Naked - by wil

"Say the word and she's a footnote in history. I'll make it look like a painful accident." -Spike Touched BtVS S7

Eight Months After the Collapse of Sunnydale

"Faith, wonderful. I've got a special assignment for you," Angel said the moment Faith stepped out of the elevator into the offices of Wolfram and Hart. She'd just gotten off the plane from Kansas City not half an hour ago, and had been in the building for less than four minutes, before Angel had accosted her with a job. He hadn't said hello-- he'd even sent that green demon-y guy Lorne to pick her up instead of coming himself--which meant something weird was going down.

"Gee, nice to see you too, Angel," Faith smirked with a note of sarcasm as she let him take her by the arm.

The last time Faith had seen Angel it had been eight months before, and she'd been dream walking with him in his mind. It had almost killed her. Angelus had almost killed her. Sunnydale had almost killed her, but she'd made it out--it had taken a lot but she'd finally put the sunken crater and everyone involved behind her now. It was nice to see a familiar face again after the last few months of being on her own in the brave new world.

Angel ushered her quickly past the front desk and to his office where he offered her what seemed an apologetic smile, "Faith, I don't have time for greetings at the moment, you'll understand--but later--I promise."

"Angel what the hell!" Faith shouted as the vampire shoved her unceremoniously into an office, slammed the door, and locked it. She banged at the door with her fist, furious that he would just lock her in a room with someone. "What happened to the, hey Faith, nice to see ya part? There's always time for that with you! First assignment to Wolfram and Hart and I get locked in a room with--- "

She turned and stood face to face with a ghost, "You."

"Hello gorgeous," Spike said as he leaned back in Angel's desk chair, arms propped behind his head, feet up and crossed lazily on the mahogany desk. His scuffed motorcycle boots wrinkled and tore a few of the papers that had been placed there, not that he seemed to mind at all. It wasn't his desk, after all, and if he could muss up anything that belonged to Angel, all the better.

"You were dust--- Buffy said that--" she faltered for a moment, her brain not fully able to process seeing Spike sitting in front of her, but she recovered quickly. "I mean, just goes to show that nobody seems to stay dead anymore. Don't tell me, Anya's hiding behind the potted palm over there, right?"

Spike gave a rather bored look around the office and shrugged before settling his gaze on Faith once again, "Just me."

"Well I can see why Angel was in such a rush to get someone from the Dale here. Kind'a surprised it wasn't B," Faith mused as she abandoned the door and sent to lounge in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Why had Angel sent her in here with Buffy's other pet vampire? Faith frowned and regarded Spike warily. Her eyes focused on the vampire mystified about how he could bit sitting there, as if nothing had happened.

"I'm not. He thinks I might taint her," he remarked with a tinge of bitterness in his voice. Spike couldn't even bring himself to mention Angel by name, nor Buffy for that matter. It was merely, 'him' and 'her'. Names brought emotions to the surface that Spike didn't want to reveal to himself, let alone anyone else.

Distraction. Faith thought to herself, with a grim smile at Spike, "And you won't taint me, cuz I'm already tainted, I get it."

"Well, you an' me get along on a level ground."

"We did."

He glanced up giving Faith a flirting look, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips, "Yeh, we did kind of have an understanding of one another."

Faith, in turn gave him a sneer, "Look, death and burning light might have clouded your memory a little, but mine's still sharp on the whole deal. I know you want me dead, so no use pretending you don't."

"If I wanted you dead," Spike shot back, pulling his feet off the desk and standing defensively as he leaned over the surface to look her in the eyes, "You would've hit the bloody floor twenty seconds after you'd entered."

"Yeah?" Faith ebbed, rising and getting in the vampire's face, "Cuz I really beg to differ, English, I know what you said to Buffy after you gave me five across the eyes."

Spike merely looked confused for a few moments when realization finally sunk in. Faith shook her head and backed off, with a snort, "Hey, no big, I don't take things like that personal."

"Looks to me like you do."

"Whatever, look, Angel sent me in here for a reason," Faith said turning to look out of the neco-tempered windows at the haze settling across the hills. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, "So, you happen to know what that is?"

"Probably to keep me occupied and out of his stupid porcupine hair, since he can't get me out of his posh office."

Oh good, I was right. I'm a distraction, Faith sighed internally. But hey, at least I'm locked in the big man's office, might as well make good on what a girl can. She strolled around the desk and glanced through a few of the papers before seating herself in the high-backed leather chair that belonged to Angel himself and spun around to face the vampire.

"Great, vampire-sitting--" She glanced back up at Spike and made a disgusted face, after opening and examining the contents of a few of the desk drawers, "My life just keeps getting better and better."

Spike watched her and straightened looking a bit sheepish, "You should be nicer to a bloke who saved the world."

"Maybe." Faith answered, opening a box of Cuban cigars and pulling one out. She wriggled a bit pulling a small plastic lighter out of her front pocket. "But I'm just about this nice to Buffy, and she did the whole save the world thing way more often than your, "she examined the stogie then laid it on the desk and sparked her lighter instead, watching the flame dance before letting it die out, "one shining moment."

The comment knocked Spike down a few pegs. He stood there, taking in Faith's words, clenching his jaw so that the muscles in his cheek twitched. He watched as Faith picked up the cigar and slid it into her back pocket for later. Approaching the slayer from behind he spoke, "You weren't responsible--"

Faith whirled on him and shoved Spike backward, throwing the lighter at him, "I did my part! I helped you save the world, so don't even try to take all the fucking credit. I watched Buffy fall--but she got back up again like she always does--I might not have went up like a marshmallow but I did what I could!"

Spike held his hands up fending off Faith's fury. He backed up a few paces under Faith's minor explosion, "I didn't mean savin' the world. I meant when they ousted Buffy."

Faith backed up a bit herself at his words, giving him a stand-offish look, then let her guard down some. She shrugged, trying to remain hard toward him, "Hindsight, gorgeous, in theory, I guess. Look, it doesn't matter now."

"I feature it does. I acted rash and--"

Faith held up a hand to stop him, "And that's what you do. So just, forget it okay? Pretty words and I'm sorry won't change the fact that I still hate you."

She looked up at him suddenly and poked her index finger into his chest, advancing on him again as she continued, "Oh get it... Buff's gone. You're high and dry for back-up, right? Maybe you make nice with me and you've got somebody bitchin' your case to Angel, am I gettin' warm? Look, I dunno what twisted metal Buffy was into but I fold, and honestly? Sorry doesn't get it done, there's no rewind with us, so just drop this...whatever it is."

Spike grabbed Faith's wrist and pulled it away from his chest, it seemed too much like a stake to him at the moment. He narrowed his eyes and looked at her incredulously, "You hate me?"

"Is there an echo in here or are you just goin' deaf?" Faith tore her arm away from his grasp, and glared, "Yeah, I hate you, Spike."

"F'whut that lil' tussle back in Sunnyhell?"

"No, for something way more than that, but then you might just call it a footnote in history."

"I d'surved that. I'll wager it still is part of the reason," he mused folding his arms to wait expectantly for her answer, "So whut's the rest then?"

"Seriously, you really don't know? Come on, I knew you weren't the brightest shot in the barrel, but I thought you were at least smart enough to get this. What is it always about with you? One word: Buffy."

Spike didn't even flinch at the mention of the blonde slayer's name. Not that it didn't effect him, but he wasn't about to show Faith any weakness, he wanted to get to the bottom of her seething new hatred of him. He'd figured they were still mates, they did understand each other that one time, and who didn't fight every now and again? So he merely lifted his chin and acted nonchalant, "Whut about her? I loved her, yeah, but that shouldn't be reason enough to hate me."

Faith shook her head and leaned against the desk, drawing a sword shaped letter opener against the wood, "You're all about surface scratches aren't you?"

"I'm a lot deeper than you give me credit for, Slayer."

Faith smirked and gestured with the letter opener, "What happened to first names, Bloody?"

"Thought you wanted me to be 'surface', so go on then, enlighten me."

"I've worked damn hard to get a little gold star in Buffy's good books. I even offered to let her kill me; I thought it'd gain an ounce of forgiveness from her. So I do the 'right thing' and volunteer myself for a prison sentence. What happens? I come back, and in no time, you get her whole trust and worship dance, while I get knocked around for taking the cadets out for a night at the Bronze to let off steam. Way I hear it you did a hell of a lot more damage to her than I ever did. After you died, I never heard the end of it with her. I can't do anything right to get into her good graces---how'd you get under her skin like that?" Faith demanded, toe to toe with Spike. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Hell, maybe I should've slept with her."

Spike grabbed Faith around the throat and slammed her against the wall, "Shut. Your. Gob."

Choking a bit, but not really surprised, she smirked as she felt his fingers grip her throat, crushing her windpipe, "Mmph…hit a…nerve."

The vampire looked at her and grinned menacingly, Faith's intentions clicking in his brain. This was about redemption, forgiveness, and what he'd gotten from Buffy. He looked at her and whispered quietly, "So that's whut this is all about."

"You're a regular Einstein, aren't ya?" Faith said, rubbing at the red fingerprints he'd left on her neck.

"Then I hate you just as much." Spike said coldly.

"Me? What for the Buffy crack?"

"No. Same thing, only you got it with Angel."

It was Faith's turn to look surprised. She held up her hands and laughed, "Woah, hold the pony there. I never banged Angel! And since when d'you care what Angel thinks of you?"

"I live to make him miserable--but try livin' as his mirror image for over a century. Never good enough--never clever enough, imaginative enough, romantic enough--- I'm bloody tired of bein' his shadow."

"Welcome to my world, Peter Pan," Faith snorted shaking her head.

"So this is you--" Spike said softly, looking Faith over and leaning against the desk beside her, "bared and naked."

Faith smiled to herself and cast a sidelong glance at him, shoving her shoulder into his, "I'm still dressed, genius."

"Tempting but I meant jus' this bein' you. The real Faith, your soul, shown to someone else for everything it's worth. It's a bit frightening innit?"

Faith stood her arms crossed, held about herself protectively, she looked around to room, as if she meant to find an escape. Then she turned and pounded on the door again, "Angel! If you don't let me out right now, I'll stake you, redemption be damned!"

Spike shook his head and grabbed Faith by the shoulder, "Awright, so maybe that was a lil' too personal."

Faith struggled and pulled away, "Hands off."

Lifting his hands in mock-surrender Spike stepped back, "Roight."

Faith stood leaning against the door, and repeated stubbornly, "I told you, I hate you."

"Fair enough." Spike nodded seating himself back in one of the chairs, "I just thought we'd managed to be on the same page. I feature I was wrong."

"Buffy gets everything," Faith said suddenly, "She always did… but I saw you first."

"So you hate me for that."

"No. I hate her for that." Faith shook her head and slid her back down the door to sit on the carpeted floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, "I've seen the world through her eyes. I see why everyone looks up to her. Why everyone loves her. I lived her life for a day… and at the end of that day, I wished I was Buffy."

Spike saw the defeat take over Faith's body, and he hated to see such a paragon of power and energy fall and wilt. He crouched in front of her and lifted her chin with his fingertips, "I don't wish you were her. I like you jus' the way you are, Faith."

"If… " Faith raised her eyes to look into two bright blue orbs, and asked awkwardly, "If she hadn't walked in that day we were in the basement---"

Spike brushed the hair from the slayer's eyes, "But she did."

"Yeah, she did." Faith sighed and looked away again, she couldn't look at those eyes. They asked for too much, and she needed to push away the feeling that rose in her when she looked at him. She was supposed to try to control Spike, she knew that's what Angel had probably wanted, but she could barely control herself.

Spike offered a smile, "She was jealous of whut you an' me shared, just talking even. She was afraid you'd have stolen me away, you know."

"And that supposed to make me feel better?" Faith asked, looking at the vampire as if he were crazy.

"Well… yeh."

Faith's lip twitched, "You're right, it kind'a does."

"I could make it up to you know, whut might've been…" Spike purred suddenly, his lips inches away from hers, dangerously close to brushing if he whispered just a fraction louder. She was beautiful and vulnerable at this moment, something he suddenly had the overwhelming urge to care for, to protect.

"No." Faith said suddenly, putting her fingers between their lips to stop him. Hell, have I gone completely nuts? I could have him, he's offering, and I'm turning the salty goods down? Reining in her hormones internally Faith knew she was doing the right thing.

Spike blinked in surprise and leaned back a bit, startled, "But I thought--"

"You thought wrong. I'm not a pity case, we could've done it, might'a… Hell, I would've done it… but not because you feel bad for me," Faith said pulling herself up and crossing the room do distance herself from the vampire. Being close was still far too tempting for her.

Spike looked at her sincerely, "That's not that case."

"Well, we've got time to see… don't we? I'm not going anywhere, at least not right away. Figure I should visit here with Angel in LA for a while. Maybe, if you're a good boy, you'll finally get to see me naked."

Spike smiled, "I already have."

"I meant without my clothes." Faith smirked and gave Spike a seductive glance before she hit the intercom on Angel's desk. "Hey Angel? We're done in here, for now."

Author Notes:

*Sequel to Waiting". I wrote this because of reader response requests not to just leave "Waiting" as a tragic little vignette which was my original intent, so I hope you enjoy.

*May Be Continued Depending on Feedback.