"You're very beautiful, you know." There was silence as Faith tried to fit the compliment into her head.
"Trying to get into my pants, Angel? 'Cause y'know, all you gotta do is ask." Angel smiled a little, and it made Faith want to smile too. It was then that she realized her remark hadn't come out nearly as sarcastic as she'd meant. It was almost...joking.
"No, and you know that, Faith. I just thought that you should know how pretty you are."
"I seriously don't get you, Angel."
He smiled again. "Most people don't."
He hung up the phone and put his hand against the glass between them as if to say goodbye. "See you next week, Faith."
***
"Same time, same place." Faith affected a bored attitude.
"How are you, Faith?"
"Same as always. You?"
"Fine. Listen, I have a friend that wants to meet you. Would you mind if she came with me next time?"
"Why not? It'll be nice to see new faces." She tossed her hair out of her face and wished that Angel had never mentioned his new female friend. She wondered if she was pretty. Prettier than Buffy? Prettier than her, Faith?
"Good. I don't know if you'll like her; she's pretty bookish and a lot like Willow."
"Where'd you get her?"
"Alternate dimension."
"It figures."
Fifteen minutes later, he left. And Faith tried not to miss him.
***
"Faith, this is Fred. Fred, Faith."
"Hi! Angel's told me all about you, and seeing as I've never met a Slayer myself I wanted to come meet you and see if you're as pretty as he says and now that I see you I can tell that he wasn't lying and..."
Fred cut off her stream of babble and smiled at Faith. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm not very good with people yet."
Well then, that makes two of us, Faith thought.
***
The next week Faith laughed at something Angel said, and he smiled at her. "I love it when you laugh," he said. "I wish I could hear more of it."
Faith stopped laughing and looked at him. "What?"
"I wish you'd gotten a chance to laugh more."
Faith blinked. He was beginning to sound more and more like he was talking to Buffy. And that wasn't the way it went.
"See you next week, Faith."
***
Faith came in and sat down in her orange jumpsuit and her raw skin and wished that she was allowed to have make up. Her black eye showed almost as clearly as her split lip.
"Are you alright, Faith? What happened?" Angel wasn't supposed to ask. He was supposed to come in and ignore it and ask her stupid questions and tell stupid stories. She sighed softly in frustrated confusion.
"Fight. You should see the other guys." Multiple. There wasn't a single women in the place that could take Faith on her own, fair fight or no.
He pressed his hand against the glass as though to touch her. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She meant it.
"But I am." Faith was nearly certain she could see a tear in his eye.
Which was strange, because she'd never seen him cry.
***
"Buffy's alive, Faith. Angel's gone to go see her." Faith hoped Wes couldn't see her face crumple. Of course Angel had gone. Buffy was alive. Buffy. It was only right that he drop everything to go see her.
"But he'll be back next week."
***
Angel came later that night. Long after visiting hours. Faith opened her eyes and saw him standing in the moonlight outside of her cell.
"Angel?" She stood and went to the bars.
"Didn't want to miss you. I had to wait until dark to come back."
He put a hand through the bars. Faith touched it warily.
"She's okay. Not her best, but...we're not together anymore, and she's grown up a lot. She can take care of herself. She'll be alright. Besides, my place is here. In L.A."
"Yeah," Faith said, and she shifted uncomfortably. Of course he wanted to talk about Buffy. "I'm glad she's okay."
He touched her face. "I missed you."
"It hasn't been that long, big guy." She joked uncomfortably. He was looking at her wrong. She read caring in his eyes, deep caring, and no one ever looked at her that way.
"I love you, Faith."
And then he was gone.
"See you next week, Angel."