YELLOW BRICK ROAD
By: Lisette (lisette@chaletian.co.uk)
Rating: PG-13 so far - might change later on.
Distribution: Want, take, have. Just e-mail me first.
Summary: Faith is released from prison - but there's a catch.
Feedback: God, please.
Angel, Buffy, the whole lot, belong to JW, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who officially owns them. I don't. Big surprise.
*** *** ***
Who Has the Crossbow?
A still silence drifted over the hotel foyer, and Wesley, bizarrely, found time to note that the spider plant on top of the bookcase needed watering as he turned to face the slayer. He also saw Angel and Cordelia turn, the latter holding the baby in her arms close, an expression of fear and…well, general snootiness, flitting across her face.
"Faith." Angel, master of the obvious, stepped towards the girl…woman standing before him, cocky attitude firmly in position, crossbow pointing at his heart. Her finger tensed, and he halted, his hands raising instinctively. "I'm not going to hurt you." A laugh erupted from the slayer, and genuine amusement seemed to flash in her eyes.
"Okay, who has the crossbow here?"
"So, Faith, nice to see you. Why aren't you in prison? Preferably being beaten up." Tact and Cordelia, Wesley recalled, had never been close friends.
"Well, C, looks like they let me out. Tough one to figure out, I know."
"I'll say," murmured Cordelia.
"You know, C, you're looking a whole lot braver over there than when I knocked you out."
"Bite me, Faith."
"If you really want me to, I'm game."
"Faith." Her attention switched back to Angel, the crossbow, lowered slightly during her exchange with Cordelia, rose to its former position, perfectly placed for reducing Angel to a pile of dust. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was planning to kill you. Then, I don't know…coffee?" Silence reigned once more, as vampire and slayer stared at each other. Dust motes sparkled in the morning sun, while outside the muted drone of traffic could be heard. Connor fussed, and Cordelia stroked his head gently, murmuring to him. Wesley noticed that a book had fallen off the shelf, and made a note to pick it up later. And Faith and Angel just stood.
Slowly, the crossbow was lowered, until she finally let go, and it clattered to the marble floor. She followed, crumpling to a heap on her knees, hair falling forwards to hide her face.
*** *** ***
"I didn't know what to do." Faith felt the floor beneath her hands, and spread her fingers wide, absorbing the cold smoothness of the marble. Her hair swirled around her head, and for a moment, just for a moment, she didn't feel anything at all, just the cold floor at her fingertips. But then, "I didn't know what to do."
Footsteps came close, then hands closed around her arms, drawing her up, leading to the plush round sofa in the middle of the foyer. A hand brushed back her hair, and she looked up.
"What happened, Faith?" Angel knelt in front of her, while Cordelia, and Wesley, further back, hovered behind him. Faith took a moment to register the baby - when did that happen? - then turned her attention to Angel.
"They just let me out." She shrugged. "I don't know, I thought it was weird. It wasn't real - nothing was real. Then they came to see me."
"They?"
"Those lawyers. They wanted me to kill you. Said they got me out of jail, they could help me."
"And you just said yes?" The astringent tones were pure Cordelia.
"I didn't know - it's so hard. I want…I should be good, but all the time, inside, I just want to hurt people." A tear fell, and she looked at Angel. "This redemption - I don't think it works. Or maybe I don't work."