Prison Visit
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I made this whole thing up. That's about it.
"Hey, Angel," Oz greeted in a nonchalant way.
"Oz," Angel said, his tone as surprised as it ever got. "How are you?"
"Where's Faith?" he asked, looking down at his hands then up at the vampire.
"She…" Angel looked at Willow's ex carefully. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
Cordelia sauntered into Angel's office, looking at a file. "I got the phone number of…" She trailed off when she saw Oz. "What are you doing here?" she asked bluntly. "Full moon's tomorrow night."
"I can control that. I traveled the world, found a 'cure', went to Sunnydale, found out Willow had moved on, then I wandered around California for a while and here I am," he summed up, not enjoying the attention.
"Oh. Well, here's the info, Angel. You need anything else, just ask," Cordy said laying the file folder on Angel's desk and leaving the room.
"Where were we?"
"Faith."
"I don't think you can see her."
"Why not?"
"Why?" Angel was really curious about that.
"Sorry, Angel. I guess I'll ask around," he said, not wanting to explain everything.
"No need. Here's the address of the jail."
"Thanks."
Oz walked out with a feeling of pride - the hardest part was over. Now he had to see Faith. He hopped into his car, looking at the piece of paper that had the address on it. It was strange, what he was doing, but he needed some type of closure.
After all, when Faith was going away from Sunnydale she had stumbled into Oz, camping out by the side of a lonely highway, not sure where to go. She was the one who joked about finding something that would stop him from wolfing out, and they had talked for a bit, too. Then he had left the United States and gone on great adventures. Now he had to go tell her everything, even if she didn't care. He wasn't surprised to find her in jail, but he had no idea what to suspect. Had she changed? Or would she be in there, clad in leather, chewing gum, trying unsuccessfully not to feel?
"Is there a Faith here?" he asked a man at the front desk of the prison.
"Yes, sir. Faith who?"
He paused. "She had no last name."
"She does here, if it's the same girl."
She wouldn't have… Would she? "Summers?"
"There ya go. Fred here'll take ya to her."
Oz followed Fred, a tall yet skinny man without any muscles, to the cell. When they stopped, Oz had to look twice before he realized that Faith was in the cell to the right of them.
The girl looked up first in confusion, which quickly changed to recognition. "Oz," she said plainly.
"I'll be over there," Fred mumbled, going to a chair at the end of the hallway.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, standing up and moving towards the bars.
"I did it, Faith. I traveled the world and found others like me." He walked to the bars. Pressing his hands against them. "They taught me how to control it. No more cages, Faith. Remember?"
"How could I forget? I'm going through all of my actions now. I have a cage of my own, Oz." She pressed her hands to the bars so her fingers were touching Oz's.
"But I'm not totally free. We both have something in common now."
"What could I ever have in common with you?"
"We can't go near Sunnydale."
Faith's face drained. She had assumed he and Willow were almost married again, just like in the old times.
"You were right about her and Tara. She makes me change."
"Oz," Faith murmured, putting her fingers around the bars. His hands clutched hers as she spoke in a voice broken with oncoming tears. "I have to drop everything. As soon as I get out, I'm going somewhere free of the Council and the Slayer, and I'm forgetting it. It's changed me, and I can't forget that, but I sure as hell can try to forget the things that happened."
"We're both being forced to leave everything we know," Oz told her, still clutching her fingers. "We couldn't do it together." But he almost wanted to.
"No, you're right. We'd never forget."
They both just wanted somebody they could count on, but that person would have to be found elsewhere.
"Have a good life, Oz."
"You, too, Faith Summers."
He walked out of the hallway, never looking back. Oz was getting used to good-byes.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I made this whole thing up. That's about it.
"Hey, Angel," Oz greeted in a nonchalant way.
"Oz," Angel said, his tone as surprised as it ever got. "How are you?"
"Where's Faith?" he asked, looking down at his hands then up at the vampire.
"She…" Angel looked at Willow's ex carefully. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
Cordelia sauntered into Angel's office, looking at a file. "I got the phone number of…" She trailed off when she saw Oz. "What are you doing here?" she asked bluntly. "Full moon's tomorrow night."
"I can control that. I traveled the world, found a 'cure', went to Sunnydale, found out Willow had moved on, then I wandered around California for a while and here I am," he summed up, not enjoying the attention.
"Oh. Well, here's the info, Angel. You need anything else, just ask," Cordy said laying the file folder on Angel's desk and leaving the room.
"Where were we?"
"Faith."
"I don't think you can see her."
"Why not?"
"Why?" Angel was really curious about that.
"Sorry, Angel. I guess I'll ask around," he said, not wanting to explain everything.
"No need. Here's the address of the jail."
"Thanks."
Oz walked out with a feeling of pride - the hardest part was over. Now he had to see Faith. He hopped into his car, looking at the piece of paper that had the address on it. It was strange, what he was doing, but he needed some type of closure.
After all, when Faith was going away from Sunnydale she had stumbled into Oz, camping out by the side of a lonely highway, not sure where to go. She was the one who joked about finding something that would stop him from wolfing out, and they had talked for a bit, too. Then he had left the United States and gone on great adventures. Now he had to go tell her everything, even if she didn't care. He wasn't surprised to find her in jail, but he had no idea what to suspect. Had she changed? Or would she be in there, clad in leather, chewing gum, trying unsuccessfully not to feel?
"Is there a Faith here?" he asked a man at the front desk of the prison.
"Yes, sir. Faith who?"
He paused. "She had no last name."
"She does here, if it's the same girl."
She wouldn't have… Would she? "Summers?"
"There ya go. Fred here'll take ya to her."
Oz followed Fred, a tall yet skinny man without any muscles, to the cell. When they stopped, Oz had to look twice before he realized that Faith was in the cell to the right of them.
The girl looked up first in confusion, which quickly changed to recognition. "Oz," she said plainly.
"I'll be over there," Fred mumbled, going to a chair at the end of the hallway.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, standing up and moving towards the bars.
"I did it, Faith. I traveled the world and found others like me." He walked to the bars. Pressing his hands against them. "They taught me how to control it. No more cages, Faith. Remember?"
"How could I forget? I'm going through all of my actions now. I have a cage of my own, Oz." She pressed her hands to the bars so her fingers were touching Oz's.
"But I'm not totally free. We both have something in common now."
"What could I ever have in common with you?"
"We can't go near Sunnydale."
Faith's face drained. She had assumed he and Willow were almost married again, just like in the old times.
"You were right about her and Tara. She makes me change."
"Oz," Faith murmured, putting her fingers around the bars. His hands clutched hers as she spoke in a voice broken with oncoming tears. "I have to drop everything. As soon as I get out, I'm going somewhere free of the Council and the Slayer, and I'm forgetting it. It's changed me, and I can't forget that, but I sure as hell can try to forget the things that happened."
"We're both being forced to leave everything we know," Oz told her, still clutching her fingers. "We couldn't do it together." But he almost wanted to.
"No, you're right. We'd never forget."
They both just wanted somebody they could count on, but that person would have to be found elsewhere.
"Have a good life, Oz."
"You, too, Faith Summers."
He walked out of the hallway, never looking back. Oz was getting used to good-byes.