Part 1
Faith.
Faith got let out of
prison almost an hour ago. Actually, they kinda pushed her out.
'Good behavior, huh?' She
thought. Maybe she should have been more defiant…at least then she wouldn't
have to worry about having a place to go. But no, getting out was good. This
was good. This was…a chance? At a new life?
Faith hissed and
wondered how long it'd take her to fall off the bandwagon again.
It had been raining
nonstop since she walked out those doors. A sign maybe? Already three
passer-bys had been the potential victim of a robbery. Faith easily could've
taken that last one…stupid lady wouldn't have even known what hit her…and Faith
imagined she probably had a big wad of cash in her purse…a big wad of cash she
really could've used.
But Faith hadn't moved
a muscle as the unsuspecting idiot approached then passed then retreated,
trouble-free, and unbeknownst of the atrocious thoughts in the head of the
small homeless girl she chose to ignore.
She'd have done in it
a second…no sweat.
But for some reason,
she just didn't feel like it. She was too tired…
Yeah, that's a good
excuse.
And what the hell…it
was her first day out. She'd try to be good, she'd make the effort to go at
least one whole day on the goods. But tomorrow… 'Tomorrow,' She told herself,
reaching for some sort of familiar strategy, if anything just to make herself
feel better. She sighed to herself and lowered her eyes to the ground.
'Tomorrow, I can't promise anything.'
A black Plymouth
pulled up and the young black guy at the wheel opened the driver's side door
and got out and stared at her over the hood of the car. Faith stared back
repugnantly. If he offered her money to do him in the alley…
It'd be the second
time in twenty minutes.
"You Faith?" He asked.
"Yeah…what's it to
you?"
Gunn gave her a quick
once over and shook his head in some private amusement that was really starting
to piss Faith off…
"Angel sent me."
Faith tried to hide
her surprise. She glanced down at her shoes and pretended not to care. "Oh, did
he now,"
"Yeah." Gunn said.
"What the hell for?
What's the bleeding heart want with me now?"
"Don't know, don't
care. I'm just here to pick you up."
"Pick up this," She
said, flipping him off.
Gunn growled, growing
impatient with her attitude. Cordelia had warned him about the ex-con, but he'd
thought she'd been exaggerating.
"Look, I ain't got all
day to deal with some sarcastic and moody bitch. Sarcastic fine…I work with
Cordy. Moody, heh! I work with Angel! But bitch…? I hope I don't know you well
enough to call you that, I don't like addressing young ladies in that manner.
But so far, that's all you've given me to work off of, so until you prove
otherwise, that's how I'm gonna handle you. Angel sent me to getch you 'cause
he knew you was getting let out today. If you don't appreciate that, fine…It's
your life, your loss. I'll stop wasting my time."
The girl sat there
quietly, not making any attempt to stand or come towards the car or anything.
She just sat there still, not making eye contact, as the rain soaked into her
clothes.
"Well?" Gunn asked.
"You coming or not? Because I can just leave right now and you can sit out here
all night if you want. Drown in the rain…no skin off my nose." She still didn't
answer. Gunn heaved a sigh. "Fine, I'm out. Don't say I didn't try." He started
to climb back into the car, and Faith looked up.
"Wait!"
Gunn paused and stared
back at her. He could see the effort it was taking for her to surrender. He'd
seen a lot of hardened, troubled youths in his day, but this girl had to take
the cake. He had doubted the severity of some of the stories he'd heard… How
could one little girl be so full of hate? Apparently, he'd underestimated her.
She fidgeted on the
sidewalk before standing. She appeared apprehensive, and lingered just beyond
the car door. He decided to push her along a little.
"Come on, angry white girl.
Get in the car. The worst that could happen is you get yourself out of the
rain."
"How do I know Angel
really sent you, and you're not some kind of pervert, bent on raping and
killing me."
"Because for one, I
aint like that. Two, you know this is his car. Three, if I was some kind
of pervert, I wouldn't pick up a delinquent like you...I wouldn't want to loose
a hand…or anything else. You look too mean."
This brought a hint of
a smile to her lips. Gunn relaxed a little and grinned back. "My name's Gunn.
I'll be your babysitter for the next hour it takes to get back. No spitting,
cursing or stabbing in the car. If you can agree to that, I'm willing to give
you a chance."
Faith reluctantly
nodded her rain soaked head. Gunn sighed in agreement.
"Good. Now stop
foolin' around and get in the damn car. I'm getting wet."
"You know, you pull
off that drowned rat look really well," Cordelia cracked.
"Cordy…" Angel said
warningly, walking past her towards the drenched slayer. "Cool it."
Cordelia responded
with a roll of her eyes and a begrudgingly crossing of her arms.
"Gunn found you,"
Angel said, coming up before Faith and folding his arms apprehensively. He
looked her right in the eye, something Faith wasn't accustomed to anymore… In
the big house, you hid your eyes from everyone.
She looked down.
"Yeah," She mumbled
slightly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her wet denim jacket. She let
out a nervous, deep breath. "Lucky me, he did."
"She was sitting on
the curb," Gunn said, eyeing her as he walked past and headed in Cordelia's
direction.
"I'm surprised she
wasn't laying in the gutter," Cordy mumbled. Gunn
held his finger to his lips, signaling for her silence.
"And you came with
him," Angel said softly. Faith understood that he implied more than the simple
statement suggested.
"Yeah," She admitted,
glancing quickly back at him before lowering her eyes to the floor permanently.
He watched her momentarily before letting a small slip of a smile cross his
mouth. He leaned towards her and whispered,
"I'm glad. Come in."
With his hand on her
back, he guided her further into the Hyperion Lobby, and at the same time,
welcomed her into his life. Faith found it awkward.
"You're soaked," He
mentioned as he brought her towards the back of the lobby where the original
check in counter had been turned into a boundary between open space and a
makeshift research lab.
"It was raining," She
said dryly.
"Why were you sitting
on the curb?"
"I had nothing else to
do…"
"AHEM!" Cordelia
coughed, eyes ablaze as Angel let Faith sink onto a leather sofa as he
retrieved and handed her a towel. Faith started squeezing the water out of her
hair. Angel looked at Cordelia expectantly. Gunn shook his head but said
nothing, and fell into the desk chair behind him. Cordelia dropped her arms and
cocked her head at the ex-con, flashing Angel a harried look. "Rules, Angel! We
have rules! Explain the rules…"
"Oh." Angel looked
back at the young slayer and nodded. He cleared his throat, and started
nervously.
"Faith…I'm willing to
let you live here, I'll even give you a job. But you have to agree to a few
things first. And you have to swear…"
"I'll do whatever,"
She said dryly. "I have no where else to go. Just cut the bull and spill it,
and I'll agree."
"It might not be that
simple, girlie," Cordelia said skeptically, watching her with an air of
suspicion and intolerance. "Maybe you wanna hear the plan before you agree to a
promise you can't keep?"
"I can keep whatever,"
Faith bit, letting her eyes wander to the tall, slender ex-aspiring actress.
She flashed her an annoyed expression then let her eyes fall again. Cordelia's
eyes burned with impudence. They bore into Faith like a knife, but Faith was
too tired to engage her in a staring contest, and frankly, Faith didn't care to
win. She decided against anymore interruptions…the more she piped in, the
longer this would take, and she didn't want to have to listen to the ditz
complain anymore than she had to. The sound of her voice alone was enough to
make Faith want to maim, and Angel wouldn't approve. Besides, she wanted to
hear Angel speak. His need to help her was all she had left, so she'd deal with
his instructions…no matter how conforming. At that moment she vowed to do
whatever it took to keep herself in his good graces…even if it meant putting up
with the ditz. She glanced in Angel's direction. "Go on," She said quietly.
"First thing," He said
uneasily. "You mess up, you're out. And I mean it. I will leave you out in the
cold. I will drop you off at the train station with a one-way ticket out of
L.A. And I will have no problem doing it."
"Yeah," Cordelia piped
in. Angel gave her a look that sent her looking for something else to do. As
she started shuffling through paperwork, he turned back to Faith.
"Secondly…I want you
to make an attempt at doing something good. You don't have to work for me, I
understand if you don't. But you have to do something good for yourself if not
for others. I know that it's the only way you're going to be able to heal
yourself… It's going to be the only way that you're going to be able to get up
in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror without wanting to crawl back
in to bed and die. Believe me…I know…well, except for the mirror thing.
"And thirdly, if you
do anything to hurt anyone I care about, I will personally take you down." He
peered into her eyes. "Do you understand?"
She nodded wearily.
"Good. Then I think
that covers it." He relaxed and leaning back against the counter, he sighed.
He didn't like being
militant, but he'd promised Cordelia and Wesley that he wouldn't be lax with
this girl. Of course he'd never let her do again what she'd done in the past,
and he wouldn't give her the room to hurt his friends. And he didn't mind
laying down the ground rules, and he had no intentions of letting her stray.
But still…to be so scolding. To have to say, 'There are rules'…
It reminded him of
something… Of his father… And to know what he'd done to his parents because of
this same sort of speech…to know that his father had just been trying to
protect him, and then, the way he'd struck back…
To know he was now
taking the roll of a father; it just wasn't that comforting.
"You can pick any room
in the place that you want. I live on the third floor. Near or far, I'll give
you your privacy. I do prefer that you let me know when you're coming or
going…not to keep tabs on you, but…well, to keep tabs. I'll feel better knowing
you're safe."
"Sure, dad." Faith
mumbled, rolling her eyes. Angel paused letting his next sentence dangle on his
tongue before ditching the effort all together. He took another approach.
He walked up to the
girl, toe to toe, and bent down in front of her, getting in her face and making
her look at him. She recoiled back slightly, uncomfortable, and this pleased Angel.
He didn't know how to make this any clearer, and this was the most important
part. He wouldn't give her the opportunity to misunderstand.
"Faith…you give Wesley
his space, got it? You let him get used to you before you even try to be in the
same room as him. And don't ever threaten him. Don't ever remotely say anything
that he could take as threatening,"
She stared up at him.
"And I'm only telling
you this because I think you need to hear it to get the big picture. He's
terrified of you…and I don't blame him. Leave him alone, Faith, or I swear
you'll regret it. Got it?"
Wide eyed, she nodded
her head. "Sure Angel, I get it."
Angel nodded and
started to back off. Cordelia cleared her throat again, and Angel acknowledged
her with a soft roll of his eyes.
"And don't fight with
Cordy either…it gives me a headache.
Faith gave him an Ok,
you're the boss, then slumped down in her seat.
"Any room I want?"
Faith repeated. Angel nodded as he followed slightly behind her, hands clasped
behind his back as she shivered in the dim hallway.
She watched the
numbered doors go by.
They were on the
second floor.
"I think I found it,"
She said in a slightly humorous tone. Angel looked up.
"Uh…sixty-nine?" He
asked uneasily. She gave him a mischievous smile, then went forth and opened
the door.
Faith glanced around
quickly, standing shyly in the middle of the room.
"I'll take it," She
said.
"Are you sure…there
are other, bigger rooms,"
It was big enough. It
was a room.
"I want this one."
"Okay," Angel nodded, glancing
at the walls. "I'm just upstairs."
"Does this mean that
you can hear me?"
"Maybe…" Angel didn't
laugh. He walked over and pulled a large white sheet off the top of the bed.
Dust kicked up and Faith coughed. He bundled it up and dropped it outside in
the hallway. He pulled another off a large, vintage brown leather easy-chair
and again tossed it out into the hallway. Faith walked the room perimeter,
inspecting things and wiping her finger along the dusty walls. "I'll get a maid
service to come in here," Angel said apologetically.
"No sweat," Faith
answered quickly. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter…I can take care of it."
"No, it's okay.
There's a lot of work here, I'll just pay to have it done."
"It's not like I don't
have the time," She mumbled, mostly to herself. Angel watched her, her damp
hair still hanging in a shroud around her face.
"Make yourself at
home…the bathrooms through there," Angel pointed at a door. "Why don't you get
out of those wet clothes…"
Before he even
finished, Faith had peeled off her wet jacket, and started to lift her sopping
wet shirt, right in front of him.
Angel's eyes went
wide, and he quickly turned his back. Faith paused and stare at him, blushing
slightly in his discomfort.
"Sorry," She sighed.
"I'm so used to the guards…"
Angel heard her move
cross the floor to the bathroom, where she disappeared inside. Angel cleared
his throat then turned back and waited for her. After a moment, she reappeared,
wrapped in a white cotton towel and handed out her wet clothes to Angel, which
he readily accepted.
"There's a dryer in
the basement…I'll have Cordelia bring you something to wear in the meantime.
God knows she keeps enough clothes here,"
"They wouldn't fit." Faith said sternly.
"Of course they
would…I mean, she's a little bit taller than you,"
"No. They wouldn't fit
me."
Angel grew quiet in
understanding. Faith felt a tinge of guilt at making things suddenly awkward.
"You know…that tub
back there looks really good… So, I
think I'm gonna take a long, hot bath."
"Sure," Angel nodded.
"Your clothes should be dry by the time you get out. Are you hungry? I'll make
you something…you look hungry."
"A little," Faith
admitted.
"Okay." Angel smiled
and backed towards the door. "I'll leave your clothes on the bed when they're
done. Just come down when you're ready."
Faith nodded and Angel started to leave.
"Hey, Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Faith took her time.
She filled the tub to
the rim with hot water, adding some vanilla bath salts she'd found beneath the sink.
She didn't know how long they'd been there, but they still did the trick. She
swam around for nearly an hour, until the skin on her feet wrinkled like
prunes.
She hadn't had a
chance to soak in a tub in forever…it was so completely better than having to
shower with a bunch of prison dykes; that much was for sure.
She finally got out,
drying herself with her towel, and then went to the mirror.
With a swipe of her
hand, she cleared a fogged space in the glass and stared at her reflection.
It was hard to look at
herself. She rubbed her hands hard across her face. And no matter how long she
bathed, or how hard she scrubbed, she never felt quite clean.
She broke away from
her reflection and leaned over, wrapping the towel around her wet hair. She
stood up again, then without thinking, walked out into the other room…naked.
Cordelia was sitting
on the bed, next to a pile of unfamiliar clothing. Faith frowned.
Cordelia's face turned
red and she immediately averted her eyes.
"Do you always walk
around that naked!" She hissed.
"No…" Faith said with
a shrug. "I dressed down especially for you."
"Well, for gods sakes,
put some clothes on!"
"Can't, sorry, don't
have any. They're all in the dryer." Faith grinned, sauntering over to the large
leather chair and fell back into it, letting her leg swing carelessly over the
armrest. She leaned back, and folded her arms behind her turbaned head.
"Very tactful,"
Cordelia scowled.
"Hey, Angel said make
myself at home."
"Yeah, I'm sure he
meant it like that…" She rolled her eyes and got up, gathering the clothing
from the bed. "He said to bring you some clothes. Yours aren't dry yet, and as
much as you'd love to, no one here wants you walking around indecent. You'll
have to wear some of mine. Don't ruin them."
"It doesn't matter if
I'm dressed or not, I'll always be indecent."
"You said it, honey.
Not me." Cordelia flung the clothes at her and turned to walk out.
Faith ripped the blouse from her face and very deliberately hissed, "Thanks."
Cordelia paused,
turning back to watch her coldly, then walking back over to the naked wild
child, folded her arms.
"Angel says I have to
be nice to you…but don't think for a minute that I'm letting my guard down. I
don't trust you as far as I can throw you,"
"And with those
skinny, little arms, you couldn't throw me very far."
Faith smiled up at her
and Cordelia glared.
"Just watch yourself."
She let her eyes
linger, letting it be known she meant what she said. She turned and headed
straight to the door, the heels of her suede designer boots clicking across the
floor as she went, and the let herself out.
Faith looked down at
the sheer purply top in her hand and cringed.
"Is this
punishment???" She called out after her. "Or do you always dress like a bimbo!"
"Tomorrow, Cordelia, I
want you to take Faith shopping."
"ME!" Cordelia
snapped, almost dropping her fork in mid-bite. Faith looked uneasily between
the other three faces at the table.
Angel was sitting back
in his chair; his now empty dinner glass in front of him while he waited as
everyone else ate. Gunn ignored the conversation and continued shoveling down
his chicken cacciatore. Cordelia did drop her fork now in her plate and glared
blatantly across the table at Angel. Angel didn't mind in the slightest. He
knew she'd be mad.
"Yep." He said.
"Why?" She demanded,
eyes roughly taking in the quiet little wretch to her left. Faith kept her eyes
on her plate. She didn't like this anymore than Cordelia did.
"Because. You like to
shop."
"Yeah, so!"
"And you're a girl,
and who else better to accompany…another…girl."
"Angel!"
"Cordy!" he said,
mocking her. She scowled and hunched down in her seat.
"The things I have to
do around here!"
"You don't have to do
anything," Faith said glumly. "You don't have to take me. I don't even want to
go." She stabbed her fork into her chicken and stared at it.
"Faith, you need
clothes," Angel said.
"I've got clothes,"
She said uncertainly, looking down at the girly outfit she was wearing.
Cordelia continued to glare.
"You've got my
clothes," She reminded her. "You're just borrowing them."
"And as pretty as they
look," Angel said, giving Cordelia the eye. "They really aren't you, and I know
you don't feel comfortable in them, and I want you to have your own."
"Pretty?" Cordelia
hissed. "HEH!"
"Cordy," Gunn piped
in. "She look good an' you know it."
"Thank you, Mr.
Congeniality!"
Faith's eyes met
Gunn's briefly and he smiled genuinely at her. Then he started hacking into his
chicken again and was therefore out of the conversation.
"Cordy, don't be
difficult." Angel pleaded.
"Fine." She said
coldly, slamming her napkin down on the table. She sat back and crossed her
arms sourly in a huff. "I'll take her. Okay? I'll take her wherever you want me
to take her…Just stop talking about it, okay??? It's giving me a freaking
headache! Plus…the prospect is making me loose my appetite…"
"Cordy…Thank you. I
owe you one." Angel offered her a smile.
"Ohhh!" She eyed him.
"You do! You SOOOO DO!"
