Part Two - Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Looking around the office, Wesley noticed that Angel was nowhere to be seen. Wes harrumphed at that, wondering if perhaps the vampire himself was sleeping. It was unfortunate that the Englishman hadn’t known that Angel was not yet up a half hour ago, for if he had known, he would never have shooed Faith out of his bed.
Faith.
Flashes of their time together that morning danced through Wesley’s head as the phone started sounding off. It took a couple of rings to snap him out of his reveries, and when he answered…
“Hello, this is Angel Investigations. Mr. Wyndam-Pryce speaking,”
…there was no answer on the other end.
Damn, Wesley thought. Obviously he had let it ring too many times.
Faith lingered outside the office for a moment, wondering what the next move should be. Did she head on out back to her place? It was clear that Angel wasn’t at all keen on her and Wes and whatever they may have, so she doubted that he’d want her around. At one point in her life, Angel had been the one guy she’d been able to count on for a place to crash; now though, after that episode upstairs, she wasn’t so sure. Faith had a feeling that Wesley would want her to hang round, but she couldn’t just move in without clearing it with the boss first. No, she’d have to head on back to the motel. She carefully twisted the doorknob and entered the room with a tentative smile upon her face.
Looking at his watch once more, Wesley was just about to go and find Faith when lo and behold, there she was, suddenly standing at the office door wearing, God be praised, his shirt. Wesley gulped back his tea a little as she flashed him one of her killer smiles-dimples and all. If it hadn’t been clear before just where his feelings were leading him, it seemed to crystallize in that moment for him.
“Sorry to disturb… Just thought I pop in, before I…”
Her eyes immediately went to the box of donuts sat on the corner of the desk, and her stomach growled in anticipation. She smiled over at Wesley as she took one from the box. As she reached out for a donut, he returned the smile with one of his own.
“Before I head off back to my place.”
Wesley’s smile evaporated and his eyes darkened as he quickly got up from his chair. Two quick strides and he was at her side, running his hand through her hair and brushing the wonderfully unruly locks to the side.
“Absolutely not, Faith. I won’t have you go back to that place again,” Wesley’s lips tightened into a thin line as he looked Faith in the eyes. Something was bothering her, he could tell. “It isn’t safe there. The vampire…Murray…he knew where you live. Who knows who else does?” Wes’ face was a mask of worry. He couldn’t let her go back there, but he could tell that she was uncomfortable being here. “Look, I can talk to Angel. I know that you two are good friends really. He is just out of sorts lately. And this whole…development has caught him off guard. There is plenty of work to be done here. The phones…and, and…the filing. Not to mention the advantages of having a slayer on the team. You could make your way quite well here.”
Wesley was beginning to become wary of the stubborn glint in Faith’s eyes. “Please don’t go back to that horrid place, Faith,” he said as he leaned in to leave little kisses along her edge of her earlobe. “I couldn’t bear to think of you there.”
The pleasant sensation of Wesley’s touch quickly left Faith as his words threatened to unleash her stubborn streak. While the idea of staying at the hotel, staying with Wesley, was one that sent her stomach flipping with excitement, she still wasn’t sure if this was her place yet. The fact that Wesley was also putting his foot down about it made her all the more unsure.
Until this last vampire attack, Faith had been doing good, taking each night as it came, staking any vamp that dared to cross her path. After Italy, Faith had told herself she was done with being someone’s lackey and had made a promise to herself that she’d go it alone for while, seeking redemption the only way she’d known how. That’s why she hadn’t been in contact with Angel since she’d come back to Los Angeles. Faith had spent so many years running to him whenever things got tough that she had been adamant not to seek him out til she was ready, until she was a slayer he could be proud of.
And then Wesley happened.
“You giving me orders Wes? Cos I think we both know that I don’t take orders all too well. I hear what you’re saying Wes, and believe me the motel ain’t exactly a place I’m proud to call home, but it’s all I got.” Faith watched Wes’ eyes sadden as she spoke her words. She tentatively reached out her hand to touch his, giving him a reassuring look.
“What I mean to say is that it’s all I had, ‘til two days ago. But what you gotta realize Wes, is that I’m done being someone’s muscle. I had that role with B and I ain’t going back to that. I’m better than just a sidekick, and don’t even get me started on the whole ‘me sitting on my butt doing filing, while the men head out for a good old slice an’ dice’ thing.”
Wesley cursed himself inwardly as Faith spoke. He had come across as completely chauvinistic while trying to get her to stay. It was a bad habit with him…to take the sense of chivalry he had been brought up with too far. He knew that women like Faith wouldn’t stand for it. But it was his first inclination…to try to protect her. He cast her an apologetic look, and leaned in to kiss her forehead.
Faith’s head was spinning, she knew that the right thing to do was to head on out of there and to continue on her own path to redemption, but her heart was telling her otherwise. Her heart was focusing on the tender kisses Wesley was currently distracting her with.
She knew he meant well. The safety of coming back into the fold was alluring, and it was most definitely what she wanted, she just didn’t know if it was what she needed. Her hands reached up and gently cupped Wesley’s face, her eyes meeting his own in a lingering stare.
“Wesley. This isn’t about us. I’m just on a different path, I’m still working through everything in my past, and I can’t use this place as a crutch. I think-”
“Mind if I interrupt here?”
Faith spun around to see Angel standing in the doorway, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Her hands fell from Wesley and stuffed themselves awkwardly in her pockets.
“Faith, what you never seemed to understand was that we all need a little help now and again. It doesn’t make you weak, or any less of a slayer. If anything, it’s the friendships and alliances we have that make us stronger.” Angel stepped further into the room, glancing at Wesley to ensure that he wasn’t crossing a line by crashing in on their intimate moment. Wesley nodded almost imperceptibly, understanding the vampire’s intentions.
“Now, it’s safe to say that you guys, doing whatever it is that you are doing with each other, don’t exactly have what I’d call a healthy relationship,” his eyes moved back to the swelling around Wesley’s eyes, before turning back to Faith.
“But it’s really none of my business. What is my business, however, are my friends. My Family. And after what Wesley told me of your current accommodation, I’m not happy about you going back there either. I… I would like you to stay here; honestly we could use the help. You can have your pick of the rooms on the second floor, or you could… well you know.” Angel’s eyes dropped down to the floor, hoping that his words would be considered as an adequate apology for his behavior earlier. He knew that whatever the hell Faith and Wesley were playing at, it would lead to one of them getting hurt, but it wasn’t his place to stop them. He just had to be there to pick both of them up once they came to their senses.
“I’ll let you think it over. Let me know what you decide.” Angel turned and walked out of the room, stopping as he heard Faith’s voice calling after him.
“Angel… Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Angel allowed himself a small smile before continuing on his way.
Wesley felt a wave of relief wash over him. He knew that the vampire’s words would convince her. Angel had always been able to reach Faith. He felt a fleeting pang of jealousy at the thought…but it quickly abated as Faith turned back to him after Angel had left the room.
As Faith turned her attention back to Wesley, her head was still in a state of shock from Angel’s words. She still wasn’t sure. Faith knew she could do good here, maybe even more so than she could do on her own. Plus, there was Wesley. She looked up at him, trying to push all of her unwillingness to back down out of her mind as she looked into his hopeful eyes and pulled him towards her, letting her lips linger upon his for a moment longer than necessary. She reluctantly broke the kiss, licking his taste off of her lips and smiled up at him.
“Guess we’re gonna need more donuts.”
“Just don’t hog all the jelly ones,” Wesley grinned as he looked into her eyes. He was beyond happy that she had decided to stay on. However, as the things that she had said before Angel had entered the room started to come back to him, his smile slowly dissolved. He studied her face carefully before he spoke.
“Faith…I want you to know that…well…”
Wesley was having a hard time trying to think of the right words to say. He wanted to tell Faith that she was wrong about what she had said. She could never be just the muscle…or just the file girl…or whatever it was that she thought he was proposing. He knew that she hadn’t had much encouragement in her life as far as a career went, but she was a clever young woman. He wanted her to believe that, but he knew that it would take time to show her what she was really capable of.
“I hope you realize…truly…that you will be a great asset to us here. And I am sorry for sounding like such a prig earlier. I’m afraid I may be quite old fashioned at times. Please don’t interpret it as anything more than concern on my part. I know that you are a fully capable young woman who certainly doesn’t need me to tell her how to live her life…” Wes was rambling now, and he knew it. But Faith made him feel so flustered, and happy, and nervous all at once. He had never known anyone like her. Her mood seemed to change at the drop of a pin, and she was definitely the most spontaneous person he had ever met. He loved that about her. It was certainly a quality that he lacked.
Wesley kissed her tenderly one more time, and then reluctantly let go of her as he sauntered over to the coffee machine. He poured two cups…one for himself and one for Faith, and was about to hand her a cup, when someone entered through the front door. Wesley spun around to see who it was, and there, standing in the lobby, was a woman of about 40 years, holding up a worn out handkerchief to her red and tear-stained face.
“Hello? May I help you?”
The woman dabbed at her swollen eyes and looked in Wesley’s direction. From the haunted look on her face, he could tell that she had recently lost someone, and his heart hurt a little for her.
“It’s…it’s my daughter. She’s gone. Missing. I’ve called the cops…I’ve hired investigators. But no one has been able to find out anything about her…”
The woman broke into sobs, and Wesley came rushing to her side to escort her into the office. He looked over at Faith and nodded to her, without words asking if she could get the poor woman a cup of coffee. As he led the distraught woman into his office and offered her a chair, he braced himself for the details of her story. But first, introductions were in order.
“My name is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. And this is my associate, Faith. Our employer, Angel, should be down shortly.” Wesley sat down at his chair on the other side of the desk. The woman sniffled as she put away the handkerchief.
“My name’s Tess. Tess Roberts. I’m…I’m sorry to just barge in like this…I tried to call, but no one answered. So I thought I’d take my chances and drop by.”
Wesley let out a sigh. She must have been the person who had called earlier. “I’m sorry that you weren’t able to get a hold of us, but I assure you that we are ready to help you with your problem in any way we can.”
Faith poured a third cup of coffee and handed it to the woman, giving her an uneasy smile as Tess smiled gratefully up at the slayer. Faith grabbed her own cap of Joe and leant against the desk, holding the coffee in both hands, she bought it to her lips as she listened to the teary mom.
“I don’t… I don’t know where to begin. Things had been going well, so well for us the last year… Jimmy, my husband, passed away 18 months ago. Sarah had taken it pretty hard; it had been a shock to us both. But she… she couldn’t handle it at first. Ran off a bunch of times, made a few… unsavory friendships…but I thought she was passed that.” She bought her handkerchief up to the eyes, drying away the tears that rolled down her cheeks.
“She was a good girl. She wouldn’t just run away again, it wouldn’t make sense.” Tess tentatively took a small sip of her coffee, her eyes resting on Faith. The girl reminded Tess of her daughter. They didn’t look the same, and Faith was probably a few years older than her Sarah, but there was something, something behind her eyes that reminded her of her daughter.
Faith leant back, placing her coffee down on the desk beside her. She knew that Wes would ask all the right questions, and honestly she was getting bored. This whole story just screamed angst-ridden teenager to her, nothing demon or sub-anything about it. Just some whiny teenager listening to way too much nu-metal.
The slayer folded her arms as her eyes wandered around the room. Hardly the big first case she’d been expecting. She was used to vampires, demons, impending doom… not a missing girl case. Faith shifted her weight slightly as she tried to re-focus, even if it was only to show Wesley that she could be of use to him. Tess hadn’t seemed to notice her earlier distraction as she handed her a photo of this Sarah girl. Faith glanced at it, and then did a double take as she recognized the girl in the picture. She sat there for a moment, taking in the image before her and trying to make sure that the connection she’d made in her head was correct before she looked over at Wes.
“Mind if I have a word Wesley… Outside?” Faith gave Tess an apologetic smile before dragging Wesley outside into the Lobby. She looked back over to Tess to check that she wasn’t listening, and turned back to Wesley, speaking to him in a hushed tone.
“Girl’s a slayer Wes. And I hate to tell ya this, but I reckon she’s kinda beyond our help now.” Faith quickly told Wes of her dream last night, her eyes darting between him and Tess, who was still sitting with her back to them.
“It was her Wes, I’m tellin’ ya. The dream had felt so real Wes, just like the ones I’ve had before about slayers gone by. I’m sure it’s her Wes, and I reckon her mom ain’t telling us the whole story.”
Wesley’s eyes widened as Faith told him of her dream. He was surprised. Faith seemed to have slept so soundly the night before. He knew however, that slayer dreams were often of a prophetic nature, and that this was a matter to be taken seriously.
“I believe you, Faith. It’s just that…well…in situations such as these one hates to pry more than one has to,” Wes cast a glance over at Tess, who was turned around in her seat, and eyeing them somewhat suspiciously at this point. “But we do deal in the supernatural…so I suppose it is our job,” Wes muttered almost to himself. He turned back to Faith. “Let’s go back in and we’ll see what we can glean from her…if Sarah was indeed a slayer, then surely her mother would have noticed some sort of change.”
Wesley had only heard from Angel about the spell that Willow Rosenberg had performed to make every potential slayer an actual slayer. He had a hard time comprehending it…that there were so many slayers awakening all over the world…with no one to train them until Buffy and her sidekicks happened to find them. It seemed like a faulty system…not that the council hadn’t been. Wesley felt an inward pang of failure when he let his mind wander there…but it was all in the past now. Things were looking up finally…for both he and Faith.
Wesley gently put his hand on the small of Faith’s back as they reentered the office. The first thing Wes wanted to do was get that blasted handkerchief in the trash. So he reached into his top drawer, where he kept some clean ones for just these sorts of occasions, and procured a crisp white cloth for her.
“Thank you,” Tess mumbled before blowing her nose heartily into it.
After sitting down, Wes decided to jump right into getting the facts. He knew that it might be difficult and painful for the poor woman…but this was their job…to find the girl. “Ms. Roberts,” he began tentatively, “Your daughter…did she happen to exhibit any unusual…changes…before her disappearance?”
“Changes?” Tess’ eyes darkened. “What do you mean, changes?”
“What I mean to ask, Ms. Roberts, is if Sarah had been exhibiting any behavior that could be considered out of the ordinary. Was she sleeping all right? Was she experiencing unusual dreams? Physically…did she seem stronger?”
Tess looked warily at the gentlemen sitting opposite her, her trust for him waning as his questions became more and more detailed.
“I don’t understand. Why does her being strong have anything to do with it? I’m asking you to find my daughter, not enter her into the amateur Olympics. I don’t know why I even came down here. If the police can’t help me, how would you be able to?” Tess quickly grabbed her bag and slotted it under her arm before quickly standing up and heading to the door.
Faith beat her to it, closing the door and keeping Ms. Roberts inside.
“She was strong wasn’t she? Maybe not always, but those last few months she could have shifted every piece of furniture in your house without even breaking into a sweat. Am I right?” Faith slammed her fist against the door causing Mrs. Roberts to jump her hand clutching her chest.
“Am I right?”
Wesley couldn’t help but grin at Faith’s mercenary tactics to get Tess to open up. It wasn’t the way they normally dealt with clients at Angel Investigations, but seeing as the woman had been giving them strange looks since she appeared, keeping up appearances really didn’t seem to matter anymore anyway. After all, they must look like quite a sight. Faith was wearing his shirt and he was sporting bruises…not exactly the height of professional appearance. The brunette’s over-the-top strategy seemed to be working, so he kept his mouth shut.
“So maybe she was a little stronger than the other girls…she worked out! She spent nearly as much time at the gym as she did at the studio…” Tess looked up at Faith and noted the confusion that was behind her eyes.
“Sarah was… is a dancer. She was one of the highest achievers in her class until her father… well. Two months ago, she started training again and even got a part in Swan Lake. It was only a small part in the chorus, but she was so happy.” Tess’ eyes drifted from Faith’s as a small smile crossed her lips, the memories of her daughter flicking through her mind. Tess shook herself out of it and looked back up towards Faith as she straightened her back and fronted the brunette.
“She wasn’t on drugs if that’s what you’re wanting me to say. She was a normal teenager, nothing more, and if you’re insinuating…”
“I’m not. Not saying that at all Tess. I… we wanna help your daughter, but it ain’t gonna be easy unless we know all the facts.” Faith gave Ms. Roberts an apologetic look as she gingerly moved her fist from the door, and moved away back to the desk.
Tess secured her bag under her arm as she twisted the doorknob and open the door. She turned back towards Faith and then to Wesley.
“Look, the last place she was seen was at the theatre. If you can find out anything, anything to help me find my daughter… she… she’s all I have. Please, just find her.”
“Ah, the theatre,” thought Wesley, a glint suddenly catching in his eye. This might be the sort of assignment he could actually enjoy. Well, except for the fact that there was girl missing. That of course was no cause for amusement. But a night at the theatre sounded far better than being beaten nearly to death by a large vampire, nonetheless.
“I assure you, Ms. Roberts, that we will use any means necessary to get your daughter back safely,” Wesley said with authority.
With that she left the room and headed out of the hotel, leaving Faith and Wesley alone in the office.
†
Ms. Roberts stepped out into the sunshine of Los Angeles and quickly made her way out of the Hotel’s garden and onto the sidewalk. She kept a swift pace, her eyes darting from left to right as she looked out for anyone who might be following her. Grabbing her cell from her bag, she quickly dialled the last number she received as she walked into a nearby alley.
“Hello, is that… I did everything you asked. Everything exactly like you said… Yes I spoke with Mr. Wyndham-Pryce and his associate… no it was a woman.. a brunette. He said her name was… was Faith something. Now, please! I did everything just like you said, so please, let me just hear my baby girl’s voice.”
The chair swivelled towards the window as its owner leant back into it, his fingers, which had been lightly tapping the leather armrest, stopped as Faith’s name was mentioned. Her presence hadn’t been expected yet. No matter though, if anything it would aid his plans
“All in good time Mrs Roberts, all in good time. Yes I assure you no harm will come to your little Sarah, just as long as you do exactly what I say. Now, How did Mr. Wyndham-Pryce look?” As he listened, a small, thin smile crossed his face. The shaman had clearly played his part.
And now it was time to play his.
†
A plan was quickly brewing in the Englishman’s mind…a plan that had less to do with late night stake outs, and more to do with dresses and tuxedos. Wesley couldn’t help the smile that was forming in the corners of his mouth as he looked at Faith, picturing her in an evening gown, with her beautiful, unruly dark hair in a breathtaking updo. The thought was so wonderfully absurd somehow, that bemusement must have been written all over his face.
“Well, I guess she wasn’t exactly hiding anything,” Faith mused after the woman left. “Sorry Wes. I just got that vibe off of her. I wouldn’t have gone all bad co-why you looking at me like that Wes?” Faith backed away from the desk, shaking her head as she realized what was spinning through Wesley’s mind.
“No way, Wes. No way in hell!”
Wesley decided that he was going to tease her a little. He was still a bit giddy from the charming way she had woken him up that morning, and truth be told, he was still a little euphoric from the encounter. On top of that, Angel had invited Faith to stay at the hotel, and she had accepted. Things were really looking up. Even the sob fest that was Ms. Tess Roberts hadn’t been able to dampen his spirits.
“I’m sorry, Faith? No way in what? I’m sure I haven’t a clue as to what you’re presuming I was going to ask,” he said in his most serious tone, his mouth setting into a stern line rather than the beginning of a smile that had been there before.
Wes got up from his desk and walked around to the other side, leaning against the edge for a seat so he could be closer to Faith. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity as they just stared at each other. It seemed as though they were in the midst of an unspoken stand off. All they needed was the requisite tumbleweed to fly through the office.
He looked into her horrified eyes for a few moments longer, trying to keep a straight face, and then he couldn’t help it anymore. He started laughing, for the first time in ages. Really, really laughing…so hard that he thought that he would die from lack of oxygen. It took a good couple of minutes for him to regain composure.
“You should see the look on your face, Faith,” he gasped out between breaths, still hunching over a bit. Her look of confusion was so absolutely adorable, he couldn’t help but leave the edge of the desk to walk over and wrap his arms around.
“Is the thought of an evening out at the ballet really that distressing?” He smiled against her hair, still laughing a bit. “It would be completely in the name of undercover investigation, I assure you. And of course you can use the company credit card to purchase a dress. Business expense, after all.”
As he let go of Faith, Wesley began rattling away a mile a minute about their upcoming night at the theatre and what must be done, and how he had always wanted to see Swan Lake, and of course they must bring weapons in case there was any possibility of danger, and so on and so on…
†
Hunger and thirst had taken hold, and all Sarah Roberts could see was blackness. She had been stuck in this basement for what seemed like an eternity, and she didn’t know what her captor’s plans were. It was just darkness. Every once and awhile one of them would come into the room and offer her a disgusting arrangement of food, which she had turned away at first, but had recently come to appreciate with all the ravenous appetite of someone who didn’t know when their next meal would be.
Sometimes, if she put her ear up to the wall, she could hear them in the next room…the demons. What they spoke about was mostly a mystery to her. But there were a few words here and there that she could barely make out.
Sacrifice. Trade. Trap.
They were setting a trap? Was she going to be sacrificed? Why were they doing this to her? She had never done anything to them. Even when the dreams had begun…dreams of slaying demons and vampires, she had never acted on them. She hadn’t killed their kind.
Why was she here?
The memory of the night that she was kidnapped played over and over again in her mind like some sort of horror movie. She had just gotten done with rehearsal and was leaving from the back entrance of the theatre where her dressing room was located. They had been waiting for her outside. She had been strong, but she wasn’t trained, and there had been too many of them.
Sarah shut her eyes tight, despite the fact that it was already pitch black…shut her eyes tight as if by doing so she could shut off the memories of their horrible faces. Yanking her hands from the wall, the chains gave a rattle, but wouldn’t give. Hot tears welled in her eyes as she let her head rest upon her knees.
“Someone…anyone…please help me!”
Chapter Nine