Title: The Midnight Hour
Series: Destiny Found, part 1
Affiliated Series: Destiny Lost
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 -- this isn't smut, but it is a bit more explicit than our usual stuff. Then again, it's Angel and Faith... 'nuff said.
Category: A/F, AU, relationship oriented
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. (But since they don't seem to want Doyle any more ::sob:: can we have him?) All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up, such as Sonya Parker and Aidan O'Shea.
Distribution: Regulars... SURE!!! Newbies... ask and you shall receive!
Feedback: Love it, want it, need it! (But no flames please.)
Spoilers: none
Author's Note: The purpose of the Destiny Found series is to advance and characterize the relationships (both romantic and platonic) for the characters of the Destiny Lost buffyverse (i.e. there won't be many bad guys to fight, if any). Keep in mind, though Buffy and/or Xander don't appear/star in all of these stories, this is a B/X, Xander-centric buffyverse. Also, because these stories are crucial character development for our massive cast, missing them will leave you confused when ISOL comes out. Finally, never fear, there *will* be a B/X story in the Destiny Found series -- we're just saving it for later.
------------------------
"That's my shirt!"
Faith looked at Sonya and arched a brow in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
Sonya glared accusingly at Faith across the messy bedroom. "That black T-shirt you just put on -- it's mine!"
"I don't think so." Faith brushed the soft, black material with her black-tipped fingernails. "I got this shirt just last week... at the mall!"
"Little Miss Black Spandex at the mall. That's rich!" A snort of disbelief escaped from Sonya's mouth. Then her scowl deepened. "First you invade my room. Now you invade my closet? I think it's time for you to get the hell outta here!"
Faith wouldn't back down from an argument, especially not with Sonya, queen of the mood swings. Even if she had "borrowed" the shirt, she was never going to admit it now.
"Girls! What can the problem be this time?"
Both girls turned their glares on the dark haired boy standing in the doorway.
"Shove it, Rio," Faith told him. The recently reformed warlock (a boy Faith didn't trust as far as she could throw him... though Faith didn't trust many people) always set her teeth on edge. Being forced to deal with someone who tried to kill you -- blood oath or no blood oath -- would do that to a relationship. "This condo's not big enough for the three of us."
Rio looked at his former leader quizzically. "Don't you mean the four of us?"
"Yeah, Aidan lives here, too, and he is supposed to be in charge of our happy, little commune," Sonya added with only a touch of bitterness. When the Council forced Giles into retirement as Active Watcher and gave him a new post as Training Master in England, even Faith could tell that Sonya had not been happy about the switch. But over the past couple of weeks, Sonya was starting to learn to appreciate Aidan. She appreciated that he knew not to try and take the father role with the three teens placed under his care by the Council. Being only 25 years old, Aidan wasn't that far ahead of them.
"You think I don't know that?" Faith returned, using her most snide tone of voice. At this point in her life, Faith appreciated Aidan's "live and let live" policy, too. There was no way Faith would have submitted to house rules again. She had grudgingly agreed to give high school another try, but only because, as the best of her former trainers, and apparently the only Watcher she'd known who was trustworthy, Aidan had really wanted her to. And it was only a trial run. She could, and would, quit any time she wanted to.
Since Aidan, Buffy and the rest of the gang had gotten back from England, Giles's old condo had become a halfway house for those dependent on the Council. Rio had stayed on the Hellmouth to make restitution for his crimes -- the length of time required had yet to be determined -- and Faith, as a potential Slayer, one of the Council's hand-trained operatives and someone determined to make Rio pay in full for his sins, stayed on by choice. A choice backed up by the request of new Watcher Proconsul Gwendolyn Post. The downside... Sonya and Faith had to share a room.
"Sometimes I wonder," Sonya shot back. Her gaze turned to Rio. "I'm tempted to move in with you!"
Faith's eyes brightened. In a high, phony voice, she cried, "Oh, yes, please do! It would be so... so... cozy!"
Rio smirked. "Yeah, right. I don't think the couch in Aidan's library is big enough for all of us. Later, ladies."
"Where are you going?" Faith was quick to ask, always suspicious.
Rio slanted a gaze at her. "Where do you think?"
"Um... to Wal-Mart to pick out some trendy new clothes?" Faith asked in a saccharine tone.
"To patrol," Rio replied. "I'm meeting Buffy at the bookstore after her training session with Aidan. Then we're going to sweep a few cemeteries."
Sonya's gaze slid from Rio to Faith. Sensing a storm brewing, Sonya forgot about the shirt, picked up her backpack and headed for the door. As she pushed past Rio, she said, "Please, no bloodstains on my carpet, all right? When we finally move out of this place and into the new house, I don't want Giles to lose a subletting tenant because you two couldn't keep the claws sheathed." With a fake smile and a three-fingered wave, Sonya headed down the stairs and out the front door. A faint, "Bye, y'all," wafted back on the breeze from the slamming door.
That left Faith and Rio staring at each other. "You're going on patrol with Buffy?" Her incredulous tone left none of her feelings to the imagination.
"And why not?" Rio shot back. "She, at least, lets me do more than trail behind her like a whipped puppy."
"Then she's a fool," Faith said with venom. "But she's only known you a couple of weeks. You haven't been able to plot against her yet."
Rio sighed deeply. "You're never going to forget the past, are you Faith?"
"Not a chance, buster."
"I'm here, aren't I?" Rio demanded, his black eyes snapping with suppressed anger. "I'm doing my best to make up for what I did."
"Can you ever make up for killing innocent people?"
"Technically," Rio said, "I never killed anyone. Angel killed Terrance before he forced me to kill you, and as for the others, well, I just helped them dispose of the bodies."
"You never trapped anyone for them to feed on?" Faith asked. "You never played lookout so that I wouldn't find out what they were doing?"
A hot flush colored Rio's cheeks. She knew she'd hit on something. "News flash, Rio. Those things led to innocent deaths just as much as if you'd killed them yourself."
His eyes blazed into hers, the brown-black a vivid contrast to his pale face. "I know that more than you do, Faith. I lived it. I see them in my sleep night after night. And I'm here doing what I can to make things right. I know they'll never be right again, but at least I can try. That's more than I can say for some people."
"Terrance and Nicole are dead!" Faith spat. "They'll never get the chance to try. I would have loved the chance to make them, but *someone* had me bound to a table, ready to spill my blood."
A pained look flashed across Rio's face. "Yes, Nicole is dead. If she had lived, she would have tried to make restitution, but she didn't. Nicole didn't deserve what the Council gave her, and now she never gets another chance."
There was something more there. Faith could sense it. It wasn't possible that Rio had had "feelings" for Nicole, was it? Searching her memory, she remembered plenty of times when her subordinates had clashed, annoying her and each other. But that was mostly Terrance clashing with everyone. Now that she thought about it, Nicole and Rio... well... they had been almost chummy compared to the others.
"Were you and Nicole... a couple?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
"What Nicole and I were is none of your business," Rio said frantically. "Drop it!"
"Everything that concerns you is my business," Faith replied. "I'm your keeper, and I'm going to make damn sure that you stay kept!"
His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist. His grip tightened until it hurt. She tried to wrench away, but couldn't. "Leave Nicole out of this. In fact, never say her name again."
"Or what?" Faith returned defiantly. "You'll kill me?"
The anger vanished from his face, leaving him deflated. He let her go. Faith smiled triumphantly, but somehow the victory seemed hollow.
"Buffy's waiting," Rio said quietly. "I'm leaving now. If you think she's really in danger, then come. I don't care." He turned his back on her and started walking down the stairs.
Faith watched him go, openmouthed for a second. What was this? She was supposed to get the last word. Her relationship with Rio was supposed to be simple -- Faith was right, and Rio was wrong, case closed. So how come she didn't feel vindicated after making him pay a little more?
[I should follow him] she thought reluctantly. Then she shook her head. The front door closed, and she knew she was alone in the house. Aidan was still out, preparing his new bookstore for its grand opening. "I'm not going to do that," she said aloud. "Buffy is a big girl, and the Slayer. She knows the score, and she knows what Rio is capable of. It will be fine."
"Besides," she added, looking balefully at her schoolbooks sitting on the desk. "I've got *homework*."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel walked down the street toward Riverside Park. Vampires loved to prey on unsuspecting couples who mistakenly thought a park the perfect place for a lovey-dovey interlude.
[Lovey-dovey, right!] Angel thought disgruntledly. [More like sex au natural, or at least close to it! When I was their age...] That train of thought made him smirk. Who was he kidding? When he was their age he was whoring and boozing it up almost every night at the local tavern. Liam had been... well, reprehensible wasn't nearly strong enough to describe his human self.
"All right, Angel," the souled vampire ordered himself. "Quit with the self pity party. It's no fun if there's no one to lament with you."
Angel knew he had to keep his mind on the job at hand. He had to quit letting his emotions take over. He had to put everything non-essential aside and concentrate on his patrolling. Just because Buffy had been back for over two weeks, but had been too depressed about Xander's absence to even talk to him shouldn't be a big deal. But it was. Missing his friend, his pseudo-little brother -- Xander hadn't even called to tell Angel what was up, of course, Xander was probably busier than Angel could imagine, but still -- could actually be a big deal, but not right now.
Then there was his uneasy relationship with Aidan. The new Watcher was trying to follow Giles's recommendation and trust him, but the vampire posing as a trustworthy member of the Council had put a dent in Aidan's relationship with Angel before the two had even met. Jenny trusted him, mostly, but even with the computer teacher/witch, Angel could sense some unease. Would he never outlive his past? He had less of a chance of doing that than Rio did. And Rio was another worry. Faith and Jenny were being really hard on the boy. Angel was doing his best to make sure the young warlock didn't snap under the pressure, but it was hard.
And then there was the one thing that was on his mind night and day. Even when he slept. Faith. While Buffy and the others had been gone over Spring Break, Angel and Faith had formed an unlikely alliance. The vampire with a soul and a Council-trained commando leader with a chip on her shoulder about vampires, soul or no soul. They'd consummated that alliance, too. Angel still wasn't quite sure how that one happened. One second they'd been fighting, the next they were in a tequila-drinking competition, and then they were between the sheets. They'd had a few more rough-and-tumble interludes, but never once had either of them hinted at deeper feelings for the other.
Angel had no clue what Faith thought of the whole thing. He knew that he found her sexy, just as much as he found her irritating and headstrong. The potential Slayer was definitely no Buffy, that was for sure. But did she have to be?
He shook his head, trying, unsuccessfully, to clear away the emotion-filled cobwebs. It was probably over anyway. He'd barely seen Faith since the night he, Jenny and Amy had rescued her from her mutinying team of commandos. She'd been occupied with school, getting settled into the condo, and with Rio.
Suddenly, he heard something that made his thoughts switch from emotional junk to business. A rustling in the underbrush to his left. Angel cocked his head and listened. Quickly, but with a light, soundless gait, he began to follow the noise. When he heard a scream he began to run.
Angel found the culprit near the merry-go-round. Two teenagers has been laying on the metal contraption, obviously involved in a heavy makeout session, at least until the feral vampire jumped on them.
Without waiting to see what the feral would do, Angel leapt on it and pulled it off the merry-go-round. The girl was crying and calling out her boyfriend's name.
The feral fought back with claws and fangs, but it was awkward. They all were. Angel held the creature off and squinted into its face. There was one feral he would recognize on sight. The one that had brought him a warning about the commandos. But this wasn't the same one. It looked younger, newer, hungrier.
Finding his stake easily, Angel rammed it into the feral's heart. The animalistic vampire crumbled into dust in his arms. Angel turned to the couple on the merry-go-round.
"Bobby!" the girl wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Angel gently moved her aside and examined the victim. He'd been bitten, and drained a little, but from what Angel could tell, Bobby had passed out from fright, not blood loss. Angel reached into the inside pocket of his black trench coat and pulled out a small vial of smelling salts. Stuff like that came in handy when one worked on the Hellmouth. He waved the vial under the boy's nose, and Bobby started to come to.
"Take him to the hospital," Angel advised the girl. "Take a cab."
"What... what was that thing?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Angel shook his head. He hated lying, but some humans just wouldn't be able to deal. From the looks of the girl, she was right on the edge. Vampire wouldn't be a good answer for her to hear. Angel helped her get the boy up to his feet before he replied, "Wild dog."
Just before the couple left, the bushes started rustling again. Angel turned swiftly, ready to stop the ferals from finishing off the other one's dinner. The leaves parted and someone sprang out. It was Buffy. She crashed into him and they both staggered back. The couple looked surprised to see more people.
"Buffy," Angel said.
"Angel," Buffy replied, looking up at him in surprise as she found her balance again.
"Angel."
The vampire looked over to see Rio stepping out into the clearing by the playground. Angel was actually relieved to see the warlock. "Rio, can you help these two find a cab. She's got to get him to the hospital."
Rio glanced at Buffy.
"Go ahead," she said. He nodded and went, no questions asked. Once a commando, always a commando, Angel supposed.
After Rio and the couple were out of earshot, Angel frowned and said, "I thought you two were on cemetery duty tonight." Aidan didn't communicate with Angel very much, but at least they had always exchanged patrolling schedules before.
"We caught wind of a feral and tracked it," Buffy explained.
"Ah." Angel gestured to the layer of dust coating the merry-go-round. "Found it dining on them. Dusted it. Needless to say, the young lovers won't be hanging out in parks again any time soon."
Buffy nodded. "Good save. I wouldn't have gotten here in time."
"You can't be everywhere." Angel looked into the Slayer's eyes. Every time he saw her, he was reminded of the first time, the time he'd peered at her through the shoe polish-covered windows of Whistler's car. The day of her crippling accident. She'd been in his heart ever since. Angel knew Buffy loved Xander, and that Xander loved Buffy; and Angel respected that. But sometimes he couldn't help but wish things had been different...
"Lucky them, there was a cab driving down the street as soon as we got away from the park." Rio chose that moment to reappear, interrupting the moment, whatever it was. The warlock looked at Buffy. "Should we go?"
Angel inwardly cursed himself for allowing those feelings to come up again.
"Yeah," Buffy answered. "We've got several more cemeteries to cover." She glanced back at Angel. "You OK on your own?"
For a second, Angel thought she might offer to let him patrol with them, but she didn't. That was when he noticed the purple smudges under her eyes. "Buffy, are you feeling all right?" Slayers didn't get sick, at least, not physically sick, very often -- their healing factor took care of that. Heartsick, however, was another matter.
"I'm fine," Buffy answered, pasting a smile on her lips. "Just still adjusting back into the normal groove of school and patrol. Kind of hard after a mayhem-filled Spring Break."
She turned to go. Angel touched her arm. "I miss him, too."
Buffy flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks." And then she left, Rio by her side.
Angel stood alone in the park for a moment. The bells in the nearby church started to chime. Midnight. He sighed. Though it was early on his nocturnal clock, he was tired, really tired. And it wasn't from fighting the feral, either. It was time to go home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The big red numbers on Sonya's digital clock read 12:00 a.m. Faith sighed and pushed her geometry book away harder than was really necessary. It crashed to the floor, taking her half-completed homework with it.
"Why did I agree to do this?" Faith asked herself. "I'm so not good at the school thing. Aidan should have known that." Studying for a history exam should never be followed by 20 math problems, at least not in Faith's opinion. Her brain was exhausted, but her body, which had been kept motionless for far too long, was antsy.
Faith stood up and looked at herself in the mirror over Sonya's dresser. The tight, soft, black T-shirt accentuated her curves almost as well as the spandex she wore to patrol in. Skin-tight black jeans hugged her hips and thighs. She pulled the rubber band from her pony tail and let her dark hair fall free around her shoulders. It curled just a little around the ends.
"You go, girl," Faith said to her reflection. "You look way too good to be sitting around here. There's got to be some fun somewhere calling your name." She riffled through Sonya's make up drawer until she found a crimson shade of lipstick. The tube was almost new. Obviously too much for her goody-goody roommate. Faith coated her lips and made a kissy face at her reflection. "Perfect." She slid the tube of lipstick and a couple of other necessities into her pocket, tucked a stake into the waistband of her jeans and then walked downstairs and out the front door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith wandered around Sunnydale, looking for the action. It was relatively non-existent. The Bronze didn't suit her tonight. Neither did her favorite bar down by the waterfront. She tried a couple of other places, too, but nothing seemed to suit her mood. She was too antsy to settle for anything of the norm.
She let her feet lead her, and suddenly found herself standing in front of a familiar apartment building. Faith pursed her lips for a minute. Did she really want to see Angel? Even if he wasn't a vampire, the guy would have made her uneasy. But he was damn sexy. She'd been avoiding him since the others came home from England. Something about their whole situation made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that, though their relationship was mostly physical, he was definitely more than the wham-bam-thank-you-sir she was used to. Exactly what he was to her, Faith didn't know. But it was exciting and scary at the same time.
Finally, she just decided to go for it. A few steps later, she was at his door. Of course, she could have just knocked. But she didn't know if he would be there. He might be out on patrol. It was still early for him. Pulling her lock pick out of her pocket (one lesson Aidan had taught her was to always be prepared -- just like the boy scouts, but more demony), she had the door open in several seconds flat. The door fell away to reveal Angel standing there staring at her.
"Faith," he said quietly. "I sensed you coming."
"You can read minds now?" Faith inquired in a mock-sweet tone as she strolled into his apartment.
Angel shook his head. "No. But when the person outside my door decided to break and enter, I figured it was you. Everyone else knocks."
"Do you ever have other visitors?"
"Not often." Angel closed the door behind her and walked back into the room. A bottle of Scotch and a glass sat on the table. He splashed a little more into the glass, and then offered, "Want some?" He motioned to some glasses on the bar.
Faith grabbed the bottle instead and took a swig. Lowering the bottle, she licked her scarlet lips and said, "That's good stuff, but aren't you worried about corrupting a minor?"
Angel snorted and knocked back some of his drink. "Not hardly. You were corrupted long before I met you."
She smirked. "You're probably right." She set the bottle down and walked over until she was right in front of him. [s long as I'm here...] she thought. Faith leaned up and brushed his lips with hers.
Angel hesitated for a minute. "Shouldn't we...?" he started to say.
"No." She kissed him harder for good measure.
Angel could never say no to her this way. He grabbed her tightly around the waist, not caring when his glass hit the floor and broke into several pieces. Then he lifted her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A long time later, two very sated individuals stared up at the ceiling in silence. Angel rolled over and looked at Faith. Her crimson lipstick was long gone, but her hair was sexily tousled and looked great covering his pillow. His red bedspread haphazardly covered her body, revealing only a few enticing glimpses.
"Faith," he asked suddenly, "why did you come here tonight?"
She rolled over and looked at him, but her gaze skittered away from his eyes, lingering instead on his bare chest and the line of hair that disappeared under the silk sheets. "I got bored."
He frowned. "I don't think so."
"What do you mean?" Faith stretched lazily and rumpled his hair even more with her fingers. "I needed a break from the homework thing. Something to stimulate more than just my mind."
Angel shook his head. "If that was all you wanted, why come here. There are plenty of guys..."
"Yeah, but I already know we're compatible." Faith leaned in to kiss him again, but Angel pulled away. Faith's expression went from relaxed to guarded and angry in one brief moment.
"Did something else happen?" Angel asked, remembering the last time she'd come over, running away from a death she blamed herself for not stopping. "Something that upset you?"
Her gaze shuttered even more. "Like I'd tell you."
"You can," Angel said. "If this doesn't make us at least friends, then something's wrong here."
Faith glared at him. "If all we're gonna do is play Jeopardy, I'm outta here."
Angel ran possibilities for what might be making Faith upset through his mind, and she got up and started throwing on her clothes. He stood up and put on his black, silk robe. He knew she was dealing with school again for the first time in a long while, but that didn't seem enough to make her seek him out, not compared to the last time. Then it hit him. It should have been obvious from the start.
"It's Rio, isn't it?"
She stopped in the midst of dressing, letting the hem of the T-shirt fall to her midriff unaided. That and a pair of black panties covered her nudity, leaving her shapely legs to distract him. But Angel wouldn't be distracted.
"Can I help, Faith? I've been doing the restitution thing for a while..."
"I don't need any help."
The words came out tough, but Angel didn't believe them. He'd seen that look on her face once before, the last time she'd come calling in the middle of the night. Faith was on the edge emotionally.
"Everyone needs help once in a while," Angel said quietly. "What happened with Rio? It might help to talk about it. Did you two have another fight, did you say things, do things, things you didn't mean?" He paused, and then tried again. "Or maybe it's Aidan, or Sonya. Is living with them working out? Adjusting to school must be hard, too..." He tried to mention every single thing that might be hurting her, but she had heard enough.
"I'm *not* doing this!" Faith yelled. She reached for her jeans and tried to put them on, but somehow she couldn't see very well. Something clouded her vision. The more she struggled, the worse it got. Then Angel reached over and gently took the pants away. Then he just looked at her with his soulful eyes.
That did it. Her face crumpled, and she started to cry. Not silent, little girl tears, but the real thing, gut-wrenching sobs and all. Angel took her in his arms again, but this time he did it with the utmost tenderness and no sexual context at all. He took her back to the bed and sat them down. He let her cry against him for as long as she needed.
When the sobs finally died down, Faith looked up and yelled, "I hate Sunnydale! My life has been fu... messed up ever since I got here. I lost my command, I almost died, and now I'm down to living with a guardian, going to high school and babysitting a warlock."
Angel rubbed her back, glad that the sobs had finally eased. Every once in a while one still shook her body, but with less and less frequency.
"I saw Buffy with Rio tonight," he said quietly. "At least you don't have to baby-sit him all the time."
Faith looked away.
"What?" Angel urged.
"I... I was really mean to him," Faith confessed. "It shouldn't bother me. I mean, he tried to kill me, and helped kill so many others. He deserves what he gets, right?"
Angel sighed. He knew more about this than he had ever wanted to. "Yes, he deserves what he gets. But, Faith, maybe giving him what he deserves isn't your job."
She didn't yell at him or push him away. Angel took that as a good sign. "Maybe you're supposed to help him get back on the right track. I know that, even with a soul, I never would have gotten where I am now if not for a few people... Whistler, Buffy, Giles, Xander... Before they came into my life, I was disgusting. I lived like a homeless man, hiding in alleys, feeding on rats. I didn't even know you could buy animal blood at a butcher shop."
Faith looked up at him. A tiny smile curved her lips as she tried to picture that. "Really?"
"Really."
She leaned back against him and sighed. "I don't know if I can just forgive and forget with Rio."
Angel shrugged. "Maybe not, but retribution is about the journey."
He leaned back onto the pillows. Faith leaned back with him. They stayed like that for a while and slept wrapped in each other's arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Angel opened his eyes to find himself alone in his apartment. Then he looked at his bedside table and smiled. Sitting there, wedged between his clock and the bottle of Scotch was a note. It was written in crimson lipstick. It said only one word: "Thanks."
"You're welcome, Faith," he said aloud, willing the sentiment to reach her wherever she had gone.
The fact that she'd bothered to leave a note told him something. Whatever they had, even if it wasn't true love, it definitely wasn't over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was barely over the horizon when Faith crept back into the condo. Everything was silent. She was glad no one had bothered to wait up, not that she had expected them to. Explaining where she'd been was not on her list of things to do today. Her relationship with Angel, whatever it was, was not something she wanted to share with anyone else.
She walked into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee before the morning rush. She was so busy setting up the coffee pot, measuring the Folgers Crystals and putting in the water and the filter that she didn't see Rio sitting at the table until she was done.
"Late night?" he asked sarcastically.
Faith jumped, and then relaxed just a bit when she saw who it was. She opened her mouth to give him a sarcastic retort, but closed it again. Angel had made some sense last night. She still didn't trust Rio one bit, but maybe she shouldn't always be so hard on him. The coffee began to percolate, filling the room with that rich coffee smell.
She shrugged in answer to his comment. "Late night, early morning, who can tell?"
His eyes narrowed. "Were you with your demon lover?"
Faith flinched. "That was cold."
"No colder than your comments about Nicole," Rio returned, obviously still angry.
It took her a minute. The coffee covered the bottom of the pot before she was ready. Finally, she took a deep breath and blurted, "I'm sorry for what I said about Nicole. It wasn't any of my business. Just like me and Angel isn't any of your business."
Rio stared at her in surprised, expecting a trick. "What's the deal, Faith?"
"No deal. We... I was just thinking, maybe there's a way we can make the best of this. Or at least not kill each other."
"You think?"
"I'm not sure, but it might help."
His eyes narrowed on her. "I still don't like you."
"Hey!" Faith extended her hands wide. "The feeling's mutual, pal, and if you want to keep up the war then I'm more than prepared!" How dare he insult her offer of peace? She'd show him!
He interrupted the beginnings of her tirade. "Wait... I shouldn't have... well, maybe you're right. Maybe we can make this nice... no... livable. Yeah, livable is a good word."
Faith forced herself to calm down. She noticed the coffee was done. She took two mugs and filled them up. Handing one to Rio, she said, "Drink on it?"
He nodded. They clinked mugs and each took a sip. Afterwards, an awkward silence developed.
"All-righty then," Faith said suddenly. "That's enough quality time for me. I've got to get ready for school anyway. Ug." With that she left the kitchen and walked upstairs, easily beating the sleeping Sonya to the first hot shower of the day.
As she lingered under the steamy water, Faith remembered what it felt like when Angel had wrapped his arms around her. The sex was great, but the part where he let her cry and then held her for the rest of the night... She'd never had anything like that before him. And it hadn't scared him away.
A pounding on the door and Sonya screaming for her to hurry up finally got her attention. Faith turned off the shower, wrapped up in a towel and opened the door.
"It's about time, shower hog," Sonya grumbled. Noting the steam in the bathroom, she added, "I hope there's some hot water left."
Faith walked right by without returning the insult. She headed for their room to get dressed. She felt like wearing something sexy today. Maybe she would put a red tie in her hair. Some color would be nice for once.
Watching her go, Sonya frowned. "I'll never, ever understand that girl."
Series: Destiny Found, part 1
Affiliated Series: Destiny Lost
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 -- this isn't smut, but it is a bit more explicit than our usual stuff. Then again, it's Angel and Faith... 'nuff said.
Category: A/F, AU, relationship oriented
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. (But since they don't seem to want Doyle any more ::sob:: can we have him?) All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up, such as Sonya Parker and Aidan O'Shea.
Distribution: Regulars... SURE!!! Newbies... ask and you shall receive!
Feedback: Love it, want it, need it! (But no flames please.)
Spoilers: none
Author's Note: The purpose of the Destiny Found series is to advance and characterize the relationships (both romantic and platonic) for the characters of the Destiny Lost buffyverse (i.e. there won't be many bad guys to fight, if any). Keep in mind, though Buffy and/or Xander don't appear/star in all of these stories, this is a B/X, Xander-centric buffyverse. Also, because these stories are crucial character development for our massive cast, missing them will leave you confused when ISOL comes out. Finally, never fear, there *will* be a B/X story in the Destiny Found series -- we're just saving it for later.
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"That's my shirt!"
Faith looked at Sonya and arched a brow in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
Sonya glared accusingly at Faith across the messy bedroom. "That black T-shirt you just put on -- it's mine!"
"I don't think so." Faith brushed the soft, black material with her black-tipped fingernails. "I got this shirt just last week... at the mall!"
"Little Miss Black Spandex at the mall. That's rich!" A snort of disbelief escaped from Sonya's mouth. Then her scowl deepened. "First you invade my room. Now you invade my closet? I think it's time for you to get the hell outta here!"
Faith wouldn't back down from an argument, especially not with Sonya, queen of the mood swings. Even if she had "borrowed" the shirt, she was never going to admit it now.
"Girls! What can the problem be this time?"
Both girls turned their glares on the dark haired boy standing in the doorway.
"Shove it, Rio," Faith told him. The recently reformed warlock (a boy Faith didn't trust as far as she could throw him... though Faith didn't trust many people) always set her teeth on edge. Being forced to deal with someone who tried to kill you -- blood oath or no blood oath -- would do that to a relationship. "This condo's not big enough for the three of us."
Rio looked at his former leader quizzically. "Don't you mean the four of us?"
"Yeah, Aidan lives here, too, and he is supposed to be in charge of our happy, little commune," Sonya added with only a touch of bitterness. When the Council forced Giles into retirement as Active Watcher and gave him a new post as Training Master in England, even Faith could tell that Sonya had not been happy about the switch. But over the past couple of weeks, Sonya was starting to learn to appreciate Aidan. She appreciated that he knew not to try and take the father role with the three teens placed under his care by the Council. Being only 25 years old, Aidan wasn't that far ahead of them.
"You think I don't know that?" Faith returned, using her most snide tone of voice. At this point in her life, Faith appreciated Aidan's "live and let live" policy, too. There was no way Faith would have submitted to house rules again. She had grudgingly agreed to give high school another try, but only because, as the best of her former trainers, and apparently the only Watcher she'd known who was trustworthy, Aidan had really wanted her to. And it was only a trial run. She could, and would, quit any time she wanted to.
Since Aidan, Buffy and the rest of the gang had gotten back from England, Giles's old condo had become a halfway house for those dependent on the Council. Rio had stayed on the Hellmouth to make restitution for his crimes -- the length of time required had yet to be determined -- and Faith, as a potential Slayer, one of the Council's hand-trained operatives and someone determined to make Rio pay in full for his sins, stayed on by choice. A choice backed up by the request of new Watcher Proconsul Gwendolyn Post. The downside... Sonya and Faith had to share a room.
"Sometimes I wonder," Sonya shot back. Her gaze turned to Rio. "I'm tempted to move in with you!"
Faith's eyes brightened. In a high, phony voice, she cried, "Oh, yes, please do! It would be so... so... cozy!"
Rio smirked. "Yeah, right. I don't think the couch in Aidan's library is big enough for all of us. Later, ladies."
"Where are you going?" Faith was quick to ask, always suspicious.
Rio slanted a gaze at her. "Where do you think?"
"Um... to Wal-Mart to pick out some trendy new clothes?" Faith asked in a saccharine tone.
"To patrol," Rio replied. "I'm meeting Buffy at the bookstore after her training session with Aidan. Then we're going to sweep a few cemeteries."
Sonya's gaze slid from Rio to Faith. Sensing a storm brewing, Sonya forgot about the shirt, picked up her backpack and headed for the door. As she pushed past Rio, she said, "Please, no bloodstains on my carpet, all right? When we finally move out of this place and into the new house, I don't want Giles to lose a subletting tenant because you two couldn't keep the claws sheathed." With a fake smile and a three-fingered wave, Sonya headed down the stairs and out the front door. A faint, "Bye, y'all," wafted back on the breeze from the slamming door.
That left Faith and Rio staring at each other. "You're going on patrol with Buffy?" Her incredulous tone left none of her feelings to the imagination.
"And why not?" Rio shot back. "She, at least, lets me do more than trail behind her like a whipped puppy."
"Then she's a fool," Faith said with venom. "But she's only known you a couple of weeks. You haven't been able to plot against her yet."
Rio sighed deeply. "You're never going to forget the past, are you Faith?"
"Not a chance, buster."
"I'm here, aren't I?" Rio demanded, his black eyes snapping with suppressed anger. "I'm doing my best to make up for what I did."
"Can you ever make up for killing innocent people?"
"Technically," Rio said, "I never killed anyone. Angel killed Terrance before he forced me to kill you, and as for the others, well, I just helped them dispose of the bodies."
"You never trapped anyone for them to feed on?" Faith asked. "You never played lookout so that I wouldn't find out what they were doing?"
A hot flush colored Rio's cheeks. She knew she'd hit on something. "News flash, Rio. Those things led to innocent deaths just as much as if you'd killed them yourself."
His eyes blazed into hers, the brown-black a vivid contrast to his pale face. "I know that more than you do, Faith. I lived it. I see them in my sleep night after night. And I'm here doing what I can to make things right. I know they'll never be right again, but at least I can try. That's more than I can say for some people."
"Terrance and Nicole are dead!" Faith spat. "They'll never get the chance to try. I would have loved the chance to make them, but *someone* had me bound to a table, ready to spill my blood."
A pained look flashed across Rio's face. "Yes, Nicole is dead. If she had lived, she would have tried to make restitution, but she didn't. Nicole didn't deserve what the Council gave her, and now she never gets another chance."
There was something more there. Faith could sense it. It wasn't possible that Rio had had "feelings" for Nicole, was it? Searching her memory, she remembered plenty of times when her subordinates had clashed, annoying her and each other. But that was mostly Terrance clashing with everyone. Now that she thought about it, Nicole and Rio... well... they had been almost chummy compared to the others.
"Were you and Nicole... a couple?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
"What Nicole and I were is none of your business," Rio said frantically. "Drop it!"
"Everything that concerns you is my business," Faith replied. "I'm your keeper, and I'm going to make damn sure that you stay kept!"
His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist. His grip tightened until it hurt. She tried to wrench away, but couldn't. "Leave Nicole out of this. In fact, never say her name again."
"Or what?" Faith returned defiantly. "You'll kill me?"
The anger vanished from his face, leaving him deflated. He let her go. Faith smiled triumphantly, but somehow the victory seemed hollow.
"Buffy's waiting," Rio said quietly. "I'm leaving now. If you think she's really in danger, then come. I don't care." He turned his back on her and started walking down the stairs.
Faith watched him go, openmouthed for a second. What was this? She was supposed to get the last word. Her relationship with Rio was supposed to be simple -- Faith was right, and Rio was wrong, case closed. So how come she didn't feel vindicated after making him pay a little more?
[I should follow him] she thought reluctantly. Then she shook her head. The front door closed, and she knew she was alone in the house. Aidan was still out, preparing his new bookstore for its grand opening. "I'm not going to do that," she said aloud. "Buffy is a big girl, and the Slayer. She knows the score, and she knows what Rio is capable of. It will be fine."
"Besides," she added, looking balefully at her schoolbooks sitting on the desk. "I've got *homework*."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel walked down the street toward Riverside Park. Vampires loved to prey on unsuspecting couples who mistakenly thought a park the perfect place for a lovey-dovey interlude.
[Lovey-dovey, right!] Angel thought disgruntledly. [More like sex au natural, or at least close to it! When I was their age...] That train of thought made him smirk. Who was he kidding? When he was their age he was whoring and boozing it up almost every night at the local tavern. Liam had been... well, reprehensible wasn't nearly strong enough to describe his human self.
"All right, Angel," the souled vampire ordered himself. "Quit with the self pity party. It's no fun if there's no one to lament with you."
Angel knew he had to keep his mind on the job at hand. He had to quit letting his emotions take over. He had to put everything non-essential aside and concentrate on his patrolling. Just because Buffy had been back for over two weeks, but had been too depressed about Xander's absence to even talk to him shouldn't be a big deal. But it was. Missing his friend, his pseudo-little brother -- Xander hadn't even called to tell Angel what was up, of course, Xander was probably busier than Angel could imagine, but still -- could actually be a big deal, but not right now.
Then there was his uneasy relationship with Aidan. The new Watcher was trying to follow Giles's recommendation and trust him, but the vampire posing as a trustworthy member of the Council had put a dent in Aidan's relationship with Angel before the two had even met. Jenny trusted him, mostly, but even with the computer teacher/witch, Angel could sense some unease. Would he never outlive his past? He had less of a chance of doing that than Rio did. And Rio was another worry. Faith and Jenny were being really hard on the boy. Angel was doing his best to make sure the young warlock didn't snap under the pressure, but it was hard.
And then there was the one thing that was on his mind night and day. Even when he slept. Faith. While Buffy and the others had been gone over Spring Break, Angel and Faith had formed an unlikely alliance. The vampire with a soul and a Council-trained commando leader with a chip on her shoulder about vampires, soul or no soul. They'd consummated that alliance, too. Angel still wasn't quite sure how that one happened. One second they'd been fighting, the next they were in a tequila-drinking competition, and then they were between the sheets. They'd had a few more rough-and-tumble interludes, but never once had either of them hinted at deeper feelings for the other.
Angel had no clue what Faith thought of the whole thing. He knew that he found her sexy, just as much as he found her irritating and headstrong. The potential Slayer was definitely no Buffy, that was for sure. But did she have to be?
He shook his head, trying, unsuccessfully, to clear away the emotion-filled cobwebs. It was probably over anyway. He'd barely seen Faith since the night he, Jenny and Amy had rescued her from her mutinying team of commandos. She'd been occupied with school, getting settled into the condo, and with Rio.
Suddenly, he heard something that made his thoughts switch from emotional junk to business. A rustling in the underbrush to his left. Angel cocked his head and listened. Quickly, but with a light, soundless gait, he began to follow the noise. When he heard a scream he began to run.
Angel found the culprit near the merry-go-round. Two teenagers has been laying on the metal contraption, obviously involved in a heavy makeout session, at least until the feral vampire jumped on them.
Without waiting to see what the feral would do, Angel leapt on it and pulled it off the merry-go-round. The girl was crying and calling out her boyfriend's name.
The feral fought back with claws and fangs, but it was awkward. They all were. Angel held the creature off and squinted into its face. There was one feral he would recognize on sight. The one that had brought him a warning about the commandos. But this wasn't the same one. It looked younger, newer, hungrier.
Finding his stake easily, Angel rammed it into the feral's heart. The animalistic vampire crumbled into dust in his arms. Angel turned to the couple on the merry-go-round.
"Bobby!" the girl wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Angel gently moved her aside and examined the victim. He'd been bitten, and drained a little, but from what Angel could tell, Bobby had passed out from fright, not blood loss. Angel reached into the inside pocket of his black trench coat and pulled out a small vial of smelling salts. Stuff like that came in handy when one worked on the Hellmouth. He waved the vial under the boy's nose, and Bobby started to come to.
"Take him to the hospital," Angel advised the girl. "Take a cab."
"What... what was that thing?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Angel shook his head. He hated lying, but some humans just wouldn't be able to deal. From the looks of the girl, she was right on the edge. Vampire wouldn't be a good answer for her to hear. Angel helped her get the boy up to his feet before he replied, "Wild dog."
Just before the couple left, the bushes started rustling again. Angel turned swiftly, ready to stop the ferals from finishing off the other one's dinner. The leaves parted and someone sprang out. It was Buffy. She crashed into him and they both staggered back. The couple looked surprised to see more people.
"Buffy," Angel said.
"Angel," Buffy replied, looking up at him in surprise as she found her balance again.
"Angel."
The vampire looked over to see Rio stepping out into the clearing by the playground. Angel was actually relieved to see the warlock. "Rio, can you help these two find a cab. She's got to get him to the hospital."
Rio glanced at Buffy.
"Go ahead," she said. He nodded and went, no questions asked. Once a commando, always a commando, Angel supposed.
After Rio and the couple were out of earshot, Angel frowned and said, "I thought you two were on cemetery duty tonight." Aidan didn't communicate with Angel very much, but at least they had always exchanged patrolling schedules before.
"We caught wind of a feral and tracked it," Buffy explained.
"Ah." Angel gestured to the layer of dust coating the merry-go-round. "Found it dining on them. Dusted it. Needless to say, the young lovers won't be hanging out in parks again any time soon."
Buffy nodded. "Good save. I wouldn't have gotten here in time."
"You can't be everywhere." Angel looked into the Slayer's eyes. Every time he saw her, he was reminded of the first time, the time he'd peered at her through the shoe polish-covered windows of Whistler's car. The day of her crippling accident. She'd been in his heart ever since. Angel knew Buffy loved Xander, and that Xander loved Buffy; and Angel respected that. But sometimes he couldn't help but wish things had been different...
"Lucky them, there was a cab driving down the street as soon as we got away from the park." Rio chose that moment to reappear, interrupting the moment, whatever it was. The warlock looked at Buffy. "Should we go?"
Angel inwardly cursed himself for allowing those feelings to come up again.
"Yeah," Buffy answered. "We've got several more cemeteries to cover." She glanced back at Angel. "You OK on your own?"
For a second, Angel thought she might offer to let him patrol with them, but she didn't. That was when he noticed the purple smudges under her eyes. "Buffy, are you feeling all right?" Slayers didn't get sick, at least, not physically sick, very often -- their healing factor took care of that. Heartsick, however, was another matter.
"I'm fine," Buffy answered, pasting a smile on her lips. "Just still adjusting back into the normal groove of school and patrol. Kind of hard after a mayhem-filled Spring Break."
She turned to go. Angel touched her arm. "I miss him, too."
Buffy flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks." And then she left, Rio by her side.
Angel stood alone in the park for a moment. The bells in the nearby church started to chime. Midnight. He sighed. Though it was early on his nocturnal clock, he was tired, really tired. And it wasn't from fighting the feral, either. It was time to go home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The big red numbers on Sonya's digital clock read 12:00 a.m. Faith sighed and pushed her geometry book away harder than was really necessary. It crashed to the floor, taking her half-completed homework with it.
"Why did I agree to do this?" Faith asked herself. "I'm so not good at the school thing. Aidan should have known that." Studying for a history exam should never be followed by 20 math problems, at least not in Faith's opinion. Her brain was exhausted, but her body, which had been kept motionless for far too long, was antsy.
Faith stood up and looked at herself in the mirror over Sonya's dresser. The tight, soft, black T-shirt accentuated her curves almost as well as the spandex she wore to patrol in. Skin-tight black jeans hugged her hips and thighs. She pulled the rubber band from her pony tail and let her dark hair fall free around her shoulders. It curled just a little around the ends.
"You go, girl," Faith said to her reflection. "You look way too good to be sitting around here. There's got to be some fun somewhere calling your name." She riffled through Sonya's make up drawer until she found a crimson shade of lipstick. The tube was almost new. Obviously too much for her goody-goody roommate. Faith coated her lips and made a kissy face at her reflection. "Perfect." She slid the tube of lipstick and a couple of other necessities into her pocket, tucked a stake into the waistband of her jeans and then walked downstairs and out the front door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith wandered around Sunnydale, looking for the action. It was relatively non-existent. The Bronze didn't suit her tonight. Neither did her favorite bar down by the waterfront. She tried a couple of other places, too, but nothing seemed to suit her mood. She was too antsy to settle for anything of the norm.
She let her feet lead her, and suddenly found herself standing in front of a familiar apartment building. Faith pursed her lips for a minute. Did she really want to see Angel? Even if he wasn't a vampire, the guy would have made her uneasy. But he was damn sexy. She'd been avoiding him since the others came home from England. Something about their whole situation made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that, though their relationship was mostly physical, he was definitely more than the wham-bam-thank-you-sir she was used to. Exactly what he was to her, Faith didn't know. But it was exciting and scary at the same time.
Finally, she just decided to go for it. A few steps later, she was at his door. Of course, she could have just knocked. But she didn't know if he would be there. He might be out on patrol. It was still early for him. Pulling her lock pick out of her pocket (one lesson Aidan had taught her was to always be prepared -- just like the boy scouts, but more demony), she had the door open in several seconds flat. The door fell away to reveal Angel standing there staring at her.
"Faith," he said quietly. "I sensed you coming."
"You can read minds now?" Faith inquired in a mock-sweet tone as she strolled into his apartment.
Angel shook his head. "No. But when the person outside my door decided to break and enter, I figured it was you. Everyone else knocks."
"Do you ever have other visitors?"
"Not often." Angel closed the door behind her and walked back into the room. A bottle of Scotch and a glass sat on the table. He splashed a little more into the glass, and then offered, "Want some?" He motioned to some glasses on the bar.
Faith grabbed the bottle instead and took a swig. Lowering the bottle, she licked her scarlet lips and said, "That's good stuff, but aren't you worried about corrupting a minor?"
Angel snorted and knocked back some of his drink. "Not hardly. You were corrupted long before I met you."
She smirked. "You're probably right." She set the bottle down and walked over until she was right in front of him. [s long as I'm here...] she thought. Faith leaned up and brushed his lips with hers.
Angel hesitated for a minute. "Shouldn't we...?" he started to say.
"No." She kissed him harder for good measure.
Angel could never say no to her this way. He grabbed her tightly around the waist, not caring when his glass hit the floor and broke into several pieces. Then he lifted her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A long time later, two very sated individuals stared up at the ceiling in silence. Angel rolled over and looked at Faith. Her crimson lipstick was long gone, but her hair was sexily tousled and looked great covering his pillow. His red bedspread haphazardly covered her body, revealing only a few enticing glimpses.
"Faith," he asked suddenly, "why did you come here tonight?"
She rolled over and looked at him, but her gaze skittered away from his eyes, lingering instead on his bare chest and the line of hair that disappeared under the silk sheets. "I got bored."
He frowned. "I don't think so."
"What do you mean?" Faith stretched lazily and rumpled his hair even more with her fingers. "I needed a break from the homework thing. Something to stimulate more than just my mind."
Angel shook his head. "If that was all you wanted, why come here. There are plenty of guys..."
"Yeah, but I already know we're compatible." Faith leaned in to kiss him again, but Angel pulled away. Faith's expression went from relaxed to guarded and angry in one brief moment.
"Did something else happen?" Angel asked, remembering the last time she'd come over, running away from a death she blamed herself for not stopping. "Something that upset you?"
Her gaze shuttered even more. "Like I'd tell you."
"You can," Angel said. "If this doesn't make us at least friends, then something's wrong here."
Faith glared at him. "If all we're gonna do is play Jeopardy, I'm outta here."
Angel ran possibilities for what might be making Faith upset through his mind, and she got up and started throwing on her clothes. He stood up and put on his black, silk robe. He knew she was dealing with school again for the first time in a long while, but that didn't seem enough to make her seek him out, not compared to the last time. Then it hit him. It should have been obvious from the start.
"It's Rio, isn't it?"
She stopped in the midst of dressing, letting the hem of the T-shirt fall to her midriff unaided. That and a pair of black panties covered her nudity, leaving her shapely legs to distract him. But Angel wouldn't be distracted.
"Can I help, Faith? I've been doing the restitution thing for a while..."
"I don't need any help."
The words came out tough, but Angel didn't believe them. He'd seen that look on her face once before, the last time she'd come calling in the middle of the night. Faith was on the edge emotionally.
"Everyone needs help once in a while," Angel said quietly. "What happened with Rio? It might help to talk about it. Did you two have another fight, did you say things, do things, things you didn't mean?" He paused, and then tried again. "Or maybe it's Aidan, or Sonya. Is living with them working out? Adjusting to school must be hard, too..." He tried to mention every single thing that might be hurting her, but she had heard enough.
"I'm *not* doing this!" Faith yelled. She reached for her jeans and tried to put them on, but somehow she couldn't see very well. Something clouded her vision. The more she struggled, the worse it got. Then Angel reached over and gently took the pants away. Then he just looked at her with his soulful eyes.
That did it. Her face crumpled, and she started to cry. Not silent, little girl tears, but the real thing, gut-wrenching sobs and all. Angel took her in his arms again, but this time he did it with the utmost tenderness and no sexual context at all. He took her back to the bed and sat them down. He let her cry against him for as long as she needed.
When the sobs finally died down, Faith looked up and yelled, "I hate Sunnydale! My life has been fu... messed up ever since I got here. I lost my command, I almost died, and now I'm down to living with a guardian, going to high school and babysitting a warlock."
Angel rubbed her back, glad that the sobs had finally eased. Every once in a while one still shook her body, but with less and less frequency.
"I saw Buffy with Rio tonight," he said quietly. "At least you don't have to baby-sit him all the time."
Faith looked away.
"What?" Angel urged.
"I... I was really mean to him," Faith confessed. "It shouldn't bother me. I mean, he tried to kill me, and helped kill so many others. He deserves what he gets, right?"
Angel sighed. He knew more about this than he had ever wanted to. "Yes, he deserves what he gets. But, Faith, maybe giving him what he deserves isn't your job."
She didn't yell at him or push him away. Angel took that as a good sign. "Maybe you're supposed to help him get back on the right track. I know that, even with a soul, I never would have gotten where I am now if not for a few people... Whistler, Buffy, Giles, Xander... Before they came into my life, I was disgusting. I lived like a homeless man, hiding in alleys, feeding on rats. I didn't even know you could buy animal blood at a butcher shop."
Faith looked up at him. A tiny smile curved her lips as she tried to picture that. "Really?"
"Really."
She leaned back against him and sighed. "I don't know if I can just forgive and forget with Rio."
Angel shrugged. "Maybe not, but retribution is about the journey."
He leaned back onto the pillows. Faith leaned back with him. They stayed like that for a while and slept wrapped in each other's arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Angel opened his eyes to find himself alone in his apartment. Then he looked at his bedside table and smiled. Sitting there, wedged between his clock and the bottle of Scotch was a note. It was written in crimson lipstick. It said only one word: "Thanks."
"You're welcome, Faith," he said aloud, willing the sentiment to reach her wherever she had gone.
The fact that she'd bothered to leave a note told him something. Whatever they had, even if it wasn't true love, it definitely wasn't over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was barely over the horizon when Faith crept back into the condo. Everything was silent. She was glad no one had bothered to wait up, not that she had expected them to. Explaining where she'd been was not on her list of things to do today. Her relationship with Angel, whatever it was, was not something she wanted to share with anyone else.
She walked into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee before the morning rush. She was so busy setting up the coffee pot, measuring the Folgers Crystals and putting in the water and the filter that she didn't see Rio sitting at the table until she was done.
"Late night?" he asked sarcastically.
Faith jumped, and then relaxed just a bit when she saw who it was. She opened her mouth to give him a sarcastic retort, but closed it again. Angel had made some sense last night. She still didn't trust Rio one bit, but maybe she shouldn't always be so hard on him. The coffee began to percolate, filling the room with that rich coffee smell.
She shrugged in answer to his comment. "Late night, early morning, who can tell?"
His eyes narrowed. "Were you with your demon lover?"
Faith flinched. "That was cold."
"No colder than your comments about Nicole," Rio returned, obviously still angry.
It took her a minute. The coffee covered the bottom of the pot before she was ready. Finally, she took a deep breath and blurted, "I'm sorry for what I said about Nicole. It wasn't any of my business. Just like me and Angel isn't any of your business."
Rio stared at her in surprised, expecting a trick. "What's the deal, Faith?"
"No deal. We... I was just thinking, maybe there's a way we can make the best of this. Or at least not kill each other."
"You think?"
"I'm not sure, but it might help."
His eyes narrowed on her. "I still don't like you."
"Hey!" Faith extended her hands wide. "The feeling's mutual, pal, and if you want to keep up the war then I'm more than prepared!" How dare he insult her offer of peace? She'd show him!
He interrupted the beginnings of her tirade. "Wait... I shouldn't have... well, maybe you're right. Maybe we can make this nice... no... livable. Yeah, livable is a good word."
Faith forced herself to calm down. She noticed the coffee was done. She took two mugs and filled them up. Handing one to Rio, she said, "Drink on it?"
He nodded. They clinked mugs and each took a sip. Afterwards, an awkward silence developed.
"All-righty then," Faith said suddenly. "That's enough quality time for me. I've got to get ready for school anyway. Ug." With that she left the kitchen and walked upstairs, easily beating the sleeping Sonya to the first hot shower of the day.
As she lingered under the steamy water, Faith remembered what it felt like when Angel had wrapped his arms around her. The sex was great, but the part where he let her cry and then held her for the rest of the night... She'd never had anything like that before him. And it hadn't scared him away.
A pounding on the door and Sonya screaming for her to hurry up finally got her attention. Faith turned off the shower, wrapped up in a towel and opened the door.
"It's about time, shower hog," Sonya grumbled. Noting the steam in the bathroom, she added, "I hope there's some hot water left."
Faith walked right by without returning the insult. She headed for their room to get dressed. She felt like wearing something sexy today. Maybe she would put a red tie in her hair. Some color would be nice for once.
Watching her go, Sonya frowned. "I'll never, ever understand that girl."
