Part 3
Faith closed her eyes as she rested her head back against the cool metal railing, stretching her legs out beneath her and away from the bench that she was sitting on. Angel was standing not too far away, leaning against a column that was shaded from the late afternoon sun. She could sense his eyes on her.
They were out in the courtyard of the Hyperion, just the two of them. She had been talking, not because she felt a need to, but because she knew that Angel liked playing Yoda and he wouldn't give up until he thought that he had helped her. It was just easier to pretend that she was sharing and growing. Besides, he needed the practice.
So what had she been talking about? Oh.
"It seems like such a fuck-up, y'know? I helped a demon with his plans to destroy Sunnydale, and in return, he destroys the evidence that would have put me in jail for the rest of my life. But after everything he did for me, I still failed him and he ends up dead. Then I finally get my shit together and I make this grand gesture and turn myself in, thinking that I could finally pay for everything I did. Yet I'm walkin' out after a year and I don't even want to be." She let out a long sigh, the sound rattling deep in her throat. "Just another great big fuck-up."
Angel came to sit beside her. "What was it like in jail? I mean, I know you told me some things when I came to visit you... but overall, what was it like?"
Faith shrugged. "I had a place to stay, food, clothes. They found out early on that I was pretty strong, but I'd handle any of the girls that came after me. I'd earn the occasional beatings from the guards because of that, but it wasn't too bad. Mostly I just laid low, kept out of the way... I left them alone and they left me alone."
"So nothing too bad?"
"Not really."
"So have you thought that maybe jail wasn't your chance at redemption? You just said that it was too easy. You didn't have much choice, everything you needed was handed to you. Maybe you're meant to be out here again, paying for what you did by making your own choices, by deciding to fight the good fight."
She nodded. It was good to see that the vamp was finally catching up. She had come to that conclusion on her own about six hours ago.
He patted her knee awkwardly, as if the whole matter had been resolved. Angel then got up without another word, and disappeared inside the hotel again.
Faith debated briefly whether or not to follow him, but she chose not to. She sighed again, leaning back as she gazed out to the horizon and the setting sun. It wasn't any wonder that Angel and Buffy were the great love story of all time. They were both the same, both preferring to wrap things up in pretty words and meaningful looks. It wasn't like that for her, she had always been a doer not a talker, and she knew that they wouldn't be able to help her with the way that she was feeling. But this time, she wasn't going to fuck up and freak, she'll just lay low and deal and maybe, maybe one day, she would be worthy of the goodness that the karaoke demon promised her would come.
+ + + + +
Cordelia looked up from the accounts she was working on, as the vampire came into the lobby by himself. "So how's the nutjob?" she asked in her usual bright voice.
"Cordelia..." Angel sighed. "I wish you wouldn't antagonise her so much. It's obvious how much she's changed."
"She does seem less... Faith. Did the prison people dope her up before she came out or something?"
"No, they didn't dope..." He checked the crabby tone that his voice was taking on. Cordelia had that effect on him; she could effortlessly get under his skin and break down the cool, brooding exterior that he had spent a hundred years trying to perfect. He strove for that quiet, deadpan voice that he liked to think was his trademark. "I think she's having trouble dealing with getting out of prison and having her life back again. It's why I want you to help her."
"Because I'm doing such a bang-up job with having a life." There was the barest hint of irony in the actress' voice, and Angel wondered if she was being sarcastic. Cordelia sighed. "What do you want me to do?"
"She needs someplace to stay... I thought she could move in with you."
"What?!" The actress' voice rose a few octaves. "Hello! You live in a hotel, remember? A hundred empty rooms. Even if she moves in here, you still have plenty of room to brood!"
"I don't think she'll be comfortable here. You said it yourself, Cordy... this place gives you bad vibes. She needs something normal and I can't ask Wes to take her in, and Gunn has trouble enough getting by on his own... besides, I thought this is what we do." He slid closer to her, giving her his best soulful look. "Help the helpless?"
"First of all, it's help the hopeless..." Cordelia jabbed her finger into his chest, emphasising her argument. "...second of all, those puppy-dog eyes don't work on me mister, and third of all... it's Faith! Crazy, psychotic, murdering bitch from hell! What if she suddenly snaps and kills me in my sleep?"
"She won't snap. Besides, you have Dennis to protect you."
"I have Casper, not his uncles! What could Dennis do, give her sodas until her bladder bursts?"
Angel sighed, tiring of this. "I'll pay you five hundred a month for her rent."
"And done." Cordelia calmed down instantly. She began to reach for the chequebook, her tone turning business-like as she spoke again. "I want to be paid up-front in cash pro rataed from today, then by cheque on the first of every month. I'll also need some extra now to buy her some bedding, and clothes and maybe another chest of drawers... and, well, you saw how much she ate at lunch today, I'm going to have to stock up the refrigerator... "
"Fine." Angel turned around and began to walk out in the direction of the courtyard again. "Draw up a list of what you need and how much it'll cost. I'll go tell Faith."
+ + + + +
Faith was still sitting where he had left her, her eyes closed as she turned her face up towards the sun. He studied her profile in repose. There was a sense of peace that surrounded her, a peace that he had never seen in her, not even before everything that happened in Sunnydale. She had dealt with whatever demons that had been inside her and was now ready to move on with her life. Much as he had when Whistler had first taken him to LA, to witness a new Slayer being called.
But Angel could sense that her newfound tranquillity went beyond having finally defeated her demons. She seemed to be almost numb on the outside, and he could see that the numbness was seeping into her soul. He knew that if she allowed that to consume her, it would be as dangerous as if she had let her the darkness take over.
The slayer suddenly spoke up, her eyes still closed. "The cheerleader giving you lip again?"
He was startled out of his reverie, and surprised at how sharp her senses were. "You heard what she said?"
"Not really. Just the occasional, high-pitched screech."
Smiling slightly, Angel descended the last few steps, and again sat down on the bench beside her. "I don't mind. She keeps me grounded, forces me to remember that I'm not some superhero who comes down from the sky to save someone's soul. You don't like her?"
Faith opened her eyes, a brow lifting in surprise at the directness of his question. "Nah, never had much of a problem with Queen C. She's straight-up, what you see is what you get. I like that. And it probably explains why she sucks as an actress."
"Might be a bit more than that," he replied, the smile twisting into a smirk as he recalled the torturous hours that he had gone through watching Cordelia perform in a bunch of small plays over the past two years. Then a sudden wave of guilt washed over him, at how he insulted his friend. "She's not that bad," he added. But the lie sounded hollow in his own ears. He lamely amended it to "She's getting better."
Faith was watching him, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. "She's really gotten to you, huh?"
Angel gave her a rueful look. "Cordelia has that effect on people."
"I bet."
She had given him a perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of where she was going to stay but before he could take advantage of it, Faith spoke again, looking away from him as she did.
"Is Wes around? I'd... I'd like to talk to him."
Angel cleared his throat. "Uh, he asked for the day off. I, I think he might have gone back to Sunnydale for the weekend. He mentioned that there's a book he wanted to pick up from Giles."
"Great." Faith exhaled loudly, her shoulders slumping. "Him and B can get together and come up with the best way to kill me."
"Faith..."
"No, it's cool. Cordy told me that he still freaks whenever my name is mentioned. I mean, I tortured the guy nearly to death, no way would he be here to welcome me with open arms. Didn't expect him to leave the city though."
"Faith, he'll come around. Just give him time."
"Time. Yeah." The slayer sighed again. "Because I've got so much of that now."
"About that..." He knew that the opening wasn't as suitable as it would have been before. One hundred years of solitude and he was still trying to get used to the nuances of human conversation. "Cordelia and I were talking... how would you like to move in with her?"
"What?!" Faith stared at him in horror.
"Only until you get back on your feet," he quickly added.
She hurriedly stood up, her posture suddenly defensive. "Dude, I land on my feet. If you don't want me in your hair, then I'll get gone. I'm not gonna be some charity case."
"Faith, I... I never meant..." Angel sighed, and looked up at her. "I'll level with you. Not too long ago, Wesley pointed out how much Cordy had changed. She doesn't date, she doesn't have any friends, she stays home and reads on a Saturday night... and I didn't even notice. She started this thing with Gunn a few weeks ago, and I'm happy for them... but I thought you could... you know, be her friend?"
Faith looked at him, then threw back her head and laughed. "God... you mean go shopping with her and do makeovers and stuff? That ain't gonna happen, big guy and you know it."
"Then take her to nightclubs, and... and... just listen to her whenever she feels like talking about things she doesn't feel comfortable saying around Gunn or Wes or me. Please."
The slayer paused for one moment, her dark eyes growing even more hooded as she considered his request. She finally met his gaze again, and Angel could see that her resistance was weakening. "May Queen will never agree to this."
"She's inside drawing up a list of what you'll need right now."
"Either I'll kill her or she'll drive me crazy."
Angel smirked. "Probably." He paused. "So you'll do it?"
The slayer shrugged. "Helping Queen C find the fun again. Yeah, I'm up for it." But she was still eyeing him a little suspiciously. "How much are you payin' for her to agree to this?"
"Um..." The vampire had the grace to look embarrassed. "Five hundred a month."
"What?!"
"Look, Faith, it's no big deal, all right? If I've got a rough case, I'll give you a call, you put your life on the line for me, and we'll work it off."
"So I work for you now?" The question came out flat, but there was a part of her that felt something that felt a little like hope. He was giving her a place to stay, things to do. She liked the thought that he was looking out for her.
"Just on a case-by-case basis. I'd offer you a full time job, but..."
"I know." She jumped in before he got all uncomfortable again, trying to find a way to tell her that he didn't want her around. "You've got the brains, the brawn and the beauty already. Don't need me around."
"No. No, it's not that." He said it so firmly that she couldn't doubt that it was true. "I just don't want to be dumping this on you, and making it your cause. You've got to find your own path to walk."
Faith smiled a little, remembering what he had tried to tell her twice before. "Out of that darkness, you mean?"
Angel returned her smile. A smile still looked odd on him; it came out
shy and hesitant, like he was still remembering how it was done. But at
the same time, it somehow suited him and Faith had to admit that it warmed
her. "Aren't you out already?"
Continued in Part 4...