Ghosts come in various shapes and sizes. When he thought about it he supposed he should have many; he’d done much harm in his tenure on this earth, and ironically most of that had been done whilst attempting to do what was ‘right’. Now here he was doing a great wrong, in the desperate hope that for once that ‘wrong’ would turn out to be right.
 
He looked into deep, haunted brown eyes and knew that he wasn’t the only one with ghosts. The small, yet undeniably powerful brunette standing before him currently looked as fragile as glass.  Her uncharacteristic demeanour startled him and he hesitated for a moment before closing the remaining distance between them, coming to rest with several steps still separating them when she showed signs of increased uneasiness at his approach. Capturing the girl’s tormented gaze once more it occurred to him that perhaps they were each other’s greatest regret. He had failed her, his ineptitude ultimately leading to her current predicament. She, in turn, had taken great pleasure in torturing him mercilessly. In order for there to be any chance of his mission succeeding they would both need to lay their ghosts to rest. It was time to let go of the past and move on.
 
“So.”
 
A small smile creased the corner of his mouth as Faith spoke, he wasn’t sure if her word was a challenge or a query and he was fairly certain she didn’t know either.
 
“Angel has a son,” he offered bluntly.
 
“Well that’s… different,” Faith replied wryly, “but I’m still not seeing the reason for you standing here. If Angel wanted me to know I’m pretty sure he would have...”
 
“There’s a prophecy,” Wesley said with a sigh, cutting her off. He allowed the words to hang briefly between them before elaborating, “The father will kill the son.” He closed the remaining steps that separated them, grasping her shoulders firmly he leaned down and whispered against her hair, “I need a slayer. I need you Faith. Someone I can trust to get the job done.”
 
“You want me to help you kill Angel?” Faith asked dubiously, a small frown creasing her brow.
 
“Want is rather a strong word.” Wesley laughed, a sharp derisive snort that nevertheless seemed, to his ears, incongruous with their current situation. “‘Need’ would be far more appropriate.”
 
Faith raised one eyebrow fractionally indicating that he should continue.
 
Wesley spared a quick glance towards the door, thankful for the continued absence of the guard to whom he had slipped a considerable sum of money in order to ensure their ‘privacy’. “This will have to be quick, I don’t know how much more time my money will buy us. It is prophesised that Angel will kill his infant son. There is a time-travelling demon hunter with a grudge against Angel who is also after the boy. Oh and an evil law-firm that you may remember also has a vested interest in the child.” Faith’s sudden start had Wesley mentally kicking himself for his callous mention of her previous dealings with Wolfram and Hart, it seemed he wasn’t as over that little incident as he might have thought.
 
Tightening his grip on her shoulders he drew her back to the present, continuing quietly, “The point is, Faith, that I cannot protect the child alone. I cannot ask for help from any of my associates and I most certainly cannot request Buffy’s assistance in this matter. I need your help. I need you to help me destroy Angel. And I need your answer tonight. I can pull some strings, get you out of here. Make sure that all record of your conviction and subsequent incarceration disappears. But it is a one time offer and it is only for tonight. Oh, and if you ever betray me I will see you locked up indefinitely. If I disappear or die unexpectedly, believe me when I say there are measures in place that will see you equally detained.” He stepped back allowing her room to consider his offer. He carefully watched her face and recognised the moment that she came to her decision.
 
“Alright, I’ll help you, but what then? What happens after Angel is dust? You gotta know B won’t just be letting that go.”
 
“I’m afraid Buffy will be the least of our worries until Connor is old enough to fend for himself. There will still be a substantial list of people and demons wanting to get their hands on the boy for one reason or another. This is a long term commitment, Faith. If it helps, you can consider it serving out the rest of your sentence—only in a more practical manner.”
 
“So what you’re saying is we take out dad, and then you, me and the kid go on a permanent road trip?”
 
“Put succinctly, yes,” Wesley confirmed, the sudden life that lit her eyes once more causing him to smile despite himself.
 
Faith nodded her face lighting up as she smiled brightly. “Well, let’s get to it then.”
 
Wesley wondered briefly at the thrill of anticipation that coursed through him as led her towards the door. There were no more outs, no changing his mind or going back from this and a large part of him rejoiced. He had come here knowing that he had an unpleasant duty to perform, he had reconciled himself to that fact and to the level he would have to sink to in order to perform said duty. He was betraying his friends, planning on murdering one of them, kidnapping an infant, buying off several prominent members of the judicial system and breaking a convicted murderer out of prison. The last thing he had expected was this sudden eager impatience to begin.
 
One glance at the now-swaggering slayer and he knew that life with Faith was going to be a rollercoaster ride. He had given her the clothes that he’d brought with him and before he could turn his back to afford her some privacy she had stripped off, donning the new clothes with a knowing smirk at his obvious reaction.
 
He raised his hand, and tapping on the door’s glass insert he signalled to the guard. Slipping the eager man a further wad of bills Wesley indicated that the man lead the way.
 
“You know,” she purred as she preceded him out the door, “slaying always gets me hot.”
 
It looked like their ghosts weren’t the only things that would be being ‘laid’ tonight, he mused, the images conjured by that thought quickly compounded the effects of Faith’s recent show. “Well, we best get to work then, hadn’t we?” he responded, dryly. “Seems like we have a busy night ahead of us.”