Lindsey saw Faith land -- hard -- behind the big ugly that was trying
to force him into a freefall. He didn't care how she'd found him or gotten
to the roof so quickly. The more pressing question was, what the hell was
she doing? She was going to screw up his last great plan.
"Faith, get the hell out of here!" he screamed.
"I know what you're doing," she said. The demon turned its attention to her and advanced. She fired a crossbow into it, with no effect.
"You know shit," he countered. "Now go away."
Faith didn't answer. She had more immediate problems, like the 300- pound mass of veins and ooze barreling at her. She dodged what could have been a killer blow and launched herself through the air. She was surprised when she bounced off its rubbery skin and fell to the floor.
"If you want to help me fight, fine. Otherwise, shut up."
The fight continued, and Faith was getting worried. The demon was even tougher than it looked -- just as tough as the Beast that had kicked her ass when she'd gone to search for Angelus. But she didn't give up. Everything -- and everyone -- had a weakness.
Lindsey circled it from the back, wondering what to do now. If, somehow, they managed to kill big, bad and ugly, Wolfram & Hart would only come after him again, and probably kill Faith and Connor as well. But the demon was very definitely intent on killing Faith now. He lifted a wooden plank off the ground and hurled it at the demon, distracting it long enough for Faith to land a solid kick that sent it staggering.
Lindsey was thrown off balance by the wildness in her eyes as she landed punch after punch, kick after kick. She wasn't interested in weapons -- she seemed content with beating it with her naked, bleeding hands.
"I hate you!" she screamed. Her attention was on the demon she was pummeling, but Lindsey knew she was talking to him. He couldn't blame her.
"I hate you and everyone who thinks I can't make my own goddamn decisions!" The demon clawed at her and opened a gash in her arm, which she didn't seem to feel.
"You're all the same!" she cried, landing a powerful roundhouse kick.
"Some unknown force thinks I should have superpowers without even asking me if I want them. Then I fall in love with you without having a choice. And now you're going to leave me here alone because you think it's best for me? Well, fuck you!"
Lindsey swallowed hard. Love? What had happened to fuck friends?
Faith fell to her knees, the fight drained from her. What was the point in any of this? she wondered. Lindsey had taunted her with everything she'd ever wanted -- a family, a living soul that loved her despite her scabs and scars, a future beyond the next vampire hunt -- and he was probably feeling all noble about ripping it from her hands. If she was lucky, she might survive a few more years before the inevitable darkness claimed her and the next Slayer was called. Somewhere, a little girl had no idea the level of suck her life was to become. But, for now, that "honor" was Faith's.
Well, that other girl could have it. Faith refused to become what she'd seen Buffy become -- a hollowed-out shell of the person she'd been, mired in her own emptiness. If the darkness wanted her now, it could have her. The demon moved closer, licking what passed for its lips.
"Faith, get up!" Lindsey screamed. What was she doing?
With a yell, he threw himself headlong at the demon. It had been so intent on Faith that it hadn't steeled itself for an attack from behind, and it pitched headfirst over the side of the building, with Lindsey on its back. The demon plummeted to the ground below, and Lindsey clung to the side of the roof. As he pulled himself up over the edge, he heard a revolting splatter from below.
Once safely back on the roof, he took a moment to catch his breath. Faith was studying him quietly in a way that made him want to run. But he didn't. Instead, he dropped to his knees, pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and pressed it to the wound on Faith's arm.
"How long have you known?" she asked.
"About me? Since a few weeks after I swiped the scroll. I didn't have much to do except study it."
"And me?" she whispered.
"After our first night together."
"Was that in the scroll, too?"
"No, that was just me knowing."
"So, that bitchfest in the motel. What was-"
"Faith?"
"What?"
"If I said I loved you, would you kill me?"
Faith removed his hand from her arm and interlaced her fingers with his. "Why don't you say it and find out?"
"I just did."
Her eyes narrowed. If he was toying with her again, she WOULD kill him, and screw redemption.
He grinned wickedly. "Down, girl. I love you."
Her own lips parted into a smile with a mind of its own.
"Say it again," she ordered.
"I love you," he repeated. Their faces inched closer to each other. "I love you, I love you, I love you I love-" Finally, she was close enough to kiss, so he did. His lips barely brushed hers at first, almost like a tentative first kiss. The desperation of their nights in the motel was gone, but certainly not the wanting. The world was made up of only him and Faith, creating a headiness that deepened with the contact. He felt almost drugged, and he didn't want to come down. Then reality hit him, and he pulled away.
"What?" Faith asked.
"Wolfram and Hart won't give up. I made a deal with them."
"A blood deal?"
"No, a regular 'kill-me-and-leave-everyone-else-the-hell-alone' deal. They'll send another assassin."
"Then I'll kill it," she replied. Fierceness surged through her body. "And the next one, and the next, and the next, until they finally get the message."
"That won't be necessary," said a third voice from behind them. They turned to see Angel, with his arms crossed in a 'dark avenger' pose. His presence shattered the intimate pocket of space they'd created for themselves on the roof.
"They won't be giving you any more trouble," he continued. "I convinced them to extend their goodwill toward my son to the two of you."
Lindsey started, "How-"
"The chip you gave me has enough info to bring down the house. They couldn't kill me because they already have too much invested in me. So I convinced them to see things my way."
"So it's over?" Faith asked. Was this a dream, she wondered? She dismissed the idea quickly. Her dreams always ended badly.
"Not yet," Angel replied. He stepped so close to Lindsey that if Angel had had any breath to speak of, Lindsey would have gotten a face full of garlic fries. "Where's my son?" he asked.
Lindsey glanced over the side of the building. "Check downstairs," he said. "Unless he's managed to wriggle free, he's tied up in room 16A." Angel gritted his teeth and leaped over the side, leaving Lindsey and Faith alone again.
"I'd rather take the long way down, if it's all the same to you," he told her.
She gripped his hand in hers and led him down the stairs.
More to come...Almost done.
"Faith, get the hell out of here!" he screamed.
"I know what you're doing," she said. The demon turned its attention to her and advanced. She fired a crossbow into it, with no effect.
"You know shit," he countered. "Now go away."
Faith didn't answer. She had more immediate problems, like the 300- pound mass of veins and ooze barreling at her. She dodged what could have been a killer blow and launched herself through the air. She was surprised when she bounced off its rubbery skin and fell to the floor.
"If you want to help me fight, fine. Otherwise, shut up."
The fight continued, and Faith was getting worried. The demon was even tougher than it looked -- just as tough as the Beast that had kicked her ass when she'd gone to search for Angelus. But she didn't give up. Everything -- and everyone -- had a weakness.
Lindsey circled it from the back, wondering what to do now. If, somehow, they managed to kill big, bad and ugly, Wolfram & Hart would only come after him again, and probably kill Faith and Connor as well. But the demon was very definitely intent on killing Faith now. He lifted a wooden plank off the ground and hurled it at the demon, distracting it long enough for Faith to land a solid kick that sent it staggering.
Lindsey was thrown off balance by the wildness in her eyes as she landed punch after punch, kick after kick. She wasn't interested in weapons -- she seemed content with beating it with her naked, bleeding hands.
"I hate you!" she screamed. Her attention was on the demon she was pummeling, but Lindsey knew she was talking to him. He couldn't blame her.
"I hate you and everyone who thinks I can't make my own goddamn decisions!" The demon clawed at her and opened a gash in her arm, which she didn't seem to feel.
"You're all the same!" she cried, landing a powerful roundhouse kick.
"Some unknown force thinks I should have superpowers without even asking me if I want them. Then I fall in love with you without having a choice. And now you're going to leave me here alone because you think it's best for me? Well, fuck you!"
Lindsey swallowed hard. Love? What had happened to fuck friends?
Faith fell to her knees, the fight drained from her. What was the point in any of this? she wondered. Lindsey had taunted her with everything she'd ever wanted -- a family, a living soul that loved her despite her scabs and scars, a future beyond the next vampire hunt -- and he was probably feeling all noble about ripping it from her hands. If she was lucky, she might survive a few more years before the inevitable darkness claimed her and the next Slayer was called. Somewhere, a little girl had no idea the level of suck her life was to become. But, for now, that "honor" was Faith's.
Well, that other girl could have it. Faith refused to become what she'd seen Buffy become -- a hollowed-out shell of the person she'd been, mired in her own emptiness. If the darkness wanted her now, it could have her. The demon moved closer, licking what passed for its lips.
"Faith, get up!" Lindsey screamed. What was she doing?
With a yell, he threw himself headlong at the demon. It had been so intent on Faith that it hadn't steeled itself for an attack from behind, and it pitched headfirst over the side of the building, with Lindsey on its back. The demon plummeted to the ground below, and Lindsey clung to the side of the roof. As he pulled himself up over the edge, he heard a revolting splatter from below.
Once safely back on the roof, he took a moment to catch his breath. Faith was studying him quietly in a way that made him want to run. But he didn't. Instead, he dropped to his knees, pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and pressed it to the wound on Faith's arm.
"How long have you known?" she asked.
"About me? Since a few weeks after I swiped the scroll. I didn't have much to do except study it."
"And me?" she whispered.
"After our first night together."
"Was that in the scroll, too?"
"No, that was just me knowing."
"So, that bitchfest in the motel. What was-"
"Faith?"
"What?"
"If I said I loved you, would you kill me?"
Faith removed his hand from her arm and interlaced her fingers with his. "Why don't you say it and find out?"
"I just did."
Her eyes narrowed. If he was toying with her again, she WOULD kill him, and screw redemption.
He grinned wickedly. "Down, girl. I love you."
Her own lips parted into a smile with a mind of its own.
"Say it again," she ordered.
"I love you," he repeated. Their faces inched closer to each other. "I love you, I love you, I love you I love-" Finally, she was close enough to kiss, so he did. His lips barely brushed hers at first, almost like a tentative first kiss. The desperation of their nights in the motel was gone, but certainly not the wanting. The world was made up of only him and Faith, creating a headiness that deepened with the contact. He felt almost drugged, and he didn't want to come down. Then reality hit him, and he pulled away.
"What?" Faith asked.
"Wolfram and Hart won't give up. I made a deal with them."
"A blood deal?"
"No, a regular 'kill-me-and-leave-everyone-else-the-hell-alone' deal. They'll send another assassin."
"Then I'll kill it," she replied. Fierceness surged through her body. "And the next one, and the next, and the next, until they finally get the message."
"That won't be necessary," said a third voice from behind them. They turned to see Angel, with his arms crossed in a 'dark avenger' pose. His presence shattered the intimate pocket of space they'd created for themselves on the roof.
"They won't be giving you any more trouble," he continued. "I convinced them to extend their goodwill toward my son to the two of you."
Lindsey started, "How-"
"The chip you gave me has enough info to bring down the house. They couldn't kill me because they already have too much invested in me. So I convinced them to see things my way."
"So it's over?" Faith asked. Was this a dream, she wondered? She dismissed the idea quickly. Her dreams always ended badly.
"Not yet," Angel replied. He stepped so close to Lindsey that if Angel had had any breath to speak of, Lindsey would have gotten a face full of garlic fries. "Where's my son?" he asked.
Lindsey glanced over the side of the building. "Check downstairs," he said. "Unless he's managed to wriggle free, he's tied up in room 16A." Angel gritted his teeth and leaped over the side, leaving Lindsey and Faith alone again.
"I'd rather take the long way down, if it's all the same to you," he told her.
She gripped his hand in hers and led him down the stairs.
More to come...Almost done.