Fic: Dead Souls (8/8)
Title: Dead Souls (8/8)
Faith & Xander;
It assumes that the Hellmouth was never opened, and that Orpheus ended differently.
Neither Anya nor Xander shared the 411 on the Angel-visit with the rest of the class; and Xander didn't tell Anya about Fred's bit of TMI. Even if females who didn't happen to be Slayers or vampires chose to have sex with Angel, Xander still didn't like having the words "sex" and "Angel" in the same mental sentence.
Except when he added "no" and "Faith" to that sentence.
Xander didn't do much adding or subtracting to that sentence. He moved through the next couple of weeks, through the graduation of a Sunnydale High Class with the highest survival rate, ever, and Dawn's effortless metamorphosis into a self-assured young woman, taller than either Willow or Buffy.
"I might look into studying in England," Dawn announced to Xander the next morning, over a breakfast of waffles. The house was still, faintly, shimmering with the aura of tempers lost over the bedroom shortage. Buffy wanted to move back in, over the summer, and wanted Willow, too. However, Xander, with the sometime companionship of Anya, had taken over Mrs. Summers' bedroom with en suite bathroom. For no discernable reason, Dawn had moved into Buffy's old room, and they'd sold Buffy's bedroom furniture at a yard sale.
"I don't know what she was going on about, it's not as though we didn't pick up some nice stuff to make it a guest room. She keeps saying that she's an adult!" Dawn complained. She poured half the syrup jug on her plate of waffles. "And yet, when we get rid of her ancient girly-girl stuff, she gets mad!"
"I don't even try to understand why any of you get mad at anything," Xander said, reading the newspaper. "Don't drag me in on it."
Xander could hear Dawn rolling her eyes. "Duh, Captain Obvious."
Buffy was back to being "Buffy" and not "She" by the time Xander drove them all to the airport.
"What'll you do without us all?" Buffy asked. "Don't patrol without back-up, okay? Now would have been a good time for Faith to stick around, but of course, you can't depend on her."
This last was so needlessly provocative that Xander glanced at her, in the passenger seat. She had an extremely innocent expression.
She was trying to provoke him.
"Yeah, that's the thing about Slayers---unpredictable," Xander said.
"Hmpf," Buffy said.
"You could always call her, " Dawn suggested.
Xander checked in the rear-view mirror to make sure that Willow wasn't wearing her Resolve Face. She wasn't. She was looking out the window, as if completely absorbed by the passing traffic.
::
Summer, though, was a traditional vacation from evil in Sunnydale. Whether it was blowing off steam from pressure of finals or just her natural Slayage, Buffy had made a thorough sweep through the town, and demon activity was minimal, not to say completely off the radar.
"We have a lot of evening business, and it's all humanity, " Anya announced to Xander. "Of course, it's not that I want evil to triumph, or anything, but humans don't spend as much money."
They were eating at the latest Italian restaurant to take over the old Pizza Barn. Xander had asked her, telling himself that he needed to reconnect to Anya. It was soon evident that Anya was only there for the free meal.
"Has Giles been calling you again about the Magic Box?" Xander asked. "Because I've been copying him on all the accounting."
"No," Anya said. "Some silent partner. First he's in, then he's out, then he's in---it's like extremely slow sex."
"You should tell him, if he's worried, he should come personally and inspect the business."
Anya choked. She reached for her glass of wine. "Crumb," she gasped.
Xander sighed, and signaled for the check.
::
He arrived at the Hyperion at early dusk, when he figured vampires wouldn't be outside fighting nameless evil yet. There was no one in the lobby, but he heard a familiar voice from behind the marble counter.
"---my study shows that actual Japanese steel is 45 percent more effective than this European steel, in 86 percent of demon attacks," Fred was saying.
"Do you know how much genuine---"
"You have some in storage---"
"They're investments!" Angel said, and came into view. "Can I help---oh, Xander." He sounded as unenthusiastic as if they were all still back in Xander's high school days.
"Don't you have a bell on the door or anything?" Xander asked, walking up to the counter.
"We have wards," Fred said, coming around the corner from, apparently, the office. "They keep out those intent on harm. Or, at least, an alarm rings."
"Theoretically," Angel said. "I don't know if Lorne's idea of what's harmful is always accurate. He thinks so many demons just need a Sea Breeze and pitch control."
"I'm telling you, Simon Cowell could be a demon," Fred said earnestly. She started to push her glasses up her nose, then realized she wasn't wearing them. "Did you need something, Xander?" she asked.
"Yeah, I came to see Faith," Xander said. "Giles has a samurai sword," he told Fred. "No demon goo ever hurts it."
"Exactly!" Fred said.
"Those swords are antiques, " Angel told her. "They're works of art."
"Yeah, so why are they stuck in that secret trunk of stash?"
"To keep them away from Wesley and Gunn," Angel said. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "Faith's upstairs."
"Faith's room is on the third floor," Fred said. "Right off the elevator, the elevator's right over there."
As Xander walked towards the paneled door, he heard the discussion start again.
"I would like you to use the very best sword you have," Fred said. "It's more efficient and I would like it."
Angel's answer was inaudible.
It was amazing how even a two-hundred-year-old vampire was powerless against the I'm So Worried tone of voice, Xander thought.
Upstairs, he heard the sound of a video game blasting from the open door. He stood in the doorway, and took in the sight of Faith, apparently playing a Wii.
"Nice move," he said, figuring that she already had heard his heartbeat.
She shrugged one shoulder, and put it on pause. She turned, and he saw that she wasn't wearing any makeup. "I wasn't goin' out tonight," she said. "Angel just got me this. It was on back-order." Her white teeth flashed in the semi-gloom of the room. "Since he's my sugar daddy and all. You know, just like the Mayor. What can I do, I just like old demon men."
"I know that you weren't sleeping with the Mayor," Xander said, still in the doorway. "And I know you're not sleeping with Angel."
Faith switched the remote control from hand to hand. "That's not what you were thinking before."
"Yes, it was. I just wanted you to tell me you weren't."
"Don't know why," Faith said. She tossed the remote into a beanbag chair and sat down on the bed, drawing her knees up to her chin.
"You know why," Xander said. "Can I come in?"
"You ain't a vampire, suit yourself," Faith said.
Xander took this for encouragement, and sat on the end of the bed, facing her. "I just didn't think that you'd feel anything about me. The last time I was in your bedroom, you choked me."
"And Angel whacked me in the head," Faith said. "He still does that, sometimes. When we're out and I do something he thinks is stupid. I whack him right back."
She looked away. "You don't like vampires, Xander. You hate vampires. Like that guy, Robin, that principal. He wanted to take me an' Spike an' Angel down rather than let us help save Sunnydale."
"I'm not that bad," Xander said. "Maybe about Spike, though." He failed to raise a smile. "Look, remember the first night you came back? I invited you in. I'll always invite you in."
Faith uncurled slightly. "My soul's stuck in, you know. The curse doesn't apply to me, because the drug killed me. But I'm not going to have a heartbeat and I'm not going to have babies."
"Who needs babies?" Xander scoffed. "I'd have some kid just like me."
"I'm scared to have sex with you," Faith said. "I'm afraid I'll fang out." She swallowed. "And, if Angel would have let me, I would be with him. He won't have it. He says that I have boundary issues. I'm scared that I'd hurt anyone else, though.." She looked directly at him. "I'll never not be on Angel's side."
"I know that," Xander said. "I mean, the last part. But I was thinking, if you had another guy in your life, you wouldn't be getting bad Angel thoughts. And, you wouldn't be risking Fred sticking a samurai sword in your ribs."
"Hah! I knew she'd get those swords outta him," Faith said, leaning back against the headboard. "So, you and Anya are split up? She's not gonna turn you into some kind of worm?"
"She all put pushed me into the car," Xander said. "She's got her mind set on someone else." He inched closer. "Why don't we take it one step at a time, then? See if there's anything to be scared about."
"You'll steer me around the curves?" Faith said, carefully moving into his embrace. "Remember when I said that?"
Her tentativeness wrung his heart. "I remember every word you've ever said to me," he said, and gathered her against his chest.
Faith sighed, and leaned her cool forehead against him. "Me, too," she said, her lips brushing his neck.
And he didn't think, a vampire's at my neck, but Faith.
:::
Faith & Xander;
It assumes that the Hellmouth was never opened, and that Orpheus ended differently.
Neither Anya nor Xander shared the 411 on the Angel-visit with the rest of the class; and Xander didn't tell Anya about Fred's bit of TMI. Even if females who didn't happen to be Slayers or vampires chose to have sex with Angel, Xander still didn't like having the words "sex" and "Angel" in the same mental sentence.
Except when he added "no" and "Faith" to that sentence.
Xander didn't do much adding or subtracting to that sentence. He moved through the next couple of weeks, through the graduation of a Sunnydale High Class with the highest survival rate, ever, and Dawn's effortless metamorphosis into a self-assured young woman, taller than either Willow or Buffy.
"I might look into studying in England," Dawn announced to Xander the next morning, over a breakfast of waffles. The house was still, faintly, shimmering with the aura of tempers lost over the bedroom shortage. Buffy wanted to move back in, over the summer, and wanted Willow, too. However, Xander, with the sometime companionship of Anya, had taken over Mrs. Summers' bedroom with en suite bathroom. For no discernable reason, Dawn had moved into Buffy's old room, and they'd sold Buffy's bedroom furniture at a yard sale.
"I don't know what she was going on about, it's not as though we didn't pick up some nice stuff to make it a guest room. She keeps saying that she's an adult!" Dawn complained. She poured half the syrup jug on her plate of waffles. "And yet, when we get rid of her ancient girly-girl stuff, she gets mad!"
"I don't even try to understand why any of you get mad at anything," Xander said, reading the newspaper. "Don't drag me in on it."
Xander could hear Dawn rolling her eyes. "Duh, Captain Obvious."
Buffy was back to being "Buffy" and not "She" by the time Xander drove them all to the airport.
"What'll you do without us all?" Buffy asked. "Don't patrol without back-up, okay? Now would have been a good time for Faith to stick around, but of course, you can't depend on her."
This last was so needlessly provocative that Xander glanced at her, in the passenger seat. She had an extremely innocent expression.
She was trying to provoke him.
"Yeah, that's the thing about Slayers---unpredictable," Xander said.
"Hmpf," Buffy said.
"You could always call her, " Dawn suggested.
Xander checked in the rear-view mirror to make sure that Willow wasn't wearing her Resolve Face. She wasn't. She was looking out the window, as if completely absorbed by the passing traffic.
::
Summer, though, was a traditional vacation from evil in Sunnydale. Whether it was blowing off steam from pressure of finals or just her natural Slayage, Buffy had made a thorough sweep through the town, and demon activity was minimal, not to say completely off the radar.
"We have a lot of evening business, and it's all humanity, " Anya announced to Xander. "Of course, it's not that I want evil to triumph, or anything, but humans don't spend as much money."
They were eating at the latest Italian restaurant to take over the old Pizza Barn. Xander had asked her, telling himself that he needed to reconnect to Anya. It was soon evident that Anya was only there for the free meal.
"Has Giles been calling you again about the Magic Box?" Xander asked. "Because I've been copying him on all the accounting."
"No," Anya said. "Some silent partner. First he's in, then he's out, then he's in---it's like extremely slow sex."
"You should tell him, if he's worried, he should come personally and inspect the business."
Anya choked. She reached for her glass of wine. "Crumb," she gasped.
Xander sighed, and signaled for the check.
::
He arrived at the Hyperion at early dusk, when he figured vampires wouldn't be outside fighting nameless evil yet. There was no one in the lobby, but he heard a familiar voice from behind the marble counter.
"---my study shows that actual Japanese steel is 45 percent more effective than this European steel, in 86 percent of demon attacks," Fred was saying.
"Do you know how much genuine---"
"You have some in storage---"
"They're investments!" Angel said, and came into view. "Can I help---oh, Xander." He sounded as unenthusiastic as if they were all still back in Xander's high school days.
"Don't you have a bell on the door or anything?" Xander asked, walking up to the counter.
"We have wards," Fred said, coming around the corner from, apparently, the office. "They keep out those intent on harm. Or, at least, an alarm rings."
"Theoretically," Angel said. "I don't know if Lorne's idea of what's harmful is always accurate. He thinks so many demons just need a Sea Breeze and pitch control."
"I'm telling you, Simon Cowell could be a demon," Fred said earnestly. She started to push her glasses up her nose, then realized she wasn't wearing them. "Did you need something, Xander?" she asked.
"Yeah, I came to see Faith," Xander said. "Giles has a samurai sword," he told Fred. "No demon goo ever hurts it."
"Exactly!" Fred said.
"Those swords are antiques, " Angel told her. "They're works of art."
"Yeah, so why are they stuck in that secret trunk of stash?"
"To keep them away from Wesley and Gunn," Angel said. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "Faith's upstairs."
"Faith's room is on the third floor," Fred said. "Right off the elevator, the elevator's right over there."
As Xander walked towards the paneled door, he heard the discussion start again.
"I would like you to use the very best sword you have," Fred said. "It's more efficient and I would like it."
Angel's answer was inaudible.
It was amazing how even a two-hundred-year-old vampire was powerless against the I'm So Worried tone of voice, Xander thought.
Upstairs, he heard the sound of a video game blasting from the open door. He stood in the doorway, and took in the sight of Faith, apparently playing a Wii.
"Nice move," he said, figuring that she already had heard his heartbeat.
She shrugged one shoulder, and put it on pause. She turned, and he saw that she wasn't wearing any makeup. "I wasn't goin' out tonight," she said. "Angel just got me this. It was on back-order." Her white teeth flashed in the semi-gloom of the room. "Since he's my sugar daddy and all. You know, just like the Mayor. What can I do, I just like old demon men."
"I know that you weren't sleeping with the Mayor," Xander said, still in the doorway. "And I know you're not sleeping with Angel."
Faith switched the remote control from hand to hand. "That's not what you were thinking before."
"Yes, it was. I just wanted you to tell me you weren't."
"Don't know why," Faith said. She tossed the remote into a beanbag chair and sat down on the bed, drawing her knees up to her chin.
"You know why," Xander said. "Can I come in?"
"You ain't a vampire, suit yourself," Faith said.
Xander took this for encouragement, and sat on the end of the bed, facing her. "I just didn't think that you'd feel anything about me. The last time I was in your bedroom, you choked me."
"And Angel whacked me in the head," Faith said. "He still does that, sometimes. When we're out and I do something he thinks is stupid. I whack him right back."
She looked away. "You don't like vampires, Xander. You hate vampires. Like that guy, Robin, that principal. He wanted to take me an' Spike an' Angel down rather than let us help save Sunnydale."
"I'm not that bad," Xander said. "Maybe about Spike, though." He failed to raise a smile. "Look, remember the first night you came back? I invited you in. I'll always invite you in."
Faith uncurled slightly. "My soul's stuck in, you know. The curse doesn't apply to me, because the drug killed me. But I'm not going to have a heartbeat and I'm not going to have babies."
"Who needs babies?" Xander scoffed. "I'd have some kid just like me."
"I'm scared to have sex with you," Faith said. "I'm afraid I'll fang out." She swallowed. "And, if Angel would have let me, I would be with him. He won't have it. He says that I have boundary issues. I'm scared that I'd hurt anyone else, though.." She looked directly at him. "I'll never not be on Angel's side."
"I know that," Xander said. "I mean, the last part. But I was thinking, if you had another guy in your life, you wouldn't be getting bad Angel thoughts. And, you wouldn't be risking Fred sticking a samurai sword in your ribs."
"Hah! I knew she'd get those swords outta him," Faith said, leaning back against the headboard. "So, you and Anya are split up? She's not gonna turn you into some kind of worm?"
"She all put pushed me into the car," Xander said. "She's got her mind set on someone else." He inched closer. "Why don't we take it one step at a time, then? See if there's anything to be scared about."
"You'll steer me around the curves?" Faith said, carefully moving into his embrace. "Remember when I said that?"
Her tentativeness wrung his heart. "I remember every word you've ever said to me," he said, and gathered her against his chest.
Faith sighed, and leaned her cool forehead against him. "Me, too," she said, her lips brushing his neck.
And he didn't think, a vampire's at my neck, but Faith.
:::