A/N: Faithful was written right around two years ago and there are eight.
It takes place fifteen years into the future of 2001.so 2016. This means
Dawn is all grown up, and Faith has just been released from jail. This
story will eventually be a Faith/Angel story.but it doesn't quite start out
that way.
I'm rating the whole series as rated R, but some parts are more R than others.lol. I'll warn you ahead of time. As always, these characters belong to Joss Whedon and all the fine folks who bring us Angel.
If you want to put this story on your website, please email me and let me know. I never say no, but I want to know who's supporting my work. Thanks!
*~*~*
Clink.
She watched the bars close. For the first time in a long time she was finally on the side that she wanted to be on when they closed. Out. Free. Finally.
Faith turned her back on the prison. She wouldn't look back. Finally she had something nice to say about "good behavior" but even with that she still thought fifteen years was fifteen years too long. She smiled wryly at herself as she started walking. When she was 16 and she was called to be a slayer she had thought that was it. That was the shit. The ticket to her adult-hood. No more being some kid. She was a trained fighter. A killer. In every sense of the word. That's what got her into trouble. First, thinking she was old enough to do whatever she wanted, and then second, doing whatever she wanted and becoming the killer that earned her spot in that small smelly cell she called 'home' for the last fifteen years.
She walked along the side of the street. She didn't tell Angel she was getting out. She wanted to surprise him, but she just didn't know how. Would he think she escaped? No, he wouldn't think that now. Maybe a few years ago, but not now. Still, maybe she should have told him. Then he could have picked her up, rather than her having to walk. But she didn't really mind the walk. When you're forced to stay in a certain area for fifteen years, you relish any change in the routine.
The streets were busy with traffic. People rushing to get on with their lives. People in a hurry to get to where they were going. In comparison she felt slow, but steady. She walked to the hotel and when she was finally in front of it she lifted her eyebrows in surprise. It was much bigger than Angel's descriptions.
Her head slowly scanned the area as she entered the empty lobby. It looked like no one was home. But she could feel danger all around her. The slayer senses she usually kept asleep inside her kicked into high gear as she inched around the darkened hotel lobby. Purposely darkened. Her eyes picked up the heavy drapes that were drawn. Then she stopped inching forward. This *was* the house of a vampire.
A sudden movement behind her made her duck down into a crouch. One leg came out and she twirled her whole body around, knocking over the person that was behind her. With one smooth movement the carefully hidden stake was drawn and at the heart of her attacker. Or rather, Wesley. Faith's eyes widened with recognition. She could see recognition in his eyes as well.
"Come to finish the job you started?" His voice was very calm with unconcealed hate.
Faith instantly crawled off of him her expression more meek and mild than he remembered.
Wesley looked at her for a moment. She didn't look much different. She looked harder. Older. Of course they were all that. Wesley picked himself up off the ground, not letting his eyes stray from Faith, who was also standing, looking, to her credit, ashamed and uncomfortable.
"Now what are you doing here and how many guards are following you?"
If it were anyone else, Faith would have had a snappy "fuck off" comment to throw back at him. But not to Wesley. She couldn't even look him in the eye. All she could think of was the time so many years ago when she was lost in the darkness, torturing him.
"Faith!"
She turned toward the calling out of her name and barely had a chance to register the vampire before he scooped her up into his arms and twirled her in a hug. When she pulled back she was smiling.
"Angel, you big dope, let go of me." She gently pushed back and Angel let go, too excited to be affected by her words.
"When did you get out? How did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"
Wesley glared at the two. "How could Angel welcome her like that?" Wesley wondered to himself.
"I got out. Good behavior." She beamed at Angel.
Wesley visibly flinched. "Didn't practice your torturing technique in jail then, did you?" He shook his head and started for the office, closing the door softly behind him. He'd meant to slam it, but he just didn't have the energy.
Angel and Faith watched Wesley disappear. Angel looked at Faith. "He'll come around."
Faith's eyes were locked on the door where Wesley had gone. "I don't deserve for him to 'come around.' But thank you."
"Everyone deserves forgiveness."
Faith turned and gasped when her stormy brown eyes met a pair of cool, clear blue ones.
"Lindsey..." she whispered. "What the fuck...?" She looked at Angel quickly for the answer.
"A lot has changed in the last fifteen years."
Faith looked at Lindsey again. His hair was cut short. But it was his face that shocked her. No gloom. No doom. No frown. He actually looked happy. Faith nodded slowly and then looked back at Angel.
"And Cordelia?"
"Yes?" Perfect timing. Cordelia flounced into the room and then stopped, looking at Faith in shock. The two women took a few steps closer to each other and then stopped. For Cordelia it was like looking into the past. Her hair was longer and her face barely aged but slightly more hardened, her dark eyes sad, it was almost as if she hadn't really changed. For Faith it was like looking at money personified. From her well-groomed hair and face, down her richly and extravagantly dressed body to her perfectly pedicured toes that poked out of her sandals, Faith saw money.
"My God, what are you doing here?"
Faith was not deaf to the distaste in Cordelia's voice.
"Cordelia," Angel admonished. "She's paid her dues."
Cordelia's well-shaped eyebrows shot up, but her eyes never left Faith. "Really. To who? Wesley?"
Faith flinched. Cordelia nodded. "I thought not."
Faith looked to the door as another man walked in. She scanned her memory, trying to place this man, and came up blank. His glasses slipped down his nose and he stood looking at Cordelia and then to the others. He didn't know who this brunette was, so he wasn't concerned with her appearance. He looked at Angel.
"Angel! Vampire PI!" He withdrew his hand from an imaginary holster on his hip, his index finger out and his thumb up like a gun. Angel smiled. "Bang!" David Nabbitt exclaimed. Quickly so not to hurt the guy's feelings, Angel grabbed his heart and forced a fake look of pain. Faith watched the whole thing with amusement. But the amusement died when her eyes touched Cordelia again.
"Davey darling, not now." Cordelia's eyes didn't leave Faith's.
"But Cordy-poo..."
"Not. Now."
David nodded and headed to a couch and sat, looking defeated.
Faith transformed. Oh no way in hell she was going to submit to Queen C here. No fucking way. She did not drag her ass through fifteen years of pulled punches and missed opportunities to find America's version of redemption so that she could come back to taking shit from one rich fucking bitch.
Everyone in the room noticed the attitude change.
"So, Queen Cordelia is back again, I see." She looked at David. "Who's the prince?"
"That is my husband, David."
Faith's eyebrows rose and she looked David over again and then back to Cordelia, pointedly looking her up and down. "Not hard to see what attracted you."
Cordelia scowled. "You wouldn't know the first thing about my love for David."
"Ladies." Both women looked at Angel, one's stormy expression the twin of the other's. "That's enough. You can put the claws away."
"Hey, no worries here, I'm five by five as always." But he could see the old shields and walls being erected around Faith.
I'm rating the whole series as rated R, but some parts are more R than others.lol. I'll warn you ahead of time. As always, these characters belong to Joss Whedon and all the fine folks who bring us Angel.
If you want to put this story on your website, please email me and let me know. I never say no, but I want to know who's supporting my work. Thanks!
*~*~*
Clink.
She watched the bars close. For the first time in a long time she was finally on the side that she wanted to be on when they closed. Out. Free. Finally.
Faith turned her back on the prison. She wouldn't look back. Finally she had something nice to say about "good behavior" but even with that she still thought fifteen years was fifteen years too long. She smiled wryly at herself as she started walking. When she was 16 and she was called to be a slayer she had thought that was it. That was the shit. The ticket to her adult-hood. No more being some kid. She was a trained fighter. A killer. In every sense of the word. That's what got her into trouble. First, thinking she was old enough to do whatever she wanted, and then second, doing whatever she wanted and becoming the killer that earned her spot in that small smelly cell she called 'home' for the last fifteen years.
She walked along the side of the street. She didn't tell Angel she was getting out. She wanted to surprise him, but she just didn't know how. Would he think she escaped? No, he wouldn't think that now. Maybe a few years ago, but not now. Still, maybe she should have told him. Then he could have picked her up, rather than her having to walk. But she didn't really mind the walk. When you're forced to stay in a certain area for fifteen years, you relish any change in the routine.
The streets were busy with traffic. People rushing to get on with their lives. People in a hurry to get to where they were going. In comparison she felt slow, but steady. She walked to the hotel and when she was finally in front of it she lifted her eyebrows in surprise. It was much bigger than Angel's descriptions.
Her head slowly scanned the area as she entered the empty lobby. It looked like no one was home. But she could feel danger all around her. The slayer senses she usually kept asleep inside her kicked into high gear as she inched around the darkened hotel lobby. Purposely darkened. Her eyes picked up the heavy drapes that were drawn. Then she stopped inching forward. This *was* the house of a vampire.
A sudden movement behind her made her duck down into a crouch. One leg came out and she twirled her whole body around, knocking over the person that was behind her. With one smooth movement the carefully hidden stake was drawn and at the heart of her attacker. Or rather, Wesley. Faith's eyes widened with recognition. She could see recognition in his eyes as well.
"Come to finish the job you started?" His voice was very calm with unconcealed hate.
Faith instantly crawled off of him her expression more meek and mild than he remembered.
Wesley looked at her for a moment. She didn't look much different. She looked harder. Older. Of course they were all that. Wesley picked himself up off the ground, not letting his eyes stray from Faith, who was also standing, looking, to her credit, ashamed and uncomfortable.
"Now what are you doing here and how many guards are following you?"
If it were anyone else, Faith would have had a snappy "fuck off" comment to throw back at him. But not to Wesley. She couldn't even look him in the eye. All she could think of was the time so many years ago when she was lost in the darkness, torturing him.
"Faith!"
She turned toward the calling out of her name and barely had a chance to register the vampire before he scooped her up into his arms and twirled her in a hug. When she pulled back she was smiling.
"Angel, you big dope, let go of me." She gently pushed back and Angel let go, too excited to be affected by her words.
"When did you get out? How did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"
Wesley glared at the two. "How could Angel welcome her like that?" Wesley wondered to himself.
"I got out. Good behavior." She beamed at Angel.
Wesley visibly flinched. "Didn't practice your torturing technique in jail then, did you?" He shook his head and started for the office, closing the door softly behind him. He'd meant to slam it, but he just didn't have the energy.
Angel and Faith watched Wesley disappear. Angel looked at Faith. "He'll come around."
Faith's eyes were locked on the door where Wesley had gone. "I don't deserve for him to 'come around.' But thank you."
"Everyone deserves forgiveness."
Faith turned and gasped when her stormy brown eyes met a pair of cool, clear blue ones.
"Lindsey..." she whispered. "What the fuck...?" She looked at Angel quickly for the answer.
"A lot has changed in the last fifteen years."
Faith looked at Lindsey again. His hair was cut short. But it was his face that shocked her. No gloom. No doom. No frown. He actually looked happy. Faith nodded slowly and then looked back at Angel.
"And Cordelia?"
"Yes?" Perfect timing. Cordelia flounced into the room and then stopped, looking at Faith in shock. The two women took a few steps closer to each other and then stopped. For Cordelia it was like looking into the past. Her hair was longer and her face barely aged but slightly more hardened, her dark eyes sad, it was almost as if she hadn't really changed. For Faith it was like looking at money personified. From her well-groomed hair and face, down her richly and extravagantly dressed body to her perfectly pedicured toes that poked out of her sandals, Faith saw money.
"My God, what are you doing here?"
Faith was not deaf to the distaste in Cordelia's voice.
"Cordelia," Angel admonished. "She's paid her dues."
Cordelia's well-shaped eyebrows shot up, but her eyes never left Faith. "Really. To who? Wesley?"
Faith flinched. Cordelia nodded. "I thought not."
Faith looked to the door as another man walked in. She scanned her memory, trying to place this man, and came up blank. His glasses slipped down his nose and he stood looking at Cordelia and then to the others. He didn't know who this brunette was, so he wasn't concerned with her appearance. He looked at Angel.
"Angel! Vampire PI!" He withdrew his hand from an imaginary holster on his hip, his index finger out and his thumb up like a gun. Angel smiled. "Bang!" David Nabbitt exclaimed. Quickly so not to hurt the guy's feelings, Angel grabbed his heart and forced a fake look of pain. Faith watched the whole thing with amusement. But the amusement died when her eyes touched Cordelia again.
"Davey darling, not now." Cordelia's eyes didn't leave Faith's.
"But Cordy-poo..."
"Not. Now."
David nodded and headed to a couch and sat, looking defeated.
Faith transformed. Oh no way in hell she was going to submit to Queen C here. No fucking way. She did not drag her ass through fifteen years of pulled punches and missed opportunities to find America's version of redemption so that she could come back to taking shit from one rich fucking bitch.
Everyone in the room noticed the attitude change.
"So, Queen Cordelia is back again, I see." She looked at David. "Who's the prince?"
"That is my husband, David."
Faith's eyebrows rose and she looked David over again and then back to Cordelia, pointedly looking her up and down. "Not hard to see what attracted you."
Cordelia scowled. "You wouldn't know the first thing about my love for David."
"Ladies." Both women looked at Angel, one's stormy expression the twin of the other's. "That's enough. You can put the claws away."
"Hey, no worries here, I'm five by five as always." But he could see the old shields and walls being erected around Faith.