"What the fuck are you doing here?" Faith asked when she saw Cordelia coming in. She hadn't even bothered to knock first. Faith gathered the stuff that was on the bed and quickly stored it in the drawer of the nightstand.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? I doubt you were released thanks to good behavior," Cordelia replied with sarcasm as she looked around. Faith gave her a fake smile and nodded.
"Once a bitch, always a bitch," the slayer said.
"I don't care what Angel says about you. I don't trust you," Cordelia continued, disregarding the remark. Faith shrugged. She didn't expect Cordelia to trust her, so there was nothing new under the sun. She sat on the bed and Cordelia joined her, sitting at a prudential distance.
"I don't bite," Faith told her. "Come here, Cordy," she patted the spot next to her teasingly. "Why are you here?" Cordelia asked. She remained where she was, examining every move Faith made.
"I'm here to get Angelus," Faith simply said.
"You're here to kill him," Cordelia corrected her.
"No," the slayer indicated. "I'm here to get him back here so the soul can be restored. I won't kill him. That'd be killing..."
"Angel," Cordelia nodded.
"Right," said Faith before an awkward silence invaded the room. Faith didn't want Angel dead, and surely Cordelia was afraid of him dying in the process of getting Angelus. Faith could understand that. It didn't justify the intrusion or Cordelia's manners, but it was understandable.
"What happens after that?" Cordelia asked. "You can't just walk back to prison. You can't run away for ever either. I am assuming you are a fugitive."
"Well, I am... You really didn't think it had been good behavior, did ya? First I have to deal with Angelus. Then, I'll see," Faith replied casually.
"Carpe Diem," the seer said.
"Right," Faith rolled her eyes at Cordelia's pretentiousness.
"What would you do to be really free? What would you be willing to do?" Cordelia asked out of nowhere.
"What do you mean?" Faith frowned.
"For your freedom... Real freedom. Let's say there's a chance you could be free, without having to run away, without coming back to jail. You know, be exonerated".
"Why does it sound like you're offering?" Faith asked hesitatingly. Suddenly Cordelia had too much interest in the conversation. She had put behind her former doubt or lack of trust and she had moved closer to Faith. They were sitting side by side and the seer had her eyes fixed on Faith's.
"What if I am?" Cordelia said. "What if I told you I can set you free?"
"Why would you do that? Let's face it. You hate me," Faith laughed.
"It will be an exchange of favors. I am not doing it for charity. I am not doing it for you," Cordelia said. She placed one hand on Faith's shoulder. "You want it," she whispered.
"What would I have to do?" Faith asked without looking at Cordelia and trying to sound uninterested. Her eyes were fixed on her boots.
"I knew you'd accept," Cordelia smiled.
"I am not accepting," Faith turned her attention back to Cordelia. "What would it take?" she asked again.
Cordelia looked at her. She was examining every inch of her face, every spark in her eyes, searching for a hint that would lead her to whatever Faith was thinking.
"You have to kill Angelus," Cordelia said, resolved.
"That's a fucking joke, right?" Faith got up from the bed and moved away from Cordelia. She faced her again. "Forget it." Faith grabbed Cordelia by the neck. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Cordelia grabbed Faith's arm and tried to push it away, but she couldn't. She fought for air while she felt Faith's tight grip on her neck. She started to feel dizzy and weak. Suddenly Faith released her. Cordelia looked at her. The slayer seemed shocked, probably by her own reaction. Cordelia needed to take a few deep breaths before she could speak again.
"It was just a test," she explained, rubbing her neck.
"Do you think you have to test me? I am here to help. It may not be easy for you to accept, but you can trust me," Faith shouted.
Cordelia simply looked at her in silence. "I had to be sure..."
"Angel's the only one that's ever been there for me," Faith whispered, breathing deeply to turn down her anger.
"Unlike me," Cordelia recognized with honesty, using a tone that seemed almost apologetic.
"I made your life a living hell," Faith shrugged. She didn't know why she felt the urge to assure Cordelia that she wasn't proud of the things that had happened in the past.
"You got that right," Cordelia said. The awkward silence invaded the room one more time.
"Why freedom?" Faith asked after a while.
"Huh?"
"Why freedom of all things? Why did you offer me that?" Faith asked.
"It seems like the only thing you really need," Cordelia explained. "Is there anything you want more than that?" she asked.
Faith looked at her. Her stare intensified by the second as she thought of a good answer. Love. That was all she ever really wanted. Love, and a lot of other things that came with that. Warmth, care and trust. For a second, she tried to find someone in her life that could give her that. She found nothing.
"What is it?" Cordelia asked, interrupting her thoughts. When Faith looked at her slightly embarrassed, Cordelia asked again: "What is it that you really want?" she ran a delicate hand along Faith's cheek. "I know we are not exactly confidents, but you can tell me."
Faith hesitated. Being honest could make Cordelia laugh at her at the top of her lungs. She watched the seer as she waited for her answer. She seemed genuinely interested this time.
"Love," Faith whispered before looking down, not wanting to see the expression of amusement or utter pity on Cordelia's face. But to Faith's surprise, Cordelia cupped her chin and made her look at her.
"That's hard to find and even harder to promise," the seer said. Faith looked at her and took notice of the shadow that seemed to have covered her eyes. And for the first time, she realized Cordelia's life hadn't been perfect either.
The seer, on the other hand, kept her hand on Faith's chin and continued talking, as if nothing had happened. "You have great expectations."
"I'd settle for a lot less," Faith admitted. Having Cordelia so close to her and being so gentle with her, Faith decided to take a risk. Her hand covered Cordelia's soft one, the one that kept her chin up and made her eyes remain fixed on hers. She felt Cordelia's hand relax at her touch. Faith gently pulled it down but without letting it separate from her skin. She felt the touch of Cordelia's palm along her neck.
Cordelia looked hesitant and Faith let go off her hand, wondering if she had screwed up the first decent conversation she had with Cordelia ever. But the seer surprised her. Her hand remained pressed against Faith's neck and it slowly started to travel downwards.
Faith felt the gentle caress move on to her shoulder. Cordelia was describing a large circle on her skin, covering part of her back and chest with every move she made. Faith closed her eyes, feeling a wave of need hitting her as Cordelia continued her soothing caress. She was confused. And she was scared. Scared of the possibility that it was nothing but another test from Cordelia, scared that she might lose the warm touch of her hand and she'd be left alone in the coldness of solitude again.
"Cordelia..." she whispered. She needed to know if this was real. Faith opened her eyes and found a pair of hazel ones staring right inside hers. Cordelia's eyes were burning with desire. Faith wondered if Cordelia was lonely, just like she was. She needed to find an explanation for Cordelia's behavior.
As Cordelia moved forward, her lips only inches away from hers, heating them with her warm breath, Faith stopped looking for reasons. She had never been good at that anyway. Want. Take. Have. That seemed like a more suiting philosophy for the current scenario.
It must have been Cordelia's philosophy as well, since she didn't wait for Faith's reaction. Cordelia's lips crushed against hers. It had been a violent move, but only to surprise her. The touch of Cordelia's lips became soft only seconds later. Faith tasted her lipstick, whipping it out with her tongue. Cordelia parted her lips, allowing Faith to enter her mouth as they laid on the bed.
Cordelia rested her weight on Faith's body and the slayer had to suppress a moan of excitement as she felt Cordelia's breasts pressing against hers. The friction of the fabrics and the feeling of skin and curves molding her own body became intoxicating for Faith. She rolled Cordelia off her and sat up straight by her side.
"What's wrong?" a very confused Cordelia protested when Faith moved away from her.
"Is this another one of your tests?" Faith asked with horror in her eyes. She took a deep breathe, hoping Cordelia wouldn't give a positive answer to that question.
"No test," Cordelia said. She sat back up and moved to kiss Faith again. "No test," she murmured against Faith's lips. The slayer returned the kiss.
"It better not be," she threatened Cordelia as they laid back on the bed. Cordelia laughed as Faith tickled with kisses her neck. Faith's hands caressed Cordelia's breasts and she grinded her pelvis against hers. She was rewarded with a soft moan. Cordelia spread her legs and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck, pressing the slayer's lips harder against her neck.
Cordelia's hands caressed Faith's back until they found the hem of her shirt. She roughly pulled it over Faith's head. Faith's instant reaction was to get rid of Cordelia's clothes as well, but the seer stopped her. She knelt on the bed and patted the pillow. Faith complied, laying on the bed. Cordelia bent over her, kissing her softly before moving her attention to her breasts.
Cordelia buried her face between Faith's breasts, kissing the inner sides before licking her way up to her left nipple. She took it in her mouth and sucked eagerly, making Faith groan in response. Faith wondered what else Cordelia would be able to do with that mouth. One of the slayer's hand moved inside her jeans at that thought, but Cordelia stopped her.
"Let me," Cordelia offered. Faith wasn't going to be the one to deny anything to her. Cordelia unbuttoned Faith's jeans and slid them down, taking her boots off first and then tossing the denim to the ground.
Cordelia got up from the bed. She locked the door of Faith's room and with fixed her eyes on Faith's as she started to unbutton her blouse slowly. She opened it and let it fall down her body. Faith licked her lips unconsciously at the sight of her perfectly moisturized skin. Cordelia reached behind her and unclasped her bra, letting it fall down to meet the blouse on the floor.
Cordelia's hands traveled down her own stomach. She undid the buttons of her jeans in the same slow, tortuous way she had undid the blouse. She stepped out of the item of clothing, kicking it slightly to the side. Finding the sides of the waistband of her panties, she slid them down, caressing her legs on her way down. Walking back to the side of the bed, she stood naked right before Faith for a few seconds as the slayer examined every inch of her skin. Cordelia smiled satisfied as she got an appreciative look from Faith. She got back on the bed, crawling back to Faith's side.
The seer leant down and kissed Faith again. Her hands ran over Faith's skin, caressing her bare stomach and resting over her crotch. She rubbed her fingers against Faith's panties, before she slid them off quickly. Her fingers traveled up Faith's leg until she found her moist folds. She teased them with two fingers. Faith responded by spreading her legs and moving her hips upwards, trying to get as much contact as she could with Cordelia's skin.
Cordelia's tongue licked Faith's neck while her roaming fingers found their way inside her. She buried them deep, slowly. Faith gulped, anxious, almost frustrated.
Cordelia watched as Faith sprawled on the bed, hands on her breasts as her hips moved in time with Cordelia's fingers. Cordelia moved on top of Faith, her hand still between them, buried deep inside Faith, describing circles against her walls while her thumb teased the slayer's clit.
Cordelia attacked Faith's mouth once again, fascinated with the texture of her soft lips and the sweetness of her tongue. Faith moaned in Cordelia's mouth as her hands caressed the seer's bare back, pressing her body closer to hers, wanting to increase the contact of their breasts, rubbing against each others. Cordelia rubbed Faith's clit more intensely as she felt Faith clutching her fingers. Cordelia muffled Faith's groan with her mouth as the slayer came. The seer eased her movements, bringing Faith down softly before lying back on her side, kissing Faith shoulder as the long haired brunette purred like a cat.
"Why did you...?" Faith asked when her breathing even out. "What was that?" she wondered out loud. She had decided she wasn't going to think about it, but she had enjoyed it, not just because of physical pleasure, but because she thought that Cordelia and her had something in common. Probably loneliness or deception, but something in common in the end.
"Did you like it?" Cordelia asked her with a sly smile as she rested her head on the pillow. She couldn't answer Faith's question. She didn't know why anything of that had happened, but she didn't regret it either. She loved watching Faith wiggled underneath her, because of her. It might have been pure need, but while she was pleasuring Faith she believed it was more than just that, even if she couldn't figure out exactly what it was.
She had hated Faith for a very long time, but in the end she understood that everyone should be granted a second chance. And when she had heard Faith confessing that she craved love, she realized Faith had never been evil. She had been simply confused and extremely fucked up. Cordelia could understand that. She was reminded of that feeling every time she looked at Connor, watching her with the big puppy love reflecting in his eyes. She understood that every time she saw the look of hurt in Angel's eyes in the rare occasions when he was looking at her.
"I did," Faith replied, bringing Cordelia back to reality. "What now?" she said. Cordelia knew that she was asking if that had been a one time thing. That was another question that she didn't know how to answer either.
"Well, I'm still naked and kinda neglected," Cordelia smiled, somewhat surprised at her own response. The answers her brain couldn't find, her body would give. "I don't what happens after that," she felt obliged to warn Faith as she felt her slim hand caress her stomach.
"It's a start," Faith whispered. It wasn't a promise of love. It wasn't a promise of repeating the love making session ever again either. But at the moment it was an offer of warmth. Live for the moment. She could handle that.