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.

Okay, a few notes. Firstly, I haven't seen any of season 3 yet, though I know vaguely what happens. So, definitely after "Billy", and Fred and Gunn are getting with the happy, but "WITW" never happened.

Please, please review - I need to know what people think! I have a fragile ego and it needs bolstering! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed - you have made me a happy person!

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Chapter Eighteen - The Garishly Pink "Thor's Revenge"

Down in the Hyperion's boiler room, Angel was catching up on his reading. He had an assortment of demon-esque texts that Wesley had enthusiastically recommended, as well as a textbook on basic science - Fred's contribution, in an effort to really bring him up to snuff on the twenty-first century. Lastly, Cordelia had handed him a torrid romance, with a muscular Viking on the front cover, raven haired beauty swathed around him. Needless to say, it was this latter he was buried in when Wesley came a-knocking in the afternoon.

"Angel! What happened to the Agerian texts?" he expostulated, gazing in horror at the two entwined lovers, under the garishly pink "Thor's Revenge". Angel looked evasive.

"Couldn't sleep. I needed something to…"

"What happened to Brother Anselm? Something tells me that Thor, whoever he is, and I presume they're not referring to the Norse god, is not the soothing type. Quite the opposite, I'd say."

"I don't know. A few muscle-bound hunks of manhood, and they all start to look the same." The two men turned in surprise at the voice behind them.

"Hello, Faith."

"Wes. Hey, Angel. I didn't really peg you for the trashy romance type… No, wait. All that angst with B - should have known." Wesley emitted what sounded suspiciously like a muffled chuckle, and Angel changed the subject quickly, uncomfortably reminded of the "show" Wesley and Cordelia had put on for Fred to explain his relationship with Buffy ("I love you so much I almost forgot to brood!").

"So, what's the situation with our friends at Wolfram & Hart?" Faith sat down and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Well, they figure you're dead - Wesley too," she added, much to the surprise of the gentleman in question.

"Me?" She nodded.

"They already knew about you coming to beat up on me. Lilah thinks I've chopped you into little bits and fed you to the fishes." Wesley looked slightly concerned at this.

"That's rather inconvenient. I suppose I'll have to lay low now."

"Nope. I never actually said I killed you. I guess it'll keep them on their toes." Angel and Wesley both grinned at this, and she smiled back, for once neither mocking or self-condemnatory. Then the smile slid off her face, and in the moment before she spoke, Wesley found himself missing that smile.

"She told me to find out where Angel's child was."