CHAPTER FOUR
"Did I tell you about the time I died?" Dante asked, very conversationally as he played Silent Hill by himself.
Faith glanced up from where she was sharpening her sword. Lindsey having heard the tale kept checking the protection spells. "No. You died?"
"Twice actually. The medicines they put me on to make my heart beat right never work for long. My heart just stopped." Dante's eyes glistened suddenly with tears. "I hate when they have to use the paddles on me. It hurts."
"I'm sorry." Setting aside the sword, Faith moved closer to Dante. "Were you afraid?"
Dante shook his head. "There was all this fog, and when it cleared I was in a garden. It was very peaceful. I didn't see God or angels or even my mom. She was killed when I was five. But it was pretty there, lots of animals and I could run and play with them. I can't do that here." His brow furrowed. "I'm not afraid to go back."
"That's good, not being afraid," Faith said, looking to Lindsey for guidance but he didn't have the right words to lend her. "Fear just makes being here and dreading what's head that much worse."
Lindsey, done with his checks, sat on the love seat, interested in what Faith had to say. This was a side to her, a gentler aspect, that Lindsey had no idea existed.
"I think being scared is bad," Dante said, after a moment's deliberation.
"I almost died once," Faith said softly, as if afraid to speak at all. "I was in a coma for months."
"Did it scare you?" Dante eyed her curiously.
Lindsey watched Faith cradle a hand over her gut, pain evident in her dark eyes. "Yes, a little. I remember bits of the coma. It was very strange. I think maybe it was the coma that was scary and not the almost dying. I don't remember seeing any tunnel of light."
Lindsey had to wonder if she had seen a tunnel of darker stuff.
"Lindsey almost died, too, once. Did you know that?" Dante asked, morbidly excited by that.
Shocked, Faith looked over at Lindsey. "No, I didn't."
"It's true," he replied.
Faith's eyes asked for an explanation but Lindsey didn't give it and surprisingly neither did Dante. Faith went back to watching the horror RPG Dante was playing. "You like the scary games?"
"They're the best. I like pretend scared." He made a face. "I know demons are real and all, thanks to Dad, but I really don't want to meet any."
"That's what Lindsey and I are here for," she promised him. "To make sure you don't."
Dante beamed. "Thanks. You're not from California are you, Faith?"
She shook her head. "Boston."
Dante's eyes lit up. "Then you have to know all about the Great Boston Molasses Disaster!"
Faith grinned uneasily. "Uh, no."
Dante paused his game, bouncing in his seat. "It was so cool. It happened back in 1919. They were stockpiling molasses to make alcohol before prohibition and the tank exploded. Two million gallons of molasses went running down the streets. It killed twenty-one people. Some suffocated and others just got cooked in the hot molasses." Dante shuddered. "I don't think I'd want to cook to death."
"Yeah, that would rank low on ways I'd want to die," Lindsey said, knowing Dante well enough to know the boy would get upset if someone didn't join in on the weird conversation. He could see Faith didn't know what to say.
"I lived in Boston most my life and never heard of that," Faith said, at last.
Dante looked disappointed. "Did you hear about the Coconut Grove fire disaster?"
"Do I dare ask what that is?" Faith rolled her eyes.
"He'll tell you anyway," Lindsey said, having heard this one before.
Disappointed his audience was less than enthralled, Dante pouted. "But it's a really bad disaster."
"Okay, tell me," Faith said, deciding it was worth it to keep the boy's spirits up.
"It was a night club in the forties and they locked all the doors to keep people from sneaking in. It caught fire and the only way out was through a revolving door that jammed. Almost five hundred people burnt up." Dante paused, licking his lips. "Dying like I am is a lot less scary than that."
"Hey now, what did we promise? No talking about you dying," Faith said and Dante shrugged.
"Boston had James Allen, a highway robber in the eighteen hundreds. He tried to stick up this guy and shot him and everything but the guy didn't die," Dante said, side-stepping the warning. "Allen was caught and jailed and wrote a story about being a highway man. He was so impressed with the guy he shot for standing up to him that after he died he had his skin cut off and a copy of his book bound in it and had it delivered to that guy." Dante's face glowed with excitement.
Faith made a face, shuddering. "Ewww, that can't be true."
"It is," Lindsey said with a grimace. "Wolfram and Hart has a few books like that."
"I could have lived without knowing that, both of you." Faith leaned over and kissed Dante's cheek. "You're the strangest boyfriend I've ever had, Dante."
"Am I the cutest?" he asked, blushing.
"Darn close. You're certainly the smartest one I've ever had." She grinned at him, slipping an arm around his shoulders, glancing over at Lindsey who rolled his eyes.
"I can live with that." Dante shifted so he could look at Lindsey. "Lindsey, can I stay up and watch The Frighteners? It's like my favorite movie, and I can just lay on the love seat and if I get sleepy..."
"You can watch it," Lindsey broke in, knowing it was easier that way.
Dante beamed. "Thanks."
Lindsey ended up taking a run into town, leaving Faith with Dante since no one wanted to brave the frozen burritos. They dined like kings on Chinese food, and Dante curled up on the love seat, leaving the couch to the adults. He made it half way through the movie before his weak body gave out and he fell asleep.
"How much longer do we need to watch him?" Faith asked, polishing off some of the red bean ice cream.
Lindsey gave his ice cream spoon a final lick. "Just another day then he goes back to San Francisco with his dad."
"He's a such an odd kid but I like him," Faith said, musingly.
Lindsey grinned. "Told you that you would."
Faith set the bowl aside and settled back. "So, is it true, you nearly died?"
Lindsey had been expecting the question and had been debating on how to answer it. He nodded. "I did."
"Angel?" Faith's eyebrows raised.
Lindsey shook his head then deliberated one last time. "I'm going to tell you something almost no one knows."
"You trust me with something like that?" Faith sounded surprised.
"It's not something you can really use against me. The Senior Partners already know. I guess it would amuse some of my co-workers but that's not a big deal. I was about Dante's age when it happened." Lindsey shoved a hand through his hair, knowing he couldn't back out now. "I grew up dirt poor, Faith. I think you can understand that."
She snorted. "No shit."
"I was rural poor, big family, lots of brothers and sisters, too many for my parents to feed easily. We all got the flu one year. I still, to this day, remember what it felt like, the fever, the chills, the horrible weakness, being in the hospital with all those tubes and wires." Lindsey paused, taking a deep breath. "I got better. My sister, Joy and my brother, Adam, died. I guess that's one of the reasons I have such a soft spot for Dante. Kids shouldn't die."
Faith scooted closer, leaning on him. "They shouldn't get hurt either."
Lindsey wrapped an arm around her, knowing she was talking about herself. "I agree." As Lindsey leaned in for a kiss, a loud houndish bay startled them both.
"What the hell was that?" Faith hissed, jumping to her feet.
"I don't know."
More barking and growling echoed in the night. The sound of a massive chain dragging made the hair on Lindsey's arms stand on end. Dante woke up, looking at his elders.
"What is it?" the boy asked.
"I don't know. Try not to worry," Lindsey said, shooting Faith a look. They had already talked about the heart failure Dante could suffer if he got scared.
Faith made a soft, astonished sound as huge red eyes suddenly appeared in the windows. The motion detectors kicked on, illuminating enormous white dogs outside. They came forward with eerie soft padding sounds in counterpoint to the sound of invisible chains.
"Padfoot," Lindsey said, recognizing the creatures.
"Padfoot? I thought that was something from Harry Potter," Dante said, his eyes frozen on the window.
"They're real. Someone has to be controlling them," Lindsey said. "They scare you to death." He pushed Dante down, burying the boy's face in the pillow. "Don't look at them, Dante. If they make eye contact, you're in their power."
"Not afraid," Dante said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Faith will protect me."
"How do I do that, Lindsey?" she asked, trying to hide her doubt
"Sword would work." Lindsey went for his gun. "So will this. Just don't look them in the eye and hope the protection spell holds."
It didn't and the Padfoots crashed through the glass. Dante cried out, and Lindsey started firing at one of the monstrous dogs. Faith leapt at another with her sword held high. She took off its head with one slash. The remaining Padfoots howled louder and Lindsey felt like ice. Their cries made him so afraid he could barely hold his gun. Faith stumbled a bit, and Dante was balled up, the pillow firmly over his head. What if the boy had a heart attack, Lindsey fretted.
A Pafoot leapt over Lindsey, going for the boy. Lindsey shot at it but only winged it. "Run, Dante!" Lindsey ordered. Better the boy die on his feet, than be shredded where he lie.
Dante exploded off the couch, heading for the broken windows. Faith got between him and the Padfoots while Lindsey drilled one in the head. Faith was covered in blood by the time all the Padfoots lay on the ground. Dante rested against the wall, his eyes glued to the outside view. Lindsey raced over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Dante's breathing wheezed in and out like a strangling flute.
"We need to get you out of here, Dante," he said.
Dante pointed out the window. Lindsey looked out and Faith came over as well. They all saw the man Dante was pointing to, a short, red-haired man with a furious, freckled face. He wouldn't look particularly threatening except Lindsey knew that he had to have been the one controlling the Padfoots.
"That's Mr. O'Bannion," Dante wheezed. "He's one of Dad's business partners."
O'Bannion took one look at Faith leaping through the broken glass and sprinting for the wood-line and he turned, running for his SUV. He managed to escape. Lindsey called for Faith to come back, that they needed to get Dante to a hospital.
"I don't need to go," Dante insisted, still struggling to breathe.
"Well, none of us can stay here, Dante," Lindsey said, looking at all the blood and dead bodies. "You need to be checked out. I know what those things did to my heart rate. We're going to the hospital."
Dante sagged. "I wasn't too scared. I knew Faith would protect me."
"Just glad that I could." She wiped blood from her eyes. "Do I have time to get some of this washed off me or do we need to book?"
Lindsey looked at Dante and saw the boy's color wasn't too bad. "Hurry."
Lindsey reported to Holland and then to D'Amato telling the what had happened and who Dante had seen. Wolfram and Hart sent a helicopter to evacuate them to a private hospital for Dante to be examined. It was nearly noon the next day before he and Faith were allowed in to see Dante. The boy beamed, seeing them.
"Faith! Lindsey!"
"Hey, kiddo." Faith gave his cheek a kiss. She handed him a little gift. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine. I get to go home tomorrow. I'm going to miss you." Dante pouted.
"Open the gift," Faith said, excitement clear in her face.
Dante tore open the bright paper and took a gold cross out of the box. "Cool."
"It's better than you know. It was a gift from my Watcher. I burned a couple of vampires with it," Faith said and Dante's grin was immense. Lindsey wasn't sure if he had ever seen the boy happier.
"Wicked." Dante put it on. "Thanks, Faith."
"Looks good on you," Lindsey said.
"A vampire-burning cross is like the coolest thing anyone's ever given me," Dante enthused. "You're like the best girlfriend ever, Faith."
"Who am I to argue with that?" She ruffled his hair. "Guess this is goodbye though."
"No!" Dante struggled to get up from the hospital bed. Faith put a hand on his shoulder and he subsided. "Stay awhile and talk to me. I get so bored in here."
Faith glanced over at Lindsey who nodded. "Sure kid, just for a little while though. You need your rest."
A little while turned into several hours before Dante was worn out and the couple escaped. Lindsey took her hand.
"That was a very nice thing you did, giving him that cross."
Faith interlaced her fingers with his. "My Watcher tried hard to help me, my first Watcher, not Wesley," she spat the name. "Maybe if she hadn't died..."
"Do I hear a hint of regret?" he asked.
Faith shook her head. "Too late for that. Anyhow, I'm not exactly doing White Hat work any more, Dante aside. I think she would have approved of me giving him that cross."
"You made his year, especially with the bit about the vampires." Lindsey smirked.
"All true. Did Wolfram and Hart catch that O'Bannion bastard?" Faith's lip curled.
Lindsey shook his head. "Didn't have to. D'Amato dealt with him."
"And I'm sure I don't want to know how. So, do I get a vacation before the next assignment?" Her dark eyes sparked.
"We'll see."