(no subject)
Title: Night Ride
Author: thrace_
Written for: leavethesky
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Willow/Faith
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,618
Summary: A quiet night in Devonshire
Life in Devonshire was much like life in Sunnydale, in terms of interpersonal drama.
After Willow and Kennedy had run their course and parted ways, Willow had pretended she wasn't sad and had spent days in front of her computer. She expressed mild interest in food and phone calls from Buffy, but otherwise kept to herself. But the day came when Faith needed her for a spell, so she dragged Willow from her study to perform the necessary rituals in the cool night air.
"I could have done this inside," Willow grumbled.
"No, you couldn't. It says right there: perform spell outdoors," said Faith, jabbing her finger at the brittle magic text.
"This is in Sumerian," said Willow. "You don't read Sumerian."
"There's a lot of shit you don't know about me, Rosenberg," said Faith, even though Willow was completely right. "But just look at that night sky, huh? Now do the spell so me and my teen girl squad can find this demon."
Willow performed the spell accordingly and Faith started to walk back to the house. She noticed Willow wasn't with her, turned back to find her staring at the stars. A breeze ruffled Faith's hair, made her skin prickle slightly. "You coming?" she asked.
"Maybe in a minute," said Willow. She took a few steps away from the house, craning her neck to pick out constellations.
Faith shrugged and left the other woman to wander through the grounds. She was safe enough; there were wards in place, and also Willow's tendency to be more powerful than the average Slayer.
The spell had tracked the demon to the outskirts of a nearby village, one of the smaller touristy places. Violet and Claire were gossiping quietly behind her as they walked along the dirt road that crossed through the village. Their voices died away as they approached their destination; Faith felt tension building in the back of her mind. There were a few people still out enjoying the brisk weather. A carriage trundled past them, carrying a couple bundled in blankets. They would have to watch out for the civvies.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" asked Violet, toying with her stake.
Faith pursed her lips before speaking. "Let's just spread out. Yell if you have to." She picked a direction at random and set off at a cautious pace. Afraid for their businesses, the locals had kept the first murder quiet. But the second victim had caused a minor stir, mostly due to the gory manner of death. Giles had diagnosed demons, and Faith knew from the persistent odor reaching her nostrils that he was right. She reached for the hilt of the spatha strapped over her jacket as she edged towards the corner of a building. Before she could draw and strike, the demon barreled around the corner, throwing her to the ground with one burly arm. It loped off in the direction of the road. "Shit," said Faith, scrambling to her feet.
The demon was already twenty meters away, and picking up speed. She would never catch it on foot. The image of the carriage flashed in her mind, and she sprinted further into the village. There, in front of one the inns-the couple was just going inside. The carriage driver began urging the horses forward again, presumably towards the stable. Faith drew her sword as she ran, the metal ringing as it slid from the sheath. She skidded to a halt next to the carriage. "Sorry, I need a horse," she said, and cut the traces. She swung herself up onto the closest horse, sword still in hand, and gave it a good nudge with her heels. It bucked once, then took off, leaving the puzzled carriage driver to shout helplessly.
She had only ridden a horse once before, and that with a saddle, but she knew enough to quickly break the horse into a trot, then a canter. The moment she hit the road, she urged it to gallop after the diminishing figure of the demon. It was hard holding on with only her thighs, fingers of one hand tangled in the horse's mane, other hand holding her spatha close to her body. Lucky she had picked a light, one-handed sword for the night.
She was closing distance, though they were rapidly approaching Giles' house, and she pushed the horse to reach the demon before it entered the grounds. She was barely five meters behind, and she began swinging her sword experimentally in preparation for the killing stroke.
The demon suddenly cut sharply to the right, angling straight towards the property extending behind the house. Faith knew she didn't have the skill to swing the horse in the new direction as quickly, so she slowed, took her bearings, and set off again. She kept the horse to a canter, alert to her surroundings. The moon was a dim sliver of light, and there were large trees scattered throughout the grounds. Good cover for a wily demon.
After a few minutes, the trees thinned slightly, and she knew they were well inside the borders of the property. She brought the horse to a full stop and listened intently for a moment. The rustle of grass and leaves, the horse's deep breathing, and not much else. Then, a sharp female voice cut through air.
"Shit!" Willow, letting loose a further blast of profanity Faith had never heard from her. She tugged the horse's mane, dug in hard with her heels to send it galloping in the right direction.
She found them almost immediately. The demon was clawing frantically at Willow, who had backed against a large oak tree and was holding up one hand to maintain whatever defensive spell was keeping her alive. "Faith!" she shouted, momentarily distracted.
Faith set up for her pass, swung hard as she flashed past the demon, felt the jarring impact of a solid blow. The horse whinnied and reared, unaccustomed to such use. Faith let herself fall to the ground. She rolled with the impact, came up sprinting. It was only a few meters back to the tree, where the demon was writhing on the ground. The spartha was deeply embedded edge-first in its back. Faith braced her foot against the demon's head and yanked the sword out, eliciting a howl of a pain. Calmly, she drove the sword into the demon's heart, pushing until she felt the tip sink into the ground beneath. The demon twitched, stilled, then melted into the earth, leaving the sword standing alone. She loved it when the cleanup was convenient.
"You okay?" asked Faith, turning towards Willow.
"Yeah," said Willow, brushing hair from her face with a slightly shaky hand. "That thing came out of nowhere."
"Sorry about that. It got the drop on us at the village," said Faith. She stepped closer to Willow, inspecting her. "Are you hurt anywhere? Scratches, bites, acid?"
"No, I think I'm okay." Willow sank against the tree, needing to feel its solidity against her back for a moment. "Thanks."
Faith shrugged, though the movement was mostly lost in the darkness. "No big." She could feel the adrenaline still pumping hard; even the kill wasn't enough to entirely take off the edge. A breeze rustled through the leaves overhead, carried Willow's familiar scent floating past. She parsed the smells, detected shampoo and soap. She felt almost primal, standing beneath the spreading branches of the oak with only the celestial bodies overhead for light.
Willow shivered in the wind, rubbing one bare arm. Faith watched her for a second before unbuckling her scabbard and taking off her jacket. She pulled Willow away from the tree to wrap the jacket around her shoulders, tugged the front closed. "What are you still doing out here anyway?" she asked.
"Just...reconnecting. You know. Earth stuff." She felt Faith radiating warmth. Unconsciously, she leaned closer, letting Faith's body break the increasingly stiffer breezes.
"Yeah. Earth stuff," Faith repeated, and kissed Willow. She closed the already marginal gap between their bodies and pushed her against the oak's trunk, the gentle impact jarring their mouths together. She braced herself with a hand on either side of Willow's body, felt Willow's hands clutch her waist. Startled at the contact, she pulled back. "Sorry," she said, and tried to step back. "I didn't mean to go cave man on you." But Willow held her firmly in place, pulling Faith back against her body. She said nothing, but slipped her hands under the edges of Faith's shirt. "I guess that means yes," Faith mumbled against her mouth, and kissed her again.
She lost track of the time, intent on the warmth of Willow's body and mouth, and the way her fingers scraped lightly against the small of her back. Something broad nudged her shoulder and she opened her eyes, wondering if Willow had sprouted a third arm. The horse stood next to them, looking expectant.
"I think your friend is jealous," said Willow, letting her head fall back against the tree.
"I think my friend wants to go home," said Faith, sighing. "I kind of did steal him." She looked at the horse, then to Willow, struggling with her options. Responsibility, and the need to keep a low profile won out. "Feel like going for a ride?" she asked.
They set out for the village, going slowly. Willow rode behind Faith, arms around her waist. She gave the Slayer a small squeeze. "You looked dashing, you know, riding up with a sword. Very Gladiator of you."
"You know I never miss a chance to make an entrance," said Faith.
"Thanks for getting me out of the house," said Willow, and settled in behind her.
Author: thrace_
Written for: leavethesky
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Willow/Faith
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,618
Summary: A quiet night in Devonshire
Life in Devonshire was much like life in Sunnydale, in terms of interpersonal drama.
After Willow and Kennedy had run their course and parted ways, Willow had pretended she wasn't sad and had spent days in front of her computer. She expressed mild interest in food and phone calls from Buffy, but otherwise kept to herself. But the day came when Faith needed her for a spell, so she dragged Willow from her study to perform the necessary rituals in the cool night air.
"I could have done this inside," Willow grumbled.
"No, you couldn't. It says right there: perform spell outdoors," said Faith, jabbing her finger at the brittle magic text.
"This is in Sumerian," said Willow. "You don't read Sumerian."
"There's a lot of shit you don't know about me, Rosenberg," said Faith, even though Willow was completely right. "But just look at that night sky, huh? Now do the spell so me and my teen girl squad can find this demon."
Willow performed the spell accordingly and Faith started to walk back to the house. She noticed Willow wasn't with her, turned back to find her staring at the stars. A breeze ruffled Faith's hair, made her skin prickle slightly. "You coming?" she asked.
"Maybe in a minute," said Willow. She took a few steps away from the house, craning her neck to pick out constellations.
Faith shrugged and left the other woman to wander through the grounds. She was safe enough; there were wards in place, and also Willow's tendency to be more powerful than the average Slayer.
The spell had tracked the demon to the outskirts of a nearby village, one of the smaller touristy places. Violet and Claire were gossiping quietly behind her as they walked along the dirt road that crossed through the village. Their voices died away as they approached their destination; Faith felt tension building in the back of her mind. There were a few people still out enjoying the brisk weather. A carriage trundled past them, carrying a couple bundled in blankets. They would have to watch out for the civvies.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" asked Violet, toying with her stake.
Faith pursed her lips before speaking. "Let's just spread out. Yell if you have to." She picked a direction at random and set off at a cautious pace. Afraid for their businesses, the locals had kept the first murder quiet. But the second victim had caused a minor stir, mostly due to the gory manner of death. Giles had diagnosed demons, and Faith knew from the persistent odor reaching her nostrils that he was right. She reached for the hilt of the spatha strapped over her jacket as she edged towards the corner of a building. Before she could draw and strike, the demon barreled around the corner, throwing her to the ground with one burly arm. It loped off in the direction of the road. "Shit," said Faith, scrambling to her feet.
The demon was already twenty meters away, and picking up speed. She would never catch it on foot. The image of the carriage flashed in her mind, and she sprinted further into the village. There, in front of one the inns-the couple was just going inside. The carriage driver began urging the horses forward again, presumably towards the stable. Faith drew her sword as she ran, the metal ringing as it slid from the sheath. She skidded to a halt next to the carriage. "Sorry, I need a horse," she said, and cut the traces. She swung herself up onto the closest horse, sword still in hand, and gave it a good nudge with her heels. It bucked once, then took off, leaving the puzzled carriage driver to shout helplessly.
She had only ridden a horse once before, and that with a saddle, but she knew enough to quickly break the horse into a trot, then a canter. The moment she hit the road, she urged it to gallop after the diminishing figure of the demon. It was hard holding on with only her thighs, fingers of one hand tangled in the horse's mane, other hand holding her spatha close to her body. Lucky she had picked a light, one-handed sword for the night.
She was closing distance, though they were rapidly approaching Giles' house, and she pushed the horse to reach the demon before it entered the grounds. She was barely five meters behind, and she began swinging her sword experimentally in preparation for the killing stroke.
The demon suddenly cut sharply to the right, angling straight towards the property extending behind the house. Faith knew she didn't have the skill to swing the horse in the new direction as quickly, so she slowed, took her bearings, and set off again. She kept the horse to a canter, alert to her surroundings. The moon was a dim sliver of light, and there were large trees scattered throughout the grounds. Good cover for a wily demon.
After a few minutes, the trees thinned slightly, and she knew they were well inside the borders of the property. She brought the horse to a full stop and listened intently for a moment. The rustle of grass and leaves, the horse's deep breathing, and not much else. Then, a sharp female voice cut through air.
"Shit!" Willow, letting loose a further blast of profanity Faith had never heard from her. She tugged the horse's mane, dug in hard with her heels to send it galloping in the right direction.
She found them almost immediately. The demon was clawing frantically at Willow, who had backed against a large oak tree and was holding up one hand to maintain whatever defensive spell was keeping her alive. "Faith!" she shouted, momentarily distracted.
Faith set up for her pass, swung hard as she flashed past the demon, felt the jarring impact of a solid blow. The horse whinnied and reared, unaccustomed to such use. Faith let herself fall to the ground. She rolled with the impact, came up sprinting. It was only a few meters back to the tree, where the demon was writhing on the ground. The spartha was deeply embedded edge-first in its back. Faith braced her foot against the demon's head and yanked the sword out, eliciting a howl of a pain. Calmly, she drove the sword into the demon's heart, pushing until she felt the tip sink into the ground beneath. The demon twitched, stilled, then melted into the earth, leaving the sword standing alone. She loved it when the cleanup was convenient.
"You okay?" asked Faith, turning towards Willow.
"Yeah," said Willow, brushing hair from her face with a slightly shaky hand. "That thing came out of nowhere."
"Sorry about that. It got the drop on us at the village," said Faith. She stepped closer to Willow, inspecting her. "Are you hurt anywhere? Scratches, bites, acid?"
"No, I think I'm okay." Willow sank against the tree, needing to feel its solidity against her back for a moment. "Thanks."
Faith shrugged, though the movement was mostly lost in the darkness. "No big." She could feel the adrenaline still pumping hard; even the kill wasn't enough to entirely take off the edge. A breeze rustled through the leaves overhead, carried Willow's familiar scent floating past. She parsed the smells, detected shampoo and soap. She felt almost primal, standing beneath the spreading branches of the oak with only the celestial bodies overhead for light.
Willow shivered in the wind, rubbing one bare arm. Faith watched her for a second before unbuckling her scabbard and taking off her jacket. She pulled Willow away from the tree to wrap the jacket around her shoulders, tugged the front closed. "What are you still doing out here anyway?" she asked.
"Just...reconnecting. You know. Earth stuff." She felt Faith radiating warmth. Unconsciously, she leaned closer, letting Faith's body break the increasingly stiffer breezes.
"Yeah. Earth stuff," Faith repeated, and kissed Willow. She closed the already marginal gap between their bodies and pushed her against the oak's trunk, the gentle impact jarring their mouths together. She braced herself with a hand on either side of Willow's body, felt Willow's hands clutch her waist. Startled at the contact, she pulled back. "Sorry," she said, and tried to step back. "I didn't mean to go cave man on you." But Willow held her firmly in place, pulling Faith back against her body. She said nothing, but slipped her hands under the edges of Faith's shirt. "I guess that means yes," Faith mumbled against her mouth, and kissed her again.
She lost track of the time, intent on the warmth of Willow's body and mouth, and the way her fingers scraped lightly against the small of her back. Something broad nudged her shoulder and she opened her eyes, wondering if Willow had sprouted a third arm. The horse stood next to them, looking expectant.
"I think your friend is jealous," said Willow, letting her head fall back against the tree.
"I think my friend wants to go home," said Faith, sighing. "I kind of did steal him." She looked at the horse, then to Willow, struggling with her options. Responsibility, and the need to keep a low profile won out. "Feel like going for a ride?" she asked.
They set out for the village, going slowly. Willow rode behind Faith, arms around her waist. She gave the Slayer a small squeeze. "You looked dashing, you know, riding up with a sword. Very Gladiator of you."
"You know I never miss a chance to make an entrance," said Faith.
"Thanks for getting me out of the house," said Willow, and settled in behind her.