Disclaimers and story info located at Chapters 1 and 4.
Wesley hit the END button on his cell phone, and let it slip from his hand to the passenger seat. He stared out the windshield, bringing a hand to his throat and fingering his scar, a little habit he'd picked up. He remembered what it had been like to lay in the grass, bleeding out, gripping desperately at consciousness, all the while unable to move or make a sound. That same feeling was taking over this moment, the helplessness, knowing he'd just made a deal with the devil to ensure the safety of a woman who'd tortured him nearly to death. Part of him wished he could undo his years of training, to cease to care about the plight of the slayers. If that was the case, he could have hung up when he'd heard Buffy's voice on the other end of the line, could have continued his bleak little existence, walking the line. In a few short minutes, with one phone call, he had obliterated it completely.
There was not a doubt in his mind that Lilah would come through. There seemed to be no limit to the power Wolfram & Hart possessed. The bastards held sway in multiple dimensions. But now they held sway over him. Lilah had ended the conversation with an ominous, "Don't think this is a freebie." He tried to ignore that little thread of excitement welling up, the desire to say "sod off" to the Council, his father and Angel Investigations, to desert his post entirely. The concept was more than appealing; it virtually called out to him. Had since the day Lilah brought over Dante's Inferno and made him an offer. He'd fucked her for a taste of what it would be like; surprised the hell out of him when he'd let her come back for more. Wondered if this was what it felt like, how long Faith had teetered before she'd tumbled.
But the situation at hand: a slayer sat waiting inside those doors, expecting his help with no knowledge of his moral ambiguities, or their cause. He opened the car door and stepped out, squinting a bit against the direct glow from the parking lot lamppost. Each step back toward the hotel's revolving doors strengthened his resolve to aid the slayers, to the end if necessary. And at all possible.
The slayer watched Wesley walk back to the table, baited breath, noting that his gaze was fixed on the floor. He did not look up until he was actually seated, lips straightening from their perpetual frown; obviously a half-assed attempt at a smile. But that was enough. Buffy took a deep breath, realizing that she'd been holding it.
"Well?" She asked, eyes searching his face.
"The guards outside Faith's hospital room will be ours, in addition to some staff back at the prison infirmary. They will be somewhat less than human."
"I'm impressed. Glad you have friends in high places."
Wesley nearly laughed.
* * * * *
Slayer sense was a strange thing. Like that sound that couldn't be explained, that no one else could hear. Not a hum or a buzz. More of a steady vibration. Its meaning was unmistakable: slayer. She'd shrugged it off with Kendra, but when Faith came along, she understood. They'd put it to the test a couple of times in years past, taking turns tracking each other through cemeteries. Faith could always feel her coming a mile away. Buffy hadn't felt it until they'd pulled into the parking lot.
She'd just stepped into the waiting room, Dawn and Wesley in tow, when a man in purple scrubs approached.
"Ms. Summers." He stated. Buffy nodded and shook his hand. "My name's David. I'm Faith's nurse. I'll show you to her room." David asked Buffy's companions to have a seat, then led her partway down the hall before pulling her aside. "I should apprise you of her condition first."
"Is everything okay?"
"Faith came in a few hours ago because her blood pressure was dangerously high. The doctors were afraid that she could start having seizures, so they performed an emergency C-section."
"Jesus."
"The surgery went fine, Faith's stable. She's asking for you."
"And the baby?"
"In the nursery. Beautiful baby girl; seven pounds, seven ounces. You should name her Lucky."
At this Buffy unwittingly broke into a grin. "I don't know about that."
David motioned for the slayer to follow. Easier said than done. She felt like she was walking through water as he led her around the corner and down the hall. Couldn't miss which room was Faith's: two armed guards stood on either side of the door.
One of them gave a knowing nod and propped the door open.
"So you made it." Came a voice from within the darkened room, "Couldn't come straight up, you had to tour the hospital first?"
The blonde shook her head and smiled, entering the room. The door swung closed, and she made her way to the side of the bed by the light coming in from under the door. "That is disturbing on so many levels."
"Don't I know it."
"We couldn't find the cafeteria," she explained while pulling up a chair, "and Wesley needed coffee."
"Wes is here?"
"I needed a ride." Buffy sat down and took Faith's hand into her own. She was getting used to seeing Faith in a hospital bed. Tubes and wires were almost appendages. Buffy couldn't rationalize the idea that this girl was now a mother. Or that the baby wouldn't know her mother.
Buffy took a deep breath, determined to make words come out of her mouth.
Suddenly the brunette pulled her hand away. "Don't. Just. don't." She muttered. "I shouldn't have asked you to come up here. I need to sleep. They keep giving me drugs, but I still can't sleep. My head is pounding and I feel kind of."
"What?" The blonde asked, focusing on Faith's averted eyes. They were red and swollen; she'd been crying.
"I don't know. Whatever. I'm tired. She's down at the nursery. You need to sign the papers."
"Faith-"
"Don't make this harder." The brunette whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "It's not your fault, I just can't see you right now. Please leave."
"Okay." Buffy acquiesced. "Get some rest. But I'll be back tomorrow."
Faith nodded and closed her eyes, and the slayer left the room. She started to walk down the hall, then turned and approached the two armed guards. They did not meet her gaze, just continued to stare straight ahead. They looked human enough, but Buffy had been a slayer long enough to know that appearances are sometimes deceiving.
"You know who I am?" She asked them quietly. The two "men" looked at each other, then back at Buffy and nodded.
"Good. Then you know I'm not kidding when I say I'll have your asses if anything happens to Faith."
TBC
Wesley hit the END button on his cell phone, and let it slip from his hand to the passenger seat. He stared out the windshield, bringing a hand to his throat and fingering his scar, a little habit he'd picked up. He remembered what it had been like to lay in the grass, bleeding out, gripping desperately at consciousness, all the while unable to move or make a sound. That same feeling was taking over this moment, the helplessness, knowing he'd just made a deal with the devil to ensure the safety of a woman who'd tortured him nearly to death. Part of him wished he could undo his years of training, to cease to care about the plight of the slayers. If that was the case, he could have hung up when he'd heard Buffy's voice on the other end of the line, could have continued his bleak little existence, walking the line. In a few short minutes, with one phone call, he had obliterated it completely.
There was not a doubt in his mind that Lilah would come through. There seemed to be no limit to the power Wolfram & Hart possessed. The bastards held sway in multiple dimensions. But now they held sway over him. Lilah had ended the conversation with an ominous, "Don't think this is a freebie." He tried to ignore that little thread of excitement welling up, the desire to say "sod off" to the Council, his father and Angel Investigations, to desert his post entirely. The concept was more than appealing; it virtually called out to him. Had since the day Lilah brought over Dante's Inferno and made him an offer. He'd fucked her for a taste of what it would be like; surprised the hell out of him when he'd let her come back for more. Wondered if this was what it felt like, how long Faith had teetered before she'd tumbled.
But the situation at hand: a slayer sat waiting inside those doors, expecting his help with no knowledge of his moral ambiguities, or their cause. He opened the car door and stepped out, squinting a bit against the direct glow from the parking lot lamppost. Each step back toward the hotel's revolving doors strengthened his resolve to aid the slayers, to the end if necessary. And at all possible.
The slayer watched Wesley walk back to the table, baited breath, noting that his gaze was fixed on the floor. He did not look up until he was actually seated, lips straightening from their perpetual frown; obviously a half-assed attempt at a smile. But that was enough. Buffy took a deep breath, realizing that she'd been holding it.
"Well?" She asked, eyes searching his face.
"The guards outside Faith's hospital room will be ours, in addition to some staff back at the prison infirmary. They will be somewhat less than human."
"I'm impressed. Glad you have friends in high places."
Wesley nearly laughed.
* * * * *
Slayer sense was a strange thing. Like that sound that couldn't be explained, that no one else could hear. Not a hum or a buzz. More of a steady vibration. Its meaning was unmistakable: slayer. She'd shrugged it off with Kendra, but when Faith came along, she understood. They'd put it to the test a couple of times in years past, taking turns tracking each other through cemeteries. Faith could always feel her coming a mile away. Buffy hadn't felt it until they'd pulled into the parking lot.
She'd just stepped into the waiting room, Dawn and Wesley in tow, when a man in purple scrubs approached.
"Ms. Summers." He stated. Buffy nodded and shook his hand. "My name's David. I'm Faith's nurse. I'll show you to her room." David asked Buffy's companions to have a seat, then led her partway down the hall before pulling her aside. "I should apprise you of her condition first."
"Is everything okay?"
"Faith came in a few hours ago because her blood pressure was dangerously high. The doctors were afraid that she could start having seizures, so they performed an emergency C-section."
"Jesus."
"The surgery went fine, Faith's stable. She's asking for you."
"And the baby?"
"In the nursery. Beautiful baby girl; seven pounds, seven ounces. You should name her Lucky."
At this Buffy unwittingly broke into a grin. "I don't know about that."
David motioned for the slayer to follow. Easier said than done. She felt like she was walking through water as he led her around the corner and down the hall. Couldn't miss which room was Faith's: two armed guards stood on either side of the door.
One of them gave a knowing nod and propped the door open.
"So you made it." Came a voice from within the darkened room, "Couldn't come straight up, you had to tour the hospital first?"
The blonde shook her head and smiled, entering the room. The door swung closed, and she made her way to the side of the bed by the light coming in from under the door. "That is disturbing on so many levels."
"Don't I know it."
"We couldn't find the cafeteria," she explained while pulling up a chair, "and Wesley needed coffee."
"Wes is here?"
"I needed a ride." Buffy sat down and took Faith's hand into her own. She was getting used to seeing Faith in a hospital bed. Tubes and wires were almost appendages. Buffy couldn't rationalize the idea that this girl was now a mother. Or that the baby wouldn't know her mother.
Buffy took a deep breath, determined to make words come out of her mouth.
Suddenly the brunette pulled her hand away. "Don't. Just. don't." She muttered. "I shouldn't have asked you to come up here. I need to sleep. They keep giving me drugs, but I still can't sleep. My head is pounding and I feel kind of."
"What?" The blonde asked, focusing on Faith's averted eyes. They were red and swollen; she'd been crying.
"I don't know. Whatever. I'm tired. She's down at the nursery. You need to sign the papers."
"Faith-"
"Don't make this harder." The brunette whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "It's not your fault, I just can't see you right now. Please leave."
"Okay." Buffy acquiesced. "Get some rest. But I'll be back tomorrow."
Faith nodded and closed her eyes, and the slayer left the room. She started to walk down the hall, then turned and approached the two armed guards. They did not meet her gaze, just continued to stare straight ahead. They looked human enough, but Buffy had been a slayer long enough to know that appearances are sometimes deceiving.
"You know who I am?" She asked them quietly. The two "men" looked at each other, then back at Buffy and nodded.
"Good. Then you know I'm not kidding when I say I'll have your asses if anything happens to Faith."
TBC