CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It's a surprise

"When Dawn and I first started out together, I was inexperienced with the whole relationship thing, and didn't want to screw things up. I had no one to talk to, so I approached the Captain. I figured, being older, he knew more and could give me his expert advice on women and relationships. After he stopped laughing, he gave me some sage advice that stuck and I still live by. Know when you're wrong and don't be afraid to admit it. Saying 'I'm sorry' is just as important as saying 'I love you'… and it's the little things, each day that matter. The other reason I remember all this is because of what he added at the end. He said I would have to watch myself because if I ever hurt Dawn, Buffy would probably hunt me down. I thought he was joking, but sometimes I caught Buffy looking me over as if she was sizing me up…"

— From the collected journals of Admiral Aaron Hanson

oOoOo

Riley took a sip from his coffee cup, trying to stay relaxed and inconspicuous while projecting the outward appearance of a guy out enjoying his lunchtime walk in the park. The baseball cap and sunglasses he wore allowed him to blend in with the other park goers. Despite the relaxed image he projected, his gut tightened as he scanned for any threats as he neared the rendezvous.

His earpiece crackled with Samantha's voice, "You look clear… no tails."

Despite her reassurances, Riley's nerves were still on edge over this meeting. General Coulson hadn't been forthcoming on all the details and the reasons behind this meeting, but he'd made it clear this was an important sensitive matter. The last thing they needed was to draw unwanted attention on themselves or their contact. To keep a low profile, he'd only brought Samantha for backup. It was risky, but the fewer people involved the better for everyone.

The meeting place was a park bench towards the middle of the park. His contact was already sitting there, looking relaxed while eating a sandwich from a lunch bag next to him on the bench. Riley took another sip from his coffee, sitting down on the far end of the bench from his contact, trying to appear relaxed as he eased back in the seat.

"It's a beautiful afternoon…" the sandwich eating man said, between bites, his British accent standing out.

Riley nodded, "Uh-huh," he said, taking another sip.

A long moment of silence passed as both men continued their pretenses while park goers walked, jogged or rode past them.

The sandwich eating man, paused and glanced at his watch, "Oh dear, I must get back to the office. I don't think I can finish the other half of this sandwich," he said, standing up, but leaving his lunch bag on the bench.

Riley continued his nonchalant performance as the other man turned to leave, "You know what they say about sandwiches…? It's what's in the middle that makes it taste good. Just be careful before you take a bite," Wesley Wyndam-Pryce said before walking away.

Riley kept an eye out for any threats as Wesley walked away. He waited a few more minutes before leaving, grabbing the lunch bag as he stood up. He forced himself to keep a leisurely pace as he made his way towards the park exit to join up with Samantha at their pre-arranged meeting point. With each step, he struggled with his curiosity and temptation to check out the bag to see what Wesley had left for them.

oOoOo

"I'm okay, will you stop hovering over me!"

Paul's annoyed tone didn't dissuade Faith as she helped him to his cabin, "I'm not the one that got himself thrown across the room by a demon!"

"Yes, I banged my head, I'm not crippled!" he said, yet he didn't shake off her support as they entered his cabin.

"This isn't a simple bump on the head! You're walking like you've just tied one on!" she said, the worry and concern obvious on her face.

"I'm fine… the med-techs said all I need is rest."

Faith shook her head, "I was there! They wanted to keep you overnight for observation."

"And I told them that if they wanted me to rest, then I wanted to do it in my cabin, in my own bed."

Faith sighed, rolling her eyes, "Are you always this stubborn?"

Paul smirked, "Pretty much… and hardheaded. That's probably why there wasn't much damage."

Faith sighed again, shaking her head, "That wasn't funny! You scared the hell out of me! What were you thinking back there?"

"Hey, it's not like I planned to wrestle a demon!"

"How's the hand?"

Paul lifted his bandaged hand, flexing it open and close several times, "See, it's fine… no problems."

"Liar, I saw you wince."

"It's fine… I'm fine," he said, shaking off her hand and walking across the room by himself before sitting down on the edge of his bed.

Despite her skepticism, Faith was thankful for this momentary distraction. The torrent of emotions and feelings she'd experienced, when she'd seen Paul get hurt, still bubbled just beneath the surface. It bothered her of how afraid she'd been when she'd seen him lying there, not knowing if he was alive or dead. She found herself afraid of all these feelings and emotions because she couldn't deal with them right now. She struggled to bury it all, turning her focus back to Paul's wellbeing as she'd noticed him wobbling on his walk to the bed.

"M-Maybe we should go back to the hospital… maybe they missed something," she said.

Paul sighed, "Will you stop worrying… I'm fine. I've had worse. You don't need to stick around."

Faith shook her head, "The only reason they let you go, was I said I would keep an eye on you, and you're not getting off that easily."

Paul noted the worry and concern in her voice and on her face. He'd heard about what she'd done to the demon after he'd gone down. The level of violence and brutality she'd inflicted on the demon had shocked him. He thought he knew what a Slayer was, but this had given him a new insight into Faith. Yet, despite the shock he could see her worry, concern and compassion. Before all this started, he'd asked her what was going on between them. There was the temptation to ask her the question again, but a part of him already knew her answer even if she wasn't ready to admit it aloud.

He could recall that moment when the demon fired the Gallant in Faith's direction. A mix of fear and nervousness filled him knowing he was in a place he'd never wanted or expected to be in again. Along with that fear and nervousness, there was also a resolve for him not to repeat the mistakes of the past. He'd screwed up so many times before with Sonia and other women, he wouldn't push or rush Faith if she wasn't ready.

He again noted her concern and worry as he stood up and moved towards her. A soft reassuring smile filled his face as he met her eyes. Time froze as he breathed in her beauty and brushed her hair and face with his hand. He leaned in and kissed her, his lips brushing hers, feeling the warmth from them.

"I'm feeling much better now… honest," he whispered, pulling away from her.

The worry and concern filling Faith's face lessened as a smile took root, "Okay… If you'll excuse me," she said in a matching whisper.

Paul nodded as she turned and headed into the bathroom. With Faith out of the room, he sat back down on the edge of the bed. Even though his legs seemed steady, the room had a slight spin, and he still had a headache. A sigh escaped as he realized Faith and the med-techs were right, and he should take it easy and not push it right now.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom, "What do you want to do this evening?" Paul said.

His mind drifted as the room stopped spinning and his headache faded. His thoughts were on other matters and places as the water turned off and the bathroom door opened. A soft silky voice caught his attention, "Only if you're feeling better…"

Confusion and surprise reigned supreme as Paul turned and saw Faith standing in the bathroom doorway… she was naked except for her panties.

"Um… uh…" he stuttered as his eyes took in her body. The light from the bathroom framed her body as he devoured every curve and detail… her hair, the tattoo on her arm, the scar on her abdomen. Faith moved towards him in a manner that reminded him of a predator stalking its prey just before it struck. Her slow deliberate movements only enhanced her beauty and grace.

"For someone that has to make important decisions, you seem a little slow and unsure of yourself," she taunted, her voice taking on a sexy husky tone. A smile spread across her face as she pushed him back on the bed and crawled on top of him, straddling him.

"Uh…" he said, struggling to find his voice. Anticipation flared inside him, laying there looking up losing himself in her, his eyes meeting hers, seeing the hunger, desire, and want filling them.

"Hmmm… maybe we should take you back to the hospital for them to take another look at you," she teased, seductively running a finger down his chest.

Faith leaned in closer, pressing her body against his. The heat pulsing from her body seared through his uniform. His body responded as his own hunger grew and took over, any remaining aches and pains faded, "No, ma'am!" he whispered, finding his voice.

"That's good…" she whispered as she hungrily kissed him.

oOoOo

Dawn didn't realize she'd drifted off to sleep until a part of her registered a voice saying her name. Her first instinct was to tell Buffy to leave her alone and let her sleep a little longer. Yet, as she woke up and became more alert, she realized it was someone else, and not her sister who was saying her name.

"Hi, there," Aaron said, smiling.

Dawn became more alert as she woke up and focused on his face. The first thing she noted was the deathly pale look to his face was fading and his color was returning. That he was awake and smiling showed he was doing better and was recovering.

"How're you feeling?" she said, filled with a mix of relief and worry along with other confusing emotions and thoughts.

"Like someone shot me," Aaron said, giving her a crooked grin.

"That's not funny!" Dawn said, the painful memory of when they brought in his bloody body replaying in her head.

Aaron's grin faded, seeing his attempted joke backfire, "Sorry…" he said.

Dawn sighed, cursing herself for snapping at him. She tried changing the subject, "Do you remember what happened?"

Aaron's eyes drifted past Dawn as he pulled up the memories, "I was on my way down here to check on you when that-that thing came out. I-I w-watched it kill the med-tech in front of me… there was nothing I-I could do…"

Dawn cursed herself again for being so insensitive. The pain and guilt filling Aaron's face stabbed at her soul. This only added to her own growing guilt she'd been nursing, knowing the reason he'd been shot was because of her.

"It's not your fault! There was nothing you could do but raise the alarm. You're just lucky it was only a graze, and you didn't get hurt worse or…" Dawn's voice faded as her guilt threatened to overwhelm her.

Aaron noticed the change in her, "What's wrong?"

Dawn sighed, finding it unbearable knowing it was her fault for Aaron getting shot, "It's my fault you got shot! If I hadn't collapsed on the bridge, you wouldn't have had to come down here! You wouldn't have gotten shot!" she blurted out, trying to keep herself from crying.

Dawn's tearful confession caught Aaron by surprise. This wasn't what he'd expected when he'd regained consciousness, finding Dawn asleep in the chair next to his bed. He didn't immediately wake her up, but laid there watching her sleep, committing every detail of her to memory… like how her chest moved as she breathed. He had to keep himself from laughing out loud when she snorted and some drool formed at the corner of her mouth. A surprising wave of happiness and contentment washed over him as he imagined what it would be like to hold her tightly and run his fingers through her hair.

Dawn's tears and unnecessary guilt stirred something in his soul, "It's not your fault I got shot!" he said, using a forceful tone that even surprised himself.

His tone caught Dawn by surprise. An unexpected surge of excitement flowed through her seeing this more forceful and aggressive side of Aaron. Unbidden thoughts and desires surged forward overtaking her guilt. From some strange reason she recalled her early curiosity about handcuffs and her imagination was now taking her down paths that stoked her excitement and desires.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, noting the quizzical expression on Aaron's face as their eyes met and she struggled to keep herself from blushing.

The strange expression on Dawn's face puzzled Aaron, but at least she wasn't beating herself up anymore. He wanted to move on to something else that was more important to him, "Did they find out what happened to you? What caused you to pass out… and glow?"

Dawn tried not to wince at his question. She'd been dreading this question and what to tell him. While the medical staff had no medical reason to explain why she'd collapsed and glowed like a firefly, she suspected what caused it. The part of her that was The Key screamed that something had happened–was happening–along with an unexplainable sense of dread.

Meeting Aaron's eyes again, she pushed the growing dread back down and focused on what she would tell him. Buffy and Giles had always warned her about telling people who and what she was. Her subconscious voice chimed in, screaming warnings he wouldn't understand, and would look upon her as some kind of freak. This only added to the tug-of-war of emotions waging inside her while she debated what to do.

She realized how deep her feelings were for Aaron, and she didn't want to lie to him about herself. He deserved to know the truth about her. If she lied to him now, and he found out later that would end any chance of a future with him. If her heart was going to get broken, she'd rather do it now rather than later.

"T-There's something I need to tell you…" she said, gathering her courage to continue.

She fought to keep herself from crying as she told him everything about who and what she was, and what had happened to her. Aaron was quiet as he listened and absorbed everything she told him. He took a moment to realize she'd finished and was now watching him, trying to gauge his reaction.

When Aaron didn't immediately respond, Dawn took his silence as a bad sign, getting up to leave, "I-I'm sorry. I care about you and thought you deserved to know the truth about me. If you don't want to see me again, I understand," she said, struggling to keep her tears in check until she left the room.

"Where're you going?" Aaron said, trying to still grasp everything Dawn had dropped on him.

"I-I thought you wouldn't want to be around me…" she said, her voice quivering.

"Did I tell you to leave?" Aaron said.

"Well, no…"

A smile grew on his face as he decided, knowing it was the right and best decision he would ever make, "Then why are you leaving?" he said.

Dawn's heart beat faster as the moment slowed and everything sunk in. A smile grew on her face as a flood of joy and happiness flowed over her. She leapt towards the bed to grab and hug Aaron.

"ARM! WATCH THE ARM!" he said, in a panicked voice seeing her leaping towards him.

"Sorry!" she said, a sheepish expression replacing her smile at realizing what her exuberance almost did.

Aaron exhaled in relief and slid over, making room for Dawn in the bed next to his good arm. She didn't hesitate taking his invitation, snuggling up into his right arm while a huge smile again filled her face. They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Aaron leaned in and kissed Dawn. Their first kiss may have looked awkward to the outside observer, but neither of them cared.

oOoOo

The data streaming across Commander Schmidt's engineering station display screen had become just one big blur from staring at it for so long. There was finally enough sensor and scanning data collected from the restored sensors to put a computerized data model together. He'd hoped to finish sooner, but the intruder had disrupted his work, delaying him from finishing his data model program. Even though the disruption and delay still rankled, he was thankful the intruder had caused no further casualties or damage.

He tried to sit back and relax, taking a drink of lukewarm coffee and rubbing his eyes as the program ran, compiling all the data. He didn't know how long it would take for the program to run and spit out results, the amount of data he'd plugged into it was immense.

His eyes shot open–he hadn't realized he'd dozed off–as a ding from his console informed him the program had finished. As he typed in commands on his console, a growing dread filled the pit of his stomach as he viewed the results. He tried to push down his growing dread as he activated a comm channel.

"Bridge… Commander Schmidt here."

"Yes, sir."

"Can you scan sector One-Two-Eight by Two-One-Two?"

"Yes, sir. Can you standby for a moment?"

Schmidt waited anxiously for the response, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Please be wrong…

"Sir, we show nothing in that sector of space."

Schmidt exhaled a small sigh of relief, but this news didn't remove the growing dread, "Keep scanning that area and if anything… and I mean anything appears. I want to know ASAP. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The Commander tried relaxing as he ran the data model again and double-checked the data. He kept hoping he was wrong, but the data model results still came out the same. It was five hours later when the bridge called only to confirm his growing sense of dread and fear.

"Sir, less than five minutes ago, we picked up signals at those designated co-ordinates. We've identified it as debris from the Vanguard!"

Schmidt's stomach dropped away at the news that confirmed the start of what his data model was telling what would happen. The voice on the other end of the comm channel brought him back to the moment.

"Sir, should we inform the Captain?"

Schmidt sighed, knowing he needed more evidence to confirm his data model before taking his fears and foretelling of doom to the Captain, "No… I'll inform the Captain myself. What I need now is for you to scan the following co-ordinates and notify me the second you detect anything in those areas. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

He rattled off a series of different space co-ordinates that would help him confirm and plot the spatial effect he thought was occurring before cutting the comm channel. He was too much on edge now to relax as he once again pulled up and reviewed the sensor data to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.

Please god… let me be wrong…

oOoOo

Faith listened to Paul's heart beating as she rested her head on his chest. It was a soothing sound, but it didn't allay the troubled tangle web of emotions and feelings still weighing at her. There was still that voice in her head still shouting at her to leave, but it seemed somewhat muted at the moment. A deep sigh escaped as she tried to understand what her thoughts and emotions were trying to tell her, and what she should do.

"You okay?" Paul asked, catching her sigh.

"Just thinking."

"Anything I should know about or can help with?"

"No," she said, using a somewhat more abrupt tone than she wanted.

"Something wrong?"

Can't he leave it alone for now, she thought. The last thing she needed was Paul piling on top of her inner turmoil with his constant questions, they were getting on her nerves.

"No… can we leave it at that!" she said.

There was a long pause, before Paul spoke again, "It's about us, isn't it?"

Faith let out another deep sigh, "I said to leave it alone!"

"Why?"

Faith was at war within herself. She wanted to tell Paul what she was thinking. Yet, she realized she was still carrying around a lot of baggage and didn't think he would understand and stick around if she unloaded it all on him. She believed she wasn't capable of or deserving of any happiness. She was finding herself trapped in a situation she was ill-equipped to deal with.

A part of her wanted to run away, but then there was the part of her happy when she was with him and wanting to stay. She tried to ignore his question, trying to lose herself in the sound of his heartbeat.

Faith sighed, "Please, can we not talk about this right now?"

Paul added his own sigh. He knew he had a choice. His instincts were to push and force the issue to get it out in the open and deal with just like if he was in combat. The tone in her voice warned him she wasn't ready for it and if he pushed her, he would only end up pushing her away.

"Okay… you win," he said, catching her sighing in relief.

They laid there, neither of them could sleep each caught up in their thoughts and feelings. Paul broke the impasse, moving to get out of the bed which caught Faith by surprise.

"What's wrong?" she said, worried he was angry at her.

"Nothing… go get dressed," he said, picking up his uniform and getting dressed.

Her confusion grew, but she followed, getting out of bed and retreating to the bathroom to cleanup and get dressed. When she came out, she saw Paul at his desk using his communications system.

"Thanks, Chief. We'll be down in less than ten minutes," he said, ending his call.

"What's going on?" she asked, puzzled by what was happening.

Paul's smile caught her by surprise, putting her off-balance, "It's a surprise… let's go," he said.

Faith's curiosity grew as Paul took her hand in his and led her from the cabin to the ship's elevators, "Come'on, where're we going?"

His poker face gave nothing away, "Deck-Ten… and I'm not going to ruin the surprise."

Faith's confusion only grew as they exited the elevator, heading down another corridor. She recognized where they were heading, "Why are we headed for the launch bay?"

Paul said nothing, but his smirk grew as they continued down the corridor.

Faith eyed him, "If this is you wanting to get it on in or around your fighter, you can tell me. I'm pretty open-minded, there's no need for all the suspense," she said, trying to get a clue about what was going on.

His smirk remained in place as they approached the launch bay entrance. Her curiosity and surprise only increased as the deck door opened and Chief Larson exited from the launch bay.

"Captain… Faith," Larson said, giving the couple a smile as she passed them in the corridor.

"Thanks, Chief. Have a good night," Paul said, giving Larson a nod.

"You too, sir. Hope you enjoy it, Faith," Larson said, her smile growing as she eyed Faith.

This only added to Faith's confusion, and she nodded blankly in return unsure of what to say or do. She eyed Paul again, his smirk still in place.

"Come, my lady. Your chariot awaits you," he said, holding out his arm and directing her to enter the launch bay.

Faith shook her head, but played along as she took the lead and entered the launch bay. The huge launch bay was lit up, but was empty, except for two fighters parked off to the sides and themselves. She still didn't know why they were here, and her thoughts returned to her original idea of Paul wanting to have sex down here.

As she scoped out places where they could do it, Paul leaned in, "This way," he whispered, taking her arm and leading her across the deck.

They didn't go far. When they stopped, Faith blinked not believing what she was looking at, "Is that for me?" she said, her voice rising in excitement.

Paul nodded, his smile growing from seeing her excitement, "Yup… this is the VR-041 Saber Cyclone armed with the Close Assault and Defense System. I figured the CADS blades would be more your style."

Faith didn't hesitate, jumping on the Cyclone's seat and checking out its controls. She'd driven her fair share of bikes, so some controls seemed familiar, but then there were buttons and controls that were a complete mystery to her. Her heart raced anticipating starting up this bad boy and taking it for a spin. A sudden thought entered her head which put the brakes to her excitement.

"Why?" she said, eyeing Paul as she found herself looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Paul shrugged, "Can't a guy do nice things for his—"

Faith's demeanor changed as her temporarily forgotten emotional baggage came rushing back, "I thought we put this conversation on hold?" she said, shaking her head.

"It's just a saying…" he sighed, wishing he'd thought first before answering.

His answer didn't completely mollify Faith, but her excitement was too hard to keep restrained, "This isn't some sort of gift to thank me for the sex…? Not that I'm complaining about getting this bitchin' ride," she said, eyeing Paul again.

Paul shook his head, "No, I'm actually taking care of some business by giving you this Cyclone."

His response piqued her curiosity, "How?"

"Lieutenant Evans informed me that a number of Potentials have expressed an interest in taking flight training and becoming fighter pilots…"

This news caught Faith by surprise. She wondered about the number of Potentials involved and who as Paul continued, "I'm going to let them join the training which also got me thinking about other things. I think giving you something like this would give you an advantage, but there is one big string attached…"

Out of habit, Faith rolled her eyes hearing there were conditions attached, "Isn't there always," she muttered.

Paul sighed, hoping his 'big string' wouldn't be an issue with her, "This 'bitchin' ride' is unlike any vehicle you've ever driven before. You're going to learn how to use it so you become an even more effective weapon with it. Sergeant Bronowski will oversee your training."

"How hard is that going to be?" she snorted, bristling at the thought of training along with her deep-seated distrust of authority.

"I was going to tell you, but I think I'll let you enjoy that experience," Paul laughed, reading her expression.

"Whatever… I'm sure it'll be a snap. When do I start this training?" she said, rolling her eyes again.

"Tomorrow, if you like."

Faith's raced with thoughts and excitement, "Are you going to give Buffy one of these too?"

"I'll talk to her tomorrow, but this right now is just your moment," Paul said, smiling as he moved closer to Faith.

His sentimentality caught her by surprise, but her excitement over the Cyclone took over, "Can I start her up?" she said.

Paul wondered when she would finally ask. That was why he had Chief Larson bring the Cyclone to the launch bay in the first place, "Go ahead. Just take it slow and watch yourself… don't want you smacking into a wall."

Faith shook her head as Paul gave her a quick rundown on the Cyclone and what buttons and levers to touch along with not what to touch right now. The roar of the Cyclone's engine echoed through the deserted launch bay as she started the motorcycle. Excitement raced through her as she revved the engine several times before letting go of the brake and screaming down the launch bay deck.

Paul watched as the Cyclone took off down the deck, the engine reverberating through the launch bay. He could have sworn he could hear Faith yelling over the engine. He watched as she slammed the Cyclone's brakes at the far end of the launch bay and turned around and came roaring back, screeching to a stop beside him.

"This is wicked!" she shouted while revving the engine.

"You're welcome…" Paul said, the roaring engine drowning out his voice.

"Did you say something?"

Paul shook his head, rolling his eyes, "Nothing."

Faith cut the engine, sitting there savoring the moment. A sheepish smile filled her face as she eyed Paul, "I-I don't know what to say…"

"Thank-you usually works."

Faith sighed, "Yeah… thanks. I mean it. Not many people have given me gifts without wanting something from me in return…"

Paul understood what she was saying. His own experiences from living on the streets had taught him the hard way that no one ever gave you something without wanting something in return.

He shrugged while pushing back on the old memories, "The only condition is that you take the training, so you know how to use it properly. You don't even have to have sex with me anymore if you don't want to… if that makes you feel better."

Faith reached out, grabbing the front of Paul's uniform, pulling him close, "Yeah… no… that's not going to happen," she said, smirking.

Paul didn't resist as a smile filled his face, "Well… only if you insist," he said, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yeah, I insist," Faith said, kissing him hard.