Faith sat at the table in the dark, arms folded over her chest, the bed unmade from where she had recently vacated it.
She heard the car outside and her jaw clenched involuntarily.
Sam & Ruby
Ruby pulled the car up behind the impala.
"So... do your homework, and I'll see you on Thursday," she smirked.
"Sure," Sam chuckled, opening the door and getting out only to lean back in the window.
"Did I ask if you've heard more on the demon front yet?"
"No, you hadn't. But I did promise to call if I heard anything," Ruby drawled.
"I know," Sam's eyes lowered.
"Don't be too impatient, you'll get sloppy," Ruby insisted.
"Not if I keep training," Sam smiled.
He patted the doorframe and stood, watching as she pulled the car out.
Faith
Faith leaned back in the chair, and crossed one leg over the other.
She waited for Sam to come inside, surprisingly patient.
Sam
Sam sighed as the car disappeared, then walked over to the motel room. Unlocking the door as quietly as he could, he snuck in and closed it behind him.
Faith
"Nice night?" Faith's voice cut through the darkness.
She straightened up in her seat.
Sam
Sam jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Sorry, I thought you were asleep," he apologised, starting to pull his jacket off.
Faith
"Evidently," Faith replied coldly.
She remained in her seat for a second, then stood and grabbed her jacket from the table.
Sam
Sam put his jacket over his bag before looking up curiously at her movements.
"Going somewhere?" he asked.
Faith
"Yeah," Faith replied, shrugging her jacket on. She walked over to the door and opened it, and was halfway out before adding anything more.
"Maybe I'll go find someone's blood to drink."
Sam
Sam felt his face pale.
"What?" he said through clenched teeth.
Faith
"Yeah, you heard me," Faith threw back.
She resisted the urge to slam the door, not wanting to wake Dean, despite how angry she was with Sam.
Sam
Sam clenched his jaw again and looked at Dean, still asleep.
He walked over and pushed her outside by the arm, closing the door behind him.
"What do you know?" he demanded.
Faith
Faith shrugged Sam off, none too gently and she took a step away from him.
"What do you think I know, Sam? Anything you feel like telling me?"
Sam
Sam stared down at her for a long time, then sighed.
"I don't do it because I want to," he laid down off the bat.
Faith
"Whatever," Faith said, shrugging.
"I'm not going to ask you to stop or whatever, because I know you won't. So it's fine. Whatever."
Sam
"Good," Sam nodded.
He turned to go back into the room.
Faith
"Yeah, good," Faith replied coldly.
"Guess there's really no point in me hanging around anymore, right? Evidently, you don't need a safety net and you don't need me for anything. So, say bye to Dean for me, when he wakes up."
She turned to leave.
Sam
Sam stopped with his hand on the door.
"Maybe I will this time," he said solemnly.
Faith
"Yeah, you won't have to sneak out anymore," Faith commented.
"Won't have to worry about sharing your bed. Unless you are doing that with her, still?"
Despite how cold her tone was, the hurt was evident in Faith's voice.
Sam
Sam's other fist clenched and he turned to face her.
"I've never cheated on you," he said darkly, "and I never intended to start. Don't you dare accuse me of that."
Faith
"Why not?" Faith asked bitterly.
"After all, you're not that far away from it now. I'm sure the last few steps won't be so hard. You've already got the intimacy down pat."
Sam
"It's nothing intimate, I'm using her," Sam scorned, voice raising a little.
Faith
"Don't kid yourself," Faith scoffed.
"Drinking someone's blood? Allowing someone to drink yours? That is intimate and I don't care how much you deny it."
She thought she would've felt better if she had walked in on him having sex with someone else.
Sam
"It's a tool!" Sam was getting exasperated.
"And I know there's no way I could possibly make you understand. You're not me! You don't have this, this curse!"
Faith
"No, there is no way for me to understand," Faith replied, struggling with the fact that for the first time in years, she was going to cry over a stupid guy.
"Guess we just don't understand each other."
Sam
"I guess we really don't," Sam agreed.
"I'm trying to stop the end of the world, and all you seem to are about is your friends and your 'calling'. There isnt going to be any of that if we don't stop Lilith. And that's all I can think about when I'm not thinking of how to not hurt you."
Faith
Faith turned away, unwilling to let Sam see her cry.
"Well," she said quietly. "I can fix that for you. You don't have to worry about hurting me if I'm not here for you to hurt."
Sam
"I guess I don't," Sam shrugged.
"So make up your mind, and make it final. If you can't deal with this, then you can't handle me."
Faith
"I can't deal with you lying," Faith said. "I don't care that you have to do it, I just can't handle another person lying to me. You're not meant to do that. So stop. Stop sneaking out when you think I'm asleep. Just leave when you have to. Say goodbye or something. Just stop it."
She shook her head.
"And stop making me feel like this. Because I get enough of that from everyone else and I don't want it from you too. And if you want me to leave now, then I will. But I won't come back. Because this is me. Stop making me feel guilty for wanting Angel to be in my life. You may not understand it, just like I don't understand your deal, but I'll accept it. But you have to accept that I come with Angel and that I will always go help him if I can."
Sam
Sam's face softened slightly.
"Faith, I don't want to have to lie to you," he said sincerely, "but the less people that know about what I'm doing, the better off we are. Dean can't know. It was jst easier not telling anyone at all."
He shrugged.
"And I don't judge you for being Angel's 'protector' or whatever. I'd do the same thing for Dean. But, there just comes a point where you have to do your own thing. I'm finding that, and I just don't think that you are. And if not now, then I don't see it ever happening. And it's going to be something that causes problems, we've known that from day one."
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"Yeah, you are finding your own thing, but Sam, I found mine years ago. Only, because it doesn't line up with your specific mission, my thing seems insignificant to you. Whenever I have to leave and do something, you don't seem to see the validity in it. You have to let me do my job, Sam. I can't quit being a Slayer. I don't follow strict protocol, but I do have my own life."
She paused.
"I'm not saying that to be a bitch, but it's the truth. There are times when you just have to let me go. I'm here all the time. I could be helping out in Cleveland, monitoring that Hellmouth, but I am here. So don't say that I haven't found my own thing. I have. But you have to let me do it."
Sam
"It's because I don't think that a few vampires even come clos to the apocalypse," Sam shrugged.
"I'm sorry, but I don't. Maybe before, when we were just hunting monsters, but this is big. Bigger than anyone's ever imagined. We have angels on Earth for the first timein thousands of years. It's serious, and it's downright scary."
He shook his head.
"Did you even see the outcome of the blood drinking?"
Faith
"Don't you dare," Faith warned.
"I am aware of how big this is getting. I am dealing with it on my side. Just because I do now take you along every night does not mean I am out having a laugh with the 'few' vampires that I am killing. It is more than that now. Don't stand there and act like you're doing so much more work than me. It's insulting. Because I am fighting this war on my side. And I am doing it virtually alone. I get it, you're killing your type of demons, but I am fighting mine. Stop acting like what I do is insignificant. We're fighting the same battle, Sam. We're just fighting it in different sections."
Sam
Sam stood silent for a moment, as if something had just clicked in his mind.
He nodded, and put his hands on his hips.
"You're right," he said suddenly.
Faith
Faith eyed him suspiciously.
"I know."
She stood there awkwardly for a moment.
"So, am I going or what?"
Sam
Sam glanced up at her, then lowered his eyes again and shrugged.
"It's up to you," he shook his head, "I think... I think I need you to keep me sane. But I don't want you going insane in the process. And if that's an issue, then you're better off without me."
Faith
Faith took a step towards him.
"Any guy I'm with drives me insane, you just happen to make up for it with the sex."
She reached out for him.
"So I'm here. But if you hurt me again, I will kill you."
She smiled faintly.
"I'll suffocate you with my thighs."
Sam
Sam's lip curled in a small smile, but that was it.
"So what you're saying is, I'm only good for the sex," he mused.
Faith
"Well," Faith hedged. "You're good for other things, but the sex seems to stand out."
Her smile became a little warmer.
"Possibly because we've been having a lot of it lately, so it does stand out."
Sam
"I guess it does," Sam reasoned.
"It seems to be the only way we show affection these days."
Faith
Faith thought about that for a second, then reached out for Sam.
"Come here," she said quietly.
Sam
Sam looked at her suspiciously for a moment, inwardly cursing himself for not trusting her of all people.
He eventually stepped forward to her, leaving his hands in his pockets.
Faith
Faith held her hand out for his.
"Take my hand, Jumbo."
Sam
Sam raised an eyebow curiously, but took her hand slowly.
Faith
Faith laced her fingers through his.
"We're gonna start the affection without sex thing," she told him.
Sam
Sam just looked more confused.
"You know I never meant that the sex was a bad thing, right?" he made sure.
Faith
"I know," Faith said, smiling a little.
"But we should probably show affection in other ways before we start having sex in public."
Sam
"Hm. You make a good point," Sam nodded.
"But if I start kissing you, I think I'm going to start undressing you. They just seem to follow suit somehow."
Faith
"Well then I'll have to put you on a kiss-ban," Faith nodded, grinning teasingly.
"Until you regain some self control."
Sam
"What if that never happens?" Sam asked with a hint of darkness, sidling closer to her so their bodies almost touched.
Faith
"Then I suppose we'll have to lock ourselves in a room and just keep having sex until we get bored of it."
Faith nodded.
"Or, I'll knock you out."
Sam
"I love it when you talk violence," there was gruff in Sam's voice.
Faith
Faith grinned, and turned wide eyes on him.
"Does it make you want to kiss me?" she breathed, leaning up close to his face.
Sam
"Seeing you makes me want to kiss you," Sam leaned in to breath seductively against her throat.
Faith
Faith let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"That must be so hard for you."
Sam
"Oh it is," Sam agreed, moving his head up again to look down at her.
"You know, technically biting and licking isn't kissing..."
Faith
Faith lowered her lips to Sam's neck and let her tongue dart out.
"That's very true."
Sam
Sam gave in and immediately licked from the nape of her neck up to her ear lobe where he nibbled delicately.
Faith
Faith tilted her head slightly, to allow him greater access, before she realised they were still standing in the street.
"So, we can either move this to an alley, or we can get a room."
Sam
Sam groaned.
"So much for the no-sex option, huh?"
Faith
"Well, I never said we'd be having sex. We could just hang out. In either of those places."
Faith grinned faintly.
Sam
"Yeah right," Sam drawled.
"Maybe we should just go to bed. ...For sleep."
Faith
Faith nodded, and leaned in close again.
"Sleep sounds really great. Just you. And me. In bed. Sleeping. Together."
Sam
"It's a plan," Sam nodded, leading her back to the room.
Faith
Faith let him take her back to the room and she squeezed his hand lightly.
"Sounds like."