They cut it close coming back, the sun fairly nipping at the heels of
the two vampires. Faith was tired, weary down to the marrow in her bones,
and was looking forward to a hot shower and a long nap, after which she was
going to grab the younger Slayer and head back out.
They'd been too late. A debate had broken out as to whether they should wait for the two men to rise as vampires, or solve the problem now. Maybe debate wasn't the right way to put it – Illyria had stood with her hands around the neck of one of the men, ready to snap his neck off, as the other three tried to explain to her that they couldn't decapitate the body if he hadn't been turned. Illyria had been livid, to put it mildly, saying if the men hadn't been turned, they had a faulty seer. It had taken almost an hour to talk her into putting the nice man down, and not to return to the hotel and kill Caitlin instead. By then, the trail had been cold. Still, they'd searched any place Angel or Spike could think of where Drusilla might be staying, with no luck. From what Angel had said, though, the last time she'd been in town had been because of Wolfram and Hart, so Faith had a good idea of where to search next.
Illyria vanished as soon as they entered the hotel. Faith still hadn't figured out which room the strange demon had claimed as hers, but as long as it wasn't near her own, she didn't care. The vampires threw their weapons into the pile still lying on the floor, grumbling about necrotempered windows, whatever that meant. They could see Connor in the office, nose in a book, so they headed that way. Entering the office, they noticed Caitlin asleep on the couch that had been pulled into the room. At least the kid wasn't hiding in her room anymore. Faith didn't know if it was a great idea for Caitlin to get too close to the boy, but she couldn't avoid him either.
Connor looked up as they approached. "You and I need to talk, Dad." He said. Faith was a little surprised to hear him say "Dad." In the beginning, Angel had briefly filled everyone in on the memory swap, glossing over most of the details, but letting everyone know, yes, Connor was his kid, but he had a separate life and other parents. She hadn't heard the boy mention it since.
"Sure. Don't you have classes today?" Angel said, settling into one of the large chairs facing the desk.
"I'm skipping them. Something came up."
"Connor-"
Faith wasn't really in the mood to watch a heart to heart, so she broke in. "Do I need to be here for this?"
"No." Connor said. "If we figure out anything important, we'll tell everyone later."
Spike stood. "I guess I'm excused, too. Faith, you want to share a nightcap?"
"Ain't exactly night, but I don't usually turn down a drink." She said. They walked up stairs, stopping just outside of Spike's room on the fourth floor. She turned to say something, and he pushed her against the wall, kissing her hard. He wasn't the first vampire she'd kissed, so the slightly cool feel of his lips on hers didn't surprise her, but she wasn't prepared for the jolt of feeling. She shoved him away. "What the hell was that?"
"If you have to ask, I didn't do it right." He said with a touch of swagger, leaning in to her again.
"I'm not Buffy." She said softly.
He pulled back as if slapped. "I didn't think you were."
"Well, good, because I don't want there to be any confusion."
"What are you talking about?"
Agitated, she ran her fingers through her hair. She slid down the wall, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Spike sat down next to her, looking at her expectantly. "It's just that I know you've got the big love for her, and I don't want you thinking any Slayer will do in a pinch."
"Faith." He said, slightly reproachful. He turned her face toward him. "I'm not confused. I may have loved Buffy, but she didn't feel the same, so there was no big love. I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm in love with you – I've said that too much, my whole life, without really knowing what it means. But I feel something."
She turned away. "And at one time, that would have been enough. But I'm not the same person I used to be. Two years ago, I would have given you a jump in a second. But all these girls, looking up to me – I never had that. It made me want to be someone they should look up to."
"Is this about the lil' bit? I'm not about to tell her."
She stood, sure now. "No. It's about me. I'm not saying never...I'm saying not yet."
They'd been too late. A debate had broken out as to whether they should wait for the two men to rise as vampires, or solve the problem now. Maybe debate wasn't the right way to put it – Illyria had stood with her hands around the neck of one of the men, ready to snap his neck off, as the other three tried to explain to her that they couldn't decapitate the body if he hadn't been turned. Illyria had been livid, to put it mildly, saying if the men hadn't been turned, they had a faulty seer. It had taken almost an hour to talk her into putting the nice man down, and not to return to the hotel and kill Caitlin instead. By then, the trail had been cold. Still, they'd searched any place Angel or Spike could think of where Drusilla might be staying, with no luck. From what Angel had said, though, the last time she'd been in town had been because of Wolfram and Hart, so Faith had a good idea of where to search next.
Illyria vanished as soon as they entered the hotel. Faith still hadn't figured out which room the strange demon had claimed as hers, but as long as it wasn't near her own, she didn't care. The vampires threw their weapons into the pile still lying on the floor, grumbling about necrotempered windows, whatever that meant. They could see Connor in the office, nose in a book, so they headed that way. Entering the office, they noticed Caitlin asleep on the couch that had been pulled into the room. At least the kid wasn't hiding in her room anymore. Faith didn't know if it was a great idea for Caitlin to get too close to the boy, but she couldn't avoid him either.
Connor looked up as they approached. "You and I need to talk, Dad." He said. Faith was a little surprised to hear him say "Dad." In the beginning, Angel had briefly filled everyone in on the memory swap, glossing over most of the details, but letting everyone know, yes, Connor was his kid, but he had a separate life and other parents. She hadn't heard the boy mention it since.
"Sure. Don't you have classes today?" Angel said, settling into one of the large chairs facing the desk.
"I'm skipping them. Something came up."
"Connor-"
Faith wasn't really in the mood to watch a heart to heart, so she broke in. "Do I need to be here for this?"
"No." Connor said. "If we figure out anything important, we'll tell everyone later."
Spike stood. "I guess I'm excused, too. Faith, you want to share a nightcap?"
"Ain't exactly night, but I don't usually turn down a drink." She said. They walked up stairs, stopping just outside of Spike's room on the fourth floor. She turned to say something, and he pushed her against the wall, kissing her hard. He wasn't the first vampire she'd kissed, so the slightly cool feel of his lips on hers didn't surprise her, but she wasn't prepared for the jolt of feeling. She shoved him away. "What the hell was that?"
"If you have to ask, I didn't do it right." He said with a touch of swagger, leaning in to her again.
"I'm not Buffy." She said softly.
He pulled back as if slapped. "I didn't think you were."
"Well, good, because I don't want there to be any confusion."
"What are you talking about?"
Agitated, she ran her fingers through her hair. She slid down the wall, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Spike sat down next to her, looking at her expectantly. "It's just that I know you've got the big love for her, and I don't want you thinking any Slayer will do in a pinch."
"Faith." He said, slightly reproachful. He turned her face toward him. "I'm not confused. I may have loved Buffy, but she didn't feel the same, so there was no big love. I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm in love with you – I've said that too much, my whole life, without really knowing what it means. But I feel something."
She turned away. "And at one time, that would have been enough. But I'm not the same person I used to be. Two years ago, I would have given you a jump in a second. But all these girls, looking up to me – I never had that. It made me want to be someone they should look up to."
"Is this about the lil' bit? I'm not about to tell her."
She stood, sure now. "No. It's about me. I'm not saying never...I'm saying not yet."