Faith peered through the window of Angel's office at the city below.
It seemed so peaceful at night, with its softly glowing skyline and quiet
hum. Too bad she knew better. But right now all she could think about was
how impossibly happy she was. It was an unusual emotion for her. She was
intimate with anger, lust, even abject despair, and she was afraid that if
she looked away for too long, the happiness would evaporate.
"What do you plan to do now?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned and wondered briefly if Angel ever entered a room like a normal person.
"No real plan," she said. "We're going to drive toward New York and see what happens."
"You don't need to leave town, you know. LA could use you." He slid beside her and looked out at the night, and Faith graced him with a genuine smile.
"Perhaps," she said, "but LA isn't big enough for the both of you."
Angel frowned. "Maybe I have been a little hard on him."
"Was that almost an apology?" she asked.
"Almost. But not quite."
Faith inched closer to Angel until their shoulders touched. She couldn't be mad at him. Not now, when, for the first time in her life, she had something to look forward to. And she had Angel to thank for that. She glanced at him and noticed that he seemed to be in a different dimension entirely.
"Connor'll be OK, you know. He's a tough kid."
"I know," Angel said with a sigh. "Maybe too tough."
After releasing Connor, Angel had insisted that the sorcerers at Wolfram & Hart mojo him again to erase his memories of the past day. Faith had her doubts about Angel's willingness to resort to memory spells to keep Connor's lie in place, but she knew it was none of her business. The boy's destiny would catch up with him soon enough.
Angel seemed to be reading her thoughts when he said, "Soon enough our sons will be working together."
"What makes you so sure it's going to be a boy?"
"I-I just assumed-"
"That it was going to be a boy because you're a sexist pig," she finished. Her tone was light, and her smile lingered at the edges of her lips. If she didn't stop being this good natured, so was going to lose her reputation as a bad-ass.
"I love him, Angel," she whispered. "So much, and it happened so fast."
"It works that way sometimes," he said. It didn't take a telepath to know that he was thinking of Buffy.
"But I'm a Slayer. I don't do long term. And how can I be a mother and take out the creatures of darkness at the same time?"
"Stop it," he ordered. "Enjoy the good while you can, because life will kick you in the ass before you know it."
Strangely enough, Angel's clumsy attempt at comfort did make her feel better. He was right. She couldn't obsess about things that were out of her control.
* * *
Lindsey finished changing the oil and slammed the hood of his truck shut.
"Need anything else?" Wesley asked.
"No," he replied. "That should do it."
Wes, on Angel's orders, had seen to it that Lindsey and Faith had whatever they needed to make their trip, which had included a few minor repairs and basic maintenance on the truck.
Lindsey shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and wished that Wes would just leave. It wasn't that he had anything against the former Watcher; he simply had no idea what to say to him. He had so many questions that seemed woefully inappropriate, most of them surrounding the demise of all his former co-workers -- specifically, Lilah. He pushed them out of his head. Wolfram and Hart was in the past, and Faith was the future.
"Be good to her," Wes said quietly.
"I wouldn't dream of being anything else."
An awkward silence descended, and Lindsey was relieved when he spotted Faith making her way through the parking lot, accompanied by Angel, Gunn and Fred.
"So, this is goodbye," he said to Angel. "I wish I could say I'll miss you, but..."
"Good riddance to you, too," Angel said. He extended his hand, and Lindsey stared at for a full five seconds before comprehending that Angel wasn't going to hit him. He accepted the handshake, and the two of them offered each other a silent truce.
As Faith said her goodbyes, Lindsey climbed into the cab and started up the engine. Within minutes, they were on the road.
Faith asked, "So, what now?"
"I was thinking we'd drive for a bit and then find a place to sleep. In the morning, we can-"
"No," she interrupted. "What are WE going to do now?"
Lindsey was silent while he searched for an answer. "I don't know," he said finally. "I wish I could promise you that we're going to live happily ever after, but we both know how dark and twisted things can get. All I can do is promise you that I'll love you, and I'll do everything in my power not to fuck up."
She nodded. That was acceptable, and, in the end, it was all she could promise him in return. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was a long way to New York -- or wherever they ended up.
THE END
"What do you plan to do now?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned and wondered briefly if Angel ever entered a room like a normal person.
"No real plan," she said. "We're going to drive toward New York and see what happens."
"You don't need to leave town, you know. LA could use you." He slid beside her and looked out at the night, and Faith graced him with a genuine smile.
"Perhaps," she said, "but LA isn't big enough for the both of you."
Angel frowned. "Maybe I have been a little hard on him."
"Was that almost an apology?" she asked.
"Almost. But not quite."
Faith inched closer to Angel until their shoulders touched. She couldn't be mad at him. Not now, when, for the first time in her life, she had something to look forward to. And she had Angel to thank for that. She glanced at him and noticed that he seemed to be in a different dimension entirely.
"Connor'll be OK, you know. He's a tough kid."
"I know," Angel said with a sigh. "Maybe too tough."
After releasing Connor, Angel had insisted that the sorcerers at Wolfram & Hart mojo him again to erase his memories of the past day. Faith had her doubts about Angel's willingness to resort to memory spells to keep Connor's lie in place, but she knew it was none of her business. The boy's destiny would catch up with him soon enough.
Angel seemed to be reading her thoughts when he said, "Soon enough our sons will be working together."
"What makes you so sure it's going to be a boy?"
"I-I just assumed-"
"That it was going to be a boy because you're a sexist pig," she finished. Her tone was light, and her smile lingered at the edges of her lips. If she didn't stop being this good natured, so was going to lose her reputation as a bad-ass.
"I love him, Angel," she whispered. "So much, and it happened so fast."
"It works that way sometimes," he said. It didn't take a telepath to know that he was thinking of Buffy.
"But I'm a Slayer. I don't do long term. And how can I be a mother and take out the creatures of darkness at the same time?"
"Stop it," he ordered. "Enjoy the good while you can, because life will kick you in the ass before you know it."
Strangely enough, Angel's clumsy attempt at comfort did make her feel better. He was right. She couldn't obsess about things that were out of her control.
* * *
Lindsey finished changing the oil and slammed the hood of his truck shut.
"Need anything else?" Wesley asked.
"No," he replied. "That should do it."
Wes, on Angel's orders, had seen to it that Lindsey and Faith had whatever they needed to make their trip, which had included a few minor repairs and basic maintenance on the truck.
Lindsey shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and wished that Wes would just leave. It wasn't that he had anything against the former Watcher; he simply had no idea what to say to him. He had so many questions that seemed woefully inappropriate, most of them surrounding the demise of all his former co-workers -- specifically, Lilah. He pushed them out of his head. Wolfram and Hart was in the past, and Faith was the future.
"Be good to her," Wes said quietly.
"I wouldn't dream of being anything else."
An awkward silence descended, and Lindsey was relieved when he spotted Faith making her way through the parking lot, accompanied by Angel, Gunn and Fred.
"So, this is goodbye," he said to Angel. "I wish I could say I'll miss you, but..."
"Good riddance to you, too," Angel said. He extended his hand, and Lindsey stared at for a full five seconds before comprehending that Angel wasn't going to hit him. He accepted the handshake, and the two of them offered each other a silent truce.
As Faith said her goodbyes, Lindsey climbed into the cab and started up the engine. Within minutes, they were on the road.
Faith asked, "So, what now?"
"I was thinking we'd drive for a bit and then find a place to sleep. In the morning, we can-"
"No," she interrupted. "What are WE going to do now?"
Lindsey was silent while he searched for an answer. "I don't know," he said finally. "I wish I could promise you that we're going to live happily ever after, but we both know how dark and twisted things can get. All I can do is promise you that I'll love you, and I'll do everything in my power not to fuck up."
She nodded. That was acceptable, and, in the end, it was all she could promise him in return. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was a long way to New York -- or wherever they ended up.
THE END