Chapter 11: Say what now?
1753
It was actually happening, somehow she'd been enlisted into the role of blushing bride. Nobody pretended they were overly enthusiastic, especially Liam's mother who, whilst planning everything down to the minutest of details, was more or less ignoring her soon to be daughter in law. Faith imagined she wasn't what the older woman had in mind by way of suitor for her son. Crass, secretive and disinterested in everything other than leading her son astray. And not only that but she had lost the ally she had in her hatred as Thomas' and Faith had formed a strange sort of partnership. The man she had expected to forbid this charade was doing absolutely nothing. She didn't like it. Not one bit. And even in supposedly happy event of watching Faith be fitted into her old wedding dress, she kept a cool scowl on her ageing features.
Faith stood on the stool, being pricked by pins, turned and pulled by an overly exuberant seamstress, counting the minutes until this was done. Soon they'd be married, which was not at all important, but after that? After that they'd be gone. Away from Angelus, away from Thomas' blackmail, away from everything. She wouldn't be able to be sent away, he wouldn't die. Mr and Mrs Cabhraigh. They were going to re-write history. Not only that but Liam's parents fortune would be gone with them, which was regrettable, but honestly the only thing Faith was even slightly concerned with was them being together. Together, alive and happy.
"Faye" a voice called out and the door was opened before Charlotte could prevent it. Thomas walked into the room, head as usual buried in a book, looked up just long enough to register the indignant look of his wife and only then took in the sight of the young woman, stood on the stool, being fitted into a familiar white dress. "Yes" he felt like he should say something "I suppose that will do. I'd hoped to discuss the matter of the church with you, but it can wait until you're not busy." He began to make his excuses but Faith shook her head desperately,
"I'm sure we can have a break for five minutes, five minutes of not being a pin cushion would be amazing." Charlotte and the seamstress exchanged irritated looks but Thomas, much more focused on his mission, dismissed them politely under the guide of bringing up some sweet tea.
"I was thinking of a raid tomorrow night, I have managed to source some weaponry, likely nothing like that which you're used to but-"
"Tommy, I've the only weapon you need" she jumped off the stool, "what do you really think's in there?"
"We'll find out tomorrow night."
"So we're not just burning it?" Faith sounded a little disappointed,
"I would like to explore a little, find out what would make vampires work together like this."
"In my experience fear," Faith shrugged "in the middle of a bunch of obedient vampires you find a bigger vampire. Meaner. Stronger. But still just a vampire" Faith's mind flitted back to the first 'bigger vampire' she'd faced, Kakistos, she'd run from him all the way to Sunnydale and Buffy. Shaking off the memory she reminded herself she wasn't a scared little girl anymore. She was faster, stronger and not prepared to let anybody stick around to get Liam.
"I did remember you saying something similar a few nights ago and I've been doing some research into it. There are entire passages, split over a good few books, referencing a vampire called the Master."
"The Master? Seriously. What kind of egotistical asshole refers to himself as the Master?"
"I've written to a few of my colleagues and am contemplating holding off our attack until I have heard their replies, best not go in without being fully prepared." Thomas was all too used to ignoring Faith's colourful disruptions now.
"Prepared or not, we'll go in, I'll slay and-"
"That was quick" Thomas interrupted as his wife walked back in with a tray, teacups and teapot balanced perfectly. She'd always had excellent posture, it was one of her most admirable traits. "Thank you my dear" as he helped himself to a drink. "I'll leave you to your fitting."
"Did you sort everything out which you needed to?" Charlotte asked quizzically, her husband nodded briefly before excusing himself.
And once again Faith was left alone to her pre-matrimonial fate. Honestly it was a good job that her over-bearing mother in law had taken all the planning in hand, else the wedding would probably not have happened. Faith was less than interested and a little disappointed that running away to Vegas wasn't an option.
Wedding. Slaying. Liam.
Her priorities were split and she was rather proud of how well she was balancing them, it really helped to know that soon they would condense to just Liam.
Thomas was utterly convinced something huge was going, some big evil lurking in the darkness. Faith wasn't really so sure, after the initial attack at their home, nothing had transpired. It certainly didn't seem to be a village under attack, then again perhaps she was too used to Sunnydale and 'big evil' meaning 'end of the world'. This was somewhat anti-climactic. But she'd played nice, kept Thomas happy, chased a few vampires out from their meagre lairs, weeded out some who had been terrorising local towns. But still big, dark, evils had yet to show their ugly heads. In fact it was almost too quiet, it was beginning to be hard to believe that Angelus could ever have been sired in such a boring little hamlet.
Well, he wouldn't be born. She was making sure of that. If she had to she'd destroy every vampire in Ireland.
Present Day
The hours were creeping along excruciating minute by excruciating minute. Arriving back at the hotel after yet another wild goose chase of Wesley's, the last person he'd expected to see again was Buffy. He'd assumed, and perhaps hoped a little, that she'd be on her way back to Sunnydale by now. Having her this close, in his city, was a very unique brand of torture that he thought he might never be cured of.
"Is everything okay?" He asked a hint of worry in his voice, because if she was here, again, then the answer was almost definitely no.
"Actually, I found something that I think belongs to you." Buffy said simply inclining her head towards the door to his office, "left it in there." Curious but with his usual frown, Angel didn't ask further questions, instead he headed slowly to his office. He wasn't sure what he had expected, exactly, but what he found certainly wasn't it. Sitting in his chair, spinning absently back and to, was one of the last people he'd ever expected to see again.
"Kathy?" The girl's eyes snapped up, she frowned for a minute and then they widened like saucers as she flew from the chair and into his arms. Angel was frozen, numb, words were spilling out of her mouth but he wasn't really paying much attention. He wasn't listening. He wasn't thinking. It was too much. The memories. Faith. Everything. Now this. His little sister standing in front of him, removed from her world and his memory and injected into the here and now. Flesh and blood. She hugged him tightly, so tightly in fact that if he'd needed to breathe it might have become an issue. He stood awkwardly, face masked in confusion.
"From what I can tell she only speaks Irish"
"Gaelic" Angel corrected,
"which is why I thought I'd better bring her to you. Something seemed a little off what with everything with Faith..." The slayer finished without missing a beat. Willow came in a few minutes later, took in the scene of her best friend waiting in the office and the young girl, who could be no older than thirteen, hugging Angel like her life depended on it. "I'm guessing my feeling was right." She finished smugly, Willow who had been waiting with her smiled and tried not to say 'aw' out loud.
"So that is Angel's sister then?" She asked quietly, the when Angel turned to her she felt silly having forgot about vampires acute hearing. She looked sheepish as he nodded.
"This is Kathy."
"The trade for Faith." Willow's mouth opened as she realised the full connotations, "I should talk to Wesley, has anybody told him about this?"
"I didn't know for sure until just now" Buffy explained, by way of saying no.
"Thank you." Angel intoned, but his voice was cloaked with too many emotions for her to pinpoint one. "Now all we need is the spell." Angel placed a hand on top of the young girl's head gently, she pulled back and looked up at him and he attempted a smile. Guilt gnawing away at him. Those eyes. He remembered the horror in them as he'd drained the life out of her. Could he really send her back to that fate? Trade her for Faith knowing that he'd be sending her back to a brutal death at his own hands? She looked exactly as she had frozen in his memory. Angel swallowed thickly.
Willow and Buffy exchanged an unreadable look.
1753
Wiping the dust off her dress, Faith scanned the perimeter, ignoring the footsteps encroaching from her left. If there was one thing Thomas had done for her, it was increase her perception ten-fold. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of slayer she could have been had somebody like him been her first watcher. No, it wasn't him. It was her. She was different now. She needed to be better. Stronger. She had somebody to protect.
"That one doesn't count." Even to her own ears her tone sounded petulant, she didn't like being proven wrong.
"So that's six vampires now. I could be wrong but I believe you said that if there was indeed something about to happen, their numbers would increase as more came in from afar..." he sounded smug. Faith hated smug. Brushing the wayward hair back from her damp, sweaty face she scowled.
"I said that there would be an increase. More than one over the space of a week. That was just a bit of bad luck."
"And that's one more than two nights ago. And three more than we were averaging two prior to that."
"Oh no, somebody call Buffy there's an apocalypse happening." Her droll sarcasm was lost on Thomas, who frowned but shook it off. Faith was tired. Like Liam he had developed an uncanny ability to ignore anything she said that he didn't understand. All the slayer wanted to do was go home to Liam, drag her wayward lover out from his bed and have some fun. Her life was definitely shifting heavily towards the work more than play ratio and she was decidedly not enjoying it. Something had to change. Something would change. Her and Liam would blow this joint, jump on a boat and be gone. Then there would be no more vampires, no more hunting, just them going all Bonny and Clyde on the world. Just a little longer. She could stick it a little longer.
"I have to say though, your craft is well honed. Inventive also, where did you conceal that stake?"
"A lady never tells." Faith quipped, "now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do very unladylike things with your son."
"This isn't some kind of hobby Faye."
"I know, it never is." And nobody knew that better than her. She lived in a state of constant worry these days, wondering how close they were to Liam's life being snuffed out. Terrified she was leaving it too late. The wedding was only a few weeks away now, everything was falling into place. Even than seemed like a lifetime away. She wanted to leave now. But Liam was adamant they should be married first and so she did what she could to curb her desperation to run.
She was distracted as she wandered into the house and up the stairs, giving the shadows no regard, lost in her thoughts as she so often was these days. When he grabbed her, she didn't even flinch. Merely smiled against the wall where he pinned her from behind, her cheek hot against the cold stone. She felt his lips on her neck, before she felt his breath. Her body relaxed in spite of itself, something about him never failed to comfort her. As long as they were together, everything was okay. His fingers were edging up her skirt, fingers digging almost painfully into the bare flesh off her ass. She pushed back against him. More than used to his voyeuristic tendencies. They were in the corridor, anybody could see them, his parents, the servants. Faith groaned as his wandering fingers pressed between her legs.
"Are you mine again now?" He asked, Faith chuckled. She could hear it in his voice – the possession, slowly escalating with each passing day. Faith might pretend she didn't like it, or his new found impulses to take her wherever he saw fit. Liam was getting more and more frustrated, just as she was. His fingers disappeared for a moment and she almost protested their loss until she felt his cock press against her, sliding inside her easily, she had been ready for him the second he pinned her to the wall.
Not long now and they'd be gone. Together. No distractions. It was a promise she recited to him constantly. As much for her sanity as his reassurance. Faith moaned against the wall softly as he pounded into her, gripping her hips filmy her face pressed against the wallpaper.
"Can I not just be my own?" Faith asked but even to her own ears it didn't feel like a genuine question. There was no real room for speaking then, she dropped her own hand between her legs, the other bracing against the wall so that she could bend forward and he could get deeper. She played with her clit as he pounded into her, making her gasp and mewl every time he bottomed out against her cervix. Their moans grew until she came, loudly, clenching around him and triggering his own orgasm. He emptied himself into her, the thrusts becoming less frantic, deeper, until he collapsed against her back, chin resting on her head as he panted heavily, getting his breath back. Faith was beginning to feel like a rag doll being pulled in too many directions. She hated this. Hated not knowing how much time they had left. "Let's just leave" she sighed, "now. Tonight."
"But the wedding..."
"I hate weddings. They're boring and nobody really enjoys them. Everybody just wants the booze and the chance to dance and maybe get laid. Why do there need to be people? Can't we just do it ourselves. 'I do', 'I do too', and all that crap."
"Faye."
"I know, I know." No matter how she tried, she'd not found a way to sway him. Who'd have thought he'd end up being so proper. "Want to go and see how much rum we can con from the trading merchants?" Faith changed the subject, the last thing she wanted to do after a long night slaying was fight with Liam. She'd be quite content if she never had to fight with Liam ever again.
"I thought you'd never ask."
"Can I clean up first?"
"No, I like you filthy, walking around town with me dribbling down your legs. My own little whore." Liam bit his lip, desire already building up in his eyes again. Faith grinned. God how she loved this man.
Present
"Angel" the vampire looked up from the scene in front of him, it was hard not to find the sight of Wesley trying to translate what Kathy was saying amusing. Kathy looked up and Angel shook his head, people not calling him Liam was confusing her and though he'd already explained it a couple of times, it wasn't really sinking in. Angel didn't really have the heart to keep explaining it, so he let Wesley attempt to quiz her as she ran rings around him. She was a quick little thing and had cottoned on immediately to what Wesley was doing. Quickly losing him with colloquiums and abbreviations. Every now and again she'd throw some Celtish in to really confuse him. Or some French. Angel was trying hard not to laugh.
It was the most fun he'd had in days.
Between watching the floor show he'd also been reading more through his father's diary, and was beginning to think he might just stop altogether. Thankfully there was little about his and Faith's relationship though it had become obvious there was no doubt as to the mysterious woman's identity. He was reading Faith's present, centuries after it was transpiring. It was strange, he was still remembering bits and pieces, feelings, emotions, events, but in no particular order and they were all disorientated and confused. It was beginning to frustrate him.
Angel slammed the book closed frustratedly, Wesley and Kathy were too busy to look up but Lorne did with a frown. Standing up he walked over the the vampire,
"Come with me." So rarely did the demon give orders or sound stern, Angel frowned but obeyed and followed Lorne up the stairs and to his room. When he closed the door he fixed him with a sympathetic look "Have a seat."
"I'm not one of your clients Lorne."
"No Angel-Cakes you're my friend. These headaches aren't good for you, and neither are all your lock up memories. You've been in a dream-state for weeks. Let me try and help."
"Help how? Singing isn't going to work, this isn't-"
"Singing isn't the only trick I have up my sleeves Big Fella'" he spoke firlmy, and Angel shrugged.
"Fine. It won't don any good though."
Lorne stepped up in front of Angel, and placed two fingers on each of his temples,
"This might sting a bit."
Angel sat there for what seemed like an age, with nothing happening, he was about to pull away when suddenly it felt like his head was being stuck in a vice. He tried to move but couldn't, he felt his face contort into the familiar vampire face as his demon pushed it's way out in reaction to the pain. He tried to speak and couldn't. And then all of a sudden, it was gone. Headache included. Pushing Lorne away roughly he growled,
"What the Hell did you do?"
Lorne looked at him for a long moment, almost stupefied, he opened his mouth to ask if it worked but Angel's face was suddenly awash with emotion. The vampire fell to his knees and the empathic demon slowly walked out of the room. He had a the mother of all headaches himself now, but he knew he'd done a good thing. Even if Angel probably wouldn't be thanking him for a good while.
"Are you okay?" Fred stopped him mid-way down the corridor "did I hear Angel yelling?"
"He'll be fine" Lorne glanced back "I just gave him back his memories."
"You-"
"Fancy joining me for a Sea-Breeze or six?"
"Do you think I should-"
"I think we should give him some time to come to terms with his thoughts." And with a hand firmly in the small of her back, Lorne guided Fred back downstairs in order to let Angel have some privacy.
It was some time before Angel made his way back downstairs, it had taken a while to compose himself but as with most things he felt better for knowing. He remembered everything now, he remembered Faith, Faye, remembered loving her, remembered those months before he turned with such painful accuracy that he almost wished he couldn't. But the headache had gone completely, as had the fuzziness, and he felt for the first time like he could focus on the here and now. Firstly though he wanted to know exactly what had stripped him of the memories. Confronting Lorne downstairs was his first point of call.
"You're looking better" Fred observed on seeing him, she was right, he was, he was feeling better too. But he needed answers, it might be a lead on how to get Faith back!
"I feel better."
"Glad to be of service" Lorne smiled behind his cocktail glass, taking a long sip, "I think we've done a straight swap for that headache though."
"I didn't know Empath demons could lift magical amnesia" Wesley pondered, entering the foyer, it's all they had been talking about.
"We can't." Lorne said simply, enjoying the confused looks between the rest of the group. It wasn't often he got to feel like the one with all the answers.
"So how did you-"
"Boy you guys really can't let a man bask in his triumphant smugness for even a moment will you. Fine, fine, I'll spill. My first clue was the headaches, I've seen amnesia before, stripped memories, the amount of traffic I had showing up in Caritas begging for help" his hand gesture emphasised that it was a lot "but I've never known memories slip back. Headaches. Dreams. Disorientation. That's all different. It means the memories are still there, just buried, which is what made me think that with a bit of this and that I'd be able to bring them from your subconscious. I didn't want to say anything straight away, I wasn't sure it could be done, but I've been talking to a few of my friends and decided it was worth a go." For a moment he saw them thinking and took the calm before the questions rolled in. Everybody had something to ask but the one he focused on was Angel's.
"So who suppressed my memories."
"I'm afraid you did my lost little lamb."
