Whiskers Of Fury (12/?)
DEDICATION: To my "Whiskers" feedbackers: Amelia, bwit, chalkdusty, Cheryl, Christopher Marlowe, cile, cyberwulf, Dayzee, elizabethdarcy, gyrlfrend, Jane McCartney, JJ, Katherine, Kelley and Shelley, kitkat, Levi Truelove, Lilyana, MattyMatt, Rayven, Seven, Shadowfang, silver, superrmk, Sweet Kitten, and Y_slaybelle. Remind me to make myself the president of each of your fan clubs.
***
CHAPTER 12 - Tricks With Digits
***
The door to the motel room opened, and Faith and Xander walked in, Faith entering the room first, Xander a couple of steps behind. Xander flicked on the light switch as he shut the door behind him. The room was filled with a dull yellow light. For a moment, a look of horror passed over Xander's face as his mind flashed back to the same dull light that had filled the bedroom of his apartment as he stood looking down at Anya's motionless form lying in their bed, but it vanished quickly enough. That was just a dream. As was this.
Faith, meanwhile, collapsed onto the bed in the center of the room, then lay still, looking up at the ceiling. The bed rocked a little as she hit it, the headboard bumping up against the wall. The dark-haired Slayer's mind was travelling down memory lane as well. Just twenty-four hours ago, she was lying on an uncomfortable mattress in a prison cell, staring up at a ceiling and walls that were covered with graffiti. Twelve hours ago, she was walking out into daylight for the first time in over a year.
"Uh, Faith?" Xander was standing just by the door, leaning up against it, his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah?" Faith responded, not moving.
"Did you wanna get some sleep? 'Cause, you know, I can leave you to it."
Sensing some discomfort in his voice, Faith sat up, and looked at Xander. As she did, she also got her first good look at the room they were in. She froze. When the short guy in the pale brown singlet behind the reception counter told her her room number, she must have missed the connection, but now she discovered that this motel room was the same motel room she and Xander had once slept together in.
The same motel room she had once almost killed him in.
But if Xander had noticed the same thing, he didn't look like it was bothering him. He appeared pretty calm, at least outwardly. Relaxing, Faith smiled at him. "You that anxious to get away from me?"
Xander's head jerked up in surprise. "What? No! I just ... thought you might be tired."
Faith shifted on the bed so she was sitting with her back up against the headboard, the pillows lightly pressing into the bottom of her spine. "Nah, I slept most of the day. And the sun'll be up soon anyway."
"Uh-huh."
Xander said no more. Faith looked at him closely. She had been expecting him to ask her why she wasn't in prison anymore for a while now, but it was as if she had never been in prison at all for all Xander seemed to be thinking of it. Spike hadn't brought up the subject, either. The vampire had excused himself just before she checked in so he could retreat to that safely of the crypt he called home before the morning sun could reduce him to a pile of ashes.
Growing uncomfortable with the silence in the room, Faith spoke again. "Hey, Xander?" He looked over at her. "Why are you here? Don't you have your own place? I mean, why hang out in a place like this if you don't have to, right?" She laughed a little, mostly to calm her own nerves.
Xander looked down at the floor for several seconds, not answering her. When he looked back up, Faith was stunned by the look in his eyes. They seemed flat, empty, devoid of life somehow. His face was grim. He said something in a low voice, but Faith was too far away to hear it.
"What?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid," he repeated, louder this time.
Faith frowned. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"
Xander looked at the floor again. "I don't think I'm dreaming."
***
"Am I dreaming?"
Seated on the couch in the Summers living room, Dawn was looking up at her big sister with a very confused expression.
"Or are you dreaming?" Buffy went on, matching her little sister's puzzled look. Then her gaze shifted to the brown-haired man sitting in the armchair on the other side of the room. "Look, someone here is dreaming, because what you're telling me is ridiculous."
"I know how it sounds," Lindsey said.
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him, and folded her arms in a disbelieving gesture. "You do? 'Cause, it sounds like you're trying to tell me that there's an evil kitten out there somewhere roaming the streets with a bad attitude and a thirst for blood."
"Maybe its owner forgot to leave it its fresh milk out today," Dawn offered.
Buffy looked at her sister flatly, not amused.
"That's pretty much how it sounds," Lindsey agreed, getting the blonde Slayer's attention again. "But it's the truth. The files we had on this thing at the law firm I used to ..." He broke off as he saw Buffy's eyes widen, her face turning cold. "What is it?"
"You wanna put that down?" she asked him angrily.
Lindsey was confused, and looked across the room to Dawn. The fifteen-year- old was looking at him with a mixture of anger and fear. No, not at him. As something he suddenly realized he was holding in his hand. In his right hand. Looking down at the object his right hand had picked up, he saw a photo in a gold frame. In the photo, the two sisters were sitting on what had to be the back porch of their home, an older woman sitting between them and on the next step up. All three of them were smiling happily up at him as he looked at their faces. The woman had her arms around both of them.
Putting the picture back onto the small table by his chair, Lindsey looked back up at the two sisters apologetically. "Sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to do that, it was ... it's a long story."
Buffy was about to speak again when the phone rang from behind her. "Don't go anywhere," she told Lindsey firmly, glancing at her sister as she did to let her know that she was talking to both of them. Buffy turned, crossed the hall, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"B, is that you?"
Buffy instantly recognized the voice on the other end of the line, and her eyes widened. "Faith? How - uh ..."
"Look, B, I really don't have a lot of time for chatting right now. Just listen, OK?" Buffy was silent, and Faith started talking again. "I'm back in town, at the motel, and Xander's here with me."
"Xander?" Buffy began. If she had looked back into the living room at that point, she would have seen both Dawn and Lindsey staring intently at her. "How ..."
"I just bumped into him. Look, it doesn't matter, alright? I didn't know who else to call here. I ... I think we got a problem."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Xander's sitting in here like a wandering zombie, and he's telling me his girlfriend's dead."
Buffy could only stand there, mouth hanging wide open, the colour draining from her face.
***
"Hi, we'd like a room, please?"
The man behind the reception counter looked up to see two women standing before him. One blonde, one brunette. And both of them really hot. He smiled. They were certainly getting some fine ladies in this morning. Too bad the last one had a guy with her when she checked in. But these two were here with nobody. Unless they were here with each other. His smile grew wider. "No problemo, ladies," he said, getting up from his stool and flicking the TV off. "We got a few rooms still available. Names?"
The blonde woman smiled. "This is Dru, and I'm Darla."
***
Nope, nobody here.
David Nabbit walked back down the stairs and into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel again. He had been to every floor in the building, looking for Angel. But Angel wasn't here, and neither was anyone else.
Sighing, then shrugging, David started heading for the exit. He stopped when he heard a loud hiss echo through the room from behind him.
T.B.C.
DEDICATION: To my "Whiskers" feedbackers: Amelia, bwit, chalkdusty, Cheryl, Christopher Marlowe, cile, cyberwulf, Dayzee, elizabethdarcy, gyrlfrend, Jane McCartney, JJ, Katherine, Kelley and Shelley, kitkat, Levi Truelove, Lilyana, MattyMatt, Rayven, Seven, Shadowfang, silver, superrmk, Sweet Kitten, and Y_slaybelle. Remind me to make myself the president of each of your fan clubs.
***
CHAPTER 12 - Tricks With Digits
***
The door to the motel room opened, and Faith and Xander walked in, Faith entering the room first, Xander a couple of steps behind. Xander flicked on the light switch as he shut the door behind him. The room was filled with a dull yellow light. For a moment, a look of horror passed over Xander's face as his mind flashed back to the same dull light that had filled the bedroom of his apartment as he stood looking down at Anya's motionless form lying in their bed, but it vanished quickly enough. That was just a dream. As was this.
Faith, meanwhile, collapsed onto the bed in the center of the room, then lay still, looking up at the ceiling. The bed rocked a little as she hit it, the headboard bumping up against the wall. The dark-haired Slayer's mind was travelling down memory lane as well. Just twenty-four hours ago, she was lying on an uncomfortable mattress in a prison cell, staring up at a ceiling and walls that were covered with graffiti. Twelve hours ago, she was walking out into daylight for the first time in over a year.
"Uh, Faith?" Xander was standing just by the door, leaning up against it, his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah?" Faith responded, not moving.
"Did you wanna get some sleep? 'Cause, you know, I can leave you to it."
Sensing some discomfort in his voice, Faith sat up, and looked at Xander. As she did, she also got her first good look at the room they were in. She froze. When the short guy in the pale brown singlet behind the reception counter told her her room number, she must have missed the connection, but now she discovered that this motel room was the same motel room she and Xander had once slept together in.
The same motel room she had once almost killed him in.
But if Xander had noticed the same thing, he didn't look like it was bothering him. He appeared pretty calm, at least outwardly. Relaxing, Faith smiled at him. "You that anxious to get away from me?"
Xander's head jerked up in surprise. "What? No! I just ... thought you might be tired."
Faith shifted on the bed so she was sitting with her back up against the headboard, the pillows lightly pressing into the bottom of her spine. "Nah, I slept most of the day. And the sun'll be up soon anyway."
"Uh-huh."
Xander said no more. Faith looked at him closely. She had been expecting him to ask her why she wasn't in prison anymore for a while now, but it was as if she had never been in prison at all for all Xander seemed to be thinking of it. Spike hadn't brought up the subject, either. The vampire had excused himself just before she checked in so he could retreat to that safely of the crypt he called home before the morning sun could reduce him to a pile of ashes.
Growing uncomfortable with the silence in the room, Faith spoke again. "Hey, Xander?" He looked over at her. "Why are you here? Don't you have your own place? I mean, why hang out in a place like this if you don't have to, right?" She laughed a little, mostly to calm her own nerves.
Xander looked down at the floor for several seconds, not answering her. When he looked back up, Faith was stunned by the look in his eyes. They seemed flat, empty, devoid of life somehow. His face was grim. He said something in a low voice, but Faith was too far away to hear it.
"What?" she asked him.
"I'm afraid," he repeated, louder this time.
Faith frowned. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"
Xander looked at the floor again. "I don't think I'm dreaming."
***
"Am I dreaming?"
Seated on the couch in the Summers living room, Dawn was looking up at her big sister with a very confused expression.
"Or are you dreaming?" Buffy went on, matching her little sister's puzzled look. Then her gaze shifted to the brown-haired man sitting in the armchair on the other side of the room. "Look, someone here is dreaming, because what you're telling me is ridiculous."
"I know how it sounds," Lindsey said.
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him, and folded her arms in a disbelieving gesture. "You do? 'Cause, it sounds like you're trying to tell me that there's an evil kitten out there somewhere roaming the streets with a bad attitude and a thirst for blood."
"Maybe its owner forgot to leave it its fresh milk out today," Dawn offered.
Buffy looked at her sister flatly, not amused.
"That's pretty much how it sounds," Lindsey agreed, getting the blonde Slayer's attention again. "But it's the truth. The files we had on this thing at the law firm I used to ..." He broke off as he saw Buffy's eyes widen, her face turning cold. "What is it?"
"You wanna put that down?" she asked him angrily.
Lindsey was confused, and looked across the room to Dawn. The fifteen-year- old was looking at him with a mixture of anger and fear. No, not at him. As something he suddenly realized he was holding in his hand. In his right hand. Looking down at the object his right hand had picked up, he saw a photo in a gold frame. In the photo, the two sisters were sitting on what had to be the back porch of their home, an older woman sitting between them and on the next step up. All three of them were smiling happily up at him as he looked at their faces. The woman had her arms around both of them.
Putting the picture back onto the small table by his chair, Lindsey looked back up at the two sisters apologetically. "Sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to do that, it was ... it's a long story."
Buffy was about to speak again when the phone rang from behind her. "Don't go anywhere," she told Lindsey firmly, glancing at her sister as she did to let her know that she was talking to both of them. Buffy turned, crossed the hall, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"B, is that you?"
Buffy instantly recognized the voice on the other end of the line, and her eyes widened. "Faith? How - uh ..."
"Look, B, I really don't have a lot of time for chatting right now. Just listen, OK?" Buffy was silent, and Faith started talking again. "I'm back in town, at the motel, and Xander's here with me."
"Xander?" Buffy began. If she had looked back into the living room at that point, she would have seen both Dawn and Lindsey staring intently at her. "How ..."
"I just bumped into him. Look, it doesn't matter, alright? I didn't know who else to call here. I ... I think we got a problem."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Xander's sitting in here like a wandering zombie, and he's telling me his girlfriend's dead."
Buffy could only stand there, mouth hanging wide open, the colour draining from her face.
***
"Hi, we'd like a room, please?"
The man behind the reception counter looked up to see two women standing before him. One blonde, one brunette. And both of them really hot. He smiled. They were certainly getting some fine ladies in this morning. Too bad the last one had a guy with her when she checked in. But these two were here with nobody. Unless they were here with each other. His smile grew wider. "No problemo, ladies," he said, getting up from his stool and flicking the TV off. "We got a few rooms still available. Names?"
The blonde woman smiled. "This is Dru, and I'm Darla."
***
Nope, nobody here.
David Nabbit walked back down the stairs and into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel again. He had been to every floor in the building, looking for Angel. But Angel wasn't here, and neither was anyone else.
Sighing, then shrugging, David started heading for the exit. He stopped when he heard a loud hiss echo through the room from behind him.
T.B.C.