No Losing

[katleept]

"What are you doing?" Buffy demanded from the doorway.

Faith smirked at her typical boss stance with her hands on her hips and her legs spread apart. "What's it look like?" she retorted over the wailing alarms. A dog jumped pass her, and she moved to the next cage.

"It looks like you're letting this store's merchandise free."

Faith's glower was one of the darkest Buffy had ever seen. The rogue Slayer turned to her with a black cat in her arms. "Let me tell you something about a cat, B. They don't belong to any one."

As if on cue, the cat yowled and leapt toward Buffy. The blonde stepped to the side just in time to avoid getting a face full of slashing claws and flying fur. "Something you got in common with these animals?"

"You betcha."

Mice squealed. Parrots cawed. Dogs yelped, barked, and howled; cats meowed and yowled. All of them ran pass the Slayer standing in the doorway. She let them go and said not another word until Faith released a python. The great snake immediately slithered after a litter of mice. "Uh huh. That one ain't happening." Buffy stepped forward and, unable to recage the snake before it could take its dinner, ran a stake through its hissing head instead.

Faith shrugged as Buffy looked back up at her, trying hard not to let her shivering fright and disgust show. "I wanted a new pair of snakeskin boots any way."

Buffy stared at her for a moment. "There's no winning with you, is there?" she asked at last.

"Nope." Faith's grin was as bold, brazen, and confident as ever. "There's no losing."

The End