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Faith felt blood drip down her hands, the body in front of her losing life as the seconds ticked by. She watched his eyes gloss over, the pink tint of his lips pale, every muscle in his body relaxing into the inevitability of death. Faith tilted her head, curiosity flitting across her mind so quickly, she almost forgot about the severity of what she had done.
He was still breathing, his chest rising and falling, shallower and shallower. Faith removed the wooden spike from the depth of his chest and ran her finger through the blood dripping from the tip. The smell was overwhelmingly delicious and she couldn’t stop herself from bringing the red liquid to her lips. She stared at the blood for a few moments, taking in the deep color and the smooth texture, so much so that her mouth watered for it.
Without a second thought, Faith brought the stake to her lips. Her tongue darted out to savor the first taste of blood and then the floodgates opened. There was nothing and no one to stop her. She surged forward and sunk her teeth into the neck of the body to siphon out whatever life was left.
Hands on her shoulders. Death gripping at her to tear her away. Growling, hissing, shouting…
“Faith! Faith, wake up!”
She sprung up to sit straight on her bed, arms flailing out to fight her assumed attacker. She reached underneath her pillow to grab the stake she kept close by at all times but before she could use it, strong hands gripped her wrists and pinned her to the bed. There was a soft weight holding her down and whispering words she couldn’t discern in her panicked state, but the gentleness of them slowed her rapidly beating heart.
“You’re safe. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”
Seconds turned into minutes before Faith calmed down enough to take in her surroundings. She was in her bed, the blood-red sheets triggering her for just a moment before the familiarity washed through her. There was barely any light seeping in through the window and Faith was positive the moon was still high in the sky. She was warm, either from the fear or the thrashing or the warm body keeping her grounded.
“B-Buffy?” She asked, realizing the person on top of her was one of the only people in the world that she trusted with her entire heart.
“Yeah, it’s me, Faith. I’ve got you,” Buffy answered. She loosened the grip she had on Faith’s wrists and Faith took the chance to raise her hand to her forehead, sighing when she felt regular human skin. “Nightmare?” Buffy asked.
Faith nodded. “Finch. I… I killed him.”
“You did,” Buffy agreed, though not unkindly. She pressed a gentle kiss to Faith’s forehead. “You didn’t mean to.”
“But I did. I–I’m just like them.” She reached for her forehead again, but Buffy caught her hand. She pressed her lips to the palm before moving it to cup her own jaw. She leaned into the touch and Faith didn’t think she deserved such understanding.
“You’re gentle. You feel. You have remorse. You regret. You love,” Buffy determined. “You are the farthest thing from a monster that I’ve ever met.”
“What if–”
Buffy closed the gap between them, pushing their mouths together in a chaste but passionate kiss. It wasn’t meant to go further, wasn’t the start of anything more. Faith knew that it was a promise. It was the reassurance, the comfort, the trust, that Buffy had in her. It wasn’t what she deserved but it was what Buffy was willing to give her so she had to accept. Buffy wouldn’t lie to her, even for her own good.
When Buffy pulled away, she rested her forehead against Faith’s once more, an intimate gesture between the two of them that no one else could really understand.
“You’re good, Faith, no matter what your nightmares tell you.”
She nodded and held Buffy close as a last-ditch attempt to believe. Faith had no reason to doubt her so she let herself fall asleep, wrapped in the arms of someone who loved her, who trusted her more than she ever deserved.
The nightmares stayed away.