FUTURE IMPERFECT

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created like Nick, Callie, and Hope.

CHAPTER 7-A HISTORY OF LOVE AND REMEMBERANCE

Angel awoke to Gwen coming out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.  They had gone to a show the night before, one that Angel had forced himself to sit through, and for a short time during the show he actually caught himself paying attention.  Gwen had loved the show, going so far as to regale Angel with the show's history.  Although he had tried to not enjoy himself Angel had to admit that there had been times during the night that he actually had fun.  Against his better judgment he did have to admit that seeing Gwen in that way, still wet and glistening from the shower, did stir some feelings that he had thought been long since abandoned.  After Liam's birth Cordelia had tried to stay out of Angel's sight as much as possible, for fear that his anger would overwhelm him and he'd hurt the baby or someone else.  Gwen on the other hand had taken that opportunity, and any other that presented itself, to do anything with Angel.  As he watched the former thief sift through one of her bags, hitching her towel up and bending over just far enough that Angel tried his best not to stare, he contemplated the competition that had begun between the two women after Liam was around two.  Neither would have openly admitted their rivalry but anyone that met them knew that they disliked each other, although Angel had always had a sneaking suspicion that if he were taken out of the mix and the two women were around each other long enough that they would have eventually become friends.  But instead the two seemed like they would be eternal enemies, a fact that at times wreaked havoc at Angel Investigations. 

"Stop flashing me and put some clothes on Gwen…," Angel growled with a slightly angry tone to his voice as he leaned back up against the headboard of his bed and grabbed some files off of the nightstand beside his bed.

"I'm not flashing you Angel…that goes more like this…Angel," Gwen started to say with a sly smile on her face before she turned around and undid her towel, letting it drop to the floor before she called out to Angel again. 

"Yes Gwen what…," Angel started to grumble back to the former thief as he slowly raised his gaze, only to be met by the sight of Gwen standing only a few feet in front of him, nude as the day she was born, still wet from the shower.  After a few fleeting moments of looking, enough to annoy him by filling his dreams for days to come, Angel turned away and buried his face back into the files.  "I thought I told you to put some clothes on…and I'd advise you not to pull this stunt again, it makes you look desperate," Angel continued with a restrained look of anger, that hid a genuine feeling of pity, as he only lightly glanced up, completely missing the shocked and hurt look on Gwen's face before she grabbed a couple of her bags and stormed off back into the bathroom.

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"Now Faith, is that any way to talk in front of your daughter…may I," Giles started to say in an almost scolding manner before he walked up to Wesley and politely asked to hold Hope. 

"Of course," Wesley replied with a sigh as he handed Hope to Giles, who looked very much like a happy grandfather holding his first grandchild.

"You do that pretty well G…bet you're going to get a lot more practice when B has her kid," Faith said with a playful smirk on her face as she stood up and leaned up against the chalkboard, her arms crossed in front of her.  Had Giles not been used to getting pretty substantial shocks to his system every once in awhile, mostly from Buffy with a new demon or when she had first started seeing Angel and then Spike, he would have dropped Hope. 

"Her what…," Giles sputtered out in total amazement as his mind was sent reeling at Faith's words and the worried look on Dawn's face. 

"Oops…I did it again…," Faith muttered sadly as she sighed and shook her head as Dawn quickly slid the Dringogen text back into her bag.

"I guess the proverbial cat is out of the bag now…," Wesley said with an amused smile on his face as he turned back to Faith, who jokingly stuck her tongue out at him before breaking into a happy laugh and walking towards him. 

"I'm sorry Giles…they told me not to tell you, they just found out that Buffy…was pregnant and they went to tell Angel and…," Dawn stammered out, her mind running faster than her mouth, before she saw the shocked and slightly angry scowl on Giles face. 

"What…they told…him…first…before me…," Giles said with a hurt frown on his face as he suddenly looked like a very old man.  Seeing the position that he was in Faith jumped in, hoping to at least try and alleviate the problem just a bit.

"I'm sure they wanted to tell you first Giles…but the time difference and all that…and you know B…she probably wanted to tell you in person," Faith said quickly on the fly with an unsure smile on her face as she stepped forward and took Hope back from Giles before the old watcher tiredly sat down beside Dawn. 

"Right…you could look at it this way…Dawn said that Buffy and Spike are in town helping her get settled into college life…you could catch up with them…," Wesley interjected quickly with a very unsure of the situation frown on his face as he looked over at Faith, who was busying herself with checking to see if Hope's diaper needed changing. 

"Good idea Wes…just make sure that you don't say anything about us...before you only Dawn over here knew about us…and I'd like to keep the number of people that know to a minimum if it's at all possible," Faith added with a serious and almost sadly hopeful frown on her face as she held Hope a little closer to her chest. 

"Of course…but I will want to talk to the two of you later…in detail, there are some items that we need to discuss," Giles answered with a still shell-shocked frown on his face before he took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and proceeded to begin to clean his glasses. 

"What do you mean…items," Faith asked with an unsure frown on her face before she looked over at Wesley, whose face seemed to mirror her apprehension. 

"Nothing much…just things like your resurrection…how the two of you came to be married…how you found employment here…and how Hope came about…," Giles said, letting his voice trail off at the end, before Faith walked back towards him in such a way as to confront him about something. 

"How Hope came about…Giles…Hope…came about…the old fashioned way…and I truly hope that I don't have to explain it to you," Wesley interjected with a shocked look on his face as he rummaged around in his pocket for his watch. 

"What I meant was if her birth was foretold by a prophecy…like Angel's prophecy of possibly becoming human one day…but you have to admit that it is quite…strange…that a slayer and her watcher would…well…," Giles started to say through a frustrated sigh before he caught the angry scowl on Faith's face.

"Strange…there isn't anything strange about two people being in love and a child being born out of that love Giles…slayer and watcher are only titles that used to belong to us…we've moved beyond them…you should to," Faith spat out angrily at first before Hope whimpered a bit and she calmed down and finished out her reply. 

"Faith…the slayer is not just a title, it's who you are, you can't just walk away from it…no matter how much you want to…and Wesley…you…you should have," Giles spat out as if constantly on a search for the right words to say to convey the myriad of emotions that he was feeling. 

"I should have what Rupert…known better…than to fall in love with my slayer…well life doesn't always turn out like you planned does it, when I went to see Faith in prison after The Beast blotted out the sun I truly expected to hate her for everything that she did to me…but you know what Rupert…when I looked into her eyes I couldn't bring myself to hate her any longer…because I was just as bad as she was…," Wesley said with a very serious and slightly hurt frown on his face as he turned on his heel and walked back over towards Faith and the desk.  "And after that when we began to work together I found myself actually enjoying the time…but when she came to me with her plan to stop Angelus…I…didn't agree with it…but I went along with it…what choice did I have, but when I saw her…lying there in that bed…," Wesley continued with a gravely serious look on his face before it appeared more and more likely that he would shed a few tears as he remembered one of the few moments in his life that he would willingly give up his own life if only to help the woman that he loved out. 

"Wes…," Faith added softly as she walked over to him and wrapped an arm around him supportively.

"Da da…," Hope chimed in with a fearful expression on her face as she seemed to sense the sadness in her parents.

"Letting her go back to Sunnydale was hard…I knew it was the right thing to do…but a part of me wanted more than anything for her to stay in Los Angeles, I know it sounds arrogant of me but it's the truth…when she…died…I was truly ready to leave this mortal coil for good…I'd fought the good fight for long enough…lost damn near everything to…but then fate…or the Powers That Be…God…who knows…took pity on me…us, and the rest is history, or so they say," Wesley added with a very sour frown on his face as he took Hope from Faith and held her close.

"There's your answer Giles, you can think and believe whatever you want about us and what we're doing…but this is fact…the three of us here, together…whether you or anyone else likes it or not…," Faith exclaimed with a very cold yet forceful look on her face as he took her arm from around Wesley and began to walk towards Giles, who shrunk back in his chair slightly, unsure of what Faith was about to do next. 

"Whoa…I think everybody needs to take a step back here…c'mon Giles…I think we should go and see Spike and Buffy, she's probably worried about me by now," Dawn said nervously as she jumped out of her seat and grabbed Giles by the hand after slinging her bag over her shoulder. 

"I agree…this talk did not go as well as I had hoped, I still believe that we should sit down and talk about all of this, but I think that it would be prudent for us to wait until certain people's…tempers have a chance to cool down," Giles said with a very flustered look on his face before he let Dawn haul him out of the room.  For several seconds after Dawn and Giles left the room remained quiet.

"Who the hell does he think he is…talking to us like that…," Faith shouted angrily as she threw her hands up and stormed over to the door to make sure that it was fully shut and locked.  Wesley sighed heavily before responding as he slumped down into his chair, setting Hope down on his lap. 

"Faith…calm down…please," Wesley muttered softly as he let Hope grab onto a couple of his fingers and jam them into her mouth.  Faith spun around on her heel and started to protest angrily before she saw the drained frown on Wesley's face.

"Why should…fine Wes I'll let it go…for now, but why didn't you tell me all of what you told Giles along time ago," Faith started to ask angrily before she calmed down and asked the question that was truly on her mind.

"By what I told Giles you mean…what exactly," Wesley asked with a confused look on his face even though he knew exactly what Faith meant. 

"Why didn't you tell me that you wanted me to stay in L.A. with you and Angel…," Faith said with a very determined look on her face as she walked over to stand beside the desk.  Over the three years that they had been together Faith had gotten Wesley to tell her almost everything that had happened during her time in prison, but he had always been holding something back, and that simple fact had always bothered her. 

"Would you have stayed in L.A. if I had…," Wesley returned the question with one of his own as he tickled Hope behind the ear, eliciting a small giggle from the youngest member of the family. 

"Of course…well…maybe…okay no I probably wouldn't have…but I would have at least thought about it more than I did…who knows maybe I would have asked you to come with us, it always did seem kind of odd to me that nobody ever called you until you showed up with Angel to help fight…," Faith replied with a very nervous look on her face as she turned away from Wesley and the desk.

"I remember that…I think Buffy was the only one that was glad to see us…," Wesley chuckled out softly as he remembered the scene in the Summers' house that night. 

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He and Angel had rushed off to Sunnydale after Buffy had asked for Angel to come.  After meeting with her Angel had returned to the hotel and told Wesley that Buffy had told him to go back to L.A.  That night the two tired and weary fighters had discussed all of their options.  By the morning light both knew that they weren't going to be going anywhere until the fight with the First was good and over.  When he and Angel had walked into the kitchen through the back door, Angel's blanket still burning, they had almost gotten staked on sight.  Wesley remembered several young girls staring at him with a cross of fear and uncertainty in their eyes.  Unfortunately none of the vaunted Scooby gang had been there, most of them were still trying to avoid Buffy after she had returned and reclaimed her house. 

One of the young girls that Wesley would later learn were slayers in training approached them with a loaded crossbow in her hands, aiming the point of the bolt straight at Angel's heart.  A middle aged African American man had followed her with an axe in his hands, looking ready to strike at a moments notice.  Wesley had tried to ease the tension of the situation by raising his hands up in front of him and trying to convey that they were friends.  But he had made a small but very bad error in judgment, for he had forgotten that he still had his guns with him.  And when he lifted up his arms the two handguns and the shotgun sitting in its special sheath had become clearly visible, heightening the tension even more.  Angel didn't have any better luck as with his pale complexion and the fact that the only other person that the young girls had seen using a blanket like that had been Spike they weren't ready to take any chances.  Despite the grim odds Angel had tried to press on, but the young girl with the crossbow had stuck the point of the bolt directly over Angels heart and threatened that if he didn't stand back she'd pull the trigger.  After realizing his mistake from earlier Wesley had tied his long coat closed and proceeded to ask for Buffy or Faith. 

The only response to his questions came from the man wielding the axe, as he wrongly guessed that Angel and Wesley were agents of the First and trying to trick them.  By that time Angel's patience had almost run out and the two and a half century old vampire only further exasperated the level of tension in the room when he demanded that if Buffy wasn't at home then he wanted to see Dawn.  The young girl with the crossbow had obviously heard enough and as Angel took a step forward she took further aim and let the bolt fly straight at Angel's chest.  Expecting her to make that move Angel sidestepped the bolt, letting it harmlessly fly up and bury itself into the kitchen cabinets, before he brushed her aside easily and took another step forward.  The African American man sprung into action next, swinging his axe in a downward motion, obviously trying to hack off one of Angel's limbs.  But acting fast Wesley had grabbed a rolling pin off of the counter and used it to block the downward arc of the axe, much to the shock and dismay of the man wielding it.  Wesley quickly followed up his surprise deflection of the axe with a well aimed kick to the mans stomach, causing him to double over and stagger back a few steps.  Angel took the opening and used it to his fullest advantage, quickly bypassing the remaining young girls in the room, all of whom had begun quivering with fear and dropped their weapons, and knocked the man off of his feet and almost into the next room with a vicious uppercut. 

The young girl that had previously held the crossbow struggled to load another bolt as Angel followed the mans flight back towards the ground, turning his back to her.  Just as she was about to finish loading the next bolt Wesley grabbed the crossbow out of her hands with one hand while tossing Angel the rolling pin with the other.  Seconds later, as the young girl surged forward intent on getting her crossbow back, Wesley forced her back as he pulled one of his guns and aimed it right between her eyes.  Angel caught the rolling pin with ease and was just about to knock the man out when Faith had coming flying down the stairs in a panic.  The man had taken the opportunity given him to drive the butt end of his axe into Angel's groin, causing the vampire to growl in pain and stagger backwards a few steps.  Wesley was about to go to Angel's aid when Faith rounded the corner and almost keeled over in shock at the sight of two of her best friends, one lying on the floor trying to keep from crying out in pain and the other aiming a gun at the head of a man that she had only hours earlier had sex with.  Faith had noticed the confused and somewhat hurt look in Wesley's eyes as she went to Wood's side and helped him up, using her slayer strength to keep him from doing any more damage. 

In a huff she had ordered everyone out of the room except for herself, Wood, the young girl that had aimed the crossbow at Angel, and Wesley and Angel.  What followed hadn't gone well and several times over the next couple of hours there was almost a brawl in Buffy's kitchen.  Faith kept her eyes low, avoiding the hopefully well hidden look of jealousy on Wesley's face and the simmering scowl of anger on Angel's face as she tried her best to explain the situation.  Wesley had cleared his throat at the worst parts of Faith's story, most of them being when she had hurt him, as the man had plenty of questions and only gripped his axe tighter when he found out Angel's exact identity as Spike's grandsire.  Wesley had taken some small amount of pleasure when he noticed that Faith seemed to defend him from all of both Wood and Kennedy's questions.  After those two hours Faith had come up with the suggestion that Wood and Kennedy should leave the room and try to calm down lest there be a huge fight.  Angel and Wesley had stayed in the kitchen, conversing in low voices as they tried to figure out their next move.  They agreed and Wesley had called Fred back in L.A. and asked her and the others to come to Sunnydale.

Wesley had peeked around the corner and was discomforted to see Faith taking her time in making sure that Wood was alright.  For a reason unknown to him Wesley found himself to not be able to like the man at all, feeling him as a variable that they didn't need. But he held his tongue as Faith seemed to be okay with him being there.  Angel had moved in closer as to avoid the beams of light coming in through the windows. Wesley was just about to enter the living room and demand to know what was going on when Buffy had come home from a daylight patrol and Spike came up from the basement.  After Buffy had stopped Angel and Spike from going after each other she had sat everyone down and explained everything to them, even having to physically sit in between Spike and Angel at certain parts of her story.  Afterwards had come the introductions and all of the slayers in training had regarded Angel in much the same way that they did Spike, but with Wesley they all seemed to be glad that he was there.  During that day they had crowded all around him, asking him one question after another, never letting him have any peace or quiet.  That night Wesley's only release had been the final battle.

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"Hey I was glad to see you…but you two did kind of beat up a friend of mine," Faith protested as she started to turn around but thought better of it and stayed where she was. 

"A friend huh…he looked like more than that to me…but then again your connection to him wasn't that hard to pick up," Wesley said back with an unhappy frown on his face as he covered both of Hope's ears before Faith could come back with her explanation. 

"Wesley please…don't bring that bastard up again…all he wanted was to somehow get closer to his mother…and he used me to try and do it, I never should have slept with him," Faith started to say pleadingly as she half turned and cast a sad glance back at Wesley.

"On that we agree…but I won't press this any further as my own past has a few skeletons that I'd rather not talk about, and it doesn't matter anyway…does it…," Wesley said with an apologetic look on his face as he stood up and walked over to Faith with a sleepy Hope in his arms.

"Nope…I have you and Hope and that's all that I need in my life…," Faith muttered softly at first but grew more determined and sure of herself as she said the words. 

"Well then what are we talking about it for…all of that happened three long years ago…back when we were very different people…and in a very different situation…," Wesley replied with a concerned but hopeful look on his face as he used his free arm to start to turn Faith back around to face him. 

"Guess we just like digging up our mistakes when they're least helpful, let's agree not to do that again okay…," Faith said with a thoughtful look on her face as she brought a hand up and scratched Wesley's chin.

"Whatever you say Faith…out of the way shortie…," Wesley whispered back loudly before he lightly pushed Hope aside and met Faith halfway in a long and meaningful kiss.

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Across town Buffy and Spike were visiting some historical sites when they had bumped into Giles and Dawn.  The four had spent the rest of the day at a few more historical sites along with a small café where they talked for hours before they returned to Buffy and Spike's hotel room to discuss things in more detail.  More than once Dawn had to clear her throat or step on Giles' foot to keep the old watcher from spilling the beans about Wesley and Faith.  Even though neither asked both Spike and Buffy knew that there was something that Giles and Dawn weren't telling them.  Hours later after Dawn and Giles had left Buffy and Spike had decided to do their best to figure out exactly what the two were hiding from them, no matter what.

END OF CHAPTER 7