FIC: Cleveland Calling (15?)
Toledo, Ohio
"Where is it?"
"I don't know," he screamed as he struggled against his captor but failed to escape his attacker's iron grip. He groaned as the man crashed a foot into his groin. "Cleveland! They're taking it to Cleveland."
"Thank you," the last thing he saw was the gleaming blade cutting through the night en route to slicing through his neck.
"Do you know," Andrew grunted as he completed another chin-up rep. "Where Xander-," he grunted again as he completed his sixth, he was in the zone, "Xander is gonna take you?"
"'Drew, just concentrate on the damn exercise, k?" rasped his instructor from beneath him.
"Only I know," his seventh rep came and went, "there's a great comic book convention in-, arghh!" he cried out in shock as the Slayer suddenly released her grip on his feet and without her assistance he fell to the ground.
Dazed, he looked up at the enraged-looking Slayer. "FYI," she growled. "If your bud's thinking of taking me somewhere as lame as that, tell him from me he'll be coming back in a fuckin' body-bag. Ya dig?" Her warning given, the Slayer spun around and made for the door, her hair swinging angrily.
Andrew stared after his departing mentor, the bounce of her spandex-covered behind stalking out of the gym almost enough to turn him straight. "But she," he sighed, "is meant for another."
But at least there was Bakula. "Oh Scott," he whispered longingly. "One day you will be mine."
"What are you watching?" Kate's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the movie before Xander had chance to turn it off. "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for a date?"
"I'm tense," Xander said loftily. "When I'm tense, comedy relaxes me."
"Oh, I thought you were watching that to persuade yourself there are some women even more nuts than Faith. Speaking of which, did you notice that Sissy looks like Faith?"
Xander shuddered. "Don't say that. And hey don't laugh," Xander shook his head, "but I see the spit of you on Law & Order all the time."
"Funny," Kate replied. "Say, I never mentioned why I came in, did I?" She pulled out her automatic and offered it to the young man. "Here, in case Faith gets horny, put a .44 in each leg and make for the bus station. If you're really lucky you might get away before she recovers."
Xander glared at her. "And people talk about my sense of humour?"
"What am I gonna wear?" Faith paced the floor of her room, dressed only in a half-cup lacy black silk bra and matching panties, her expression almost comically petrified. "I've been through my wardrobe three times, and there's nothing in it that doesn't scream 'lay me'."
"Oh, you've noticed."
Faith glared at Dana. Previously insane the younger Slayer might be, but she knew what she was talking about when it came to fashion, Amy had to give her that. Seeing world war 3 about to break out, she hurriedly spoke up. "Here, I brought you this."
Faith stared doubtfully at her offerings of black turtleneck and matching ankle-length skirt. "I said I didn't wanna come across as a street walker, but I ain't doing the nun gig for nothing less than good hard cash."
"Fine," she reached to take her clothes back.
"No, no," Faith shook her head and pulled away, clothes still in hand. "It would be rude to refuse."
"Yeah," muttered Dana. "And if there's something that'll make you lose sleep, it's the thought of being rude." Faith's eyes turned volcanic. "What?" Dana smiled, the innocence in her expression less than convincing. "What did I say?"
Angel paused at the door to Faith's room. Deciding who she dated was none of her business, he turned to leave without knocking. "Yo, Fang," the Slayer called out as he took his first step away, "door's always open to ya."
"Thanks," Angel opened the door and walked in to find Faith pushing a shapely leg into a knee-length, flat-heeled boot. "I thought I'd try a new look for tonight," Faith's smile was strained, "something that screamed a little less street tramp a little more classy."
"You were never a tramp, Faith." Angel leaned against the far wall. "Messed up, but never a tramp. How are you feeling?"
"Shit, Angel," Faith shook her head, her eyes wild. "I'm fuckin' terrified. This is the first date I've ever been on." Angel stared at the Slayer. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But either the guy knew what he was gettin' at the end of the evening or we'd slept together before and he was just makin' with the nice to get another bite."
"Xander isn't like that," Angel softly counselled. He might not especially like the boy, but if there was one thing Xander wasn't, it was a sleaze.
"I know, which leaves me where?"
Angel didn't have a real good answer for that one, but he figured he'd give it the old college try. "It leaves you a beautiful young woman going out on a first date. Who should just enjoy herself."
"Yeah," Faith's face twisted. "A first date with a guy I tried to kill. With Xander."
And there was the crux of the problem. He knew from his prison visits with Faith that aside from her murders, it was her treatment and attempted murder of Xander that tortured her the most. Wes, well Faith regretted what she'd done, but Wesley had played a large part in pushing her down that path, and to Faith's thinking so had Buffy, a person that even now they both avoided talking about because of their violently opposing opinions.
But Xander was a whole different ball-game. Even before him Xander had been the first man to actually try and help Faith. At the time Faith hadn't understood the loyalty that drove Xander, had just thought he was another man on the make, and in her state of mind reacted violently. During his visits, she'd talked incessantly about telling him she was sorry. He'd suggested writing to him, but she said that was a cop-out, a coward's way out, that if she was going to do it, it would be eye to eye, so he could spit in it if he wanted to.
Angel had always suspected that Faith's reluctance to apologise was through fear that once again a man she truly cared about would reject her. Not that he was stupid enough to actually suggest that. A vampire didn't live to be two hundred and fifty years old by suggesting to Slayers that they were 'chicken'. But whatever the reason, Faith had been tormented about what she'd done to Xander for years. And now they were going out on a date. "If it's any comfort after dating Cordelia you're probably a breeze," he offered.
His joke fell on stony ground. Not so much as a half-smile. "It ain't. I mean Jesus, you should have seen the look on his face when I asked him out. He was scared shitless, why the hell didn't he say no?"
"Have you looked in the mirror? I can't, but you can."
"Ain't what I meant," the Slayer shook her head. "Way he looked it was like he wanted to say no, but daren't for fear I break his kneecaps."
"Maybe it wasn't fear-."
"I know when X is scared, I damn near killed him, I know when he's frightened."
"Okay," Angel took an unneeded breath. Relationship counselling, because his always went so well. "Maybe he was frightened at the thought of dating, not you, just anyone. It's been a while since his ex died, maybe he's frightened that by dating you he's demeaning the memory of her. If you want to know, maybe you should just ask him?"
"And who's to say I'd get a straight answer?"
"Then don't ask him," Angel suggested. "At least not right away, wait until you've dated for a while and until then just enjoy yourself."
"Enjoy myself," Faith looked down at the floor. "Oh yeah, can hardly wait." Angel groaned inwardly. Being trapped underwater for a whole summer had been more fun than this. "Thing is," he realised the Slayer was continuing to talk and forced himself to concentrate, "that night I popped his cherry was good." He shuddered involuntarily. Faith smiled wanly. "Don't worry I ain't gonna get graphic. The sex itself was nothing special, I've got some mach moves but Xan was a novice so he didn't last long. Boy has some serious girth though." Angel groaned, this was non-graphic? "Sorry. But it was afterwards, it was afterwards that was nice. Normally a guy when he's finished with me, either tells me to get in position for round 2, to get him a cold one from the fridge, or rolls over and goes to sleep. But X," Faith shook her head, eyes soft, "X didn't do any of that shit. He just put his arm around me and stroked my hair, real gentle like. And for a second I almost believed that I could have it."
"It?" he asked after the Slayer didn't speak for a long time.
"A future like the good girls got, with a decent guy who looked after them, protected them. Then, I got scared, cause if I wasn't bad-ass Faith, who was I? I knew bad-ass Faith, but the way X was making me feel wasn't bad-ass Faith so I kicked him out."
"Well it looks like you get a second chance," Angel commented for wont of anything else to say.
Xander looked up at a knock on his door. After a quick check of his tie in the mirror, he called out. "Come in!"
The door swung open and Andrew walked in. "Greetings fellow fighter of the darkness."
"Hello Andrew," he looked in the mirror again. Satisfied his teeth were clean, he looked towards the diminutive man. "Can you hurry it along? Only I'm supposed to be meeting Faith soon, and getting there late isn't a good way to make a first impression."
Or keep all his limbs.
"Of course," Andrew nodded. "If you were thinking of taking Faith to Illustrate-Con, don't. She won't like it."
Xander stared at the younger man. "Take Faith to a comic book convention? Do I look insane? No, I've got a table booked at a restaurant."
"Of course," Andrew nodded again. "What sort of idiot would even suggest that? Good luck. And if you need any love potions or -." He glared at the former mage. Andrew gulped. "I wouldn't have a clue where to get such things. See you later!"
Xander started to slip on his jacket. His shoulders slumped at another knock on the door. However hard he fought against it, he was going to be late. "Come in."
The door flew open and Dana walked in, a confused look on her face. The beautiful young woman immediately began to pace the floor, muttering beneath her breath, as she always did when worried about something. Xander sat down and waited, knowing it was pointless to try and rush Dana when she was in an agitated mood. While Dana was pretty much normal 95 of the time, when she was worried she'd revert to something close to the ten year old child that had been abducted over ten years ago.
Finally the Slayer looked towards him. "Faith's my friend, she stuck up for me."
"I know-."
"You're my friend too," Dana continued over him. "You gave me a home."
"It was the right thing to -."
"Faith pretends she's tough, but she's not really," Xander blinked. He was more easily fooled than he'd ever suspected. "Not where it counts. On the inside. Faith's soft and fluffy like a marshmallow." Xander gulped. If anyone else had said that he'd have laughed out loud, with Dana he was worried she might be having a psychotic episode. And he thought his day couldn't get any more terrifying. Showed what he knew. "Lots of men have hurt Faith, but she's not cared for any of them like she does you." The Slayer looked at him, her deep eyes scared. "You can't hurt her."
"I won't hurt her," he promised. If nothing else there was that losing limbs issue.
Dana smiled before lunging at him. He half-tensed as the formerly insane Slayer wrapped her arms around him and engulfed him in a rib-popping hug. "Thank you! Thank you!" Suddenly the Slayer let go, her face red. "Sorry, didn't mean to touch," she muttered before hurrying out of the door.
Xander gaped after the departing Slayer. Why did he get the horrible feeling that someone was picking out bridesmaid's outfits?
"Hey," Faith tensed at a knock at the door and Xander's voice floating through to her. He sounded as nervous as he felt. "Are you ready, only the cab's here?"
"Yeah," Faith stood up, checked herself out in the mirror, looking good kid, and made for the door. Opening it, she smiled expectantly at Xander. "What do ya think, X?"
The man stared at her for a second before speaking. "You look different."
"Ya want more flesh or something tighter? I could change," Faith turned back into her room, panic setting in. Damn, she was losing him, she should have gone with the usual stuff, not tried to act all classy. "It'll just take a minute," she babbled.
"Wait!" Faith stared down at the man's hand around her wrist. Xander let go as if scalded. "You look really good. I was just surprised that's all." Xander reached behind the door and passed her a bunch of red roses. "I bought you these."
Faith stared blankly at the gift before taking them. "They smell good," she said lamely. Before Wood the only presents she'd had off guys had been brewskis and takeaways, and she really wasn't a flower person. "I'll put them in a vase or something when we get back."
Xander looked briefly disappointed by her lukewarm reaction but covered well. "Sure. Then let's go."
"Five by five."
Faith stopped as they exited their house, her face tightened. "Ah fuck," she exclaimed. "How the hell we meant to get to the damn cab with that horse and carriage in the way?"
Xander shuffled from foot to foot. First the disaster with the flowers and now this, his life-span would soon be measured in seconds. "Uh, the horses and carriage are the cab."
Faith's head snapped towards him, her cupid-bowed mouth dropping open and eyes filling with wonder. "Ya joking?"
"No."
Faith grinned. "This is the coolest shit ever!"
Xander heaved a sigh of relief. "You like it?"
"I fuckin' love it!" Faith exclaimed before hurrying over to the carriage. "Damn," Faith's voice was softer than he'd ever heard it as she stroked the mane of the nearest of the two horses, "Who's a beauty then?" Faith looked up at the driver, a short portly man with a handlebar moustache and a few last stubborn strands of grey hair on top of his head. "Got any sugar or something?"
"Here," the man passed Faith a pair of carrots.
"Wicked," Xander glanced at his watch as the Slayer started to feed the horses. It was lucky their reservations weren't for almost an hour, this was going to take some time. His impatience faded as he watched the Slayer feed the horses, replaced by a strange sense of satisfaction at the shine in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks as she petted the animals, tickling their ears, nuzzling their noses and stroking them under their chins.
"Faith," Xander spoke up after about ten minutes. "We'll have to go soon."
"K," the Slayer nodded before reluctantly stepping back. After a final look at the horses, she allowed him to help her into the back of the carriage. "Sorry about that X," Faith shrugged, a self-conscious look on her face. "But I love animals, always have. Always wanted a pet as a kid."
Which explained Faith's closeness with Angel. Biting back a host of smart-ass comments, he just nodded. "It's fine, we've got enough time."
"Wicked," Faith sat back in the carriage, eyes flitting left to right as the carriage started down the road, her ears filling with the sound of passing cars and the wind stroking her face. Faith turned to her companion and spoke, raising her voice over the clip clop of the horses' hooves. "Man, this is cool. Thanks for this. Where ya booked us in at?"
"Il Molto Squisito." Faith grinned at Xander's mention of one of Cleveland's most exclusive Italian restaurants. Expensive too, you had to give the man points for trying. Unless it was just an insurance ploy to make sure she ended the night on her back. Mood darkening, she sat back in her seat. "I thought you liked Italian?"
Faith forced a smile. "I do, I do, just enjoying the ride."
"Oh," Xander nodded before himself sitting back. "That's good. I thought it was different."
"Yeah," she nodded. "I like it." In no time at all, they'd arrived at the restaurant. After paying the cab driver, Xander herded her towards the eating establishment's glass entrance, opening the door for her as he did so. Faith smiled. Had to give X credit, he knew his manners. "Thanks."
Once inside, she glanced around, nodding approvingly at what she saw. The place was illuminated by subdued lightning, each of the partioned booths individually lit by a glowing lamp in the centre of their round, immaculately varnished tables. By the wall nearest the door stood a well-stocked bar. If nothing else she'd be able to get loaded if the date went south. Against the far wall there stood a lounge act playing a mixture of mood music with skill if not passion.
And the air filled with the scent of a dozen different lovingly-prepared dishes, wafting in from the kitchen. Faith smirked, her nose quivering. "Yeah, it'll do."
Xander smiled at her before turning to the smartly-suited waiter wearing the staff uniform of red jacket, white shirt, and black pants, stood ready to guide them to their table. "We're booked in the name of Harris," Xander said.
The waiter bowed his head slightly to each of them in turn. "Yes, sir, madam. If you'll just follow me." The man led them to a table before presenting them each with a leather-bound menu. "The waiter will be with you presently," the man bowed again before backing off and walking away."
"You know that dummy sled you wanted building for training?" Xander said after an uncomfortable minute's silence. "I think I've come up a way to make it a little more Slayer res-."
"That's great, X," she interrupted. "But I didn't ask ya out to talk shop. How about a rule, no Slayer talk tonight?"
"Okay," Xander nodded. "What do you want to talk about then?"
"How about ya?"
Xander looked bemused. "Me?"
"Yeah," Faith nodded. "I know fuck all 'bout ya. How about ya fill in the gaps?"
"Uh, okay-."
It took a while, but by desert they were talking if not like lovers, at least friends. Faith grinned as Xan cracked wise about hating Slayers not for their powers but for their ability to put away more food than an Olympic weight-lifter without putting on weight. Her grin faded as she sensed something. Turning her head to the window, she started to rise. "Faith," X's voice rose a note, "what's -."
Suddenly the window exploded. Faith crouched down instinctively, but they were too far inside to be hit by flying shards. As well as the shattered glass a body flew inside, hitting the russet-coloured carpet with a thud, followed quickly by a trio of snarling uglies. "One night!" she yanked her stake out of her handbag before leaping over the booth and towards the vamps. "Is one fucking night too much to ask?"
Her foot smashed into the chest of the nearest vamp, lifting him off his feet and flinging him back out onto the pavement. Even as she landed beside the crumpled body she noticed something, but didn't have time to think about it. She was too busy taking a pounding right to the forehead.
Grimacing with pain, she stepped towards her attacker only for his companion, the trio's sole female, to grab her by the shoulders. Faith kicked backwards, her heel crashing into the demon's shin, shattering the bone and sending the vampire screaming to the ground.
"Slayer!" the vampire remaining standing bared his teeth before darting at her.
"Didn't your momma," Faith sidestepped his charge and kicked him in the ribs, the force of the blow lifting him off his feet and sending him sailing into a nearby table, knocking both him and the table crashing to the floor. "Teach you it's rude to run at a Slayer," she kicked away the lamp the struggling to his feet vampire threw at her, "without first," she ducked beneath a front heel kick aimed squarely at her head, "cleaning your teeth?"
Wrapping her arm around the demon's out-stretched leg, she picked it up off the floor, and threw it back down, staking it before it had time to rise. "With that breath, I guess," spinning around, she threw her stake into the other vampire's heart, "not." She started towards the smashed window, intent on teaching the third vampire a lesson about not interrupting a dining Slayer. Even as the vampire charged through the opening, Xander appeared by the side of the fissure, his stake thudding home.
"You okay, Faith?"
Faith smiled, heart warming at her Watcher's concern. "Five by five, X." She looked down at the unconscious man. He was, she supposed, a good-looking bastard. Short brown hair, firm jaw-line, and a hell of a set of muscles under his checked shirt and jeans. "I saw his eyes before he passed out," she commented. "They're wicked blue."
"I know you haven't dated much, but commenting on another guy's eyes when you're on a date is considered the height of rudeness." Xander paused. "Especially when you're out with an one-eyed man."
Faith shot Xander a withering look. "As in inhumanly blue, dumbass."
"Oh," Xander groaned. "I suppose this means we better grab him and head back to the house?" Xander turned to the pale-faced manager, the man's jowls shaking as he regarded the carnage wrecked in his business. "I suppose the meal was on the house, seeing as we saved everyone's lives?"
"Damn," Faith shook her head in half-disapproval, half-admiration, "you're cheap."
