talk to Mr. Giles?"

"Dunno, Buffy's dead against it, she wants me outta here." Faith shrugged and hopped up to sit straddling the horse.

"She's territorial, yes." Madalene looked up at her and nodded.  "But she doesn't care if the Council starts paying you for all the hard work you do. Let me talk to Mr. Giles okay?" She reached up and put her hand on Faith's leg.

Faith looked first at Madalene’s hand and then at the spell casters face. Pushing off the horse, she moved one hand to press up through Madalene’s hair whilst her other caught hold of the spell casters hip, pulling her close as she pressed her lips to Madalene’s.

Madalene had of course been surprised by the move, but after her initial tense of shock she melted into Faith's embrace, the new contact instantly fuelling her memories of the night before.  She slid her arms around Faith.

Faith let the kiss linger a long time and then pulled just her head back, keeping their bodies firmly pressed together.

"Wish you hadn’t have taken a shower." faith grinned.

"Mmmm maybe, since you've covered me in you pheromones now."  Madalene grinned back reaching up to tuck dark hair behind her ear.  "I won't be much use researching the rest of the day."

"I can think of better ways to spend the day." Faith nodded.

"Really, and what would they be?" Madalene inquired.

"Driving around, listening to good music, relaxing." Faith tried hard to avoid the obvious.

"When did you get a car?" Madalene asked the other obvious question.

"Giles has one, and Tara." Faith shrugged.

"Mmmm you going to take care of the music and relaxing if I get us a vehicle?" Madalene gave her a sweet smile.

"Sure thing." Faith relaxed again with a grin.

"Get cleaned up a bit then." Madalene pulled back with a wink and turned, wiggling her way to the doorway.

Faith chuckled watching her leave before moving to do just that.

*****

It hadn't taken long for Madalene to secure the car from Tara, the blonde had already handed over the keys before she'd actually asked why the Spellcaster needed them.  Madalene had been fairly honest, explained that Faith needed a little cooling time, time to relax and that she was hoping to get her to make some decisions about what she wanted from the Council and about how long she was going to hang around.

She waited out front of the magic box, checking her hair in the rear-view mirror and readjusted the steering wheel.

Faith didn’t take much longer, she appeared out from round the back of the magic box, back in her tight dark navy jeans, this time supporting a thick black belt with a bright silver buckle, and three silver chains that trailed from the belt loop near her hip to the one on her butt. She'd swapped the top she'd been wearing for a tight plain red t-shirt, with small capped sleeves, obviously braless beneath, the top end across her tight abs, leaving a strip of olive brown skin for the world to see.

"Went for the Tara option eh? Much simpler." She smiled standing on the curb side next to the car.

"And I like driving this one better." Madalene admitted taking a slow look over her outfit.   "Ready?"

"if you are." Faith nodded back." reaching for the car door, whilst at the same time flicking a CD out of her back pocket.

"I am." The Spellcaster agreed knowing indeed she was, ready for whatever this day of misadventure was going to bring.  "Do you want to drive?" She asked almost as an afterthought not having considered that the dark slayer probably had a preference before.

"Up to you." Faith shrugged. "though I tend to be a distracting passenger." She gave a wide grin.

"You can navigate." Madalene smiled and checking the traffic pulled the car away from the curb.

Faith pushed the CD into the player before reaching and putting on her safety belt. Seconds later a hard beauty track filled the car.

Madalene kept driving out of the centre of town, taking the directions that Faith gave her to turn, or continue on.  Of course being Sunnydale, it only took about a half hour until they were out of any 'habited' region and in the middle of what seemed like endless dessert.

Faith kept her eyes mainly on Madalene as they drove. She shifted in her seat so that she was more or less turned completely to face her.

"You know, after a night like last night, you just ooze sexuality." Faith licked her lips.

"Do I?" Madalene looked at her showing her pleasure with the statement. "Well almost everyone has told me I look happier today."

"you do, less tense." Faith nodded, reaching out, trailing her finger tip over the spell casters shoulder.

"Thank you." Madalene couldn't help the purr that entered her voice. "So I just keep driving?"

"sure, all these roads go somewhere, eventually." Faith nodded continuing to draw her fingers over Madalene’s shoulder and neck, leaning forward towards the Spellcaster she put her other hand on her thigh.

"You're a very free spirit."  Madalene acknowledged feeling her concentration split as Faith touched her.

"couldn’t ever imagine being anything else." Faith replied, "B thinks I do it to piss her off, but I don’t." The dark slayer shook her head, "I’m like it because this is me."

"Then you shouldn't be anything else... And I think Buffy is more upset because she's not what you are, and a part of her wants to be... No worries, no responsibilities, no hell mouth with her name on it." Madalene admitted.

"she put her name on this hell mouth, no one else." Faith shrugged, "There are a hundred others all over the world nameless and slayer less." the slayer glanced at the empty road ahead. "pull over." She nodded to the barren path.

"I know... She puts all of this be a certain thing pressure on herself, you've gotten by that bit."  Madalene tried to explain that she'd meant it as a compliment to faith, not an accusation that she hadn't lived up to some responsibility.  She turned off as Faith directed.

"Turn off the car." Faith reached and flicked off her safety belt

Madalene pulled to a slow stop and turned off the engine as Faith had asked.

"Why did you come to my hotel room last night." Faith looked directly at Madalene.

"Because..." Madalene felt pinned in her seat for a minute before she was able to order her thoughts and her reactions.  "Because I wanted to see you and spend time with you." She breathed out.

"Cool." Faith sat back in the seat, "So what do you want to do? We could go bowling or some shit like that."

"I'm not very good at bowling." Madalene laughed.  "We could hang out here and watch the dessert.  Oh there's a meditation we could do." She got a little excited.

"You want to meditate, with me, in the desert." Faith clarified.

"Yes, is that such an alien idea?" Madalene turned to her grinning.

"No, no, okay, I'll go with it. Let's meditate in the desert." Faith laughed.

"I promise you'll enjoy it." Madalene smirked to herself as she got out, and pulled off the cardigan she had wrapped around her hips leaving it in the car.  She walked out into a nice patch and waited for Faith to join her.

Faith shook her head, a little in disbelief that she was doing this. She pushed out of the car and moved over to the spot Madalene had chosen. She looked at the Spellcaster.

"So what do we do? Sit down and assume the ostrich position or something?"

"No you can stand."  Madalene instructed.  "It's called an echo meditation, one of us leads and the other tries to follow in synch with the motions.  Do you want to lead and see how it works?"

"No its okay, I'll follow." Faith shook her head

"Okay so we'll start slow and then see how we do okay?"  Madalene put her hands up in front of her palms together like she was praying almost.

Faith breathed out and drew her hands together, pressing her palms together like Madalene was.

"Now just relax, don't try to push it." Madalene began the slow series of forms, watching as Faith worked probably too hard to keep up before she started to relax and manage to go through them without any thought or effort.

Madalene slowly felt her field of vision widen out, her body becoming more and more attuned to Faith's following behind her, their motions soft and fluid, almost graceful.  Feeling the connection grow between them she stepped closer to faith and a heartbeat later faith was closer to her.  She could hear the slayer's slow heartbeat rising a beat behind hers.

Faith couldn’t help but be surprised at how intensely intimate this mediation felt, as she and the Spellcaster moved their arms, legs and body in perfect unison, she was hardly aware of their movement closer together, her world centered on the fluidity and ease in each of their moves.

*If you want to lead I will follow.* Madalene offered gently as she brought them a step closer together, knowing that the soft more sweeping movements might not be enough for her powerful companion.

Without questioning the Spellcaster, Faith changed the style and tempo of their movements, making them harder, more aggressive, drawing their muscles tighter, in a variety of defensive and aggressive martial art poses.

Madalene of course had to work harder to follow these then she had when leading but each of them came quickly with a natural strength and freedom she rarely let herself feel.  Her bodies agility was suitable for fighting, and without anything there to connect her blows too there was no worry of power or winning.  She felt their hearts start racing faster, their bodies warming up.

Faith too felt the build up of power and heat between them, drawing out complex move after move, she felt her body awareness heighten, her senses acute and aware of everything. Well no, not everything, more specifically they were focused on one thing, Madalene, the smell of the spell casters heating body, the sound of her soft noises as she pushed her body into the moves, the sight of her smaller yet strong frame assuming the positions as she led. Faith quickly became aware that she was not focusing on the meditation anymore but on the woman she was meditating with.

Faith began to do that as Madalene's more trained mind felt the meditation slowing down, each heartbeat seeming to take longer and longer to sound.  The space between them growing.  She felt them take a step closer, almost in between beats, grasping on to that normally small lost moment in time and using it to it's full potential.

Madalene felt something she had never felt however, like Faith she found herself starting to concentrate on the dark slayer herself.  The motion of her body, the ripple of muscles, the smell of her, the feel of her that echoed through the air.

Faith suddenly pulled back, breaking the magical feeling between them flicking her hair over her shoulder.

Madalene gasped taking a second to catch up as the connection was so violently severed.

"are you all right?" She asked worried about the dark slayer and the reason she would have for breaking things.

"I.." Faith backed up a little, an unreadable expression on her face, "I'm not good at meditation." She backed up more.

"I'm sorry, was it too intense?" Madalene frowned concerned more and more.  "I should have warned you... It was more than usual..." She admitted.  "Faith you're flushed."  She moved closer to the dark slayer.

"It's hot." Faith backed up, wondering why her heart was beating so fast, almost like inside she was panicking about something, but yet at the same time it felt okay really.

"We should get you to the car." Madalene kept moving closer to her wanting to make sure she was okay.

"Maddy don't.." Faith began to warn the Spellcaster away from touching her, but it was too late, the other woman’s hand was already over her arm. Without thinking or trying to stop herself, not that she would have been able to. Faith closed any distance between them, pulling Madalene tight to her, hoisting her a little off the floor as she pressed her lips hard against the spell casters.

Madalene hadn't been prepared for the intensity of the contact, it was like the night before but this time a hundred fold.  She found herself kissing Faith back, not noticing that she wasn't on the ground anymore, totally at Faith's mercy as it was.

Faith shifted her hands down Madalene’s body to cup her ass urging her legs up and around her waist, as she pressed her tongue deeply into the spell casters mouth. Madalene moved as she was urged, almost anticipating the move, she let herself be open for the slayer, sliding her tongue around the one that explored her mouth.

Shifting her hands a little more to completely support Madalene’s weight, Faith focused on the deep passionate kiss, as she moved them closer to the car, easing the Spellcaster down onto the edge of the hood. Madalene didn't know where the support had come from, not being aware of being tilted down to rest on it but suddenly it was there.  The whole world had lost focus and become about one thing... Faith.  She could hear their heartbeats echoing in her head as if they were still in the meditation. She pressed her hands up under Faith's top, raking her nails up the slayer's back pressing closer to her.

Faith growled and pulled her mouth from Madalene’s latching onto her neck, ravishing it with hot fast licks, kisses and nips. Madalene moaned at the contact, her body arching and pressing as each of the new sensations raced through her.  She squeezed her legs tighter around Faith's body, moving them together.

Faith pressed her hips and body back in the movement, feeling herself become more and more intensely aroused. Without a thought she latched onto the soft skin of Madalene’s neck, sucking over and over as she squeezed the spell casters ass. The tight flare of arousing pain on her neck made Madalene arch harder, grinding her hips against Faith's as she tipped her head back moaning louder.  IT was lucky they were miles away from anyone or anything or it might have been loud enough to arouse question. She racked her hands back down Faith's back, and pressed them around to her breasts, massaging them roughly through the material.

Pulling her hands out from under Madalene’s body Faith hurriedly arched her body away from the other woman’s, placing her hands over the fastening of Madalene’s jeans. Using her fingers to expertly unfastened the spell casters pants.

Madalene panted, feeling every move that she made, arching to meet it, or pulling away as her hips moved in pleasure.  She wasn't sure if she made it easier or harder for faith to work but soon the pants were a memory.

Faith panted louder as she placed her hands on Madalene’s thighs and squeezed the soft skin hard.

"Oh fuck Maddy." She breathed out in a hard jagged moan.

"MMMM I know." Madalene agreed quickly bringing her hands up to Faith's face and pulling her into a searing kiss.  She could feel the slayer's words echoing around in her body adding to her building pleasure.

Without really thinking what an odd move it was for her, Faith pulled free of the kiss and then pulled back a little, dropping to her knees in the sun warmed sand. She began kissing up and over Madalene’s knees and thighs pulling the Spellcaster to the edge of the hood.

Madalene felt her body easily slid down the shiny hood, her mind surprising not worrying about her position perilously perched on the edge, something just didn't question if Faith would keep her there and keep her from falling. She groaned when she felt the kisses moving over her skin.

Faith kissing over and over milky soft thighs, her hands holding Madalene in place by her hips, as her lips moved and landed on dark heated cotton between the spell casters legs.

Madalene's body bucked up slowly, the intimate kiss making her body flare with more pleasure.  Her hips spread open more and she wished that the cotton barrier could disappear.

Faith growled at the pleasure filled response, her lips moving up kissing over Madalene’s panties, to swirl her tongue around the spell casters navel.

"Faith." Madalene groaned again, running her hand down to brush over dark hair softly.

"I want to eat you up." Faith drew her tongue up over cotton and skin.

"Yesss." Madalene whimpered the direct statement making her arch her hips more to Faith's mouth.

The dark slayer moved her hands subtly, lifting Madalene up a little off the smooth metal, whilst she moved one to ease down Madalene’s panties. Pressing her lips immediately back against warm dark hair.

The reaction from Madalene was immediate, her body pressing into the contact as she grew wetter.  The very desert seemed full of the scent of her arousal.

Faith groaned as she drew her mouth lower, flicking her tongue out, pressing it between Madalene’s hot wet lips, nudging her nose down and then up against the spell casters centre.

"Oh Goddess..." Madalene tried to accurately react to the enormous rush of pleasure the move brought her but it was just too much.  She felt her eyes closed as her body pushed on without her against the pressure, her mind trying to categorize just what faith was doing and then understand how it could possibly feel so good. The feel of Faith's tongue pressing into her tight body, urging muscles to open made her flood more and rise closer and closer to release.

The taste and smell of Madalene was like the strongest intoxicant that faith had ever tired. The slayer pressed in tighter, her tongue moving quicker and quicker, pressing in as deep as she could make it, her hands tightening on Madalene’s hips as she closed her lips around the heated wetness and sucked.

Madalene moved with every nuance of change, she didn't hear the chorus of groans and moans as she got louder, her hips rocking faster against Faith, her open hands gripping to the smooth surface of the car trying to find something to help ground her as she fell into blissful oblivion.

Faith felt her body flush with heat and desire as she felt and tasted the full extent of Madalene's pleasure on her lips and tongue, forgetting that she possibly should take it a little easy with the Spellcaster, after all she wasn't a slayer, Faith kept on sucking and licking against Madalene's clit, pressing her tongue in deep over and over

With all the direct attention Madalene easily fell into a crushing orgasm within mere moments, her hips flattened for a moment the move urging faith on and as soon as she pressed in again with her tongue the Spell caster's body exploded with a wave of fresh pleasure, her insides contracting as her centre quivered under faith's mouth.  She was panting and gasping for air her hand gripping Faith's forearm.

It was the pressure on faiths arm that made her mind catch up with her body, gasping she eventually pulled back a little from the spellcasters centre, her dark eyes flashing brightly with full arousal.

"Wow." Madalene finally managed to breath out a word when Faith pulled back, her body starting to catch up with itself a little.

"Oh yeah." Faith swallowed quickly and wiped her forehead, staying knelt between Madalene legs

"You're... Wow."  Madalene summed up badly reaching up to her own sweat soaked brow.

Faith grinned as she pushed up, she watched as Madalene wiped her brow and then leaned forward capturing her in a deep kiss.

Madalene kissed her back immediately and stronger then she thought she could manage, the contact solidified and began to add fuel to the fire still raging inside her, she wound her arms around Faith's body pulling her closer.

Faith moved easily closer, her body pressing tight to Madalene's as their hot kiss continued Madalene didn't let go of the kiss as well, luring Faith's tongue into her mouth she sucked on it as her hands pressed to squeeze Faith's ass tightly.

Faith let her body tense and push hard against Madalene's for a long moment, before she pulled her mouth free.

"The suns hot out here, you're gonna burn." She glanced at the clear sky

"Mmmm for some reason I don't care."  Madalene blinked at her and leaned up kissing her softly but passionately.

"People will be missing you." Faith pulled back again a little more reluctantly, she was confused why she gave a damn about anything other than hot hard sex right now.

"How long have we been gone?" Madalene sat up a bit staying close to Faith as she moved, reaching out to rub her shoulder and arm.

"An hour or so I'd say." Faith replied, pressing her body against Madalene over and over, the spell casters soft attention making her lose her other focuses, drawing attention back to the fire in her body and the desire in her blood.

"I'm with you, they should know I'm safe."  Madalene explained running her fingers down to rub over her breast.

"Safe with me?" Faith laughed softly, "I'd question that Maddy." The dark slayer admitted, "With the things I wanna do to you." She grinned

"No matter what I'd be safe." Madalene smiled at her and reached up cupping her cheek.

"You trust me?" The words sounded alien as they left the dark slayers mouth

"Yes." Madalene nodded leaning up to kiss her lightly.

As Faith leaned again to kiss Madalene deeply again, the small cell phone in her back pocket started ringing.

"You're important." Madalene moved back enough to let her answer it.

Faith growled a little unhappily as she pulled back and took the cell phone out, flicking it open. After a brief conversation she looked back at Madalene.

"It was Buffy." She replied, "We're needed."

"What's wrong?" Madalene curled her hair back behind her ears and looked around for her pants and underwear.

"Demon gang's raided a local warehouse, Buffy needs my muscle, the gang need your brain." She explained bending to pick up Madalene’s pants and handing them to her

"Thank you." Madalene pushed down a little unsteady off the car and worked to pull them back on.  "I guess the hell mouth never rests." She said obviously unhappy with the news.

"No." Faith frowned as she shifted her own pants back into a more bearable position.

"You okay?" Madalene finished doing up her pants and asked the question in a soft voice.

"A little uncomfy, but you know, I'll survive. You okay?" Faith checked

"Mmmm let me know if I'm not walking straight." She smiled and gingerly moved around to her side of the car.  "Can you drive?" She asked before getting in.

"Sure." Faith nodded and pulled open the door. "I promise to avoid bumps." She added getting in

"Thank you."  Madalene nodded and slipped in onto her seat.

***

Madalene listened to Buffy's sum up of what had happened and her explanation of how perfectly logical it was for Faith to go check out the warehouse while she 'scouted' and everyone else researched.

When the blonde had stopped she waited to see if anyone else would object to the obviously hair brained idea.

"Sounds good to me." Xander pulled out the closest book to him and opened it up. Glancing around the group for a moment Faith moved to the weapons stash choosing a short double edged sword and a smaller dagger.

"Um... I object." Madalene put forward as everyone started to move.  "We are facing an unknown central enemy, whose minions are made of from what we can gather stone that has so far proved unbeatable to any weapon either slayer could wield.  Put that with the fact that previously while together, the two of you couldn't do more than keep yourselves alive. It is foolish to split forces,  we need more information and less bravado." She looked at Buffy.

"We need to keep it busy." Buffy met her gaze with a frown, "so that you and the gang can research." She added.

"And if you or Faith run into it, we're one less slayer to fight it so what we research isn't going to be very helpful."  Madalene pointed out the flaw in the strategy.  "And come to think of it, keeping it busy... Doesn't it seem convenient that almost on clockwork as soon as you and faith clear out a new wave of vamps this rock statue pops up and does something like break up a store or a warehouse or crush some cars? Almost like whoever makes it or maintains it wants to keep you two busy?"

"Okay then." Buffy looked at Madalene constantly, "I'll stay here, Faith can go and keep an eye on the warehouse but try to stay out of trouble." She offered a revised plan.

"Maybe one of us could go see if there is a magical trace?" Dawn put forward.  "All the books on golems suggest it's magic, so that means traceable right?" She looked towards the witches in the room, her eyes landing on Tara.

Madalene keep the blonde look, but she tried not to make it seem challenging, after all she knew how scrappy Buffy got when you backed her into a corner.

"I could go." Tara pushed up frowning just a little.

"Forget it Blondie." Faith shook her head and moved back to the table. "I'll go, make sure its all calmed down, I can take on a few dozen whatevers." She shrugged, "When its okay there I'll come back and take a magical co-hort." she offered.

"See even Faith knows its best if a slayer deals with what might be there." Buffy kept the challenging look with Madalene.

"I didn't say a slayer shouldn't ultimately deal, I suggest that neither of you are disposable."  Madalene clarified still looking at Buffy as everyone's tension notched up a little.

"B's trying to tell you that Im more disposable than most." Faith pointed out tired of the wordplay. "Right B, I mean I get it." She picked up the sword she'd briefly laid on the table and took long strides to the door.

"Is that what you're really saying Buffy?" Madalene glanced at Faith but looked back at the blonde.

"I..." Buffy flashed Faith an annoyed glare. "I trust Faith not to get herself killed." She didn't answer the question.

"Good, then you should also trust her not to get me killed.  I'll go hunt for a tracer Tara, if you want to cast a sweep to solidify it." She looked at her cousin as she went to sling on her new improved spell bag, a very central piece of equipment since the problems had started.

"No way." Buffy jumped up and shook her head. "You stay right here."

"We need to know what is going on, we need information... And Faith will keep me safe while we scout." Madalene pointed out.  "Add to that the fact I'm not breakable and I'm the best choice."

"If you're going I come too." Buffy moved to get a second sword.

"What b's trying to tell you is that I'm not a team player, I might keep myself okay but she doesn't think I'll keep anyone else that way."

"Will you stop telling everyone what I am trying to say." Buffy growled at her

"The whole point of your plan was to have one slayer at the scene and one here Buffy, you can't both go with me." Madalene corrected.

"Which is why you don't go. You can go when Faith comes back and tells us its all clear there." Buffy stared at Madalene hard.

"Faith?" Madalene looked at the dark slayer, genuinely for all it was worth to Faith herself and everyone else there, wanting her opinion on the scenario.  On one hand she didn't want Faith to think she didn't think she was totally capable but on the other she did want Faith to see she wasn't on this 'send the other slayer into the face of all peril' bandwagon.

Faith gave a shrug but kept a soft smile in her eyes as she looked at Madalene.

"Whatever." She nodded, "And hey at least I know that one of you will be at my funeral." She took more long strides to the door.

"Be careful." Madalene added moving back to sit down with one of the many books on the table to research.

"always am." Faith nodded pulling open the door and quickly leaving.

***

Madalene approached the door of the hotel a little wearily, after all she knew that the night before hadn't gone well.  And from what she could piece together, despite ultimately there being both slayer's there to take on the big stone gargoyle they'd done little more than chip it's ear.

She could only imagine that Faith was a little worse for wear, and she doubted like Buffy she'd come home to a household full of people ready to take care of her and patch her up.  That Buffy had simply said the dark slayer 'refused' to come with her and hobbled off on her own didn't make Madalene feel any better.

She's come prepared though: medicine, bandages, a hot breakfast and lots of coffee.

She reached up awkwardly and knocked.

"I'm sleeping, did some little bastard thief the do not disturb sign again." Faiths  voice came from within

"Faith, it's me... Madalene."  The Spellcaster called through.  "I brought you breakfast."

"Mads." The slayers tone changed, There came some fumbling from the other side of the door and a long moment later the door was eased open, the slayer hidden behind it. "You didn't have to bring me food."

"Why not?" Madalene smiled at her but was a bit concerned when she stayed hidden.  "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Faith moved out from behind the door, and limped heavily over to the bed, dropping down on it, she looked up at the Spellcaster, revealing a very painful looking shiner, and a jagged cut down the side of the angry bruise near her eye.

"Faith." Madalene breathed out in concern.  "Have you looked after that?" She put down the trays of food and coffee and laid the bag she had over her shoulder on the bed pulling out supplies.  "And let me see your leg, I didn't miss the limp."

"Looked after what?" faith said innocently leaning back against the propped up pillows, making no attempt to raise her jogging pant leg.

"Eat while I look at this." Madalene pushed the paper bag at her and moved to roll up her pant leg.

"wrong end." faith grinned putting down the bag, "If you want the top of it that is." She added pushing her butt up and wriggling out of the pants, revealing a large open gash that ran down from Faiths Mid thigh to just above her heel. she dropped the pants and picked up the bag nonchalantly.

"What am I going to do with you?" Madalene looked at the angry wound and moved to start getting bandages and things.  "This should be stitched." She pointed out as she started to clean it.

"Nah, it stopped bleeding during the night, I heal quick." Faith gave her a grin around the large donut in her mouth.

"The donut was for dessert, there's a bacon and egg bagel in there." Madalene rolled her eyes as she looped Faith's leg with sterile dressing.  "Any other hidden wounds?"

"Just a broken rib or two." Faith shook her head, "You bandage Buffy up this good?" she teased with a wink.

"Giles bandaged Buffy up." Madalene shook her head refusing to rise to the teasing.  "Take your shirt off then, I need to strap you up."

"I prefer to take my shirt off for other reasons." Faith grinned. "I mean come on you ignored the whole not wearing underwear under the pants."

"You're injured, I'm taking care of you." Madalene reminded her softly as she moved to help her take the shirt off seeing the angry bruising under her breasts immediately.  "Faith." She whispered knowing they must hurt.  "Do you want some pain killers?"

"Endorphins work for me." She grinned again.

"Faith, behave."  Madalene carefully finished tying off the wrap. "You're lucky you're able to move around at all."

"Can B?" Faith actually leaned back against the support of the wood.

"Mmmm not so greatly." Madalene was honest.  "I think you should come back to the house." She put forward softly knowing Faith wasn't going to react well or quickly agree.

"Oh yeah, that'd work well." Faith chuckled shaking her head.

"You're injured, you can stay in Xander's old room down by me and I can look after you when you're too stubborn to look after yourself." Madalene pointed out moving to put some salve on her eye.

"Ow." Faith screwed up her face, "I wish I'd seen that coming." She added, "I figured the bluriness would had cleared by now." She added. "And why would you wanna look after me?"

"Because you're injured, and if you're here by yourself scuffling around haphazardly I'll worry more than usual about you." Madalene filled in softly.  "When you're well enough you can bail on the basement for freedom again, but this way we're all together and I can take care of your various broken bits."

"Buffy wont have me in the house." Faith said flatly

"Buffy will have to deal." Madalene reached to take her coffee.  "We're facing an apocalypse, we need everyone safe and healthy."

"We're so going to need a better strategy than two tiny girls with pointy sticks to beat these guys." Faith agreed with the apocalyptical assessment.

"Which is exactly why I need you at home where I can look after you, then I can focus totally on figuring out how we are going to beat this." Madalene assessed.  "So you willing to give it a try?"

Faith looked at Maddy for a long moment, as if figuring out a few things in her head. "It doesn't smell like Xander - right?" She checked.

"No, I cleaned after he left.  Probably smells more like me and my incenses." Madalene nodded.

"Sandalwood?" Faith perked up.

"Oh course." Madalene nodded.  "I can put a burner in your room too if you wanted."

"You're not playing fair!" Faith groaned a little, 'You're invoking my sexually needy side to make the decision."

"I'll use anything I can." Madalene smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.  "Just think the faster you heal the faster we can go on another drive."

Faith gave another wider grin.

"We have to drive over there don't we." She winked.

"We do." Madalene laughed.  "Come on, I'll pack up your stuff."  She moved to get things together.

****

"See not so bad at all." Madalene lit the small incense cone on the dresser and turned back to Faith.

"Yeah if I ignore the curl up and die looks from B every time she walks past the basement door." Faith smiled

"Hobbles."  Madalene corrected to make her feel better.  "And she knows it's a good idea, you and her just have that... Grating on each others nerves thing.  Which I am sure has a long and illustrious history but I'm looking out for the here and now."

Faith leaned back more and closed her eyes.

"You sleepy?" she asked of Madalene

"No, are you? Do you need something?" Madalene moved closer and perched on the edge of the bed.

"Sleep kinda helps the healing." Faith admitted, "I was just seeing if you wanted to slip up beside me and sleep too." She opened one eye.

"You don't mind?" Madalene asked a little surprised.

"Mind?" Faith arched the eyebrow of the open eye, "Mind that I get to absently play with bits of you in my 'sleep'." She chuckled.

"I should have known." Madalene laughed with her.  "Let me get my tea and changed and I'll come lie down with you okay?"

"Perfect." Faith gave a short nod and shimmied over more so that there was a free side of the bed.

IT wasn't long before Madalene was back, she quietly sipped her tea, changing the cone in the incense before she cuddled up intent apparently on going to sleep as Faith dozed and rested.

"Hey there." Faiths said, her eyes still closed her breathing slow and measured. "You got everything you need?" She added.

"I think so, I'm not squishing you am I?" Madalene turned a little back towards Faith trying to be very conscious of her injuries

"Nope, kinda wish you were though." The dark slayer added with a slow grin.

"Faith, you're injured." Maddy pointed out but despite herself just being so close to the brunette compelled her to turn over so she could look into dark eyes.  "We have to be careful with you." She reached up rubbing Faith's stomach, one of the rare uninjured areas.

"You are being careful." Faith replied, "And you know its hard to focus when you're this close, when I can feel your body heat, smell your essence, hear your breathing, feel the soft throb inside you."

"Mmmm how can you always be so... Sensuous?" Madalene questioned leaning up a bit as she kissed her full on the lips.

Faith wiggled her arm out and around Madalene's back as she kept the Spellcaster tight to her, kissing her deeply.

"I can be so sensuous because you are a fucking wonder in bed." the dark slayer growled.

"Charmer." Madalene breathed back pressing back a little as she moved to kiss Faith again

"Nah, don't have the access energy to charm." Faith shook her head and grinned more. "Have just enough to make you writhe and moan."

"Promises." Madalene laughed a little moving her hands carefully up to Faith's breasts, very specifically rubbing over her nipples to avoid the other bulky bandages.  "Perhaps I have other plans this time."

"I'm all ears." faith looked into the spellcasters eyes still smiling.

"I think you can figure out my plan."  Madalene moved to kiss her while still rubbing and pinching the hardening flesh.

"I dunno Maddy, you can be unpredictable." Faith grinned more, moaning as her nipples contracted more.

"Can I?" Madalene laughed as she moved over to straddle Faith's good leg and peeled back the top she was wearing to lower her lips to one of the points she teased licking it slowly.

"Ohh god yeah, in good ways." Faith groaned again in complete pleasure as she looked at Madalene watching her tongue as it reached to brush against her breast.

"You keep trying to tell me endorphins help you heal." Madalene licked over to the other nipple, swirling the tip of her tongue around it over and over.

"They do." Faith nodded eagerly. "I cant feel the pain in my head hardly."

"We'll see." Madalene began a slow luscious assault over Faith's breasts, licking and sucking almost every inch before she focused in on both nipples, teasing them to a point she'd long since figured Faith would object too.

"Maddy you're teasing." Faith said through clenched teeth her breathing less measured and calm than before.

"What did you wear under the sheet?" Madalene grinned as she kissed down the dark slayer's stomach, peeling it back as she went.  "Hopefully something... Like..." She wasn't surprised when she reached faith's hip with her lips and found nothing.  "Very nice." She kissed across her thigh, pressing her to open her legs more.

The dark slayer slid her legs open across the cool new sheet on the bed, breathing a little deeper as she flared her hips up briefly.

"I don't let people do this Maddy." She warned softly.

"It's okay if you don't want too." Madalene hesitated and looked up at Faith, her voice was soft and her look was one of want and concern over Faith's preferences.  "It just felt so amazing when you did." She explained her reason, she'd been thinking about this since their trip out to the dessert.

"No, I kinda do." Faith admitted, "It's just you know I usually like to be able to flick up and run at any given point, I feel all vulnerable right now." She tried to explain the battle inside her, the intense feelings of pleasure warring with her insecurities and strong sense of self preservation.

"Faith, we can stop anytime you want." Madalene assured her rubbing her hand on Faith's thigh.  "You say stop and I do, if you want me to go back to my room I will... I don't want to make you do anything."

"Really?" Faith's eyes opened as she looked at the Spellcaster.

"Other than make you feel good." Madalene gave her a soft smile and rested her chin on Faith's uninjured knee where it was bent up.

"Ahhh but I want to feel good." Faith clarified smiling too

"Mmmmmmm perfect then." Madalene kissed her knee and then began kissing down her inner thigh slowly, giving Faith more than ample time to suggest she stop.  By the time her lips were close to the very shortly clipped hair between her legs she figured Faith had made up her mind for now and slowly pressed her tongue in to find a flood of wetness.

"Oooooh fuckkkkkk." Faiths response was a breathy growl as she flared her hips more.

Madalene pressed in deeper, letting her tongue tip flick against the slayer's obviously needy centre over and over.

Faiths hip movements became harder as she let herself actually feel and relax into the pleasure Madalene was causing to flow through her body.

Madalene stayed focused on the sensitive area, playing her tongue over it and gently using her fingers to open Faith's body up so she could press closer without so much effort.  She wanted to keep this moment centered on Faith but the sheer fact of what they were doing and how much Faith seemed to be enjoying herself made her own body heat up.  She sucked down lightly wanting to see what changes in pressure Faith liked most.

"Harder Maddy." Faith moved her hand without thinking and cupped the back of Madalene's head. "Oh god please harder." She groaned and pleaded her voice oddly soft and needy for the dark slayer.

Madalene instantly sucked harder, letting Faith's words and actions guide her, she flicked between her lips at the flesh she had captured, wanting so much to bring Faith release.

"Oooh fuck yes, yes.." Faith arched a little harder on the mattress, her breathing shifting slightly as she felt her insides tremble and flare, her centre throbbing and aching for the pressure and rhythm it needed to just explode. "Yes Maddy Oooooh more."

Madalene again moved quickly to oblige, She slipped a finger up to press and rub against the top of Faith's centre as she kept licking and sucking.

"Fuck yeahhhhhhhhhh>" Faith arched hard, her body jumping and pushing against Maddy hard and fast before she let herself be swallowed up by a hard and explosive release.

The Spellcaster hung on with her, doing what she could to drag out the obviously luscious feeling.  Before long though she was left panting for breath as Faith's body relaxed into the bed.

"Wow you're sexy."  Madalene rested up beside her on the bed and kissed Faith's neck lightly.

"Well I didn't think I hid that." Faith gave a crooked smile as her breathing began a slow recoup.

"No, I'm not talking your usual sexy go get them self... I mean you're secret withering sexy self."  Madalene smiled and leaned up a bit so she could run her fingers through dark hair.

"oh." Faith actually smiled, but it was a soft one, not a usual predatorial one. "You're sexy too, though you like to hide all aspects of it." she teased, wishing that her body wasn't filled with pain so she could just ravage the Spellcaster.

"I'm shy." Madalene offered seeing that the underlying pain issues hadn't gone away. "Come on, enjoy the happy afterglow and try to sleep." She pulled the light sheet up over them.

"You gonna stay>" Faith tried not to make the question sound loaded but she really didn't want to think of the spellcasters body not being there with her.

"Unless you want me to go?" Madalene turned form her very comfortable place next to Faith.

"No." faith shook her head. "Stay." She whispered the very alien sounding word as she looking at the Spellcaster.

Madalene gave her a nod and smiled.

"Come on you, sleepy time." She urged her softly still rubbing her head. "let those good endorphins take you to a happy cloud."

***

"Madalene! Mads!" Buffy's clear tone called the spellcasters name as slight, but uneven footsteps sounded on the stairs of the basement, knocking lightly on the spellcasters door, before opening it and moving through, obviously finding it empty the blonde slayer repeated her call and moved to faiths door.

"What?" Madalene dug her head out of the pillow and blinked a bit trying to figure out what was going on.

Before waiting for a response Buffy knocked and pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

"Faith have you see Ma...." Buffy's voice tapered as she looked over to the bed.

The dark slayer having been dead asleep only woke up when something in her brain registered her name being called.

"Buffy... I'm here." Madalene tried to focus more as she sat up and looked at the blonde.  "what's wrong?"

"Oddly enough suddenly nothing important." Buffy's tone flat lined as she stared at Faith. "What the hell are you doing?" She demanded of the dark haired slayer, "God this is so typical of you, playing the injured little soldier to lure Madalene into bed." Buffy shook her head.

"Okay, perhaps we need to talk Buffy."  Madalene pushed out of bed, awkwardly getting to her feet.

"No Mads it's okay, I'll just hit the road." Faith wrapped her arm painfully around her body moving her other arm to pull back the sheet.

"Faith, you're not going anywhere."  Madalene said firmly.  "You stay in bed and you come with me."  She moved to lead Buffy out into the hallway.

Buffy opened her mouth to object but felt herself moving under Madalene's direction.

Madalene moved her out to the far end of the hallway.

"First, Faith hasn't played anything to lure me anywhere."  Madalene began remembering Buffy's harsh words.

"Mads Im not cross or anything with you, this is just so typical of Faith." Buffy stopped her shaking her head

"Buffy, Faith hasn't done anything typical or somehow underhanded to an

unsuspecting me." Madalene tried to make her see.  "I know you two have a very sordid history, but this is nothing about that."

"Madalene." Buffy cooled down and put her hand lightly on the spellcasters arm, "The fact you don't see Faith for who and what she is, isn't your fault, you like to see the good in people, you're like Tara, kinda naive and so kind and loving. but believe me, you don't want anything to do with Faith." The blonde laid out the bottom line clearly.

"Buffy I am not naïve." Madalene looked at her hurt by the comment.  "And I'm not exactly sure you have any clue what I want or need when it comes to intimacy."

"You do not need faith, she will use you and just walk out back to LA when everything is wrapped up here." Buffy shook her head still adamant.

"I know that." Madalene conceded.  "I never said that I believed that Faith was interested in me for a forever marriage and two point four kids thing."

"Then why play along with her game, have more respect for yourself, you don’t need what she gives out." Buffy continued.

"Perhaps I'm tired of being lonely and guarded, and I completely resent you saying that by being with Faith I have no respect for myself."  Madalene said with equal parts anger and hurt.  "And to clarify one thing her being here has to do with the reasons I told you, she is injured and needs to be cared for."

"Having quick meaningless sex is just a perk for her?" Buffy growled angrily.

"We're both adults Buffy." Madalene countered.

"So this is what you want, a quick thing with faith to stop you feeling lonely?" Buffy screwed up her face

"No, I never called it quick or a thing, those were your labels."  Madalene corrected her quickly.  "What I am telling you, is that I like being with Faith, I'm enjoying myself, and considering the world could end any day now and that I came back from the dead to find that the woman who is my heart is in a wheel chair trying to rebuild her life and I can't bare to be selfish and interrupt that, well considering all that I don't think that me having a little happiness and enjoyment is wrong."

"Im not saying looking for happiness is wrong." Buffy shook her head changing her tone to a kinder more concerned one, "But why faith, Madalene she's bad news."

"I have no idea why... She's just... I like being with her." Madalene tried to explain seeing that Buffy was trying to do the same thing.  "I know she could bail on me at any moment, I know she's not a long term person, and I know she's unpredictable but the most important thing is that I know all those things.  I don't have any expectations on her Buffy, and she doesn't have any on me.  I'm not sure how well I could handle a love affair that wrapped up my mind and soul with worry and contemplation." She looked at the blonde and moved her eyes away a bit.  "I can't handle having my heart broke again."

"Hearts are great things they heal." Buffy gave a soft shrug, "Mines had to often enough." She added, "Let me move faith to Giles, maybe you just spent too much time with her and her sexual undertones."

"Buffy, I want her here, she needs looking after."  Madalene shook her head. "If you object to this so adamantly under your roof then I'll go stay at Giles and she can be looked after here."

"what I object to is you and she....' She didn't finish

"Why do you object?" Madalene asked her flat out.

"Because..." Buffy took a breath - why exactly did she mind - was she jealous, of Madalene? OF Faith?

"Because?" Madalene prompted her again.

"Because you're better than that." Buffy decided upon.

"Better than that for what reason?" Madalene leaned against the wall not understanding.

"Better than Faith, faith's just about sex, and feeling good, she's not about loving." Buffy tried to explain

"Buffy..." Madalene reached out and softly put her hand on Buffy's arm.  "I know that.  I really do... And right now... I'm not sure if I could handle the whole big 'in love thing'.  You know better than anyone about Sarah and I'm not sure I can get over that yet."  She was honest.  "Faith has been totally honest with me and her intentions."

"Do you even like her?" Buffy asked softly

"I do." Madalene smiled slowly, one that showed as she thought about the dark slayer she was smiling more and more.  "I really do.  She's wild and crazy, which I'm sure you're going to point out... But she's also very emotional and always straightforward."

"she hurt me." Buffy put simply

"I know that." Madalene kept her hand where it was and squeezed.  "And I hope you don't think that I did this to somehow belittle that or make it seem like it's not important.  I thought along time about the past you and she have Buffy, and for awhile I refused every time she came onto me because of it."

"You're right." Buffy pulled away somewhat suddenly, "Why should I have anything to do with the choices you make." She turned and walked to the bottom step.

"Buffy..." Madalene said softly.  "You're my friend, you can give me any input you want. I really appreciate you telling me what you think, whether its good or bad, I just can't guarantee I'll do what you want in the end."

"I want you to be happy." Buffy stopped at the stairs and turned with a shrug.

"Do I look unhappy?"  Madalene walked slowly closer to her.

"No." Buffy was forced to admit. "Maybe I’m just jealous." She added

"Jealous?" Madalene questioned immediately, the word striking her as totally strange from Buffy.  "You mean... Oh God I'm sorry... Did you...With Faith?" Her eyes went wide.

"No." Buffy underlined quickly glancing up at the room partition, "But you know we were teenagers and I.." Buffy frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know."  Madalene moved closer to her.  "If I had of known you and Faith... That you had a thing... I wouldn't have in a million years."  She underlined very seriously hoping that Buffy wasn't going to hate her.

"We didn't have a thing." Buffy backed away up the stairs. "Go and enjoy yourself." She pushed quickly up the remaining stairs and le4t the basement door slam closed.

Madalene frowned and took a second by the stairs before she went back into Faith's room.

"I think I've really hurt her."  She sat down on the bed looking dazed and upset.

Faith sat up somewhat painfully, she'd donned a t shirt and brushed her hair a little.

"You mean I have." She corrected with a groan.

"No, no not directly."  Madalene shook her head.  "And lay back down." She urged her.  "You're healing remember."

"I told you me coming here was a bad idea." Faith ignored the direction and moved the sheet back swinging her legs round to the side of the bed.

"No, you don't understand." Madalene moved around to physically stop her from getting up.  "She's mad because you and I have slept together, and she's jealous... Cause... Of you."  She tried to explain.

"Like that was hard to work out." Faith misunderstood. "She's got it bad for you Maddy, I told you that from day one." Faith pushed a little harder against the resistance.

"What? No not me." Madalene shook her head looking at Faith.  "You." She clarified.  "She didn't say anything about me."

"What?" faith arched her eyebrow looking at the Spellcaster.

"She said she was jealous, I asked her why, and its cause of you... Because you and her were so young when everything went so crazy and I guess... There are a lot of things she regrets."  Madalene tried to synopsis what she knew.  "Buffy doesn't think of me that way Faith." She contradicted as well.

"B wanted me?" Faith still couldn't believe it. "I think you're kinda reading more into that than B meant Maddy, and Buffy does 'want' you, Tara told me all about the future worlds you guys had."

"Faith, listen... She didn't say she was jealous cause you had me, she was jealous of me having sex with you."  Madalene sat down beside her. "Oh this is so fucked up." She swore, which was unusual for her.

"Easy, easy." Faith turned to her and stroked her hand over Madalene's hair in a way that could only be described as tenderly, "We'll sort this, it'll be okay." She assured her.

"I don't want to hurt her like that."  Madalene looked at faith.  "I knew she's be upset because you and her never agree but... I didn't think this."

"You and me both." Faith admitted honestly. "But Maddy, I'm with you cause I wanna be, B's not a part of what we have." She leaned forward a little and kissed Madalene's cheek

"I know... I'm with you cause I want to be too, that's what I was explaining to her."  Madalene nodded.

"You want me to go underline it?" Faith offered, moving her hand to brush dark hair away from Maddy's neck, cupping her hand there and rubbing the spellcasters ear

"I don't know... Maybe..." Madalene gave a little nod.  "Just so she's not upset."  She leaned into the attention closing her eyes.

"Okay." Faith nodded and leaned again to kiss Madalene's cheek. "Just for you though, I wouldn't face the inflamed B for just anyone." She smiled and pushed up off the bed.

"Thank you." Madalene gave her a soft smile.

"No problem, though we can get back to where we left off soon right?" She gave Maddy a grin.

"You have a two track mind." Madalene laughed and swatted her uninjured arm playfully.

"I know the first, what's the second?" Faith grinned brightly

"Finding a way to get your first track first again." She smiled back.

"You got me licked." Faith laughed and then winked, "In lots of ways."

"Faith!" Madalene blushed not exactly sure why she was cause that was exactly what she was doing the night before but... "Go... Then you're back here resting and I'll make you breakfast."

*****

"Hey B, I think that leaf is done." Faith looked to where the maple leaf in Buffy's hand as she sat on the back porch had been stripped of all the leafy material and was just a stem.

"Go away." Buffy replied not looking up from the destroyed leaf.

"Come on, don't be a hard ass." Faith managed with a few groans to sit down.  "This can be really simple...  Everybody knows you got a huge thing for Maddy."

"And what would you know about it?" Buffy looked at her regretting the quick movement with her painful neck. "Madalene is a nice girl, I don’t have a thing about her."

"Right." Faith rolled her eyes.  "Look Buffy you can lie to a lot of people, but you can't lie to me."  She pushed up to stand on the grass in front of the blonde.  "You are so hung up on her while trying to act all cool like you're not that it's got your unusually tight ass clenched to the point of bursting.  So I'm telling you let it go, everyone knows, they're just waiting for you to figure it out and do something about it. So why haven't you told her?"

"I haven’t told her because I don't have a thing  for her." Buffy continued to deny, "Just because some odd future world I dreamed up had me and her living together doesn't mean I want her in that way." She frowned looking at the dark slayer.

"Would you stop living in the future world and live in the now?" Faith rolled her eyes again.  "Answer me a few simple questions okay? Honestly, no cover up." She dared the blonde.

"I don't know why Im still listening to you but go on."

"If you came across Brad Pitt and Madalene being eaten by vampires and you could only save one of them who would it be?" Faith gave her a thin smile.

"That's a stupid question." Buffy snarled. "I'd never only be able to save one of them, and as for who I'd go after first, it depends Madalene has a whole heap of spells on her side to keep her safe for a while, while I get Brad pit out of there."

"Check.  The big bad rock dude is about to squash a bus full of kiddies, who are all crying and screaming and such... But..." Faith moved to sit down.  "Dawn is trapped up on a building about to be thrown to her death.  Madalene is there with you, do you go after Dawn and let her save the kiddies, or let her go after Dawn and you deal with the rock man?"

"I'd go after Rock Man." Buffy replied without much thought, "Maddy would save Dawn just as well as me."

"True." Faith nodded.  "Okay now, if some weird baddy put a spell on you and you could read Mads thoughts and you found out she was in love with you what would you do?"

"wait till she told me, it's wrong to act on something you read from someone's mind." Buffy replied looking at Faith's deep brown eyes

"And if she told you? If it was her sitting here right now telling you she loved you, what would you do?" Faith kept the look.

"I'd ask her if she'd told you that, after all you're the one having sex with her." Buffy countered

"Touché." Faith laughed and leaned back against the porch a bit.  "But you got to remember B, her with me isn't a love thing." She pointed out pulling a pack of smokes out of her pants pocket.  She held it out to Buffy.  "Minus the whole walk in on her and me, if she came up and told you what would you say?"

Buffy reached out and took one unexpectedly.

"I'd tell her I wasn't gay." Buffy replied waiting for a light.

"Just a label Buffy."  Faith reached out and lit it for her.  "No one worries if they're gay or straight when you're hot and horny or in love."  She pulled back and lit her own. "And hello you live in the house of gay love." She laughed.

"That's different," Buffy glanced over her shoulder, "Willow and Tara were meant to be." She added with a soft smile. Slowly she turned back to look at Faith, "Wasn't I good enough for you?" She asked suddenly

"Pardon?" Faith tried not to choke on the puff of smoke she'd inhaled.

"You heard." Buffy replied, "I mean there's no denying that Madalene's is beautiful and her body is lovely, but was I that bad when I was younger?" She asked again.

"Uh... No... You were a hottie." Faith shook her head not exactly sure where her little game of words had taken them.  "A hottie too busy looking at Angel to notice all the times I hit on you."  She spelled out.

"Twice." Buffy replied, "You hit on me twice, once on the dance floor of the

Bronze and once that night on patrol." she kept her tone even and took a small puff on the cigarette.

"No, twice I was painfully blatant so that you could kick me in the teeth and tell me I was a perv.  The rest of the time I left you all kinds of room to react."  Faith contradicted Buffy's take on history as she puffed her smoke.  "So my question is, why wasn't I good enough for you?"

"You wanted Xander, Angel, anyone with a ..." Buffy stopped, "You didn’t really want me other than for a notch in your bedpost."

"Cock, the word is cock... And that is what I notch on my bedpost." Faith drew the word out in the air with her cigarette.  "Boys will do anything if you rub them the right way, girls are hard work... You don't notch them, you hold up a picture of each one like a trophy."

"Then apparently you didn't want me at all." Buffy pointed out.

"Are you on crack?" Faith flicked her almost finished butt out into the grass.  "You Buffy Ann Summers are the bane of my existence, you knifed me and I still can't get you out from under my skin." She pushed up angrily.  "You think the whole world is moving on without you, you think you're the only one to deal with the shit of being a slayer, or coming back from the dead and you push away anyone who could even hope to have lived through something similar.  You might have died B but sooner or later you got to choose to live again, or you might as well crawl back into that hole in the ground.  I mean look at Maddy, her fucking heart is in a wheel chair, rolling around thinking she's dead and it's killing her inside but she's not turning into a hermit is she? She's trying to find a little happiness."

"By having sex with you!" Buffy countered angrily, "Know any other hot and horny slayers I can try it with?"

"You so never see the point do you? There's the point, and nine out of ten times your on the other end of the world refusing to go near it." Faith leaned over.  "It doesn't matter how you do it Buffy, but stop living like your dead and start living..." She kissed the blonde hard.

For a moment Buffy went rigidly still, and then without rhyme or reason she kissed Faith back just as hard, pushing her tongue deep into her mouth, tossing her cigarette on the floor and grasping Faiths ass tight with her now free hand.

Faith was more than surprised by the reaction, having expected to find herself face down in the rose bushes by now from a kick or punch.  But she easily settled into the kiss, sucking on Buffy's tongue and pressing to knock the blonde onto her back so she was pressed over her.

Despite the pain flaring in her injuries and the complete absurdity of what they were doing Buffy pressed her other hand round and onto Faiths back, holding her tighter to her than she'd believed possibly, pulling her tongue free she sucked in turn on faiths, her body arching up to the dark slayers.

Absurdity was the call of the day as Faith braced up a little on top of her, each of them dueling for supremacy in the kiss.  The dark slayer managed to bend her good leg and slip it between Buffy's as she pressed down with her hips wanting to see what reaction she could get.

Buffy arched hard at the press a deep groan coming from her throat as she pulled from the kiss and dipped her head back breathing quickly. Faith barely let her have any breathing room, moving to kiss her again just as the moan subsided, a groan coming from the back of her throat as she  felt their bodies pressing together with more urgency.

Buffy felt completely detached from the 'real world' as she pressed into Faith's kissing, sucking and nipping at the dark slayers tongue as her hips pressed up and round in a tight circle against her leg. The completeness of the connection, feeling Buffy's strong slayer body moving in pleasure beneath her got the better of all of Faith's 'new sensibilities' she moved her hand down, pressing it quickly under

Buffy's now loosened shirt to squeeze around her right breast.

Rather than breaking the moment, the direct, more blatant move from faith merely fueled the almost overwhelming desire burning throughout Buffy's body, her nipple hardened instantly her grip on Faiths ass tightened and flexed as faiths hand closed and released her skin over and over

It wasn't long before Faith had pushed her bra away, her fingers working directly on the blonde's hard nipple and breast.  Her leg pushed forward more urgently, literally sliding them back and forth on the wooden porch. Buffy's breathing shifted to a rapid light pant as she pushed to quicken their rhythm against the wood.

Faith ran her tongue over Buffy's teeth before pressing it in deeper again as her hand pressed down, easily moving into the loose work out pants the blonde was wearing, moving directly to cup around the apex of her legs where she just knew the more direct pressure was wanted, her middle finger curled up to rub against the centre at the same moment.

It was as Faiths finger pressed against the wet cotton covering her aching centre that reality seemed to dawn on Buffy. She tensed, pushed Faith up and off her and rolled awkwardly away, hastily trying to pull her shirt and pants into some semblance of order.

Faith took a few breaths and sat up watching as Buffy tried to order herself.   She didn't say anything she just looked at the Slayer waiting for whatever was going to come out of her mouth.

"I... that..." Panicked eyes looked at the door to the kitchen, "I should go check on Dawn." she said lamely

"B... Wait." Faith managed to push up.  "Look maybe I'm wrong but that was hot right?" She looked for some confirmation.

"It was wrong." Buffy replied, trying to will the aching out of her core.

"You are so full of shit." Faith growled feeling slapped by the rejection.  "You're standing there so wet you can barely manage to stay upright and you tell me it's wrong to be with a girl? You're a fucking hypocrite too!" She started to walk to the backdoor.

Buffy hurried after her and pulled her to a stop, she twirled her round her voice low and angry.

"It's wrong because of what you and Madalene are doing, it's not wrong because you or I are girls."

"Mads and I aren't dating Buffy, we're not going steady or anything." Faith shrugged not bothering to fight out of her grip.   "So you admit you could have the hots for a girl, just that you don't have the lust for Madalene?"

"The only girl I've ever 'had the lust' for as you put it is you." Buffy replied honestly, "What I feel fro Madalene is very different."

"And what do you feel for her?" Faith pushed trying to extend the new honest Buffy's answer.

Buffy took a deep breath.

"I’m not doing this, I cant do this." And with that she ran into the house.

****

Madalene knocked lightly on the door and waited to see if Buffy would answer.

It had been along time since the slayer had stormed out of the basement and she really was worried. Especially when Faith had come back downstairs, just wanting some painkillers and to go to sleep for awhile.

"Mads this really isn't a good time." Buffy called back from behind the door

"Okay, do you want anything though?" Madalene checked.

"No." there came a hard sigh, but then sounds of footsteps coming to the door. The slayer pulled it open, standing before Madalene in a pair of loose joggers and a vest top. "Sorry, really." She said not looking up, "None of this is your fault." She added

"There's no reason to be sorry." Madalene shook her head. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything."

"Oh." Buffy rubbed her forehead for a moment, "then no, thank you, I'm not hungry, and I had a drink with breakfast."

"Painkillers? Run you a bath?" Madalene knew she was probably trying far far too hard, but she couldn't bare to see Buffy unhappy or upset.

"Are you in love with me?" Buffy asked suddenly, making eye contact for the first time.

Madalene's look was one of surprise and almost fear. After all she never expected such a question from Buffy, not so point blank, without lead up or expectation.

"I..." She stammered trying to find the right answer. "What do you want me to say?" She looked wondering suddenly if this was one of Buffy's emotional tests.

"I want you to tell me the truth." Buffy frowned slightly

Madalene subtly stepped forward, not surprised when Buffy moved further back into the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned back against it needing the support.

"Yes." She whispered feeling her teeth clench a bit as she waited to see the backlash her words would cause. Buffy looked up with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Why?"

"Why?" Madalene blew up into her hair and took a deep breath in. "I don't know... because you're beautiful, intelligent, real, because you know the dark side of things but you still try, because your....." She tried to explain.

"Straight?" Buffy offered

"Yes, I am well aware." Madalene sighed and moved over to sit on the bed. "You asked me to be honest Buffy, I was. The fact that I love you hasn't changed anything before, I hope that it won't make things different now."

"You've done it for a while then?" Buffy tried to focus.

"Um... yes." Madalene looked down. "Especially after the future thing."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about that." Buffy frowned harder, angry at herself.

"No... not your future thing... my future thing." Madalene looked up at her. "It wasn't as nice as yours Buffy, but it did show me one thing... you are exactly who I think you are."

"An ass?" Buffy offered moving to the window

"Buffy I swore I wasn't going to tell you this, ever." Madalene looked down at the carpet. "In my future... I was in a wheelchair." She whispered the last part.

"What?" Buffy looked surprised

"A wheelchair." Madalene said again a little more stronger. "There was an accident when we were on patrol."

"I let you get hurt?" Buffy frowned more

"No, you saved me from being eaten by a gang of vampires... but I feel into an open grave... it snapped my back." Madalene pushed up. "None of that is the point Buffy, the point was that for the next seven years you did everything you could to make sure I had anything I needed. Expensive chairs, surgery, even a collection of cute little cycling gloves."

Buffy stopped for a moment thinking hard.

"So we were together?

"We had been, until the accident." Madalene nodded. "And being you... so brave and so tender, you blamed yourself." She moved closer to the slayer.

"And abandoned you?" Buffy took a step back

"Yes Buffy, you abandoned me by taking care of my every need and making sure that I had nurses and therapists and specialists and chairs that cost more than most people make in a year." The Spellcaster pointed out.

"But I wasn't there for you was I? On a day to day basis." Buffy shook her head a little confused at the direction the conversation had taken but not feeling any better about it

"No, probably because it was my silly future world and I can't believe that anyone as wonderful as you could ever really want to be with someone like me. But there you were, reaching though all of it to show me how loyal and reliable you are."

Madalene moved over to the bed almost talking to herself.

"Maybe you just wanted me to be all those things because you like me, maybe Im not any of them." Buffy challenged

"No the only thing I want you to be you're not." Madalene looked back at her hearing the usual 'tone' that entered their voices whenever they tried to have this conversation. "You're straight." She moved towards the door.

"Kiss me." Buffy requested as Madalene neared the door.

Madalene felt her mouth open and she was about to object, go into a long speech about how this was wrong, how it wasn't fair, how Buffy didn't have to do anything to prove how straight she was. But for some reason she found herself moving across the room. Very tenderly she moved her hands up, cupping Buffy's cheeks, looking deep into her eyes before she leaned closer and pressed their lips together.

Buffy felt her breath still as her eyes closed in the warm gentle kiss. Without conscious thought she moved her hands lightly to Madalene's waist putting them lightly on her hips. The spell caster's body pressed closer, she felt one hand slide into silky hair. Buffy kept their lips touching, but closed as she moved her lips a little her hand very gently squeezing Madalene's hip.

Madalene moved her lips against Buffy, opening them slightly to draw the taste of the blonde closer to her. Buffy drew in a long breath through her nose, for the first time being ermersed in Madalene's scent. She felt the tension begin to drop out of her shoulders

Madalene gave a tiny moan as her body relaxed as well, pressing almost totally against the slayer, such that her weight wasn't on her feet anymore. Buffy eventually pulled away,

"You shouldn't love me." she breathed out.

"Not your choice." Madalene managed the objection.

"But not letting you get hurt by me is." Buffy challenged

"Okay, now am I not supposed to take that comment like 'well Madalene, I might love you too, but I won't take the chance because something bad might happen'. Even though right now we're facing another apocalypse in which all of us could die." Madalene challenged back. "Correct me if I'm reading that wrong."

"You're not." Buffy shook her head, "I'm very confused Madalene." She admitted, "About how I feel, about you, about Faith, about everything." she moved and sat on the edge of the bed

"Then talk to me, above anything else Buffy I thought we could always talk to one another." Madalene looked at her, with a softer voice.

Buffy sighed a little softer.

"You," Buffy looked at the Spellcaster, "You make me feel things, things I've not felt for a long time." Buffy began.

"And this makes you feel uncomfortable? Out of control?" Madalene sat down on the bed curling her legs up under her.

"No, you don't make me feel any of those things. Buffy tried to clarify

"Then what?" Madalene pushed gently.

"You make me feel comfortable, secure, safe." Buffy replied. "That's why I'm confused."

"I know the feeling." Madalene gave her a gentle smile.

"But then there's Faith." Buffy continued

"Whose wild, impulsive, almost manic... makes you feel like you are out of control but you don't care... the whole world could melt away for those few moments and it doesn't matter?" Madalene blinked at her.

"Exactly." Buffy nodded smiling that somehow even in this they could find a point of agreement

"Do you love her?" Madalene asked no malice in the question.

"I always have. Until I started hating her." Buffy was surprisingly honest

"Do you still hate her?" Madalene nodded that she understood.

"Part of me does." Buffy nodded. "How could I not, she's everything I want to be."

"She's everything everyone wants to be, free, wild." Madalene nodded again.

"Is that why you're..." Buffy couldn't bring herself to give what she and Faith were doing a title

"This is going to sound crazy Buffy, but she's safe. She is exactly what she shows you, there is no hidden agenda." Madalene was also honest surprising herself.

"You're happy with her? With what you're doing?" Buffy looked at her.

"We're having fun." Madalene tried to sum things up. "Do I think it will last forever? No. Do I think that Faith will someday turn into this monogamous homebody? No."

"But right now it works for you." Buffy clarified. "Even if you kissed me."

"I don't understand what you're asking me." Madalene looked at the slayer.

"The fact you're 'having fun' with Faith, didn't stop you kissing me." Buffy tried to explain

"No. I haven't made any promises to Faith, in fact she's teased me to death about the feelings I have for you." Madalene blushed. "And for the record, my heart couldn't not kiss you when you asked. It might be the only chance I ever get."

"she might tease you, but perhaps it's just because she wishes you felt those things for her." Buffy offered

"No, it's more because she has that huge burning flame for you." Madalene turned it around.

This made Buffy laugh out loud.

"Sometime when Faith stopped hating you Buffy, she fell in love with you. And that scares her more than anything else. Why else are you the only thing in the world that she keeps coming back too?" Madalene pointed out.

"That's easy," Buffy shook her head, "she's a masochist."

"Probably at times." Madalene nodded. "But when it comes to you, this is the only home she knows."

"We're in a mess aren't we." Buffy actually smiled.

"I think so." Madalene leaned on the bed and hugged Mr. Gordo.

"You're in love with me, Faith's in love with me, but you and Faith are sleeping together, and I love you both." Buffy shook her head as she laid back.

Madalene let out a big sigh.

"Actually guys this is really simple." Faith swung her legs in the window and looked at them both. She threw her cigarette back out after taking the last draw. "Barring all that love you're throwing around."

"Have you been listening." Buffy pushed up her eyes flaring with anger and embarrassment.

"No, I often smoke up trees." Faith laughed. "B, let it go. Believe it or not I'm not here to cause shit." She looked over at Madalene. "Can you rub behind her ear or something and calm her down so we can all talk?"

"I don't need rubbing anywhere." Buffy shook her head and back up so that she pressed against the closed door.

"Buffy, it's okay." Madalene moved over to her. "Faith..." She looked at the dark slayer asking silently for more careful words.

"B, you think I don't want to get on a bus and get the fuck out of here? You two are throwing around that four letter word that makes me cringe." Faith leaned on the window.

"Well I for one am not apologizing, some people need emotions faith." Buffy challenged the dark haired slayer but she felt it hard to focus just looking at the other woman made her remember the hot moments in the garden and filled her with heat and arousal.

"I don't want you to apologize okay." Faith looked at her. "I never fucking wanted you to apologize." She rolled her eyes. "God why do you always make it so hard?"

"Because.." Buffy frowned hard but then stopped her reply, "How could I make it easy?" she gave the other slayer a little leeway.

"By listening to me, I said you and Maddy talking about how you love everyone makes me cringe, not run." Faith pulled out her smokes and lit one up. "Which trust me is confusing the hell out of me but hey I'm going with it."

"You shouldn't smoke." Buffy chastised her somewhat gently

"I shouldn't do a lot of things." Faith took another long draw. "Okay so here's the deal... like Buffy said... but I'm not seeing that as a problem. I'm seeing time to think outside the box." Faith kept the cigarette in her mouth and made a box with her hands.

"You and mads want to live in a tent? Buffy didn't get it.

"Mads did you rattle her brain?" Faith looked at the Spellcaster.

"Buffy, she means that we have to think of ways to fix our situation that aren't conventional." Madalene prompted the slayer.

"Oh, right." Buffy frowned and looked down feeling a little more than dumb

"No, it's okay. I don't know what exact thing out of the box she wants us to think about at all, so I'm just about as far out of the box as you now." Madalene turned her attention back to Faith.

"The thing is this.... Buffy wants a sexual relationship with you and with me, but she'll want a lot more of the luvy dovy with you. Maddy you want that whole hard core love thing with Buffy too, while with me... we're having some fun." Faith put a certain emphasis on the words that made them become so much more. "Now me..." her voice turned again. "I've had a hard on for B for as long as I can remember, it's like you're this drug I have in my bloodstream that I can't get rid of, I need another fix." She looked at Buffy for a long moment. "Basically, why the fuck can't we all have fun?"

"Are you suggesting..." Buffy's eyes widened

"A..." Madalene put in slowly.

"Oohhh yeah, come on why not?" Faith put up her hands.

"Because that's..." Buffy felt her breathing quicken "Mads?" she looked at the Spellcaster.

"It's..." Madalene tried to find an answer.

"The world could end in a few weeks, why should we care if the world might not get it?" Faith put forward trying to help her case.

'I need to think about this." Buffy tried to even her breathing out.

"We all... think." Madalene nodded as she breathed in sharply through her nose.

"Yes." Buffy nodded quickly. "And I... I think best outside." She hurriedly tried to get hold of the door handle

"B... wait." Faith walked over quickly. She waited until the blonde had stopped pulling the door open and then had turned back towards them. She took that moment to grab Madalene, pulling her quickly into her arms and planting the hugest kiss on her. Madalene wanted to be stunned, she wanted to object and ask for calm, but the quick flash of images that faith's initial words had brought.

Buffy couldn't help but stare as the pair kissed. She also couldn't deny how hot it made her feel.

Purposely, Faith opened one eye and caught Buffy.

"She likes that Maddy." Faith said loud enough for them to both hear before she kissed Madalene again before she could object, this time the combined power of Faith's kiss and the idea Buffy would enjoy watching, made her kiss Faith back.

This time Buffy did back up a little, but only enough to actually lean on the door, watching as the Spellcaster tilted her head, and the dark sleek slayer slipped her body closer and tighter to Madalene. Faith put her arm around to the small of the Spell caster's back and guided her slowly closer to Buffy.

Part of Buff