Time, chapter sixteen (final chapter!)
Sorry for keeping you waiting so long, only to end it here. The girls took this to a place I wasn't really looking to go, but at least I have a coherent ending. I hope you like the story anyway. Feedback makes for a happy niroc.
Fandom: Buffyverse
Pairing: Faith/Cordelia
Rating: NC-13
Summary: TV drops a bombshell on Cordelia and Intel finally locates Faith for Buffy. What they discover leads to a whole lot of heart ache, and in the case of some, a little acceptance.
A/N: For this story I use little bits of Russian and Swedish, which I have taken from online resources or my own limited knowledge of the language. If you find mistakes, please do point them out.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, no profit made.
Previous chapters
Sleep was hard to come by when you were over-thinking things. And Faith was definitely over-thinking things. Having Cordelia corner her at the party, kiss her senseless and then run away when she finally noticed what she was doing... What the hell?! Faith was agitated, insulted and more than a little frustrated to have to work the sexual tension out by herself. With a guttural groan, she tossed her pillow across the room and padded to her training room. A few hours with the dummy would get rid of a bit of steam...
Across town another brunette was tossing and turning in her bed. Having sobered up considerably after a hot shower and a bottle of water, Cordelia was mentally kicking herself for her behaviour at the club. She had not meant to throw herself at Faith like that. When she first heard the Slayer was coming back, her heart sped up, her mouth went dry and her hands sweaty. Instinctively she knew she was going to be in trouble. So the seer had spent a lot of time trying to control her feelings and telling herself that she needed to play things cool. There was no reason for Faith to still think about her that way, even if she might have insinuated that in some of their conversations over the last few months.
Going clubbing with Faith was a lot harder than she had imagined. She'd definitely forgotten about dancing with the lithe brunette pressed close to her. She could barely breathe and the sheer need to touch and grab and kiss... Cordelia sighed. A lot harder. So she had done the only thing she could think of and drunk insane amounts of hard liquor and cocktails. Sure, it had helped with the urges, at first. But then the next thing she knew she was sitting on Faith's lap, her tongue shoved down the poor woman's throat, her hands groping the Slayer like there was no tomorrow. If it hadn't been for Angel, she would have forced herself on Faith then and there. She blushed at the memory, ignoring the clenching of the muscles between her legs and the throbbing that came with it. Stupid girl, she chastised herself. What is Faith going to think of you now?
*****
Morning bagels at Angel, Wolfram & Hart. Such a very nice start to the day. Faith sighed with contentment as she flopped into a chair and took a satisfying bite. Hmm, good. She was early for the meeting, having gotten no sleep at all. After processing some of her frustrations in the training room, she had decided that a run to the office would take care of the last entanglements in her brain. So she had run, no, sprinted, the 6 miles to work, had then showered vigorously at the office's locker room and dressed in some clean clothes she kept around for after-fight clothing emergencies. All in all, her head was much more clear than it had been the previous night. After.
She was pondering how Cordelia and herself seemed to have a lot of afters, when the subject of her thoughts quietly moved into the board room. Cordelia grabbed a bagel or two and tucked into them with clear gusto. “Hmm, good,” she said. “Did you try these?” Faith's head shot up as she was startled out of her train of thought. “Hu?” Cordelia blushed, her eyes dipping unconsciously to Faith's lips. “The bagels, did you try one?,” she managed weakly. “Oh, yeah, I did, yeah. They're good.” Faith felt silly nodding her head and stopped. “Yeah,” came the reply across the table.
Faith was just thinking of getting out of the room with any excuse possible to break the awkward silence when Angel and Gunn strolled in. They wished the women a good morning and each grabbed a bagel before plopping into their seats. Angel then started handing out some folders and adjusting a laptop to link up to their interactive wall. Faith smiled at the thought of having a 200-year-old tampering with recent technology. He managed well, for an old geezer.
*****
Ugh, longest day ever. Faith dropped her kit on the floor and peeled the stained and torn top of her body. These damned Elk'thar demons were the worst things she had fought in some time. Her pants were ruined and she was pretty sure she'd have to burn the whole outfit just to get rid of the stench. Shower. Now.
The hot rays revived her somewhat and her brain kicked back into gear once it recovered from the after-fight daze. There had been a cool two dozen of them versus their team of four. It had taken a considerable amount of time and effort to take them all down. She hissed as the rays hit her stomach and she fingered the three-inch gap. No stitches necessary, but damned that stung. Taking her large loofah sponge, Faith scrubbed furiously at her skin, getting rid of the last bits of gunk. A thick lather of shampoo for her hair took care of the rest.
Finally clean, she just stood there for a bit, enjoying the heat of the water on her aching muscles and thinking of a certain curvaceous brunette. They hadn't spoken today, but Faith hadn't missed the looks the seer had shot her when she was sparring with Angel after the morning meeting. They were very much of the want-take-have variety. She let her thoughts wander and was just getting distracted by a particularly interesting image when the sound of her doorbell clambered into her mind.
Faith rinsed herself off quickly and jumped from the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she sprinted for the door, hoping it wasn't another emergency, as she was fresh out of clean tops. The Slayer was more than a little surprised to see Cordelia on her doorstep. “Hi,” she said, feeling more than a little confused. Cordelia just smiled nervously. “Got a minute?” Faith stepped aside, opening the door wide for her visitor. “Sure, lemme just grab some clothes.” Somehow being dressed just in a towel felt a little too revealing for this conversation. “Have a seat, I'll be right back.”
Cordelia mentally kicked herself for being in the apartment. Her apartment. What are you thinking, Chase? That was just it, wasn't it? With Faith around, Cordelia found she could no longer do any thinking. Nothing coherent, anyway. So she had come to clear the air and to apologise for her behaviour. Hopefully they could go back to being friends. She would hate to loose that. Even if they couldn't be... well, that.
The seer found that she suddenly couldn't think any more and only had to wonder for a brief second why that was. Sitting beside her was a slightly more dressed, but no less attractive Slayer with the cutest thought frown in the world. You besotted little fool. “Can I get you anything? I still have some Duvel left.” Alcohol. Tempting, but look where that got them last time. “I'm good, thanks.” Faith settled into the couch, obviously waiting for Cordelia to state her business.
“I came to apologise,” the Slayer's eyebrow shot up, “for my behaviour at the club the other day.” Faith just blinked, looking a little confused. “I mean, you've been through so much, losing your family and your home, and here I am acting like a horny teenager. One that would take advantage of you, no less.” Cordelia picked up the pace, rambling a little. “I really shouldn't have jumped you like that. I mean, ok, I still have feelings for you, but that doesn't mean that you are even remotely interested in me. You've had this whole other life and I -”
Faith's lips. Faith's deliciously wonderful lips, pressed firmly against her own. Cordelia mentally sent a thank-you to whatever deity cared and moaned into the kiss. Strong hands were pulling her closer and she ended up on the Slayer's lap. Cordelia was having flashbacks of the club and that intensely frustrating kiss they had shared. Except this time, it was Faith kissing her and not the other way around. She grabbed at the hoodie Faith had put on after the shower, pushing her hands under it to touch tight, searing abs. Cordelia could feel the muscles rippling as Faith grabbed her hair, trying to get as much contact with the seer as possible.
And then Faith pulled back. Cordelia could almost hear her heart break.
“Okay,” Faith said, in a low and husky voice. “Here's the deal.” She waited for Cordelia's eyes to focus on her own and forced herself not to drown in them. “You and me, from my side of things, is a very, very good idea,” Cordelia's eyes suddenly got an extra sparkle. “But. Like you said, I have lost a big part of my life in a very short period of time. And though I know Viktor and Damian would be alright with this, I will have my days where I won't be. I need you to understand that, Cordelia. Otherwise there is no point even trying.”
Cordelia smiled, putting a gentle hand on the Slayer's cheek. “That's all I need, sweetie. I'm sure we'll work something out.” She placed a lingering kiss on Faith's mouth, smiling at her own foolishness of just wanting to be friends. This was so much better.
Fandom: Buffyverse
Pairing: Faith/Cordelia
Rating: NC-13
Summary: TV drops a bombshell on Cordelia and Intel finally locates Faith for Buffy. What they discover leads to a whole lot of heart ache, and in the case of some, a little acceptance.
A/N: For this story I use little bits of Russian and Swedish, which I have taken from online resources or my own limited knowledge of the language. If you find mistakes, please do point them out.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, no profit made.
Previous chapters
Sleep was hard to come by when you were over-thinking things. And Faith was definitely over-thinking things. Having Cordelia corner her at the party, kiss her senseless and then run away when she finally noticed what she was doing... What the hell?! Faith was agitated, insulted and more than a little frustrated to have to work the sexual tension out by herself. With a guttural groan, she tossed her pillow across the room and padded to her training room. A few hours with the dummy would get rid of a bit of steam...
Across town another brunette was tossing and turning in her bed. Having sobered up considerably after a hot shower and a bottle of water, Cordelia was mentally kicking herself for her behaviour at the club. She had not meant to throw herself at Faith like that. When she first heard the Slayer was coming back, her heart sped up, her mouth went dry and her hands sweaty. Instinctively she knew she was going to be in trouble. So the seer had spent a lot of time trying to control her feelings and telling herself that she needed to play things cool. There was no reason for Faith to still think about her that way, even if she might have insinuated that in some of their conversations over the last few months.
Going clubbing with Faith was a lot harder than she had imagined. She'd definitely forgotten about dancing with the lithe brunette pressed close to her. She could barely breathe and the sheer need to touch and grab and kiss... Cordelia sighed. A lot harder. So she had done the only thing she could think of and drunk insane amounts of hard liquor and cocktails. Sure, it had helped with the urges, at first. But then the next thing she knew she was sitting on Faith's lap, her tongue shoved down the poor woman's throat, her hands groping the Slayer like there was no tomorrow. If it hadn't been for Angel, she would have forced herself on Faith then and there. She blushed at the memory, ignoring the clenching of the muscles between her legs and the throbbing that came with it. Stupid girl, she chastised herself. What is Faith going to think of you now?
*****
Morning bagels at Angel, Wolfram & Hart. Such a very nice start to the day. Faith sighed with contentment as she flopped into a chair and took a satisfying bite. Hmm, good. She was early for the meeting, having gotten no sleep at all. After processing some of her frustrations in the training room, she had decided that a run to the office would take care of the last entanglements in her brain. So she had run, no, sprinted, the 6 miles to work, had then showered vigorously at the office's locker room and dressed in some clean clothes she kept around for after-fight clothing emergencies. All in all, her head was much more clear than it had been the previous night. After.
She was pondering how Cordelia and herself seemed to have a lot of afters, when the subject of her thoughts quietly moved into the board room. Cordelia grabbed a bagel or two and tucked into them with clear gusto. “Hmm, good,” she said. “Did you try these?” Faith's head shot up as she was startled out of her train of thought. “Hu?” Cordelia blushed, her eyes dipping unconsciously to Faith's lips. “The bagels, did you try one?,” she managed weakly. “Oh, yeah, I did, yeah. They're good.” Faith felt silly nodding her head and stopped. “Yeah,” came the reply across the table.
Faith was just thinking of getting out of the room with any excuse possible to break the awkward silence when Angel and Gunn strolled in. They wished the women a good morning and each grabbed a bagel before plopping into their seats. Angel then started handing out some folders and adjusting a laptop to link up to their interactive wall. Faith smiled at the thought of having a 200-year-old tampering with recent technology. He managed well, for an old geezer.
*****
Ugh, longest day ever. Faith dropped her kit on the floor and peeled the stained and torn top of her body. These damned Elk'thar demons were the worst things she had fought in some time. Her pants were ruined and she was pretty sure she'd have to burn the whole outfit just to get rid of the stench. Shower. Now.
The hot rays revived her somewhat and her brain kicked back into gear once it recovered from the after-fight daze. There had been a cool two dozen of them versus their team of four. It had taken a considerable amount of time and effort to take them all down. She hissed as the rays hit her stomach and she fingered the three-inch gap. No stitches necessary, but damned that stung. Taking her large loofah sponge, Faith scrubbed furiously at her skin, getting rid of the last bits of gunk. A thick lather of shampoo for her hair took care of the rest.
Finally clean, she just stood there for a bit, enjoying the heat of the water on her aching muscles and thinking of a certain curvaceous brunette. They hadn't spoken today, but Faith hadn't missed the looks the seer had shot her when she was sparring with Angel after the morning meeting. They were very much of the want-take-have variety. She let her thoughts wander and was just getting distracted by a particularly interesting image when the sound of her doorbell clambered into her mind.
Faith rinsed herself off quickly and jumped from the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she sprinted for the door, hoping it wasn't another emergency, as she was fresh out of clean tops. The Slayer was more than a little surprised to see Cordelia on her doorstep. “Hi,” she said, feeling more than a little confused. Cordelia just smiled nervously. “Got a minute?” Faith stepped aside, opening the door wide for her visitor. “Sure, lemme just grab some clothes.” Somehow being dressed just in a towel felt a little too revealing for this conversation. “Have a seat, I'll be right back.”
Cordelia mentally kicked herself for being in the apartment. Her apartment. What are you thinking, Chase? That was just it, wasn't it? With Faith around, Cordelia found she could no longer do any thinking. Nothing coherent, anyway. So she had come to clear the air and to apologise for her behaviour. Hopefully they could go back to being friends. She would hate to loose that. Even if they couldn't be... well, that.
The seer found that she suddenly couldn't think any more and only had to wonder for a brief second why that was. Sitting beside her was a slightly more dressed, but no less attractive Slayer with the cutest thought frown in the world. You besotted little fool. “Can I get you anything? I still have some Duvel left.” Alcohol. Tempting, but look where that got them last time. “I'm good, thanks.” Faith settled into the couch, obviously waiting for Cordelia to state her business.
“I came to apologise,” the Slayer's eyebrow shot up, “for my behaviour at the club the other day.” Faith just blinked, looking a little confused. “I mean, you've been through so much, losing your family and your home, and here I am acting like a horny teenager. One that would take advantage of you, no less.” Cordelia picked up the pace, rambling a little. “I really shouldn't have jumped you like that. I mean, ok, I still have feelings for you, but that doesn't mean that you are even remotely interested in me. You've had this whole other life and I -”
Faith's lips. Faith's deliciously wonderful lips, pressed firmly against her own. Cordelia mentally sent a thank-you to whatever deity cared and moaned into the kiss. Strong hands were pulling her closer and she ended up on the Slayer's lap. Cordelia was having flashbacks of the club and that intensely frustrating kiss they had shared. Except this time, it was Faith kissing her and not the other way around. She grabbed at the hoodie Faith had put on after the shower, pushing her hands under it to touch tight, searing abs. Cordelia could feel the muscles rippling as Faith grabbed her hair, trying to get as much contact with the seer as possible.
And then Faith pulled back. Cordelia could almost hear her heart break.
“Okay,” Faith said, in a low and husky voice. “Here's the deal.” She waited for Cordelia's eyes to focus on her own and forced herself not to drown in them. “You and me, from my side of things, is a very, very good idea,” Cordelia's eyes suddenly got an extra sparkle. “But. Like you said, I have lost a big part of my life in a very short period of time. And though I know Viktor and Damian would be alright with this, I will have my days where I won't be. I need you to understand that, Cordelia. Otherwise there is no point even trying.”
Cordelia smiled, putting a gentle hand on the Slayer's cheek. “That's all I need, sweetie. I'm sure we'll work something out.” She placed a lingering kiss on Faith's mouth, smiling at her own foolishness of just wanting to be friends. This was so much better.