Faith Gohr (bcuzfucksnakes) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2012-01-24 23:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | #flashback, faith, frankie |
If you wanna play it like a game well come on, come on let's play
Who: Faith, Frankie and a couple NPCs
Where: Perth, Australia
When: 2001
Warnings: Violence... seriously unresolved sexual tension
It was easy. Simple even. They were going out to the club, they were going to dance, have a good time and that was that. Eric was already in the mood for it if the way that he was bobbing his head to music that no one else could hear was any judge. Faith, on the other hand, was on her second cigarette and she would have finished it and pulled out a third if it was not for the fact that they were almost there. Frankie was already going to give her one of those disapproving looks when she smelled the smoke on her. Muttering under her breath, unsure of whether or not she cared when Eric did not even notice, Faith dropped the cigarette and ground it out with the heel of her shoe. Her entire outfit could have had a lot more effort put into it, Eric had mentioned that he preferred her in skirts, but Faith was not trying to impress him. No, what mattered was that a certain brunette would think she looked good in it. She never had to wear a lot of jewelry or make-up or something all fancy to get Frankie to smile at her. Pretty much she just had to show up. Once again we come to the point of the evening where I have to say ‘what the fuck self, look at your date!’ Eric was good-looking, everyone had said so, and he was even a were so he had a bonus tacked on that a lot of her past boyfriends had not. Sure he was something pretty tame compared to Frankie, a pitbull, but he was a were and he could hold his own. Against what other than the neighborhood cat, Faith had no idea. She had tried to watch him in a rugby match the past weekend, but had gotten distracted and ended up flipping through her homework instead. Tonight was more for his benefit than hers. He apparently had to be at the club because his friends were in the band and he wanted to show her off. And if Faith was going to be dragged to a club then she was dragging Frankie with her.
And Frankie was bringing someone with her. No, that did not make Faith grit her teeth. Or at least it had not until she had spotted a familiar head of brown hair and then an unfamiliar bleach blonde one right beside it. Her heart dropped down into her stomach when she saw the girl that Frankie had with her. Why, why did it always have to be that sort of girl? Faith could tell even from here that she was exactly the same sort as always; probably air-headed and shallow without an original thought anywhere in there. So not Frankie’s type. Frankie’s type was... “Let’s go say hi.” Thankfully, Eric’s statement along with his fingers closing around her wrist to tug her along broke Faith out of her thoughts before she had one that she would have needed to stamp down. Instead she tugged her wrist free and moved through the crowd ahead of Eric. She kept herself behind Frankie and, even though she was pretty sure that the other were could smell her because god knew that she had picked Frankie’s scent up the moment she walked through the door, Faith still tried to surprise her. Her arms went around the other woman’s waist and she leaned her chin on her shoulder so that she could easily peck her on the cheek. “Hey Honey,” she chirped her greeting, arching her eyebrow as she studied the blonde who was now giving her a wide-eyed look. Like you didn’t see me coming. I was right there! Faith rolled her eyes, but kept her hold even when Eric stepped up and touched his hand against the small of her back. “So whose this? Can’t have met her before, totally do not recognize.” Don’t like her. Faith never stopped to think about it, but if she had then she would have realized that she never liked any of the girls that Frankie brought with her. Or even the ones that she had tried to set her up with.
"And then I was like, I don't even care unless everyone knows the name. It's all about the brand."
"Oh, wow. That's, just..." Frankie's voice trailed off. She was not committing any more effort to that sentence then she already had. Her eyes were not even looking at her date, Jennifer, but were instead scanning the crowd for any sign of Faith. She wasn't even sure if "date" was the right word; more like "woman to make Faith jealous". Frankie had given up on dating ages ago. She had tried after meeting Faith. She went on her fair share of blind dates -- mostly the ones that Faith herself arranged -- but after a while it became obvious that no one would ever live up to the were-mongoose. So, she entertained Faith's desire to set her up and, when that ended, she used her dates to drive the other woman crazy. Faith could deny it to herself all she wanted, but there was only one reason to explain her behavior around the women that Frankie brought around.
"Are you even listening to me?"
"More or less." There was really no explanation why these girls stuck around to put up with Frankie's apathy. They certainly weren't getting anything from her that made the dates worthwhile. She chalked it up to the fact that they were too stupid to realize that she could have cared less about their presence; besides, it wasn't like they had feelings to hurt anyway. Faith. The scent of the other woman filled her nose and a smile instantly hit her face. The scent of the other were -- the dog -- was present as well, but it didn't make her smile falter in the least. If the smell of Faith didn't give her away, then the expression on her date's face certainly did. Jennifer was looking over her shoulder, no doubt at Faith's approach, first with curiosity and then with surprise when Faith greeted her in a manner that was certainly not meant for friends. Frankie crossed her arms so that they could grasp Faith's, squeezing them in her own version of a hug, and leaned her head over to the side. "Hey Doc." Frankie took a moment to shut her eyes and breath deep Faith's smell. No matter where she went, nothing in the world could compare to just her smell -- not to mention the rest of her. When she opened her eyes again, Jennifer was staring at her with face like she had drank soured milk. Frankie raised an eyebrow and responded with a look that said, 'Got a problem?' "This lovely woman is Jennifer. I met her yesterday when I was getting coffee." Her date beamed at the word 'lovely', obviously not catching the sarcasm in Frankie's voice. She gave Faith's arms a squeeze before stepping out of the hold to stand next to Jennifer; her hand went to the small of the blonde's back to mirror the way in which Faith was standing with Eric. "Jenny, Faith." She didn't offer any more information than that simply because it didn't matter; after tonight, Frankie wouldn't have any other contact with her. Jennifer extended her hand to Faith with a smile on her face that was much more eager than it should have been.
Frankie's eyes left Faith to the behemoth standing behind her. It wasn't enough that he was dating Faith or that he was a were, but he seemed bound and determined to stick around -- unlike the rest. Frankie didn't like his determination anymore than she liked the fact that he thought he was competition to her; the thought was laughable. "Hey Dick. Good to see you." Frankie offered Faith's date her best shit-eating grin before she made a hiss sound and slapped her forehead. "Shit. Eric, I meant Eric. It's just so hard to keep up with your names." Frankie laughed as though she had made a harmless joke. The dog certainly didn't seem too amused.
Had Faith not been so fervently denying all of the feelings that she had for Frankie - because they were there and they showed in spades when they were out like this - then she would have thought about how obvious it was when she came up and hugged Frankie in this way. Add on the nickname and the kiss that she had dropped on her... and well really, it was not surprising to see the way that Jenny reacted to her. Frankie going and hugging her back before breathing her in really did not help. But Faith loved it and it showed in the smirk that played briefly across her face. Briefly because Frankie had gone and stood with Jenny in the same way that Eric was with her. She could ignore Eric doing it, but she could see Frankie doing it and it made her eyes flash. “Thrilled to meet you, Jenny, really. Love your shoes.” If past experience was any indication then this girl was going to be dumb as a box of bricks and interested in nothing past her clothing and the fact that she was here with the most gorgeous woman at the club. Meanwhile Faith was here with Eric who - oh he had gone all tense all of a sudden. Faith had no idea why - she had totally missed Frankie calling him by the wrong name - and just shrugged it off when it was indicated that her date’s were hard to keep track of because they changed so often. It was definitely true that they did. Eric had been around for a few weeks though, so Frankie should know his name. And scent, since he was a pretty noticeable were.
“Not as hard as it’s got to be to keep up with your girls. We’ve been out how many times? It’s never the same one.” Eric shrugged towards Jenny. “Sorry.”
Faith elbowed him in the side. “Be nice.” That comment got her a look that clearly asked ‘why?’ Eric had also been around long enough to pick up on how Faith behaved towards these girls. “Ignore him, Jenny, he’s just being a jerk because they lost the game today. You two up for a drink? Of course you are, why did I even ask. Eric, why don’t you and Jenny find us a table while Frankie and I get some drinks? Wonderful.” Hell if she knew whether the other three were going to actually agree with her. She knew that at least one of them would and that was the important one, meaning Frankie. The other were was always game for coming off with her for this or that reason. Immediately she moved away from Eric and reached out, fingers closing around Frankie’s wrist before she tugged her none too gently away from that hold she had on Jenny. Did she use a bottle of peroxide to get her hair that color or what? She was unsurprised when Eric moved to press a quick kiss against her lips, choosing to ignore the smirk that he then tossed Frankie’s way before moving off to look for a table. “Because I’m in serious need of a stiff drink here.” Maybe more than one if this was going to be one of those nights when Frankie fawned over her current date.
Frankie almost snorted with laughter when Faith complemented her date's shoes and Jennifer responded in turn by giggling like an idiot. "Thank you! They're brand new Blahniks." Frankie had no idea what that even meant, but, from the way the girl said it, it seemed pretty important. She knew that Faith wouldn't have cared, especially considering who it was coming from.
The dog seemed to think that bringing up the fact that she went through women like some people went through socks was an insult. No. There was a reason that neither of the two women could keep a relationship for very long -- it wasn't her fault that she was the only one who could admit to it. Jennifer on the other hand seemed as equally distraught as she was confused. "Don't worry," she said as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist. "You're special." More sarcasm, but, when paired with a wink, it seemed to do the trick to for now. Then suddenly Faith decided that the two of them were going off to get drinks. Of course Frankie was willing to follow where ever Faith led. Jennifer flashed her a pout at the idea of her leaving her side and Frankie fought the urge to roll her eyes; surely the girl could survive five minutes without her company. "Don't worry, I'll be right back." Frankie leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
"That's right, Eric. Go fetch." There was venom in her voice, which was nothing compared to the hate in her eyes when he looked back at her with a smirk. He was so full of himself, but he didn't want to admit that it was always Frankie who got the last laugh. Every time he thought of a new way to get between her and Faith, she would get around it. Sure, he was the first to think to turn off Faith's phone, but that hadn't stopped Frankie from driving up to the other woman's house and walking in the front door. Frankie let herself be dragged away by Faith, not even caring for how hard she was jerked away. If anything, it amused her because it meant that Jennifer was already getting to her. She happily followed behind Faith, amused at the three-inch height difference her heels gave her, until they reached the bar. Frankie lifted a hand to call over the bartender. "Hey, yeah, three beers and one of those fruity drinks, doesn't matter what kind," she turned her head to Faith, "Go ahead and get whatever you want, I got it." Frankie didn't think that Faith would order Eric's drinks on her tab, but even if she decided to, Frankie would be more than happy to down them in front of the worthless excuse for a were. She waited until the other woman had ordered and the bartender had walked away to speak again. "So, when are you going to get rid of him? You could do a lot better than some pit-bull." You could have me.
Yeah Faith paid no attention whatsoever to the type of shoes that Jenny had on her feet. For all she cared they could have been grabbed out of the clearance bin at the local equivalent of a Wal-mart back home. Probably the same place that she had gotten the dye to make her hair that color. Please, Faith’s looked a hundred times better than that if she spent a week out in the sun. If Frankie wanted a blonde then all she had to do was - Eric. Rugby. Pit bulls... god that eyeliner makes her eyes pop. Way easier to get that thought to slide back out of the front of her mind when Frankie was behind her. She could... admire the bartender instead. He had that cute haircut going on and it even looked like he had some muscles under his shirt. Not big enough, he wouldn’t be able to replace Eric. Faith may not have been actively searching to replace the other were, but she entertained no ideas of ‘forever’ with him. Her ideas of forever were way different than that and they only really surfaced in her dreams. Or that one time when she had asked Frankie - that wasn’t a date! If it was a date I’d have kissed her.
“Oh, just a beer for me thanks.” Faith turned and leaned her back against the bar, eyes scanning over the crowd and picking out where Eric and the blonde-bubblehead had ended up settling. The mongoose flicked her hand over and studied her nails. “Come on, Frankie, you know I never get rid of them. They just wander off one day and curl up in their corner to lick some imagined wound before they talk about how much of a bitch I am or whatever it is guys do.” Like she cared. Once they had wandered off they never came back and she never went looking for them. They really just got in the way of what was important anyhow: her studies, going out and hunting, Frankie... Frankie qualifies as more important than my boyfriends. Faith leaned back on one of her elbows while a slow smirk curled up her lips. Jenny could see them, was leaning up out of her chair for a better view and everything, and Faith had no intention of letting the girl think that she was any sort of ‘special’. Her arm went out and one of her fingers slipped through an empty belt-loop on Frankie’s jeans so that she could tug the other were in front of her. “Can I? All I smell around here is a bunch of humans... you know of a place where I can find a good mongoose?” She tilted her head to the side a bit, completely forgetting that this had started out as a way to demonstrate to Frankie’s ‘date’ how well her night was not going to go if she stuck around. Instead she told herself that she was not loving the way it felt to have Frankie stood where Eric should have been. “You going to find me a honey badger who can hold his own against you, hmmm?”
The flippancy with which Faith regarded her boyfriends both amused and aggravated Frankie. On the one hand, it delighted her with how easily she could distract Faith from her boyfriend of the moment. Answering calls when she was "occupied" was one thing, but the fact that Frankie could say please and Faith would be over at her house in seconds was something else altogether. It had gotten to the point where she didn't even need a good reason to pull Faith away. Once she had told the other woman that she was watching something interesting on TV; though, truth be told, Faith may have come over to see for herself that Frankie knew how to work the television without any help then to actually see her. On the other hand, the fact that one boyfriend was almost instantly replaced by another only fed the tiny voice in Frankie's head that maybe, just maybe, Faith didn't feel the same way about her. "I'm ready for this one to get lost." No, Frankie wasn't thinking about how entertaining it would be to call the pound on the mutt during the full moon -- such a shame that she had to change as well.
Of course Frankie's attention was no where near focused on the date she had brought with her. Even if the girl had been standing right next to her at the bar her attention would still be focused on Faith. What is she smirking a-- Oh... How was she able to do that? How could Frankie go head to head with some of the most dangerous animals in Australia without breaking a sweat but when Faith tugged at her and said just a few words her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She felt like a child, wanting to stamp her feet. It wasn't fair; it wasn't fair for Faith to do these things and pretend that they didn't have an effect on her. There was only one person that she was acting this way for and it wasn't the man she had come with. Frankie placed her hands on both sides of Faith, leaning forward so that they rested on the bar. The height advantage she had allowed her to get close to Faith without closing the distance completely. She might have been too afraid to lean forward and kiss her, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to give Faith a taste of her own medicine. "You say that like someone could," a mischievous smile played across her face. If Faith had been anyone else, this was when Frankie would have sealed the deal. She knew how to use her confidence and charm, but Faith was not some cheap one night stand; the thought of going too far and losing her was more than Frankie could take. She wants you to, just do it! Her eyes where locked with Faith's. She bit her lip and took a deep breath before--
"Four beers and one Hurricane." The bartender walked up and set their drinks on the bar behind Faith's head. The fact that he didn't bother to look at them, the stance they were locked in, told her that he was completely jaded by his job.
"Look, our drinks are here." Frankie stood still for another second before she stood up and reached around Faith to grab all of their drinks in her hands. When she turned around to walk back in the direction of their dates, the sight of the pair almost made her bark with laughter. Jennifer had an expression on her face as though she had been trying to read a book that didn't have pictures in it; Eric -- Oh! how Frankie wished she could have a picture of that face to keep with her. He was trying so hard not to seem bothered by what he hadn't been able to see at the bar, but she could practically hear the rage running through his head. When they reached the table, Frankie sat the drinks down, passing the Hurricane over to Jennifer. She accepted it with a smile that washed away the confusion from before. Eric reached out for one of the beers and Frankie moved to jerk it away from him before he could wrap his fingers around the bottle. "Sorry, pup. If you want something to drink, you'd better get it yourself." She gave him a wink, absolutely delighted with the way his eyes bulged in anger.
Sweet god help me. Faith’s breath vanished right out of her lungs when Frankie’s arms went to either side of her and she felt herself pressed back against the bar. Her heartbeat picked up in tempo until it matched the one that she could feel Frankie’s beating out against her chest and she only just managed to swallow back the gasp that wanted to come out. She had been asking for that, she knew she had been, but for some reason she had thought that maybe Frankie would not actually carry through. She so should have known better than to tempt the other were by tugging at her jeans like that. This was the sort of thing that people were talking about when they said that she and Frankie acted far too close to one another. None of her other friends could have bent her over a bar and gotten that close to her face without her shoving them off. None of them would have had her staring back and feeling like she was literally incapable of moving even if she had wanted to, and Faith did not think that she wanted to move. “Oh but no one’s like you, Honey,” Faith drawled, doing her best to keep the way that her body was reacting under wraps. She was far, far too thankful for the timely - untimely? - arrival of the bartender with their drinks. Goddamnit. Faith remembered how to breathe all of a sudden when Frankie took the drinks and stood back up. But her legs were doing that thing they sometimes did after Frankie had been that close to her and she lingered a moment longer. She also had the presence of mind to order another beer to take back for Eric.
She followed far enough behind Frankie that she did not catch the comment she had made to Eric about the beer. “Hey,” she greeted. And when Eric turned to look at her she went and did something that was being done only because her body was humming and she knew that if she did anything else then it was just going to be staring at Frankie. She dropped herself right into his lap and did not pull away when he moved to kiss her, even though she knew that he was probably just doing it to get under Frankie’s skin. She was practically doing it for the same reason. When she broke the kiss she turned towards the table and grabbed her beer before offering Eric his. Everything was a little calmer now that someone had kissed her and her mind was no longer pulling up memories of all the times that Frankie had been so close to her that it practically hurt. Or that one time when she had been the one pressing up against the other were like that, a breath away from leaning in that extra not even an inch to do what she refused to admit she dreamed about - kissing Frankie. Not Eric. Who would not have left that particular taste in her mouth and it sure as hell would not have calmed her. Not when just touching her made her skin hum... “I’m sorry, what?” Eric had said something and she had been too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention.
“I was asking if you were going to dance tonight. I was feeling-”
Faith glanced over at the dancefloor, toying idly with the collar of Eric’s shirt. “I was thinking about it.” But with Frankie, not with him. Guys danced so... they were always grinding. Faith hated that. “Maybe if Frankie wants to later.”
Faith's words only made the heat stirring beneath Frankie's skin start to rise. She knew it was true, beyond any shadow of a doubt, but it meant so much more coming from the other were. Of course she wanted to state the obvious -- that if no one was like her and Faith wanted to spend all her time with her, then why did Faith insist on dating so many muscled idiots -- but again that would mean insisting that it was herself who Faith should be with, and she wasn't sure the other woman was ready for that. No one could be as deeply buried in denial as Faith was and be ready to have a conversation like that; she couldn't even admit that their date had been just that -- a date. She might have been able to fool others, but those humans couldn't sense the things that Frankie could. Faith could protest against her feelings all she wanted, but her body told a different story. Of course, she would have very much preferred that Faith didn't vent those feelings with whatever boy was following her around at the time.
Frankie didn't try to keep the hate off her face as she watched Faith plop into Eric's lap and receive a kiss from the pathetic excuse for a were. She didn't blink or even look away, despite how much it hurt her, as though she could will the sight away with the intensity of her stare. And then Faith produced a beer for Eric out of nowhere. When had she ordered that? It was amazing how much the fact that she had remembered to get her date a drink bothered her; had she not done the same for Jenny? Frankie fought the urge to slap the beer out of his hand. There was really nothing to stop her, save for the fact that she didn't want to completely ruin the entire evening so early. There would be plenty of opportunities to show Eric just how much he didn't mater. But before that, there was the task of reminding Faith how much she enjoyed watching Frankie with someone else. Frankie leaned over to whisper in Jennifer's ear, pulling her off the stool and next to her. "Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?" Sure the words were spoken into the blonde's ear, but not for a moment did Frankie take her eyes off of Faith. Until she reached out, taking Jennifer's chin in her hand, and kissed her. It couldn't have been more meaningless. She went through the motions, but there was no feeling behind it. This was the reason why Frankie had stopped dating; there was no point when she couldn't be with the only one that made her feel something.
It was one thing to go ahead and have Eric kiss her. It was a totally different thing to look over at Frankie and see that she had tugged that Jenny girl over next to her. And more than that! She was whispering into her ear - which meant hardly a thing since Faith was a were and could hear that ‘whisper’ - but she was looking at her. Okay, so that could have been a lot - no! Faith had to tighten her grasp on Eric’s collar, succeeding in putting one of her fingers right through the cloth, when Frankie kissed the dumb blonde. Seriously, there had to be damage in that brain caused by all the peroxide she had used to bleach her hair that color. Faith was surprised the scent did not linger around her and burn all of their noses. Pouting, Faith leaned back a little. “Am I gorgeous too?”
“Babe, she was talking about you,” Eric assured her, so used to this by now that he hardly looked phased by it at all.
Faith let go of Eric’s collar and slid out of his lap, stepping around the table easily before she just draped her arm over Frankie’s shoulder. “Jenny,” she declared with a sickly sweet smile. “Your make-up is a mess. Need to fix it? Because I’m just going to take care of my hair before Frankie and I hit the floor - you’ll dance with me, right Honey? - so you can come with me.” And then you can leave. It was really way better if she just left before she saw what happened when Frankie and Faith started dancing.
The smile that was on Frankie's face when she pulled back from the kiss had nothing to do with Jennifer and everything to do with the question she had heard Faith ask Eric. At least the dog understood what she was getting at, Frankie just wished that he seemed more bothered than he did. What was the point in trying to get a rise out of him when he refused to give a reaction? Frankie was actually surprised that Faith waited long enough to ask a question before making her way around the table. "Of course I will," she answered with a sly grin on her face. Jennifer looked confused, which must have been her default facial expression as Frankie was learning, when Faith was so insistent that the two of them go off to the bathroom. Frankie gave her a smile and a nod to reassure her that everything would be okay. She knew exactly what Faith was planning and she really should have felt worse for lying to the girl, but there was not a single bone in her body that regretted the way Jennifer had been treated tonight or the treatment she was about to receive; she was a pawn, nothing more.
Frankie waited until the two women were lost in the sea of people before she turned her attention over to Eric. Her eyes locked on his and she stared silently for a few moments before she spoke. "I suppose some congratulations are in order."
"For what?" He took a sip of his beer, the one he had no right to have.
"You've certainly lasted longer than any of the others. I guess that means you're special." She scrunched up her face to emphasize her sarcasm at the word. Her hand tightened around her own bottle as she brought it up to her lips. She took not a sip, but downed it's entire contents. The bitter taste was soothing, considering the unpleasant company she was left with. "I just hate to be the one to break it to you how much you simply don't matter."
"Shove it, Frankie. I hate to be the one to break it to you no matter how long you wait, she's never going to be with you." He took a look around, making sure Faith wasn't behind him, before leaning in close and glaring at her. "But don't worry yourself, Honey, I'll be sure to take good care of her. Maybe tonight, I'll make it a point to take extra good care of her."
Frankie had no idea how tightly she was squeezing her bottle until the glass broke in her hands. She didn't wince, or cry out when it cut her palm; she did nothing but stare at Eric with hatred painted all over her face. For his part, the dog didn't flinch either. He should have known better than to challenge Frankie like that. She was not a woman that backed down and if Eric thought that she was too afraid of making Faith angry by beating on her boyfriend, then he was very, very wrong. Calmly, with restraint that was alien to Frankie, she stood and walked around the table to face the other were. She leaned in close, so that their faces were a breath away from one another. When she spoke again, her voice was low with a hint of a growl. "If you ever call me Honey again, I will beat you so badly you'll never walk again."
Pleased with the way that Frankie went ahead and encouraged Jenny to go along with her, Faith grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her off with her. Just because she wanted to make sure that she did not see some shiny purse and wander off to look at it, of course, not because she wanted to show her how much stronger than her she was. “Ahhhh, there we go, bit of quiet.” How the bathroom always managed to be just a bit quieter Faith had no idea, but she was sure that it sounded a lot more noticeable for Jenny with her weak human ears. Human ears. Why the hell is Frankie even going out with someone who was senses so lame that she has no idea at all of what anyone is? A vampire could have walked up and draped itself over her with its fangs right next to her jugular and she probably would have giggled and ask where she had gotten her perfume or the lipstick that made her lips so red. Faith rolled her eyes at her reflection while she pretended to fix hair that had been perfectly fine and watched as the blonde pulled out her purse. Seriously, did she have enough make-up packed into that or could she have gotten another store’s worth in?
“So you’ve known Frankie like, a long time huh?” Normally Faith was a big fan of the Australian accent, but right then she was pretty sure that she could have stood for never, ever hearing it again.
“Not so long,” Faith disagreed. “We met not even two years ago while we both out wandering the outback and kinda just... clicked. We have a lot in common and have been pretty much inseparable since.” Faith turned, leaning her hip against the sink. “I’ve seen her go through over a dozen girls just like you. Most of them just flounce before the night is out.” Honesty was the best policy, yeah? Faith was sure that she had heard someone say that somewhere.
Jenny frowned over at her, or was that supposed to be a pout? “She thinks I’m way too pretty and she’s gorgeous. Why would I leave?”
Faith just arched a brow. “Really? You really have to ask why you’d leave? I mean come on! It’s obvious she doesn’t want you. That kiss wasn’t anything.” God I wish she’d- stop!
“Sure felt like something to me. Shouldn’t be so jealous, Faith, maybe someday she’ll kiss you.” And for all of a second, Faith was actually left speechless.
Eric might have acted as though he could take Frankie, but for a second his eyes faltered and broke contact with hers. A smile crept onto her face. She had him and he knew it; while the realization amused her, she could see the anger brewing behind his eyes when he met hers again. He brought a hand up to her chest and shoved her away. Frankie laughed, throwing her her hands up more as a means to feign innocence than to defend herself. "I am so sick of you and your games, Frankie." The dog shook his head and nursed his beer as though it would provide him comfort.
"You knew better than to think I was going any where." She wasn't stupid. She knew that the "men" -- if they could be called such -- that Faith chose to date had turned their relationships with her into some kind of challenge. The goal was to get the other woman to forget about her and Frankie was more than happy to prove that impossible each and every time. It hadn't exactly been a fair fight, to say the least. While she knew that she was amazing in the most basic sense, Frankie was a were -- that had certainly given her a leg up, until Eric had come along.
"Did you ever stop and think that she doesn't want you?"
"No. Because then I'd be lying to myself." Frankie kept her eyes on the table as she scooped up the broken bits of glass into a neat pile; she would grab a waitress the next time she saw one to clean up the mess in exchange for a substantial tip. Truth be told, the thought had ran through her mind -- more like sprinted. Doubt would arise when she wondered if Faith really didn't care about her beyond their friendship; why else then would she have resisted dating her for this long? But the longer the thought lingered, the more evidence Frankie discovered to dispute it. Faith was over at her house so much she had bought a television for goodness sake! The woman even slept in her bed. Friends didn't do the things that the two of them did with each other. When Frankie looked up from the table, her eyes were pointed in the direction of the bathroom. She was ready for Faith to come back, with or without Jenny, and if she had to wait a second longer with her boyfriend then she was going to go looking for the other were.
Faith finally recovered and pulled a smirk onto her face. “Jenny? If I wanted Frankie to kiss me then I wouldn’t even have to ask. I could press her against any surface out there and get exactly what I wanted, when I wanted and no one would stop us.” She shifted away from the counter and moved over to stand behind the suddenly quiet blonde. “You could strip down - and I’m sure you’ve got yourself a nice body - and throw yourself at her and you know what? She’d still stare at me.” Faith tapped her finger against the woman’s cheek. “And I think you’ve figured that out.” Was it fair of her to do this? No, not at all. She had no intentions of going out and doing any of that, but the point was that she could and she was fully aware of that. For all that Faith pressed the thoughts into a darkened corner of her mind she still knew how Frankie looked at her.
“Then why-”
“To piss me off.” Faith shrugged again and moved to pull the door open. “That’s all you are, a tool to piss me off and hey, good job you did it. But guess what? You should leave now. It’ll be way better for you if you do.” Whether or not she listened Faith could not be bothered to care because she knew that one thing was going to happen now: she was going to go dance with Frankie. It did not surprise her even a little when she saw that Eric looked like he was sulking when she returned, just like she did not think that it should surprise anyone that she slipped up behind Frankie for the second time that evening, arms going around her waist again. “I lost your little girlfriend somewhere.” How she managed to sound even a little contrite was beyond her. Eric snorted before taking a swig from his beer and Faith just batted her eyelashes at him. “Soooo, were you having too much fun chatting with Eric or can I pull you away to the floor?”
Just as she had known when Faith entered the club the first time, Frankie could smell the other were as she made her way back from the bathroom. She happily turned her head to watch the other woman's approach, ignoring the fact that Eric had done the same. Frankie was not surprised -- not even in the least -- to see that Faith had returned alone. In fact, the only thing that surprised her was that it had taken her this long to get rid of Jenny. She really couldn't help but laugh at Faith's forced remorse; the act she put up really was amusing at times. Frankie lifted her eyes from Faith for a moment to look out of the crowd over her shoulder. The bleach blonde hair wasn't hard to spot amongst the horde of people. Jennifer was leaving in what could only be described as a huff. The only regret that Frankie felt was that now she wouldn't have anything to make Faith jealous with should the other were decide to hop into the Eric's lap again, but, of course, she was willing to improvise if need be. "I don't know how I could possibly drag myself away from the stimulating conversation your dog and I have been having, but I suppose I could." Frankie brought her eyes back to Faith and leaned in close before she spoke again. "But just for you."
She slid off her stool, taking a sip of her beer before grabbing Faith's hand and pulling her toward the floor. Frankie turned to look back toward Eric to give him a wink and shoot him with a finger gun. He knew what was about to happen and all he could do was sit back and watch. Once she found a clear spot for them, Frankie jerked Faith toward her, stopping her with nothing but her body and arms placed at her waist. She pulled Faith closer, just for good measure. The beat of the music was fast-paced, but she chose to begin their dance slow, rocking her hips from side to side. Frankie leaned in close, her lips brushing against Faith's ear as she spoke. "This is so much better. More fun than being with Eric, right?" She couldn't help but look back over Faith's shoulder to where Eric was sitting, giving him a mischievous smirk as she whispered into Faith's ear. It probably didn't help matters that she kept her eyes locked on the man as she turned Faith around, wrapping her arms around the other woman's waist as she continued to sway in time with the music.
Eric looked like he was going to say something, but whatever it was he did not get it out before Frankie had hold of Faith’s hand to drag her off to the floor. And Faith did not offer up any resistance, shrugging at Eric before going along with a wide smile on her face that suggested she was in for a real teat. And oh she was; Faith knew how Frankie danced. It never occurred to her to stop and think about how Frankie danced with her as opposed to how Frankie danced with everyone else. What mattered was that they did dance - and oh, there went every single thought in her head when Frankie pulled her right up against her. Her own hands could not decide what to do so they slid up and down the other were’s sides while she moved along with her, giving the lead up easily as she only ever did with Frankie. Like that was not enough - and it was plenty enough to feel the heat radiating off Frankie’s body while they were pressed so close that she could feel Frankie’s shirt rubbing against her skin where her shirt had ridden up - she felt lips brush lightly against her ear. A tingle shot down her spine followed closely by a shudder and she had to bite her lip to keep what would have been a moan from slipping out. “Mmm, my favorite part of the night,” Faith shot back, turning easily when encouraged. Her eyes were closed so she did not see that they were facing Eric. She was too busy moving along with Frankie, her hands falling down to cover the other woman’s before one slipped back to grasp her hip lightly just to make sure that she did not go and pull away.
Faith knew how to dance like everyone else with more than a few inches of space between herself and whoever she was with, but when it was Frankie... it was like it was impossible to keep their bodies apart. This was what Faith needed if she wanted to bring Eric back to her apartment. She needed to have Frankie touching her because lately it was the only thing that got her any level of excited. Touching her worked too. Like it was impossible to keep her hand at her hip because it had a mind of its own while it slid around to rest on her lower back while she pressed her own back more firmly against Frankie’s front. Faith did not even know what music was playing or where the nearest people were since all that mattered was having Frankie right there. Her head lolled back so that she could lean her face against the crook of Frankie’s neck, breathing deeply. Kiss me. No, no what was that thought? Stray and wrong... “Not mad that I lost your girlfriend?”
Before meeting Faith, dancing was not something that Frankie did frequently. Sure, if she had had a few beers too many and some pretty little thing came up and asked her, she might have been game, but it wasn't until she met the other were that whole evenings were devoted to nothing else but dancing. It was the only time that she could get this close to Faith without her motives being questioned, at least not by the other woman; anyone else that happened to be watching would have been sure that there was something more between them. If only... While Faith's hands were busy at her hips, Frankie's roamed about her body -- surprisingly remaining behaved and going no further than up and down Faith's side. Her body tensed when Faith laid her head back and breathed deeply into her neck. It took everything in her, every amount of willpower that she had to call on -- which was a great deal less than most people's -- to keep from spinning her back around and kissing her. "Not even a little bit," she took a deep breath of her own and licked her lips to keep herself focused on just dancing. "And she is most certainly not my girlfriend. It takes someone special to earn that title." Someone like you...Unable to help herself, Frankie took advantage of her current position and breathed deeply the scent of Faith's hair. It had been no more than a day since the last time she had washed her hair; she liked it that way. The natural scent of Faith's hair was not covered up by the sickly sweet artificial scent of shampoo. Frankie shut her eyes as an ache went through her core. When she opened her eyes again, Eric was up from the stool and barrelling his way to the dance floor.
"That's it, no more dancing." Eric's hand connected with Frankie's shoulder and pushed her backward, breaking the two of them apart. Anyone else would have instantly been thrown into a blind rage, but Frankie? The only natural reaction for her was to laugh. She got out a good chuckle before she let it die, taking a slow step back to where she had been standing with a strange, confident smile on her face.
"You really don't want to do this, dog." Frankie kept her arms slack at her sides, ready for whatever would come next.
"I really think I do. It's time you learned that you can't put your hands on someone's girl."
"Last time I checked, Faith didn't belong to anyone." She certainly didn't belong to any man, that was for sure. The grin on her face was irrepressible. If she hadn't been so cocky or so willing to dive into a fight, Frankie might have kept her face neutral for the sake of peace. Eric could have continued on the rest of the night trading barbs, but the smile was the last straw. The male were balled his hand into a fist and threw it full force toward Frankie's face. With practiced grace, she leaned backward to dodge the blow. The momentum of the punch threw him forward off his balance without the connection to her face to counter it. With his back exposed, Frankie threw a punch of her own directed toward his ribs. Any other human would have been knocked to the ground, unable to catch their breath, but not Eric -- this were could take more than any of the others. He offered little more than a grunt before he brought his fist backward to her face again. The blow to her chin did little but cause her to stumble. Her lip had been busted, but the wound had healed mere seconds after it was dealt. Frankie wiped the blood from her mouth as she turned her head to look at Eric again. The dog barely had time to blink before Frankie kicked him at the knee, knocking him down to a kneeling position. Before he hand the chance to stand back on his feet again, she kicked him square in the chest, sending him backwards. Frankie jumped on top of him, straddling his upper chest, and dealt him a series of blows to the head that would have killed any human. She had no intention of stopping any time soon.
It always made Faith feel a little flicker of warmth when Frankie said that she was not dating whoever it was that she had brought along for the night. When she added in that it had to be ‘someone special’ all that Faith could do was think, like me? Once more she pushed the thought to the furthest corner of her mind and just let herself enjoy the way it felt to have Frankie touching her like this. Now she could appreciate it; later she would pretend she had no idea why Eric was tense or why people kept asking if she was actually hooking up with Frankie and just refusing to say. Sometimes... sometimes she wondered if maybe she should just - “hey!” Faith stumbled a little, eyes narrowed in a glare when she realized that Frankie had been pushed away from her by Eric. “Um, I wasn’t done.” No one seemed to be listening to her though. Had Frankie been a guy then she would have labeled this all as completely unnecessary testosterone-fueled activity. But since it was Frankie it was just... her being her and butting heads with yet another one of Faith’s boyfriends. Knowing that stepping in the way would serve no purpose, Eric had a temper to match Frankie’s and that was saying something, Faith crossed her arms over her chest and settled back to watch and see what would happen. Had someone asked then she would have laid a bet on Frankie.
And she was completely right. A little thrill of excitement flashed through her when she saw Frankie knock Eric down. She had loved watching Frankie fight ever since she met her, be it an animal, were, lamiae... whatever. Though when she noticed that the bouncers were coming she stepped up and caught Frankie’s hands in her wrists before tugging her up and off. Other people might have gotten hit in the face for getting between her and her intended target, but Faith had not a single drop of concern for herself. She was too busy focusing on keeping Frankie from beating Eric most of the way to death. And keeping a lid on the adrenaline that had surged through her while she stood there watching Frankie get and keep the upper hand. God, she was beautiful when she was fighting. Faith rubbed her thumbs in slow circles against the other were’s wrists while moving for the door. “Honey let’s calm down and get you outside, yeah? Before you get jailed for the night.” Eric was probably hoping that would happen. He knew that the best way to get Faith alone and keep her that way for an entire night was to have Frankie so completely out of the picture that she was unable to even send her a text message.
“Need some help?” It was the bouncer and Faith just directed her best I’m-just-a-blonde-with-no-clue smile at him.
“Nope, they just tripped and we were on our way out. Come on, Eric.” Because Faith was not letting go of Frankie until they were outside. She should have at least looked at Eric to make sure he was okay, or able to walk, but she was too busy staring - yes staring - at Frankie. “We need to go out again soon. I always forget what you’re like when you get going.” If anyone heard about this then they were going to roll their eyes and point out that she should have once again looked at Eric, not Frankie.
Frankie didn't have to look to know that it was Faith who caught her wrists on their way back down to Eric's face. She had long ago memorized the feel of the were's hands on her skin. She stopped her fists in the air without question or protest. Her breath was slow and deep; Frankie hadn't even gotten close to loosing her breath, but she needed the slower pace to help her calm down. She kept her eyes on Eric, laying bloody and beaten between her legs. It was hard to tell how badly she had hurt him, what wounds were healed and what would take more than a few moments to mend. Frankie wanted to laugh at him or kick him as Faith pulled her to her feet, but for once she decided it was better to say nothing at all. The smug smile had returned to her face, however. "I'm really clumsy." She turned her smile toward the bouncer and then back to Eric, who was slowly but surely finding his way to his feet.
She was well aware that Faith was staring at her, but she kept her eyes down at her bloody hands. She made a 'Hmm' sound as she studied them; her knuckles must have been busted open at some point, but it was hard to tell what exactly was her blood and what belonged to the dog. "Of course. We could even go tomorrow night if you wanted." When she looked back up at Faith there was a gleam in her eye that was always there after she had won a fight. Her skin felt like it was humming, as much as it did when Faith touched her or got close. She was geared up and ready for more fighting or-- Frankie bit her lip before grinning again. She grabbed Faith's arm with the hand that was free, pulling her closer to her. "You could co--" Her words were cut off as Eric came stumbling up to them.
"Can we go home now?" Frankie glared at him, wishing that she had been left to finish the job. The dog was doing a perfect submissive impersonation; if he had been in his animal form, he would have no doubt had his tail tucked between his legs. She couldn't tell if it was all just an act to pull Faith away or if he was genuinely trying to keep from getting his ass handed to him again.
"You should really get your boy home, Doc. Make sure I didn't break anything important." Frankie knew how this was going to play out. She had to let Faith go home with him, whether she wanted to or not.
Faith knew that there was blood on Frankie’s hands, but she was the furthest thing from bothered by it. She was used to Frankie being mixed together with blood since the other were tended to be so willing to take things head-on that she would get damaged in one way or another. Really, she was more interested in the idea of going out for a hunt with Frankie the next night. They could find one of the snakes that she had not checked off her list yet, or maybe they could find a lamiae and really give themselves a workout... oh. Frankie’s hand was warm against her skin and all she wanted to do was lean into her and say that yes, she would go home with her. Except Frankie did not ask. It was Eric and Faith turned reluctantly, releasing her hold on Frankie before pulling her arm free too. Eric was a mess and she actually felt a little bad for letting it happen. Because yeah, she had. She had known that they were about to go at it and she had still just stood there to watch Frankie go. “Poor baby,” she cooed, reaching up to wipe away some of the blood away before kissing at the bruises on his jaw. “Let’s get you home and taken care of since you went and tangled with something that you couldn’t handle.” Totally true. Faith had yet to meet anyone or anything that could take Frankie on.
Eric slipped his hand into Faith’s and turned, but he had to stop when she did not follow, bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at Frankie. There was that familiar throb beating through her that had once come without Frankie, but now only did when the other woman was there or on her mind, or if her scent was strong on her clothes... “I’ll call you, we’ll figure out plans for tomorrow. Maybe you can find Jenny?” An apologetic sort of shrug as she let Eric pull her away, ignoring the mutter he gave about how they were not going to go a whole night without hearing from her. Instead she waited until they had turned the corner to let Eric push her up against the wall; his wounds apparently healed enough that he was able to remember how pretty his girlfriend was. Oh god. Faith forgot what had been happening a moment before because Frankie had bled on Eric and he tasted like her for just a moment... “Take me home.” In that same moment she had imagined that he was Frankie, and it was a strong enough thought to carry her through the next few minutes.
“So much for taking care of my injuries.” Faith even laughed when he picked her up. See, that was the good thing about big guys: they could just pick her up.
Frankie gave Faith a nod and a wink to let her know that everything would be okay, her evening wouldn't be ruined by them parting ways early. It was unlikely that she would find Jenny again tonight, even if she wanted to. There was no doubt in her mind that whatever Faith had said had been enough to make sure that she would never hear from the other woman again. She didn't wait for Faith and Eric to turn their backs to her before she turned herself in the direction of home. Frankie had been in this position enough times before to know what was going to happen next and she did not need to watch Eric attempt to paw all over Faith. Her apartment wasn't that far from the club, or at least it didn't seem like such a long walk with Frankie preoccupied in her thoughts. The brawl with Eric had relieved some of the tension that had built up over the night, but only the smallest amount. She could feel her muscles tightening all over her body; it wasn't the sort of tension that could be easily worked out with a cup of tea and a warm bath. Another fight would be nice, but Frankie couldn't risk being out for the rest of the evening, not when there was a chance that Faith could call -- she did say that the two of them would go out tomorrow.
Frankie cracked open the door to her place and threw her keys down in the dish on the table by the door. As far as furnishing went, she didn't own very much. She had lived for six months out of a suitcase in a hotel before she finally decided to find something a bit more permanent. The only reason that there was anything other than a couch and a bed in her possession was because of Faith. Frankie could have cared less if there were decorations to look at, but if it made the other woman more comfortable in her home, so be it. She went straight to her bedroom. With little care, Frankie slipped off her crocheted vest, earrings, and bracelet; she tossed them in a pile beside the bed to be dealt with tomorrow. Her shoes were pulled off and tossed aside just the same. Frankie ran her hands over her face and up through her hair. The ache in her body had grown and was only made worse as her thoughts began to travel to where Faith was and what she was doing. She knew Faith and she knew exactly what the other were would be doing after a night like this. The imagining of Eric touching her, kissing her, made Frankie's stomach tighten and the urge to beat his face in again raced through her. She looked down at the dried blood on her hands and smiled. If the dog had meant anything to Faith, anything nearing important, she wouldn't have stood there and watched. Frankie threw herself back on her bed so that she could easily fish inside the pocket of her jeans to grab her cellphone -- yet another possession she owned thanks to Faith. She had been shown a million times how to use the speed-dial, but Frankie would always argue that punching the digits in were easier for her. Her eyes shut as she listened to the ring. It always amused her to see how many times it would sound before Faith picked up the phone.
All of the noise. If there was one thing that Faith would be completely willing to let go of when it came to sex then it would be those noises that the guys she was with made. She thought it was sort of like a grunt and it made her think, of all things, of a pig. Which just was not right. Although Eric did not sound anything like a pig. No, he was sticking pretty close to his were roots and making some noise that Faith was sure was supposed to be like a growl. It’s fundamentally wrong that I’m paying attention to that instead of.... Well, she never did anymore. Once she was pretty sure that she had enjoyed this, but now... now she could just think about how wrong the color of Eric’s eyes were, how his body was too hard and not soft in the right places, the fact that his hair was not long and brown with that loose piece that liked to fall down and get in the way... Faith had a half-hearted grip on his shoulders, her eyes fixed on the ceiling when she heard a noise that most people probably ignored in her current situation: the phone. The second that it rang she heard a definite growl from Eric and for a moment he tried to stop her from reaching out for it. But she was that bit faster and managed to snatch it on the third ring, ignoring the curses that suddenly rang out or the way that he rolled off her. Good, it was easier to breathe this way anyhow. “Hey Frankie.” No, she did not need to look at the caller ID to know who had called. “Forget something?” Say yes. Oh god, say yes.
“Goddamnit Faith, if you’re just going to spend all night chatting with your bloody girlfriend then I don’t know why you came back with me.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “Might be something wrong. I can’t just let it ring. Go take care of yourself or something.” A vague wave of her free hand showed about how much she cared. Sure her body was still tingling and there was an undeniable ache; but he had never made that go away before. Why would he start now?
One... Two... Three..-- Frankie smiled at the sound of Faith's voice on the other end of the line. She wasn't really sure what she would do if there was ever a time that Faith didn't answer the phone, of her own choice that is. Truth be told, she couldn't actually imagine that ever happening, but in the event that it did, Frankie would never give up without a fight. Anyone who had met her once could tell you that. "Hey you, I didn't interrupt anything important did I?" There was a chuckle in her voice. She knew the answer already and that answer was no. It had been a while since Frankie had had another person in her bed for anything other than sleeping, but, from what she could recall, she would have never taken a call while she was otherwise preoccupied with someone -- at least not until Faith. "I couldn't find Jenny outside of the club." There was a lilt to her voice that was as close to a pout as she could get over the phone. If the other were had any common sense whatsoever, she would know that Frankie hadn't even stopped to look for her "date"; she hadn't even bothered to call her. "I was feeling lonely. Do you think you could come over, keep me company?" Were Faith in the same room as her, Frankie would have given her large pleading eyes that would ensure her anything she wanted. "I understand if you need to stay at home." She bit her lip and waited for the answer that she knew was coming.