THREE STRIKES
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 9-TO TIRED, PLANS, AND SURPRISES
Despite their current state of lethargy Faith and Wesley took little time to make it back up the stairs and to their room. They slipped into their room without a sound, with Wesley shutting and locking the door behind them. Faith staggered slowly over to the bed before flopping down onto it with a sigh. Wesley smiled as he followed after her, stopping only momentarily so that he could swing around to the other side of the bed and position himself so that when he flopped down onto the bed he could be directly opposite Faith. With a tired sigh the two lovers turned their heads to face each other.
"Right back where we started huh…god we're pathetic…," Faith asked with a tired smile on her face before she yawned deeply.
"Guess we'll have to find something to do…sleeping sounds good," Wesley whispered back softly before Faith's yawn became contagious. Wesley tried to smile again but stopped when he saw the pout on Faith's face.
"Do we have to…there are other things that we could be doing…that are a whole hell of a lot more fun than sleep," Faith whispered back with an excited smirk on her face as Wesley rolled over onto his side. He gazed at Faith tiredly for a few seconds before responding.
"I bet…but we really should get some sleep at the moment…you know as well as I do that the shi…uh….is going to hit the fan pretty soon…if it hasn't already…and Angel will need us well rested…," Wesley said with a sadly disappointed frown on his face as he reached up and lightly brushed the back of his hand against Faith's cheek.
"Yeah…guess you're right…besides I doubt we've seen the last of those zombies…and I want to be ready when we get a shot at some payback…I swear I'm going to go all Claire Redfield on their asses," Faith replied with a reluctant look of acceptance at first before at the end her look changed to one that Wesley knew very well. It was her I can't wait to beat the shit out of something look. He almost always saw it when Faith was getting ready for a fight that she knew was coming.
"Unfortunately I agree, we'll see the zombies again…but this time we need to be better…prepared…," Wesley said slowly as he struggled to keep his eyes open and yawned deeply.
"Don't worry Wes…we will be…we will be," Faith whispered back with a tired smile on her face before she and Wesley curled up against each other, with Faith wrapped in his arms. It took only seconds before the two were sound asleep.
* * * * * * *
"So let me get this straight…the Lindsey that made with the smug remarks…wasn't the real one, and the real one is being held in Wolfram and Hart…god this sounds like a crazy afternoon special," Cordelia moaned sadly as she shook her head and stared at the newspaper in front of her.
"Yeah Cordy...it's something like that…but what I can't figure out is why, why make the double, why keep the real Lindsey when the double is finished, why not just kill him and do away with the evidence," Angel mused with a confused scowl on his face before he took a sip of blood. After Wesley and Faith had left the lobby Angel and Cordelia had retreated back into Angel's office to discuss the young woman's visit. Angel sat behind the desk, almost wholly consumed in the cup of blood that he was in the process of drinking while Cordelia busied herself with the newspaper.
"Maybe they didn't get it right…the clone has a flaw…it's missing something that only the real Lindsey has," Cordelia mumbled out softly as she was talking to Angel but trying to see the sale prices for the fresh fruit of a local grocery store.
"I wonder what that could possibly be…his charming personality…," Angel joked out with a sarcastic smirk on his face as he briefly lifted his gaze to look at Cordelia's face. After the party the two had slowly started to repair their relationship, or whatever it was that they were in. Connor had been angry at first but over time he had actually started to go out on his own. More than once father and son had the centuries old fruitless discussion of how they couldn't figure women out, Angel with Cordelia and Connor with women in general.
"Real funny Angel…," Cordelia playfully shot back with a humorous smirk on her face as she reached across the desk and lightly patted Angel on the shoulder.
"Look Cordy…I know that you don't agree with me sending Gunn and the others to check out the woman's story, but if it's true then it's my duty as a champion to rescue Lindsey, no matter how many times he's tried to kill us in the past," Angel replied with an ever increasingly serious frown on his face as he thought back over the history between Lindsey and the gang at Angel Investigations.
"Do you think it's a trap…that they're waiting behind a trap door for Connor or one of the others to turn their back before they pounce," Cordelia asked, the worry in her voice clearly evident, as she looked up from her horoscope and sought reassurance in Angel's gaze. With a tired sigh Angel set his cup of blood down on the desk and stood up before walking around the desk and kneeling down beside Cordelia.
"They know better than to do that Cordy…and Connor wasn't born yesterday…exactly, they can't sneak up on him and Gunn will play it safe and find out what we need to know…they'll be fine…," Angel said softly with a hopefully reassuring look on his face as he reached up and took one of Cordelia's hands in his.
"Okay…but I just want to go on record as saying that I don't agree with this plan," Cordelia shot back slowly as she smiled softly and turned her attention away from the newspaper and to the soul possessing vampire kneeling beside her.
"Duly noted," Angel whispered with a tired frown on his face as he lifted one hand up and brushed a few stray strands of hair off of Cordelia's face.
"So what do we do while we wait for Connor and the others to get back," Cordelia asked with a sad pout on her face as she closed the newspaper and folded it back up.
"Talk about a few things that we've been putting off for far too long," Angel said with a suddenly serious frown on his face as he stood up and returned to his seat across the desk. Cordelia eyed him with a confused look on he face for a few seconds before she realized what he had meant and averted her eyes and blushed.
* * * * * *
"Wait a minute…I'm not a murderer," Oz exclaimed in a panic as he looked back and forth between the television screen and Kate and Groo.
"Neither am I…the only deaths that I have caused have been in honorable combat…," Groo stated in confidence as he lightly pounded on his chest with a closed fist.
"Killing isn't very honorable…unless it's vampires or demons…then…," Kate said with at first an angry scowl on her face before her expression lightened as she saw the hurt pout on Groo's face.
"We can't stay here and debate the honorability of killing…we have to find Angel, hopefully he can help us figure all of this out," Oz said with a hurried frown on his face as he continues to stare at the television screen.
"Yes…we should go to him soon, he and my princess will be able to help us," Groo said with a slightly worried frown on his face as stared at the screen, still shocked at seeing his face there.
"Should we go now or wait until after dark…it might be better to wait," Kate said with a confused and slightly overwhelmed scowl on her face as she crossed her arms and looked up at Groo.
"Traversing the terrain between us and Angel would be easier under the cover of darkness," Groo said with a slight nod of his head as he turned to Kate, inwardly smiling at the appreciative look that she had on her face.
"What if the guy that brought us here gets caught…and Wolfram and Hart find out where we are, they'll come looking for us long before the sun goes down," Oz asked with a worried frown on his face as he walked over and began to close all of the curtains in the room.
"I hadn't thought of that…I hope he's okay, seems like every time someone tries to help me…us…they either get hurt or killed," Kate replied with a readily evident touch of sadness in her voice as she turned her head and looked out into the kitchen. Groo frowned sadly before he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder and tried to ease her worry.
"I do not believe that they will hurt him…yet, if they are like those that captured me they will follow him and wait until he leads them to us," Groo said with a concerned frown on his face before he smirked slightly at the sight of Kate's mood improving.
"Then we should be ready to leave the second that he returns home…agreed," Kate said with a very determined frown on her face as she looked back and forth between Groo and Oz.
"Agreed," Oz and Groo said solemnly in unison before the two left the room to go and gather up the supplies that they would need, leaving a nervous Kate to sadly stare at the images on the television screen.
* * * * * * *
"Oh miss…," Lorne called out again as he hurried after the young woman that he had gotten the odd reading off of. At first she seemed to have either not heard him or had decided to ignore him. But when she got to the elevator she stepped inside and grabbed his arm and pulled him in beside her.
"You're the demon that works with Angel right…the one that can read people if they sing him a song…," Elaine asked with a pleading look in her eyes as she punched in the floor that she wanted to go to and then leaned back up against the far wall.
"That's me kitten…but how…," Lorne replied with his trademark showbiz smile as he clapped his hands together and tried to look as peaceful and non-threatening as he could.
"People talk around here...especially when they don't see you," Elaine said solemnly as she pushed a lock of hair back behind her ear and stared at the floor sadly.
"Perk up there sourpuss…ole Angel-cakes sent us to get the lay of the land…check out if her story was true," Lorne said with a very chipper tone to his voice, not wanting to sound condescending.
"He believed me…," Elaine whispered softly under her breath with an excited smile on her face before she noticed Lorne's red eyes on her. "Is he here…to get Lindsey to," she asked with a restrained look of hope on her face as she lifted her head up level to Lorne's.
"Sorry…but tall, dark, and broody is still recovering from a run-in with an army of zombies…like I said we're just here to check things out…," Lorne answered sadly as he tried to keep Elaine feeling happy rather than have her get mad at him or sad at the situation.
"We…I only see you," Elaine asked pointedly as her demeanor had changed from the scared young woman that she had initially been to what she hoped appeared outwardly as someone that wasn't to be trifled with.
"Gunn and the others are taking a different route…but don't worry they'll do their best, maybe you should come with me so that we can talk somewhere that…well…isn't here," Lorne replied with a calm smile on his face before he frowned as he tried to think of somewhere else to go to have a quiet talk.
"We don't have time…today's my last day with Lindsey…tomorrow I start my new job…as a secretary for our new…immigration…division," Elaine said sadly as she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry…Angel's a champion, if he said that he'd help Lindsey then he'll help him, but if I were you I'd think about finding a new job, you could do a lot better than this place," Lorne said with a serious frown on his face as Elaine regarded him with a slightly confused but hopeful look on her face.
"A new job…but…," Elaine started to say with an interested smile on her face before the elevator began to shake violently. Just when Lorne was about to ask what was going on the doors were opened from the outside and a trio of angry looking guards stormed into the elevator. As one of them grabbed for her arm Elaine acted fast and brought her right knee up and slammed it into the man's groin with a great amount of force. As he dropped Elaine caught a glimpse of Lorne being overly macho and jumping onto the back of one of the men that was charging at her. She was about to shout something to Lorne when the remaining guard locked his hand around her neck and started to squeeze. "Ack…hey…I," Elaine gasped out as the man slowly began to tighten his grip on her neck.
"Let go of her," A cold voice from outside of the elevator shouted before Elaine heard a loud thud, followed by the man releasing his grip on her and slumping to the floor. She looked up to say thanks to Lorne but her words caught in her throat as she eyed the young man standing in front of her. Before she knew what was going on the young man dispatched the other guard by slamming him head first into the side of the elevator until he fell to the floor unconscious.
"Who…who are you," Elaine asked quickly as she took an awkward step back, not knowing who to trust anymore.
"A friend…are you hurt," The young man asked with a concerned frown on his face just as a hurried Fred and Gunn came running around the corner.
"I…I don't think so…," Elaine replied with a somewhat confused look on her face as she put a hand to her throat and felt what was most likely the beginnings of one nasty bruise.
"Sorry to break up this little powwow but we gotta go…," Gunn shouted with a bit of fear in his voice as he hopped into the elevator and pushed the guards back out along with the help of the young man.
"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Fred added with a frightened look on her face as she quickly ran into the elevator and turned to the control panel.
"Connor come on…," Gunn said with a very parent like tone to his voice as he grabbed the young man's arm and pulled him inside the elevator.
"Here we go…let's just hope they're not waiting for us in the lobby," Fred interjected fearfully as she punched the button for the lobby and watched with some relief as the doors slid shut and the elevator lurked back into action.
* * * * * *
Faith woke up first, thanks in a large part to her slayer healing, a good four hours later. She now felt fully rested but decided against getting up and disturbing Wesley's slumber. She relished the feeling of being held so tightly in his arms. The first time she had felt it she had never wanted it to end. And now every time she woke up wrapped in his loving arms it brought her back to that first time in his apartment. Finally after she felt the need to use the restroom she cautiously slid out of his group and slid her legs out over the edge of the bed. She was about to take the little jaunt into the bathroom but stopped abruptly and leaned back over the bed before placing a soft, chase kiss on Wesley's cheek. With a content sigh she straightened back up and made her way towards the bathroom. Minutes later as she was washing up she suddenly felt the muscles in her stomach tighten and bile rapidly rising up her throat. With hurried movement she flung up the stool lid and barely got her head over the opening before throwing up. The next thirty minutes solely alternated between throwing up and feeling very lousy. Finally the sick feeling subsided and she finished washing up to find Wesley waking up, slowly stretching his tired muscles.
"You okay…," Wesley asked with a concerned look on his face as he peered at her with one eye open and the other squinted shut at the light softly filtering into the room.
"Never better…," Faith lied with a tired smirk as she walked back over to the bed and sat down beside him. Wesley regarded her intently, with a confused and slightly worried look on his face, for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and sitting up.
"Well then let's say we try that eating something again…," Wesley suggested with a finally well rested smile on his face, the smile that Faith could never say no to.
"I'm game if you are Wes…but no Mexican, that stuff gives you gas…," Faith replied with her usual sarcastic smile before she started to stand up.
"Must be the beans…," Wesley chuckled to himself as he pulled a smiling Faith back down on top of him. Faith was about to voice her opposition when he silenced her with a kiss.
"You know…now that you mention it staying here is sounding a whole hell of a lot better," Faith whispered softly with an excited smirk on her face before she and Wesley laughed in between their kisses.
* * * * * * *
Luckily for the group the only opposition that they face upon reaching the lobby was another trio of guards. They quickly fell prey to a nervous and angry Connor. On the way out of the building one of Elaine's high heels broke and she resorted to flinging the other shoe at an approaching guard before following Gunn and Fred out of the building. Gunn hopped over the driver side door and was in the process of turning the key when Fred slid over her door and Connor dove into the back seat. Like a gentleman Lorne made sure that Elaine was seated before he hopped in beside her. With everyone in Gunn revved the engine and tore out of the parking lot, not noticing the lone figuring smiling out his window from a floor many stories up. He also didn't hear that person's ominous mutterings. "Right on schedule."
END OF CHAPTER 9