Title: I Finally Remembered You. Part 27 - Watching

Rating: R/NC-17 for other chapters

Pairing: Xander/Angel

Summary: AU futurefic. Slash. Xander, not Buffy, had gone to see Angel in "I Will Remember You" Years later, he finally keeps his promise.

Spoilers: All of BtVS & Ats

Warnings: M/M, mild language, more in future chapters

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Words in Italics indicate thoughts.

Faith sat back in her chair and watched the people sitting at the dinner table. People watching was something she'd learned from Xander. Way back in Sunnydale, before she tried to kill him, he had taken her to the mall to just sit and watch. She had thought he was crazy, but as the day had passed, she had realized that he might be on to something. They had spent hours watching people and trying to figure out things about them just by watching. Sometimes they just made up stories when someone was just too boring. But, mostly Xander taught her to use body language and other non-verbal clues to guess at what was really going on. Xander had pointed out the man who was obviously not married to the young woman he had been with, the young punks who were gonna get caught shoplifting, and the man who had just been laid off from his job but couldn't face telling his wife, so he came to the food court and just sat at the table poring over the classifieds.

The stuff she'd learned about watching people had been a useful tool in prison. It had saved her neck a few times.

She had also learned something about Xander: he was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for. He often took in everything that was going on around him, observing and mentally noting for later.

He was also an ass man. Some guys were breast men, some were leg men, Xander was an ass man. He couldn't quite hide it when a nice butt caught his eye. And not just girl butt. The boy had great taste in guy butt too.

Faith was pretty sure she knew that Xander was bi before he did, or at least before he admitted it to himself.

So, with this information Faith observed Angel watching Xander when he wasn't looking. And Xander watching Angel when he wasn't looking. She also observed Spike and Willow watching Angel and Xander look at each other when the other wasn't looking.

She was pretty sure that Spike and Willow suspected something was going on between Fang and Boytoy. She also was pretty sure that she knew more than they did.

Oh yeah, she had some good info. Like a certain carpenter calling out for a certain vampire in his sleep. It's a good thing he didn't do that during our little fling, he woulda been dead meat. She and Xander had fallen asleep watching a movie in his room and she had woken in the middle of the night to Xander's restless mumblings. It hadn't been the kinda calling out like during sex, but like a tender pleading, like something you would say to a loved one that you were never going to see again.

She had watched Angel carefully when she picked him up from the airport and took him to see Xander. His reactions to just Boytoy's name were interesting enough, but the look on his face when he had seen Xander in his eye-patch had been pretty intense.

She had seen Xander and Angel go out the next evening and stay out for hours. She had seen them go to Xander's workshop and come back and visit Angel's room, then go out to dinner before picking up Willow.

She had watched them hang out together in the week since Angel arrived and their behavior was confusing to say the least. Sometimes they would be awkward with each other, like teenagers who just realized they liked each other, but didn't know what to do next. Every once in awhile, they would lean in to each other or touch each other in a way that was so natural, organic even, like two lovers who had been together forever.

She figured Spike and Willow probably wouldn't ask her what she knew, because they knew that she wouldn't give up the goods.

Unless it was for a good cause.

And there wasn't no better cause then her boytoy's happiness. So, the question was, were Spike and Willow trying to harm or help? She would have to watch a little more to be sure.

Faith shifted her attention back to Xander and Angel, who were sitting next to each other and very obviously not touching. Angel had actually eaten human food, something he apparently hadn't made a habit of before, judging from Spike's reaction to this and her own memories of time spent with Angel.

She was used to Spike eating food, back in Sunnydale he had seemed to revel in trying to gross out the humans by dunking various food items in his blood and …..

What the hell was that?

Angel had just reached over and taken a piece of broccoli from Xander's plate and put it on his own, then taken a piece of his chicken and placed it on Xander's plate. Xander nodded and smiled in thanks absently, like it was a common occurrence.

And broccoli? Was that part of Angel's penance?

Faith shot a look over at Spike and Willow to see if they had noticed. Okay, I guess they did. Willow was making like a fish and Spike was smirking speculatively.

She looked back at Xander and Angel and caught Xander looking at her, a brow raised in question. She nodded towards his plate, then Angel's. He looked down and blushed when he realized what she had noticed. He looked back up at her, pleading a bit with his eyes, silently asking her not make a big deal about it. She tilted her head towards Spike and Willow, who still had the same expressions on their faces. Xander sneaked a peek in that direction then met her eyes again, this time with resignation instead of pleading. Then he mouthed the word 'later' and turned his attention back to the conversation Giles and one of the European slayers were having about some historical crap and how it was probably really a demon thing.

Faith turned back to Spike and Willow and caught their eyes, she raised one eyebrow and they both broke eye contact for a moment. Willow was the first to re-establish the gaze and raised her wrist with the watch on it. Faith realized that she wanted to talk 'later' too and gave her a brief nod. Spike caught her eye and raised a snarky eyebrow at her. Faith let her eyes go arctic with menace; Spike smirked a little and tried not to shiver in fear. He then gave her a nod to show that the message had been received, Mess with my boytoy and you're gonna beg me to stake you.

Faith nodded at both of them and turned her attention back to Angel and Xander, who were apparently having a silent conversation of their own using eyebrows and head jerks in the direction of her, Spike and Willow. They both nodded to each other, then Xander caught Faith's eye again.

A moment later, the message had been sent and received, You don't worry about a thing boytoy, I'll take care of those two.