A Place in Heaven - Part Twelve
Title: A Place in Heaven (Part Twelve)
Fandom: Angel
Characters: Wesley/Faith
Prompt: 40: So Close (for ships50 - view table)
Word Count: 1,941
Rating: R, for some sexuality and language.
Warnings/Spoilers: Through Time Bomb
Summary: Faith must help Wesley send Illyria back to the deeper well before she destroys the world.
A/N: This story was inspired by this beautiful banner by
marvelgirl_art . I'd also like to thank my readers, who inspire me to keep writing. It's been five long months since I've updated this story, and you still expressed interest in seeing more. I hope that this chapter (which is longer than most I've posted) will be enjoyable! It's been a while since I've written, but now that the machine is oiled, I'm hoping to keep up with this story regularly from now on!
Previous entries are HERE
Faith wasn’t sure when they’d lost the upper hand.
The demon army had reached them within seconds after she and Wes had spotted them. She’d had a knife in her jacket, and she’d made good use of it - slaying at least a few dozen of the disgusting creatures. But it wasn’t enough. Wesley, of course, had his shot-gun, but that didn’t seem to do much damage either. They were hard to kill, even for her, and she’d spent half her energy trying to protect her ex-watcher, who was now unconscious.
She always knew that if she hung with Wes she’d end up being taken hostage. Homeboy had made a frikin’ art of it. However, she had never imagined being taken hostage in a place like this. She had no advantage.
“Hey, watch it, asshole!” Faith struggled against the guard that held her hands behind her back. He was practically crushing her wrist. At her protest he merely tightened his grip, causing her to yelp in pain. On top of that she still felt a little sick from the whole portal jumping thing.
When the demons finally reached Illyria’s temple, Faith scanned their surroundings with trepidation, hoping that they wouldn’t be offered as a sacrifice. After all, why else would Illyria want them alive?
If they did have a sacrifice planned, it wasn’t going to take place at that moment, because the next thing Faith knew, she and Wes were being dumped into a grimy, black holding cell. She hit the ground with a thud, with Wesley falling next to her a moment later. The guards then shut the door behind them, blocking out any light, and locked it.
Faith immediately felt for Wesley’s hand.
“Wes,” She said, trying not to shout. She knew he was probably concussed, but she needed him awake. She couldn’t do this on her own.
“Wes, please wake up,” she pleaded - placing her arms under his and pulling his torso up so that his back rested against her. He was warm, and breathing, and she let out a sigh of relief. As she sat holding him she thought about the visions she had seen while passing through the portal. She wasn’t sure if they were real, or if they were dreams. Wes had said something about alternate realities; if that was what she’d seen, then maybe those events were only going to happen in another timeline. She hoped that that was true - at least for one of the events. She couldn’t lose Wes now. She felt connected to him. More connected than she’d felt with anyone in a long time, including Robin.
Wesley let out a groan, interrupting her thoughts.
“Wes?!” She pulled him more upright. Her eyes strained in the darkness to see his face.
“Faith?” Wesley raised his hand to her cheek, lingering there a moment longer than needed. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, feeling a little dizzy.
“Who else, dumbass?” She said jokingly. “Are you alright?”
Wesley felt his head, and when there didn’t seem to be any blood he nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” He squinted. “I suppose it goes without saying that we’re still alive. But why is it dark?” He felt the ground and then reached out a hand to touch the wall of their prison. “Where are we?”
“We’re in some kind of dungeon,” Faith grumbled. “In case you didn’t notice, we got our asses royally kicked by Illyria’s army.”
“Ah. I must have missed the climax, seeing as I was knocked unconscious.”
“I’m sorry Wes. I tried to keep them away from you.” Faith cringed, feeling like a failure. She was a slayer - it was her duty to protect her watcher. It was her duty to not be taken hostage. “I guess I’m still feeling’ kinda messed up after trippin’ through that portal. And the power-sucking thing with Illyria. Still, I should have -”
“Faith,” Wesley interrupted her, putting his warm hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I may have lost consciousness toward the end of the battle, but I do remember you fighting with all the strength you have. You were magnificent, as always. There were just too many of them.”
Magnificent.
It wasn’t a word that anyone had ever used to describe her. When he said it, it sounded like a poem. The man had a way with words. Faith felt her cheeks warm, and she was suddenly grateful for the darkness.
“Are you hurt?” Wesley asked, before she could reply.
“Nah. Slayer healing, remember?” She smiled. And even though it was dark, she could sense him smiling as well.
“We need to find a way out of here,” he said, his tone more somber.
“Yeah,” Faith agreed. “It’d be a lot easier if we had some light, though.” She sighed. “Plus, you’re not exactly 100% at the moment, Wes.”
“I fear you’re right,” Wesley groaned again, his head aching. “Perhaps we should rest for a little while?”
Faith took off her jacket and folded it into a makeshift pillow.
“Here, rest your head on this.”
“Aren’t you going to freeze without it?” He asked as he lay down.
“I’ll be ok,” she lied. The truth was that it was freezing in there, but he needed it more than she did.
“Here,” Wesley patted the ground next to him. “Lie next to me. We can keep each other warm.”
Faith grinned. “Are you trying to get fresh with me, Wes?”
“Really, Faith,” Wesley tried to sound dismayed, but couldn’t quite manage it in his current state. “At least you haven’t lost your pluck.”
“My what?”
“Never mind, just lie down.”
Faith acquiesced, and scooted in next to Wesley. She turned so that her back was against his chest, and she felt a thrill go through her as he wrapped his arms around her. When she felt his warm breath against the back of her neck, she had to stifle a moan. Every nerve in her body was lit up like a Christmas tree. She definitely wasn’t in danger of being cold now. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but Wesley’s warm body wrapped around her, but she was hard-wired to take what she wanted. And what if they died here? What if they died and she never got to tell him what he meant to her? Never got to show him?
Her heart started racing, and she bit her lip. She knew Wesley was still grieving, and there was a huge chance that he’d push her away, but she couldn’t stand it anymore. She turned around in his arms so that they were face to face.
Wesley opened his eyes.
“Are you uncomfortable?” He asked softly.
She didn’t answer; instead, she put her hands on each side of his face, running her fingers along the stubble. She felt him tense up.
“Faith, what are you-”
“Shut up, Wes,” she whispered as she brought her lips to his. She could feel him resisting; however, after a few moments he was kissing her back - hungrily. She opened her mouth, letting his tongue thrust inside. A bolt of desire ran down her spine, and she crawled on top of him. As she ground her hips against his she could feel how much he wanted her too, and she grinned against his lips.
Her hand reached down to stroke him through his jeans, but his own hand stopped her.
“Faith, we shouldn’t.”
She ignored him, and continued to nuzzle his neck, reveling in the primal desire that had taken over her. He smelled so fucking good. She bit down lightly on the base of his throat, eliciting another moan. Before he could speak, she pressed her lips against his again, her body rocking against him.
“Faith!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her up. She was again glad of the darkness. She was glad that he couldn’t see the hurt look on her face.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I know you’re still upset about Fred. It’s too soon. I shouldn’t have-”
“This isn’t about Fred, Faith,” he said, his breathing still erratic. “Fred’s gone. I know that. I have to deal with that.”
“Then, why?” Faith felt her stomach sinking.
“Because it’s you, Faith. Because it’s you and me.”
It took a few moments for her to process his words. Once she did, Faith scrambled off of him, tears stinging her eyes. She felt like a fool. How could he feel anything but disgust for her? Why would he want to be with the woman who had tortured him for hours; the woman who’d made his life a living hell; the woman who’d gotten him fired by the council? He had forgiven her because he was kind - because he felt sorry for her. It didn’t mean that he cared about her. Just because she made him hard - it didn’t mean anything. It was just bodies.
“God, I’m so stupid,” she whispered, raising her hands to her arms to help stave off the horrible chill that she felt.
“You’re not stupid, Faith.” Wesley got up and found his way over to her. After finding her shoulder, he rest his hand on it. “Let’s just get some rest, ok? Neither of us has slept days.”
Faith let out a bitter laugh, and pulled away so that his hand slipped away from her shoulder.
“I don’t know, Wes. Are you sure you want to sleep next to me? It’s pretty obvious that you find me repulsive.”
Wesley was silent for a moment, as if processing the comment.
“Faith, I think it was pretty obvious that I don’t find you repulsive.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Faith growled, exasperated. “You don’t…you don’t want me. And it has nothing to do with Fred dying or your grief. You don’t want me because of what we’ve been through together. Because of what I did to you.”
There. It was out in the open.
Faith wondered why she was being so open. Maybe it was the darkness. Maybe it was the fact that they might die any minute.
“Is that what you think?” Wesley sounded amazed. She would have smacked him if she’d seen his face at that moment. What else would she think?
“Faith, this has nothing to do with what you did. I thought that we’d been over this already?” He sighed. “Despite what you think, Faith, I do care for you. I don’t know how I’d have gotten through the last few days if you hadn’t shown up. Angel was right to call you.”
Faith listened, but remained silent. Perhaps she’d mistaken him.
“Faith, if this happens between us, I don’t want it to happen because you think we’re going to die. Or because we’re forced into being close to each other to stay warm.”
“But what if we do die, Wes?” She lamented.
“We won’t.” He sounded assured, and it made her feel a little better. “Now, come back here. Let’s get some rest.”
After a few moments she gave in and took her place at his side, burrowing into the cozy spot under his shoulder. She was surprised at how natural it was to be near him, even after the awkward situation that had just taken place. And despite the unanswered desire that lingered, she had to admit that she was, indeed, exhausted.
Her eyelids became heavy, and she placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat. It was slow, and steady.
“You are a very maddening girl,” he murmured, half asleep.
“Yeah, well so are you,” she countered, before drifting off herself.
TBC
Fandom: Angel
Characters: Wesley/Faith
Prompt: 40: So Close (for ships50 - view table)
Word Count: 1,941
Rating: R, for some sexuality and language.
Warnings/Spoilers: Through Time Bomb
Summary: Faith must help Wesley send Illyria back to the deeper well before she destroys the world.
A/N: This story was inspired by this beautiful banner by
marvelgirl_art . I'd also like to thank my readers, who inspire me to keep writing. It's been five long months since I've updated this story, and you still expressed interest in seeing more. I hope that this chapter (which is longer than most I've posted) will be enjoyable! It's been a while since I've written, but now that the machine is oiled, I'm hoping to keep up with this story regularly from now on!
Previous entries are HERE
Faith wasn’t sure when they’d lost the upper hand.
The demon army had reached them within seconds after she and Wes had spotted them. She’d had a knife in her jacket, and she’d made good use of it - slaying at least a few dozen of the disgusting creatures. But it wasn’t enough. Wesley, of course, had his shot-gun, but that didn’t seem to do much damage either. They were hard to kill, even for her, and she’d spent half her energy trying to protect her ex-watcher, who was now unconscious.
She always knew that if she hung with Wes she’d end up being taken hostage. Homeboy had made a frikin’ art of it. However, she had never imagined being taken hostage in a place like this. She had no advantage.
“Hey, watch it, asshole!” Faith struggled against the guard that held her hands behind her back. He was practically crushing her wrist. At her protest he merely tightened his grip, causing her to yelp in pain. On top of that she still felt a little sick from the whole portal jumping thing.
When the demons finally reached Illyria’s temple, Faith scanned their surroundings with trepidation, hoping that they wouldn’t be offered as a sacrifice. After all, why else would Illyria want them alive?
If they did have a sacrifice planned, it wasn’t going to take place at that moment, because the next thing Faith knew, she and Wes were being dumped into a grimy, black holding cell. She hit the ground with a thud, with Wesley falling next to her a moment later. The guards then shut the door behind them, blocking out any light, and locked it.
Faith immediately felt for Wesley’s hand.
“Wes,” She said, trying not to shout. She knew he was probably concussed, but she needed him awake. She couldn’t do this on her own.
“Wes, please wake up,” she pleaded - placing her arms under his and pulling his torso up so that his back rested against her. He was warm, and breathing, and she let out a sigh of relief. As she sat holding him she thought about the visions she had seen while passing through the portal. She wasn’t sure if they were real, or if they were dreams. Wes had said something about alternate realities; if that was what she’d seen, then maybe those events were only going to happen in another timeline. She hoped that that was true - at least for one of the events. She couldn’t lose Wes now. She felt connected to him. More connected than she’d felt with anyone in a long time, including Robin.
Wesley let out a groan, interrupting her thoughts.
“Wes?!” She pulled him more upright. Her eyes strained in the darkness to see his face.
“Faith?” Wesley raised his hand to her cheek, lingering there a moment longer than needed. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, feeling a little dizzy.
“Who else, dumbass?” She said jokingly. “Are you alright?”
Wesley felt his head, and when there didn’t seem to be any blood he nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” He squinted. “I suppose it goes without saying that we’re still alive. But why is it dark?” He felt the ground and then reached out a hand to touch the wall of their prison. “Where are we?”
“We’re in some kind of dungeon,” Faith grumbled. “In case you didn’t notice, we got our asses royally kicked by Illyria’s army.”
“Ah. I must have missed the climax, seeing as I was knocked unconscious.”
“I’m sorry Wes. I tried to keep them away from you.” Faith cringed, feeling like a failure. She was a slayer - it was her duty to protect her watcher. It was her duty to not be taken hostage. “I guess I’m still feeling’ kinda messed up after trippin’ through that portal. And the power-sucking thing with Illyria. Still, I should have -”
“Faith,” Wesley interrupted her, putting his warm hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I may have lost consciousness toward the end of the battle, but I do remember you fighting with all the strength you have. You were magnificent, as always. There were just too many of them.”
Magnificent.
It wasn’t a word that anyone had ever used to describe her. When he said it, it sounded like a poem. The man had a way with words. Faith felt her cheeks warm, and she was suddenly grateful for the darkness.
“Are you hurt?” Wesley asked, before she could reply.
“Nah. Slayer healing, remember?” She smiled. And even though it was dark, she could sense him smiling as well.
“We need to find a way out of here,” he said, his tone more somber.
“Yeah,” Faith agreed. “It’d be a lot easier if we had some light, though.” She sighed. “Plus, you’re not exactly 100% at the moment, Wes.”
“I fear you’re right,” Wesley groaned again, his head aching. “Perhaps we should rest for a little while?”
Faith took off her jacket and folded it into a makeshift pillow.
“Here, rest your head on this.”
“Aren’t you going to freeze without it?” He asked as he lay down.
“I’ll be ok,” she lied. The truth was that it was freezing in there, but he needed it more than she did.
“Here,” Wesley patted the ground next to him. “Lie next to me. We can keep each other warm.”
Faith grinned. “Are you trying to get fresh with me, Wes?”
“Really, Faith,” Wesley tried to sound dismayed, but couldn’t quite manage it in his current state. “At least you haven’t lost your pluck.”
“My what?”
“Never mind, just lie down.”
Faith acquiesced, and scooted in next to Wesley. She turned so that her back was against his chest, and she felt a thrill go through her as he wrapped his arms around her. When she felt his warm breath against the back of her neck, she had to stifle a moan. Every nerve in her body was lit up like a Christmas tree. She definitely wasn’t in danger of being cold now. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but Wesley’s warm body wrapped around her, but she was hard-wired to take what she wanted. And what if they died here? What if they died and she never got to tell him what he meant to her? Never got to show him?
Her heart started racing, and she bit her lip. She knew Wesley was still grieving, and there was a huge chance that he’d push her away, but she couldn’t stand it anymore. She turned around in his arms so that they were face to face.
Wesley opened his eyes.
“Are you uncomfortable?” He asked softly.
She didn’t answer; instead, she put her hands on each side of his face, running her fingers along the stubble. She felt him tense up.
“Faith, what are you-”
“Shut up, Wes,” she whispered as she brought her lips to his. She could feel him resisting; however, after a few moments he was kissing her back - hungrily. She opened her mouth, letting his tongue thrust inside. A bolt of desire ran down her spine, and she crawled on top of him. As she ground her hips against his she could feel how much he wanted her too, and she grinned against his lips.
Her hand reached down to stroke him through his jeans, but his own hand stopped her.
“Faith, we shouldn’t.”
She ignored him, and continued to nuzzle his neck, reveling in the primal desire that had taken over her. He smelled so fucking good. She bit down lightly on the base of his throat, eliciting another moan. Before he could speak, she pressed her lips against his again, her body rocking against him.
“Faith!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her up. She was again glad of the darkness. She was glad that he couldn’t see the hurt look on her face.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I know you’re still upset about Fred. It’s too soon. I shouldn’t have-”
“This isn’t about Fred, Faith,” he said, his breathing still erratic. “Fred’s gone. I know that. I have to deal with that.”
“Then, why?” Faith felt her stomach sinking.
“Because it’s you, Faith. Because it’s you and me.”
It took a few moments for her to process his words. Once she did, Faith scrambled off of him, tears stinging her eyes. She felt like a fool. How could he feel anything but disgust for her? Why would he want to be with the woman who had tortured him for hours; the woman who’d made his life a living hell; the woman who’d gotten him fired by the council? He had forgiven her because he was kind - because he felt sorry for her. It didn’t mean that he cared about her. Just because she made him hard - it didn’t mean anything. It was just bodies.
“God, I’m so stupid,” she whispered, raising her hands to her arms to help stave off the horrible chill that she felt.
“You’re not stupid, Faith.” Wesley got up and found his way over to her. After finding her shoulder, he rest his hand on it. “Let’s just get some rest, ok? Neither of us has slept days.”
Faith let out a bitter laugh, and pulled away so that his hand slipped away from her shoulder.
“I don’t know, Wes. Are you sure you want to sleep next to me? It’s pretty obvious that you find me repulsive.”
Wesley was silent for a moment, as if processing the comment.
“Faith, I think it was pretty obvious that I don’t find you repulsive.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Faith growled, exasperated. “You don’t…you don’t want me. And it has nothing to do with Fred dying or your grief. You don’t want me because of what we’ve been through together. Because of what I did to you.”
There. It was out in the open.
Faith wondered why she was being so open. Maybe it was the darkness. Maybe it was the fact that they might die any minute.
“Is that what you think?” Wesley sounded amazed. She would have smacked him if she’d seen his face at that moment. What else would she think?
“Faith, this has nothing to do with what you did. I thought that we’d been over this already?” He sighed. “Despite what you think, Faith, I do care for you. I don’t know how I’d have gotten through the last few days if you hadn’t shown up. Angel was right to call you.”
Faith listened, but remained silent. Perhaps she’d mistaken him.
“Faith, if this happens between us, I don’t want it to happen because you think we’re going to die. Or because we’re forced into being close to each other to stay warm.”
“But what if we do die, Wes?” She lamented.
“We won’t.” He sounded assured, and it made her feel a little better. “Now, come back here. Let’s get some rest.”
After a few moments she gave in and took her place at his side, burrowing into the cozy spot under his shoulder. She was surprised at how natural it was to be near him, even after the awkward situation that had just taken place. And despite the unanswered desire that lingered, she had to admit that she was, indeed, exhausted.
Her eyelids became heavy, and she placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat. It was slow, and steady.
“You are a very maddening girl,” he murmured, half asleep.
“Yeah, well so are you,” she countered, before drifting off herself.
TBC