Chapter Eight – Wyoming
March 2005
"You have to use it."
"Fuck you. Go away. Leave me alone."
Faith stood in that alley again, two days after her conversation with Darcy. Stay out of the alley, she remembered telling the woman. She had started taking out the garbage since then. Now she regretted making that decision.
"He'll find you, Faith."
"Let him."
"He'll kill you."
Faith didn't think that would happen. The person who stood before her wore tattered clothes. He obviously hadn't cleaned up in quite a while. And he was still a damn asshole in her book. She did owe him something. Just not what he asked. Not ever.
"I doubt it. Just leave."
"You don't understand," he yelled back.
"I understand completely, Angel. You bastard. You caused all of this."
"I did. I know what I did. You just have to trust me on this. You are the only one who can do it."
She wanted to pull out that stake that she had in her back pocket and run him through. But she knew she couldn't. Just as she knew she couldn't do what he asked.
"Go to hell."
"I've already been there. And I'll go back again just to get you to do this. It's the right thing to do."
The right thing to do would have been not to take the lawyers' offer in the first place. She wasn't going to throw that back in his face right then. She had more to protect than just herself. She had her whole life.
"You do it yourself."
"I can't. Won't work. Don't you understand?"
Tears formed behind her eyes. Faith didn't want him to see her cry. Her heart had already been ripped in two way too many times in the last year just for her to slowly sew it back together. Now he was going to rip at those stitches again.
"I understand," she told him menacingly. "Get out of here and never come back."
"He won't stop until he has killed each and every one of us."
"You created this. You solve this. I'm going inside."
Angel stopped her with a hand. Reaching inside his jacket pocket, he pulled out a dagger, not unlike the one that the Mayor had given her as a gift in Sunnydale.
"Take this. If you never use it, then fine. I don't think that's going to happen though."
"If you led him to me, so help me I'll slice off that head of yours with a grin on my face watching you turn to dust."
"He'll find you, Faith. He'll find you no matter what."
Faith knew that it would happen. Running back inside, she threw a suitcase on the bed, packing as quickly as she could.
November 2003
Wesley awoke with a groan. His back was sore, so very sore. It cracked as he turned over from his prone position. His arm accidentally smacked into Faith as he did. She didn't wake up, but did shift slightly to turn away from him. The curve of her naked back faced him then. Swallowing he pulled the blanket away to see his state of dress.
He winced when he realized the only article of clothing he had on was his shirt, which was unbuttoned. And Faith had less on. He was the reason why. The spell had worked. Her skin held its rosy glow beside him. Curls cascaded down her back. And she still smelled like the soap he had used on her the night before. Stroking lightly down her back with a finger, he realized that she was as soft there as she was in other places.
"I am trying to sleep," Faith mumbled.
Wesley jerked his hand back away from her, scooting to the far side of the bed.
"Sorry. Just seeing if you were awake. How are you feeling, if I may ask?"
"Damn skippy," she told him, voice muffled from her pillow.
"Good, good," Wesley stuttered.
"Jerk," Faith answered.
"Now what did I do?"
Faith spun around to face him with a look that could take the hide off of most men. Wesley flinched just slightly, not wanting her to see his reaction. He hadn't flinched at her in a great while.
"Nothing," she grimaced.
"Okay. That's better than something, I suspect."
Then Faith flung the blankets back and sat up, revealing her body in all its glory.
"You," Faith started, head coming closer. "Are," she emphasized. "Stupid," she finished, almost nose-to-nose with him.
"That's it?" he said aloud, realizing that wasn't the best thing to say to a woman the morning after whatever it was they did.
Faith squenched up her face like he was the bitterest candy she had ever tasted and spit out. Standing up, she promptly fell to the floor with a crash.
"Faith," he yelled.
"I'm OK," she told him from the floor.
Slowly, she propped herself up against the bed. Scooting down to the end of the bed, he put a hand on her shoulder, to reassure her and to tell her that he was there if she needed him.
"You should take it easy. Your leg cannot be at full strength just yet."
"Not like I didn't just figure that out."
Faith crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant gesture. Wesley almost laughed because she looked quite ridiculous sitting there on the edge of the bed without a stitch of clothing on, trying to look like the badass she thought that she was. When all he wanted to do was pull her down and have his way with her, unlike what he had done the night before.
"I'm sorry about . . . ," he started to tell her.
Jerking away from his hand, she gingerly stood again and made her way into the bathroom with a slam of the door.
"That went well," he said to himself.
"Jerk, jerk," Faith mumbled to herself as she showered and dressed.
The man really didn't understand what had happened the night before. He turned right back into Wesley the Watcher Wuss the next morning, like nothing had happened between the two of them. She had thought that he would know exactly what to do. Instead he had backed away from her as soon as she was awake. The gesture wasn't unexpected. Hell, she thought that it would have happened way before then. But she was just hoping that he would get a clue.
She took as much time as she wanted cleaning herself up, even using most of the hot water. If he wanted to be a jerk, then she'd give it to him right back. Flinging open the door, she limped out of the bathroom.
"All yours, your highness," she announced as she sat down on the bed.
He had put on some clothes after she left, she noticed. But the shirt was still open. Faith couldn't get over the fact that underneath all those proper clothes, the man actually did have some muscle. His clothes hid all that was underneath. She wished he would wear tight fitting tees all the time, like Spike did. The jeans he had on though did look quite nice on him.
"Thank you," he sneered her way.
She could hear him screech a little as he took a shower. Must be the cold water she left for him, she thought. But then she started to think that maybe he had hurt himself or something, so she made her way over to the now closed bathroom door. Slowly, she opened it up, trying to not make any noise so he wouldn't know she looked in on him. He was holding his back, but not hunched over, which was good. And he didn't have a stitch of clothing on. Luckily his back was turned so he didn't see her checking him out.
Retreating out of the doorway, she went back to sit on the bed. Faith ran her hand through her tangled, slightly damp hair, trying to get a hold of herself. The night before did nothing for her control. She was still ready and raring to go at it again. Yeah, it wasn't exactly the best time she'd ever had in bed, but it didn't suck. She still thought though that she wasn't seeing the real Wes. The Wes that could drive her wild in and out of bed. Maybe he just didn't find her all that attractive. Wouldn't that be a kicker?
Finally, Wes emerged from the bathroom. He yanked his shirt over his head, giving her a little show of chest before performing the task. He threw a smirk her way as he packed up his clothes and other things.
"You got a problem?" she finally asked him as she was pulling her boots on.
"Not at the moment. Never. I'm just fine," he said as he grabbed his jacket.
The calm, cool and collected Englishman was in a tizzy, she thought. And it was all her fault. Not that she wasn't proud of herself, because she was for causing the mood. It would be nice to see how far she could push him before he really pushed back. He'd only pushed back twice since she'd met him, both times giving her a glimpse of the real person underneath all that proper attire. Neither time had been all that pleasant. So why was she baiting him now?
Wesley picked up his bag and briefcase and headed out the door without a backward glance. She gave the room a last look, then gathered up her stuff to follow.
Getting breakfast was even a chore. Wesley literally shoved food into his mouth, all the while glaring her way. She just sneered right back at him. Something had to give soon, she thought, or they would both explode. She just wondered who would be first.
"I'll drive," Faith announced as they came out of the diner.
"Get in," he growled back, obviously taking on the caveman attitude.
"Your fucking back is hurting, you moron," she told him in a not-so-nice voice.
"Your fucking leg is also hurt. Get in."
Oh, she had never heard him curse like she did. She must have pushed his buttons. Climbing in the car, she slammed the door after settling herself. Wesley did the same. Tuning the radio, Faith sat silently while Wesley drove the car toward the interstate. A flashing sign up ahead, before they got on the freeway, indicated a major accident.
"Damn it," Wesley ground out as he slammed his hand down onto the steering wheel.
Pulling over, he got out the map to plot another route. Faith sat and literally twiddled her thumbs, not wanting to comment on anything that he attempted to do. He turned the car around and went back through the small town. Taking a different route, she noticed his shoulders finally relax a little.
"Will this take us very far out of the way?" she asked a little timidly.
"Why do you care?"
"Oh, get off it, will you? Just because you wouldn't know your way around a woman's body and know what to do the morning after, doesn't mean you take it out on the world."
"What?" he screamed at her.
"You heard me. You couldn't even touch me this morning. Couldn't wait to get the hell out of my sight."
Faith watched as his mouth opened and closed several times, like he was thinking of a good retort to her confession.
"That's what this is all about? Some perceived slight by me? You could have asked me what was wrong, but you just assumed the worst."
"Mr. I Can't Lift A Finger to touch someone."
"One, I lifted more than one, thank you very much and two, I saved your life with said fingers, which happen to be attached to the body that you used to your advantage last night, if I remember correctly."
"Thanks for saving my life. Now can we get on with what you supposedly did."
"That's all the thanks I get?"
"Oh, I'll remember to send you a fruit basket when I get back home if that's OK with you."
Wesley's hands gripped the steering wheel to the point where Faith thought that he was going to rip the thing right off. Maybe when he was driving wasn't the best time to discuss matters that pissed him off.
"I'll have you know that spell that I performed could have killed me, but that isn't something that you would like to know."
He could have died? Now why on earth hadn't he told her that part? Now she did feel guilty. She just wouldn't tell him that fact. That didn't mean that she had to be nice to him though.
"Left out that little fact."
"Indeed I did."
"Why?" she put the question to him.
"Did it matter?"
"I asked you a question. Why?"
"Why not? Because it had to be done."
Faith laughed a little at that. Wesley always did what had to be done, whether he would suffer or not. Even Angel sometimes balked at what had to be done, letting his feelings drive him more often than not. Wesley's logical mind sometimes really ticked her off.
"Even though it could have killed you."
"Yes," he answered her back.
"As I said before, stupid."
"Not stupid. You are worth helping."
"Not worth dying for."
"It was an acceptable choice."
Arguing with the man was getting her nowhere. It made her head spin, and not in a good way.
"You changed the subject."
"What subject is that?"
"The part about not wanting to touch me? Remember. Stay on topic and stop being all avoidy."
Trees flew by as Wesley floored the accelerator. She wanted to tell him not to drive so fast, but it felt good just moving. The winter really was a bummer since she'd love to have the window down to feel the wind in her face. Now all she would probably get would be a blast of cold air and some dirty snow.
"I am not avoiding anything. I'm just trying to figure out what the hell I did."
"Didn't do."
"I stand corrected. Didn't do. Faith, I barely remember last night, much less waking up this morning."
"Stop the car," Faith managed to get out.
"I will not."
"Stop the damn car, you jerk, before you kill us driving so fast."
Wesley slammed on the brakes, pulling off to the side of the road. He drove around an old building so no one could see their argument from the road. Faith was glad he was being cautious, because she wanted to let him have it with both barrels.
"Now, tell me exactly what I did wrong and I'll try and rectify it."
Faith couldn't believe he didn't know what he did wrong. Men were such pigs. But he honestly looked like he wanted to know what he did wrong in her eyes.
Looking down at the floor, she started listing what went wrong in her mind. It didn't seem all that bad the more she thought about it. But she didn't want him to know that.
"You fell asleep."
"As I do on most nights."
"During, you know."
"I was not asleep, I assure you."
"Not enticing enough for you, huh?"
"That's definitely not a problem."
Faith's eyes widened. He thought that she was enticing? Why hadn't he said that to her? She frowned his way, feelings hurt again, only this time she didn't answer back.
"Enticing, alluring, sexy, beautiful. You name it."
Her eyebrow arched just slightly at his description of her. Was he just trying to get back in her good graces or did he really mean what he said? Unbuckling his seatbelt, he pushed up the armrests in between the seats. She didn't turn towards him, hoping and thinking that he wasn't moving closer to her. Not until she felt his tongue on her neck did she let out the breath she had been holding.
"And very tasty," he finished after raising his head slightly away from her neck.
Her insides melted. Why did he have such a sexy voice and the words to go with it?
"So Faith, what did I do wrong?"
"Um, you um, you weren't very attentive and I just thought that maybe you would be this morning and you were all into moving away from me, so I thought that you regretted last night."
There, she poured it all out. What her feelings were on the whole matter. Well, not all her feelings, just directly about the incident. She really couldn't figure out what in the world she felt about the man sitting beside her. They didn't get along that well. As a matter of fact, they sometimes hated each other. And if he didn't kiss her in the next second, she'd expire from waiting.
"Extremely poor reaction on my part. How about I make up for it?"
Nibbling up her jawline, Faith turned her head as he kissed her cheek.
"Damn it, just kiss me," she told him.
And he did just that. This was what she missed last night. Mostly that was her fault, since he really hadn't been in any condition for much else than a quick romp. But this morning, she had hoped for more. Now, she got more.
His hand came up to move through her unruly hair as the other one moved under her jacket. When the hand hit home, she arched a little towards him, wanting him to squeeze harder. He complied as he deepened the kiss he was handily giving her. She was no longer the get some, get gone type of gal. She wanted it to last a little while longer. Maybe she was just getting old, or maybe a little more discriminating.
Wesley slowly tugged off her jacket, exposing her to the cooling air in the car. She didn't care since her blood was at the boiling point. Working his hands up her shirt, he molded and squeezed until she almost saw stars. Damn, why couldn't he have gotten a larger car? His hand moved down to the snap on her jeans. Tugging, he managed to get that part open. He'd have to have help to get them the rest of the way off.
"Take them off," he commanded of her.
Reaching over he lowered her seat as much as it would go, while she complied with his order. She was thinking that he would join her shortly. Her body burned like fire. But he didn't exactly join her the way she thought he would. His head descended as she got the jeans down around her ankles and he didn't come back up until she screamed her release.
He grinned a lop-sided smile, then scooted back over into his seat and started the car. She didn't move for a moment, wondering what he was doing. It shocked her that he wasn't doing anything else. Not that she wasn't willing, although she did just sit there half-naked as he pulled back onto the road.
"Fasten your seatbelt, dear."
She could see the twinkle in his eyes, the deep blue dancing as he looked forward. Before she buckled it, she righted her clothes. Her mind couldn't figure out what to say to him.
"We um, you um, why'd you do that?"
He just smiled her way, a telling look on his face. He definitely enjoyed seeing her squirm. It was a delightful, mind-blowing squirm at that. She'd have to pay him back at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later. He had laid down the challenge. She just hoped that she could meet that challenge, since it seemed that he was good at it after all. All that talking he did paid off in spades.
They stopped for lunch, neither talking very much, but his look was unmistakable. As soon as they stopped for the night, she would have to top what he had just done. Or at least, that's what she thought. She had taken to touching him constantly. Just little rubs and squeezes as he drove. As the sun started setting, Wesley found a motel alongside road very near the interstate. Her body was literally humming by the time they got to their room. If he didn't hurry it along, she'd jump him.
As he opened the door, the light from the parking lot spilled in, revealing at least three demons of all shapes and sizes. She groaned out loud as she pushed Wesley out of the way. The bullets whizzed by as they both landed in a heap at the bottom of stairs. Luckily they hadn't brought their bags up yet. Yanking him up off the ground, she shoved him towards the car. Wesley pulled his weapon as he dove for the driver's side and started the car.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it. Fuck, fuck, fuck," she chanted over and over. "How did they know?"
"They're tracking us. We'll have to abandon it all somewhere. How much cash do you have?"
"Maybe two hundred."
"I still have four. Not enough to buy another vehicle." Faith laughed out loud as she thought of an idea. "Grand theft would not look good on your record."
"Then you do it."
"Just what I was about to suggest."
"Don't get caught with me in the car. Being an accessory isn't good either."
"You're corrupting me," Wesley quipped back.
"Sorry. I think you were already there way before I came along. I just loosened you up a little more."
They opted for buying something after all, since Wesley saw an old truck at the side of the road for sale. It took four hundred of their dollars. Sorting through all of their stuff, he determined that the weapons were safe, but not much else. They would have to abandon all of it somewhere, then send for it when they were safe again.
"We need to go shopping," Wesley informed Faith.
"Oh, goody. Just what I like," she answered sarcastically.
"Not into clothes buying?"
"Not at all."
Wesley pulled up in front of a Walmart of all places, which actually made Faith flinch a little.
Before she could even protest, Wesley chimed in. "One, it's cheap, two, it's close and three, there's an ATM inside to get more money. They already know we're in the area. We'll get the max and then head out of town."
Wesley grabbed a cart as they entered. He hadn't been shopping with a woman in quite some time. The last person he took shopping was Cordelia. And he was just there to be a packhorse for her purchases. Faith saw some long-sleeve shirts near the entrance and piled a couple in the basket, all black of course. She picked up a couple pair of jeans.
"Need to try these on," she told him as she headed to the fitting rooms.
As she walked in front of him, her hips swayed back and forth to her own beat. Was she exaggerating the movement or was that her natural walk? He really liked how she moved. Her body was so fluid, and even when she walked, it amazed him. When she reached her destination, she crooked her finger for Wesley to follow. Shaking his head no, she came up next to him.
"Not willing to take the risk?"
"No. Not here. Too many people," he answered her.
She was still playing with him, to see how far she could push him until he snapped. Well, he had almost snapped in the car before. Luckily she had changed the subject and his mind wandered to what he would do to pleasure her, not strangle her. And now she thought she had the upper hand.
"Gotta be soon?"
"Don't worry about that."
He pushed her into the fitting room as he kept a look out for trouble. He found some purchases right away, not having to be as choosy as Faith. She pointed to the lingerie section with a smirk on her face. Picking up a bra, she grinned at him.
"I need some help here," she told him.
Help with picking out undergarments? She really did like baiting him.
"Which one do you like?" she asked as she held out two for his approval.
"Neither," he answered truthfully.
"Gotta pick something."
"I'd rather see you in nothing at all, to tell you the truth."
That statement did shock her. She stood there a few moments, trying to come up with an answer. She ended up putting the sheerest ones into the basket without further comment. Socks, underwear and a pair of pajamas joined the rest of the purchases.
"Do I have to leave my boots?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
Faith picked out some new boots and a pair of tennis shoes too. He did the same. Soon their cart was quite full of clothes. She added some snacks on top to tide her over. And lastly, she snuck in some cosmetics, shampoo and other toiletries, including some for him, for which he was grateful. Paying for their purchases, they made it out to the car after using the ATM. No trouble presented itself to them. Wesley breathed a little easier. Taking the car back to the old pickup, they exchanged everything, even suitcases. He locked up the car tight, even placing his computer and cell phone in the lock box in the trunk. Before closing, he phoned Wolfram and Hart to pick everything up. Let them deal with any demons that might figure out where the stuff was.
Faith quickly stripped right in front of him, depositing the last of her clothes in the back.
"It's really cold out here," she moaned as she pulled on the new purchases.
Silently, he did the same, watching her eyes widen as he did it right in front of her.
"There's no shame at all, is there?" she asked.
"Hasn't been for quite some time."
Faith just shook her head in amazement, and then climbed in to the passenger side of the truck.
"Where to now, Watcherman?"
"Let's just get the hell out of here in one piece."
"Sounds like a plan."
TBC
Next: Faith makes her getaway after that conversation with Angel. And back to the past, Faith and Wes drive thru snow and discuss what they will do next. Wes also has a confession to make.
Author notes: Did I reveal too much? You have any guesses? Probably yes on both counts. I really am not making Angel out to be the bad guy, or stupid guy as the case may be. Just roll with it for a while. You'll see. And were the love scenes too graphic? Still trying to be R rated. I'm posting elsewhere. I'll e-mail you with the site, etc. if you want the NC-17 version.
Thanks to Wav, Mandie, pari106 and everyone else. This fic is flowing so much easier than the last one. Thanks for all the input. It's been really helpful.
Answers to questions:
Wav—I kind of sound like Sally Field in her speech, "You like me, you really like me." Or is that the Budweiser guy when he says "I love you, man," when he wants a beer. Oh, never mind. I'm rambling. I really do appreciate the compliment. And yeah, if you're anything like me, you've read a lot of stuff, good and bad. I've learned a lot from it, what to do and what not to do. It's just so much fun.
Mandie—I can't wait to find out too. Oh, alright. I already know. It may be good or it may be not so good.
Pari106—Thanks for the compliment. Fleshing out a scene is really hard to do. I'm glad that I'm accomplishing that.