(updated 10-09-2020)

CHAPTER TWO
Any Old Bed in a Storm

"We didn't fully appreciate how much control The First Evil and Wolfram & Hart exerted over the government after the White House attack and Boston. I think Riley {Finn} had the best understanding of what was coming at all of us. It was most fortuitous that General Coulson had planned for such a contingency. Still, we lost so many in those first days of the roundups, like Robin {Wood}, killed by the FBI in the streets while 'resisting arrest' during a raid. Despite the constant media campaign about the 'Slayer Threat' there were still some people out there that didn't believe the propaganda. We were lucky because these new allies proved invaluable in assisting us in our resistance to what was happening across the country…"

— Rupert Giles

oOoOo

Andres Rodriguez was elbows deep inside the truck, working on its engine. He suspected the problem was being caused by an electrical short, but he still needed to track down where the electrical fault was occurring.

As he pondered his options, his ears caught a faint distinctive sound, growing louder. The familiar sound set off a smile on his face. He pulled himself away from the engine, grabbing a cloth to wipe his hands as he walked out of his gas station repair bay into the bright afternoon sunshine.

He picked on the approaching motorcycle, coming down the highway at high speed. His smile grew even bigger as the motorcycle slowed down and turned into his gas station, coming to a rolling stop at his gas pumps.

He approached the bike and its rider, putting on a casual demeanor to hide his growing excitement and anticipation. There was no mistaking the rider's gender as he checked out her body.

The rider turned off the motorcycle's engine, taking off her helmet, sitting back and brushing her long brunette hair with her hand. His excitement and focus snapped to the rider's face, taking in her natural beauty.

"Fill'er up?" he said, meeting the woman's eyes.

"Always," the woman said, giving him a return smirk.

He noticed how the woman's face would light up whenever she smiled or laughed. It seemed—at least temporarily—to take away the cloud of pain and sadness always seeming to hover behind her eyes.

She needs to laugh more, he thought.

"How you doing Faith? It's been awhile."

"I'm surviving Andy. How's it hanging?" Faith said, still smirking and now giving him an appraising gaze.

Andy laughed, finding it hard to keep his growing anticipation in check, recognizing the look she was giving him, "For you, always long and hard. You staying or passing through?"

Faith smiled, feeling her own anticipation growing, "If you don't mind, can I crash here for a couple days?"

Andy took in her body again, his heart pounding faster, knowing where this was heading, "The spare key is in the usual place. Make yourself at home, as my people always say, mi casa es su casa…"

Faith laughed, "Your people? I thought you were a true born and raised Texan?"

Andy laughed, "Shhh… I don't want it getting around that I'm a good ol' boy. Anyway, go make yourself at home. I've got to finish up here first. There's beer in the fridge, you know where the towels are. The clothes you left the last time you were here are in the dresser in the guest bedroom."

"Thanks," Faith said, giving him an appreciative smile.

Andy nodded, turning his attention to the Cyclone, "Do you want me to give you the once over, while you're here?" he said.

A smirk again filled Faith's face, her eyes again running up and down Andy, "The bike can have the once over. I'm hoping for at least a twice or three times over!"

oOoOo

Faith leaned forward, wiping away the condensation from the bathroom mirror hanging over the sink, taking a moment to study her face. She stepped back, taking another moment to admire her freshly showered, towel-wrapped form in the mirror.

She gave herself a high appraisal, especially considering everything she'd survived so far to the grand old age of twenty-eight. Her moment of self-indulgence faded as her eyes drifted to the jade pendant hanging around her neck. The old guilt flared again while staring at the pendant.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she muttered with a sigh.

She looked up, catching her eyes in the mirror. Another sigh escaped, This… this being here with Andy means nothing. It's just sex. I've got needs and wants. I can't live my entire life being a nun…

She'd met Andy two years ago, coming to Adamsville, Texas to deal with a gang of vampires, terrorizing the area. Andy had been one of the few locals to help her in the fight. He was a former Marine, and wasn't about to shy away from a fight, especially to protect his family and friends. Andy showed his resourcefulness and usefulness at opportune times during the fight.

Faith hadn't planned on sticking around or for what happened. But a post-fight celebration—which included copious tequila shots—and Faith was throwing Andy on the bed. She left before he woke up, followed by spending the next several days guiltily berating herself over the one-night stand.

There had been no conscious plan to go back to Adamsville or even see Andy again. Yet, a couple of weeks later, she was still thinking about him. The next thing she knew, she driving back to Adamsville. With her arrival being a most welcome surprise for him. This time they stayed sober and ended up talking for hours.

Since then, she'd made a point of circling through to see Andy every few weeks when she had a chance. She tried justifying these visits by telling herself it was horniness and wanting to a little fun. Yet, while she kept living on her island of self-denial, she couldn't help but notice Andy's deepening feelings for her.

A jumble of thoughts and emotions filled Faith while staring deep into her reflection's eyes, trying to glimpse some answers to her inner turmoil.

Paul's gone, and he's not coming back. He promised to come back, but none of them are ever coming back! How long am I supposed to mourn for him?

The rising anger and grief caught her by surprise, forcing her to take some deep breaths to calm down. Old memories slammed at her emotional wall, wanting to break free. She remembered how being with Paul made her feel, and it shocked her to realize that Andy was bringing out those same feelings.

I've made a mistake…

The back door, opening and closing, stopped any further self-reflection. Faith took another deep breath to get under control before seeing Andy.

"Andy… I'm sorry—," she paused, stepping out of the bathroom into the hallway, and finding herself facing an older woman.

Despite the older woman's surprised, angry face, there was no danger… at least no physical danger. An awkward silence filled the hallway while both women eyed each other uncomfortably.

The older woman broke the silence first, barely hiding the contempt and resentment in her voice, "Hello, Faith."

Faith took a deep breath, shaking off the other woman's icy stare, "Celia…"

The woman continued, "I didn't know you were in town."

"I just got in."

Another long moment of uncomfortable silence filled the pause before Celia spoke again, "Is Andres here?"

A sense of self-consciousness gripped Faith being in front of Andy's older sister, wearing only a towel, "He should be here soon," she said.

"How long you staying this time?" Celia said, with an iciness dripping in her voice that Faith could have sworn she could see her breath.

"Just a couple of days…"

"Of course," Celia said, no longer hiding her contempt, "I think I'll wait outside for my brother to come home."

"You can wait inside," Faith said, trying to offer an olive branch.

"No, thank you… I think I would prefer waiting outside," Celia said, turning and hurrying back out the door.

oOoOo

Andy, pulling into his driveway, saw his sister sitting by his back door. Her expression and body language almost made him want to turn around and be somewhere else. He sighed, shaking his head in resignation at having to deal again with this old argument. He was barely out of his truck before Celia was on him.

"Hi sis," he said, hoping to get this over with quickly.

Celia hissed, "What the hell is that la puta doing here?"

Andy sighed, rolling his eyes, "Can you watch what you call Faith," he said, trying to keep a calm voice.

Celia took a deep breath, "She's nothing but trouble for you and everyone in town. You know what the President called her and her kind," she said, struggling to rein in her anger.

"You've got a short memory there, sis! Don't forget she put her ass on the line to save all of us!" Andy said, his anger beginning to leak through.

Celia sighed, seeing her brother's anger, "I know… I know… But she's a walking time bomb! The police and the FBI are looking for her and her friends. They're—"

"Don't tell me you're buying that load of horseshit that trumped up wannabe dictator spouts on the news every night?" Andy said in an exasperated voice.

"You know I don't!" Celia pleaded, pausing, "I know you want to help, and you want to make a difference. This is just like when you told us you put your name in to join that space mission. Look at how that turned out for all those people!"

Andy couldn't keep his anger in check anymore, "I have to do something! I can't just sit around watching and waiting!"

Celia sighed, knowing they were just arguing in circles now with neither of them going to budge, "What I'm worried about is you! Andres, you're not a Marine anymore. You've been out of the service nearly four years and you run a gas station. This woman has got you wound around her finger! For God's sake, you almost got killed fighting those… creatures with her! Now, she just rolls into town whenever she feels like it, and you two play house for a few days. Then she rolls out again for God knows where, and you spend the next few weeks mopping and pining for that woman!"

Andy sighed, "I'm a big boy, Celia. Who I want to get involved with is my business!"

Celia shook her head in resignation, "I know, but I worry about you. Just her staying here could get you picked up and sent to one of those detention centers!"

"Celia, open your eyes! There's a darkness spreading across this country, and Faith and her people are the only ones that can stand up against it!"

"I just hope you don't regret getting involved with her!" she sighed with a shrug before turning and walking away.

oOoOo

Faith rested her head on Andy's chest, watching the candlelight flicker off the bedroom wall. She held up her hand, watching the shadow of it dance across the wall.

"You okay?" Andy said, gently stroking her hair.

"I'm five by five."

"You haven't said much since I got home… you sure you okay?"

Faith sighed, "Maybe I should leave in the morning… I don't want to cause any problems for you," she said, running her fingers across Andy's chest.

A more serious expression filled Andy's face, realizing she had overhead his "discussion" with his sister, "No! You can stay as long as you want!" he said.

Another sigh escaped Faith, "Your sister is right… I am a walking time bomb. Death surrounds me and everyone around me. You saw what happened to that girl in Eastern Europe a few days ago?"

Andy suppressed a shudder, recalling the latest web video footage that was going viral. He'd watched, in all its full color and gory detail, a village crucify a young woman—only a teenager—for the crime of being accused of being a Slayer.

A part of him still tried rationalizing that in this day and age things like this didn't happen anymore. Yet, it was obvious the world was becoming a dark and fearful place. With reports like this, and what he'd seen firsthand only convinced him more than ever that what Faith and her people were doing was the right thing.

"I want you to stay!" he said, meeting her eyes.

"You're just saying that because of the fringe benefits I give you every time I visit," she snorted, giving him a smirk.

Andy laughed, "Hey… I won't deny that I like these parts of your visits, but it's more than that… I like being with you."

The old pain welled up as the look in his eyes reminded Faith of another person and another place. She didn't want to go down that painful road again, "I-I can't…" she said, biting her lip, looking away from him.

Andy saw the pain and struggle in her eyes. He could see she wanted to care as his eyes dropped to the pendant hanging around her neck, "He must have been special?" he said.

Even after all this time, her eyes still misted over, "C-Can we not talk about this?" she pleaded.

Andy gave himself a mental head slap, seeing the pain and sadness on her face. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. All he wanted was to protect her and keep her safe. She was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and even though she was more than capable of defending herself, she wasn't invulnerable. Regarding relationships and love, she was just as normal and vulnerable as everyone else.

The pendant always piqued his curiosity, making him wonder what the story behind it was. He couldn't help the mix of anger and jealousy towards the person who had hurt her. But he parked his questions and curiosity for now, instead changing the subject.

"Okay… I heard on the news about a terrorist attack in Phoenix. I take it you had something to do with that?"

Faith breathed a sigh of relief, just happy to be talking about anything else, "Yeah, there was a processing factory there. We torched the place."

A satisfied look filled Andy's face, "That'll put a dent in their operations."

Faith wished it was only that easy, "It's just a drop in the bucket. For every factory we find and torch, they seem to open up another one almost right away," she said.

A grim, concerned expression now settled across Andy's face, "So what's next?" he said.

Faith wanted to tell him what was going on, but Riley had stressed the need for security. Besides, she didn't want to put Andy in any further danger than he already was. She yearned to tell him everything. It had been so long since she'd been able to share everything with someone.

What she couldn't tell Andy was before her mission in Phoenix, she'd met with Buffy, Giles and Riley to discuss the current situation and their plans. The hard facts were that outside of the United States, along with some parts of Canada and Mexico, there was no organized resistance.

With the Watchers Council gone and only sporadic contact with General Coulson's overseas contacts, there was no way of organizing the remaining Slayers around the world for this fight. They were barely hanging on here, having to face not only demonic threats but also the power of the United States government. Things were reaching such critical, desperate straits they'd implemented their 'Hail Mary' pass, deciding to go for broke.

A pang of guilt struck Faith because Andy had as much at stake as she and the others did, "I'm headed to Wichita. There's another factory there. We'll torch it like we always do, and buy us some time," she said.

It wasn't like she was lying to him. She was going to Wichita and would hit the processing factory there, but her actions were only a small part of a bigger operation taking place. The plan was to hit as many places simultaneously, distract their enemy on the ground, while their actual goal was to take the high ground.

We either win big or it won't be much longer until they hunt us all down…

"Can you stay longer?" Andy said, picking up on her tone. He sensed she was holding back something from him. Now, a premonition of dread and worry gripped him. Every time she left, he never knew if he would see her again. The thought of her never returning… just disappearing like so many others hit him hard.

Faith answered by sliding her hand slowly down Andy's chest and torso, "Yeah, I can hang around here for a few more days," she said.

Her smile grew as his body responded to her touch. The heat from his body, along with his growing desire, stirred something in her. Being with him, she felt alive in a way she hadn't been in a long time. Still, there was that small voice in her head screaming at her, telling her she was betraying Paul's memory.

She brushed it aside, choosing to focus on Andy's face and her hand. How long was she supposed to wait? How long was she supposed to isolate herself and shutdown her feelings? She could still recall how a part of her died each day, waiting in vain for Paul to return. Was she supposed to spend every day of the rest of her life like that?

Her body and desires responded to him, and she moved to mount him. She had a momentary flashback to another time and place… she'd slept with Robin, back in Sunnydale, to escape her pain and forget her past.

When Paul dropped in her life, everything changed for her, but sometimes she wondered what would have happened if he hadn't shown up. Would she have hooked up with Robin instead? Would she still be alone… or even still alive?

Any thoughts or wondering about Robin were only a wasted and useless exercise now. The government had executed him in the street during those early days after Boston.

Andy was now inside her, and despite the pleasure growing on his face, a brief sense of guilt and regret washed over her. She wanted to forget the past and just lose herself in the moment. It seemed as if every guy she'd ever slept with died. She pushed away those morbid thoughts, focusing on her own growing pleasure.

Even as her desires took over and her body responded to the rhythm of the sex, a part of her hoped Andy wouldn't suffer the same fate.