Title:The Outcasts
Author: FerretGirl
Pairing/Characters: Wesley/Spike, Faith, Willow.
Rating: PG13 to NC-17
Disclaimer:They boys and girls are not mine, I'm just playing with
them.
Summary: A second chance, a new beginning?.
Spoilers: AtS S1 to 4, BtvS S3 and S5/6 I guess. At the beginning S4 of
AtS and S7 of BtvS, Joss and I go our separate ways
again.
A big thanks for my beta's miniera, eloisebright and aliaslilacgirl for their help and encouragement.
The OutcastsSaying goodbye, possibly forever, was always hard.Captain Traxda had said his goodbyes quickly, paying them for the work they had done on-board The Cynosure and then some. Spike guessed the man felt a little guilty. He could relate to that, but had still protested against the payment along with the others. The agreement had been that they would work for a passage to Maxion. But Traxda would hear none of it and they ended up thanking him and accepting their payment. That, along with Spike and Faith's winnings from the crew of The Tormente, gave them some freedom, or so they hoped.
Miranda had given them copies of some of the maps, telling them they would probably be able to use those. They were maps of the land and the sea. Wesley had no doubt they would need those maps. Since nothing was ever simple, it would probably take some time to get to those damn Visionaries. Her husband, the good doctor, had packed up some medicinal supplies. Giving them a look and telling them that they'd probably put it to good use, he somehow had no doubt about that.
Nestor had said his cheery farewells too. Even though the harbor of Maxion was huge, the dragon was still too big to enter. Their new friend had lamented about being too big, because now he couldn't hug them goodbye. Instead he had given them some tips on how to deal with different kinds of dragons, would they ever meet any on their long journey. Then he had sniffed and cried, giving his new friends a teary goodbye and wishing them a safe journey. He had slouched off, bawling like a baby, clutching the tiny handkerchief Wesley had given him.
Jack, Hulk and Gordo had said their goodbyes as well. They however, had the four friends promise to meet up for a drink sometime during the next week, as The Cynosure would be docked in the harbor. Willow had hugged everyone and cried. Spike and Wesley had said their goodbyes and Faith had even sniffled a little. Though she would deny this and kill anyone who would ever have pointed that out.
"I really hate saying goodbye," Willow sniffled.
Wesley had his arm around her, rubbing up and down her shoulder in a soothing gesture. "I know," he agreed. Something told him that this wasn't going to be the last time they would have to say goodbye to new friends.
Faith and Spike agreed wholeheartedly. They put up a stoic front, since they were tough and warriors didn't cry or sniffle. Which made Wesley sigh and glare at them annoyed. Because, really, who were they trying to fool?
Entering the city however, made them forget about all thoughts of goodbye. It was, if possible, even stranger then Vilnarsy. Though more organized, more, for lack of a better word, civilized. The streets were parted in two, one road for the carriages pulled by the horse-like creatures and one for pedestrians. The houses and shops stood in neat rows. There were some who were cleaning up the streets, though there was little dirt on them to begin with. Probably because of those...cleaners. In fact, the entire town screamed 'clean!'
They discovered that Maxion had the same 'police' as Vilnarsy, easily recognizable due to their uniforms. The police force here however, obviously had better things to do than check out every new stranger that came into town.
"I suggest we find ourselves a hotel or an inn and think about what to do next," Spike said. He was already looking around, but decided they'd better find an inn away from the crowded center of town. Like they had done in Vilnarsy.
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "We need to figure out where to find the brother of that water spirit. Anyone else notice the lack of shrines around here?"
"Well," Willow said thoughtfully, "maybe this cities protector isn't a water element. Uh...if her brother is this city's protector."
"Damn," Wesley cursed. "We should have asked someone on The Cynosure about that." He inwardly scolded himself for his stupidity, he really should have thought about that.
"Hey, don't worry about that," Willow said softly. She patted the arm that was still around her shoulders. "We can always ask them later, though you'll probably have figured it out before that," she grinned up at him, almost laughing at his stunned expression.
"Yeah," Faith said, patting his back absentmindedly, "You'll work it out, brains."
Blinking from one girl to the other, Wesley felt stunned. He glanced over at Spike, who was grinning at him encouragingly, if not a little mischievously. What had he done to earn such trust, Wesley wondered. How could this group have gone from barely or not knowing each other, to such good friends, almost family and lovers, in such a short time? His thoughts were interrupted by Spike's voice. Wesley hadn't even noticed they had reached the less crowded areas of the town.
"How about this one then?" Spike asked. He was pointing at a tall building, standing slightly higher then the other building on the street, thus allowing its occupants to overlook part of the city.
"Oh! I like it," Willow beamed.
"Wicked cool," Faith agreed.
"Well, let's get some rooms then ladies," Wesley said, holding the doors open for them.
The lobby of the hotel was massive. A row of pillars lead them to the front desk. Looking between the pillars, they could see several rooms. A dining room, a lounge, a games room and several others whose purpose was yet to be discovered. They also noted the lack of anything resembling a shrine.
Wesley looped a finger around the waistband of Spike's trousers, to prevent him from wandering off into the games room. He smirked at Spike's questioning look. "I think I'm getting to know you pretty well," Wesley grinned, moving toward the front desk.
Faith and Willow looked around in awe. Craning their necks to have a better view of the landscape painting that decorated the ceiling. "Spike, look at this," Willow said softly.
Scowling at Wesley, Spike walked over to the girls and looked up. "Pretty good, I've seen something similar in Italy several times," he said. He started pointing out several details to the girls, until two sets of keys were dangled in their view.
"Quite beautiful," Wesley murmured, looking up at the painted ceiling as well. He handed each of them a key. "We're on the top floor, adjoining rooms," he said. "We can take the...err...lift...err...elevator."
"Elevator?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked around for said elevator.
They glanced into the direction Wesley pointed out and noticed a contraption hidden between two pillars. It was built like a cage with doors. Thick ropes were fastened on top and lead outside. Looking out the small window, they saw one of the horse-like creatures at the end of the rope.
"Or we can take the stairs," Wesley said, pointing at said stairs. They were hard to miss, massive as they were, a bright red carpet covering them.
Faith and Spike were already in the elevator, looking back at their two friends expectantly.
Willow glanced back and forth between the contraption and the stairs. "How many stairs is it?" She asked weakly.
"We're on the eighth floor," Wesley answered, "So, my guess would be eight? Eight flights of stairs, or a not entirely safe looking lift." He'd rather take the stairs. This lift thing looked even more dangerous then the one they had at the old Hyperion Hotel. He vaguely noticed that he didn't have the urge to wince, nor had that bitter taste in his mouth that had been there for so long, when he thought about his past.
Willow gave him a scrutinizing look. "Will you be alright taking those stairs?" she asked.
"Yes Mum," Wesley smiled at her, "that dragons' blood ointment works very well."
Willow took in his still bruised appearance and had her own thoughts about that, but she really didn't want to take that dubious elevator. "Alright, we'll take the stairs," she muttered.
They waved to their more adventurous friends and walked up the stairs. The walk up the stairs was fairly easy, but they both knew that their two other friends would needle them until they would finally go on that wretched thing.
Arriving on the eighth floor, about fifteen minutes later, they found Faith and Spike already in the luxurious rooms. Of course, after being on-board The Cynosure for more then two months, everything seemed luxurious.
Both rooms were exactly alike; a door between the rooms gave them a private access without having to go out into the hallway. There was a single huge bed, with room enough for six people, a comfortable sitting area and a bathroom with a spacious bath. They also shared a balcony, which is where Faith and were currently relaxing.
Joining their two friends, Willow and Wesley took in the breathtaking view.
"Amazing innnit?" Spike asked, wrapping his arms around Wesley's waist.
"Wow," was all Willow was able to murmur. The view was almost identical to what they had seen on board the ship, only now they could make out details. The colorful houses, the huge halls, the people on the streets, the nature and mountains surrounding the city, it was indeed awe-inspiring
"So," Faith started after a while, "What's our next step?"
"Tomorrow we'll go to the main temple and make an appointment to see the City Protector," Wesley said matter of factly.
The other three blinked at him puzzled. What was he talking about? Had the walk on the stairs been too much after all?
"What?" Willow asked finally. "How do you know that?"
"I asked the man at the front desk," Wesley shrugged, but the smug expression on his face spoke volumes. "And right now," he continued turning around to walk back into the room, "I'm thinking about taking a bath, eating something and then going to sleep." He walked into the room laughing inwardly. Sometimes things were simple, and all you had to do was ask.
As it turned out, the Protector of the City of Maxion, was a really busy one. Faith and Wesley had gone to the temple to make an appointment, only to find out that there wasn't an opening until the end of next week.
Considering that it was the beginning of this week, that meant they had almost a week and a half to kill. After accepting the neatly scribbled appointment card from the...priests, they made their way to one of the taverns where they would meet up with the others.
"What are we gonna do in the meantime?" Faith asked.
"Look around the city I suppose," Wesley said. "Gordo said something about dancing halls, maybe you can go out. You did say you missed music."
"I somehow doubt they have my kinda music here," Faith grinned, "But I'd like to go out and have some fun. Been ages," she agreed.
"Well, good then," Wesley said, "I'm sure Spike and Willow would love to go with you."
"And what about you?" Faith asked, "You gonna stay in your room and make out with some books?"
Sighing, Wesley looked at her, but the slight smile on his face told her that he wasn't really annoyed. "Maybe," he said, "or maybe I'll study some of the maps, or look around in some of those strange stores."
"Nuh uh," Faith turned around and waved a finger at him. "If we go out and have fun, go dancing and stuff, you come along too."
"You really don't want me to," Wesley sighed, "I can't dance."
"You don't know that," Faith said, "who knows how they dance here. You might be able to. And besides, it's about having fun! If you don't wanna dance, you can always stand around and look handsome."
Wesley blushed, but before he could protest, Faith had already dragged him along. "Come on, book boy. Let's meet up with the others and Jack and Gordo. I'm sure they can point us in the right direction."
Jack and Gordo could indeed point them in the right direction. They told them about different halls. Some held formal dancing, where you needed to dress the part, which both Spike and Faith had immediately rejected. There were the more relaxed halls, where one could drink and gamble some, which Willow and Wesley had immediately rejected. In the end they agreed to go to a hall where one could dance, drink, and listen to music without too much formality.
Jack and Gordo bid their final farewells, as The Cynosure was sailing back to Vilnarsy today. After assuring them that they would give their regards to the rest of the crew they took off.
"Alright!' Spike said, clapping his hands together gleefully, "Lets go out and have some fun!"
Faith and Willow eagerly agreed, standing up to join Spike toward the smaller hall Jack and Gordo had pointed out.
Wesley followed them a little less enthusiastically. "I refuse to dance," he muttered. He wondered briefly if he could excuse himself due to the fact that he was still healing. But he shook his head, that would be unfair and not really true. He kept the excuse in the back of his mind though, just in case.
The small dance hall was cozy. It wasn't overly full, but crowded enough for them to get lost in. They found a table in a secluded corner, which gave them the opportunity to overlook the dance floor, the entrance and the bar. Faith walked over to the bar to order them some drinks.
Dancing in this dimension, seemed to consist of some form of country line dancing or slow dancing. The music was strange, though not annoying. Wesley was dying to go over to the...band? orchestra? And ask them about the instruments they were playing. Something with strings, something that resembled a piano and something that looked like drums. There was someone blowing on a small flute, though the sounds coming from it belied the instrument's size.
"Pet," Spike warned, noticing the gleam in Wesley's eyes. "We're here to have fun, not to study." He looked up gratefully as Faith returned and put four drinks on the table.
Sitting down they looked at the dancers for a while, trying to figure out how it was done. Wesley didn't even try, since he wasn't going to dance. Instead he amused himself by looking at the orchestra and the people and creatures that inhabited the establishment.
"I think I got it," Faith said after a while. She stood up and tugged on Spike's arm. "Come on Vamp, let's go dancing."
Spike put up a little struggle, as a matter of principle, but after both Wesley and Willow's encouraging words he followed the Slayer onto the dance floor.
They found an area where they wouldn't be noticed too much, and tried out the dance moves. It didn't take either of them very long to get into the swing of things.
"God, I've missed this," Faith smiled, swinging to the upbeat music.
"Yeah, this is fun," Spike agreed. He swung his hips seductively, glancing over at Willow and more specifically Wesley. He wriggled his eyebrows at the Watcher and grinned as the other man blushed and gave him a shy smile.
"You should drag him out on the dance floor," Faith commented, smirking hugely. She waved at Willow and gestured for her to join them.
They watched as Willow smiled brightly and turned at Wesley. There was a small argument, but Willow had her resolve face. Wesley never stood a chance. She pulled up the still protesting Watcher and dragged him onto the dance floor toward Faith and Spike.
"Give it up Wes," Faith smirked as they arrived, "That's her resolve face."
Wesley muttered something under his breath, but moved into Spike's arms as the music slowed down. He gave up his protests and tried to follow Spike's moves uncertainly.
"I'm just doing this for you, you realize," Wesley mumbled.
"Because you love me," Spike smirked.
"Well, there is that," Wesley couldn't help but agree shyly. He moved closer to Spike and let himself get lost in the music and Spike's arms.
"Score for the Witch," Faith laughed, watching the men dance.
"I think Spike being here helped a great deal," Willow admitted. She smiled at them. "Tara and I loved to dance too," she said softly.
She didn't notice Faith flinch, but the sound of strain in the Slayer's voice caught her attention. "You still miss her a lot huh?" Faith asked.
"I suppose I always will miss her," Willow said thoughtfully. "But when I think about her now, it doesn't hurt the way it did. You know? I only have the happy memories now."
"So, if you were to like meet...someone, here..." Faith started but was unable to finish her question, unsure of what she was asking, or how to ask it.
"Oh, I might be interested," Willow nodded, giving Faith a strange look. "If...if it were the...uh...right person," she added quietly.
Looking at the Witch for a moment, Faith bit her lower lip. She tried to figure out her next move. She liked the girl, she really did. But she wasn't sure if Willow was ready for that, or even for her, Faith, specifically. It wasn't as if they had been friends, even though they were now. And the other girl had never given the Slayer any signs and she sure as hell hadn't given Willow any, or at least she didn't think so.
Later, Faith had never been able to tell what had possessed her to do it. But before her brain had managed to catch up with her body, and her heart, she had lunged forward. Wrapping her arms around Willow she gently pressed her lips to the other girl.
Faith was lost, it was better then she could have ever imagined. Willow tasted like power, yet gentle and shy, sweet. Someone she wanted to protect, even though Faith knew Willow is perfectly able to protect herself.
Pulling back reluctantly she looked at Willow. Only then did she notice the shocked look on the Witch's face.
Disgusted with herself, Faith took a step back. Too soon, too fast, she had been too aggressive again. Dammit! "Shit," she whispered. "God, Wills I...I'm so sorry."
She took another step back, muttering excuses, and before anyone could react the Slayer spun around on her heels and fled out onto the street.
2004 by FerretGirl