~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 11~
Tucson was hot. Even in the wee hours of the morning, there was a warmth
in the air. According to his sources, it was an unusually hot summer. Just
his luck, Spike thought as he made a face as he nursed his drink. He'd
wanted somewhere warm so he really shouldn't be complaining. It was just,
Tucson wasn't right either. He'd been there for two days, meeting up with
some Kyiera demons that he'd met at Woodstock. They freaked him out a bit,
but they were harmless. Hippy demons. Wouldn't the little Scooby gang find
them amusing? His lips twisted into a scowl as he thought of Sunnydale.
Surprisingly, there was no overwhelming desire to run back. Instead, it
was a flash of nostalgia at thinking about the strange group that had become
his companions at worse, friends at best. No, not friends. Except Niblet
and Red.
He'd consider them his friends. Only two he would have spared if he'd
lost the chip without having the lovely accessory of a soul. He'd never
have hurt Niblet, and Red, well, he'd had plans for the beautiful witch
at one time. His eyes flashed as he remembered how close he had gotten
to realizing those plans, his mouth on her neck, her heart beating in fear
and anticipation, the soft scent of arousal surrounding her as his lips
had brushed against her throat right before he had doubled over in pain
as the stupid implant had prevented him from making his first childe. He'd
watched her, though, even during the height of his dizzying passion for
the slayer, he'd watched his witch. Wished he had been there to see her
kick Bitchy's ass, glad that she had been prevented from ending the world
but hating that he hadn't witnessed the delicious darkness and pure evil
that had possessed her. He'd always sensed the power, never imagined she
would use it for revenge and destruction. She'd been the purest one, the
light in that hell that was Sunnydale. Still was, despite having the blood
of a human on her hands. Powerful and strong and bloody beautiful.
He'd watched how the others treated her, all except the watcher. Even
Niblet had seemed hesitant around Red, scared of the witch. Stupid people
had no idea what it took for her to accept what she had done and deal with
it. She didn't even have a demon to help her, didn't appear to have much
support from her so called friends. When he had left, she had turned the
power into something good, using it the way it had been meant to be used
before tragedy had entered her life. A part of him would have loved to
see her consumed by the darkness, but another part was glad that she had
tasted it and found it unpleasant. He shook his head, frowning at the direction
of his thoughts. Stupid soul, always made him think about things he'd rather
not think about. Haunted his dreams with visions from his past, of the
things he had done, of the torture and death, faces of victims that he'd
forgotten, of his time with Angelus and Drusilla, of his time in Sunnydale.
He took another drink, deciding that too much thinking about the past
might turn him into Angel, and that was definitely not high on his list
of things to become. A brooding, whiny, guilt ridden, tortured, unhappy
pain in the ass. Nope, didn't matter if he were cursed with a dozen souls,
Spike wasn't going to let it control his life and his actions. Okay, so
he wasn't likely to go out and slaughter any innocents for kicks, but he
didn't have to listen to the soul to prevent himself from this behavior.
That had lost its appeal years ago. Took more control to not give in to
the demon completely than it did to kill a bunch of weak humans. He liked
the game, the hunt, the thrill of winning, the challenge of it all. Angelus
had taught him control, had taught him more than he cared to remember.
The thirst would always be there, the need for blood part of being a vampire,
but the senseless killing was just that: senseless. Would he ever admit
that to anyone? Not bloody likely. Let them all believe him to be the monster
they imagined. Never hurt to have a reputation, something else Angelus
had taught him all those years ago. With the right reputation, you had
it made. He was starting to get his reputation back, word out that he no
longer had the implant, that he'd been fighting demons for the last few
years. Ironically, they seemed more scared of him now that he had become
some sort of souled demon hunter than they had been when he'd tortured
and killed humans for fun. He liked seeing fear in their eyes, soul or
not.
He finished his drink, getting to his feet as he tossed money on the bar, nodding at the demon behind it as he headed outside. He was staying with his friends, not having to sleep in the car or rent a room. He was having money wired to him the following evening, getting enough to get through a week of driving. The Sunnydale Scoobies would be shocked if they knew he had enough money in his accounts to live comfortably for a century or two. Yet another lesson from Angelus. His grandsire had set up the account for him after his initial turning, the elder vampire stressing that it was important to have the means to survive comfortably because you never knew what the next night might bring. Angelus had gotten off on that, teaching him everything, becoming his sire in every way that mattered, feeding, shagging, fighting. Not liking his thoughts heading in that particular direction, the blond vampire moved them back to his bank account. Spike usually lived off money he made either by selling trinkets he'd get off his victims or pick up at their homes, but, through the years, he'd always deposit what he didn't need at the time, never knowing if one day he might need it. As it was, he was finally using some of it. He entered the apartment where he was staying, falling onto the couch as he covered his eyes with his arm. After he got his money, he'd leave. Maybe go to San Antonio. His decision made, he drifted off to sleep.
~Part: 12~
They had stopped in Beaumont, Texas, a city outside of Houston close
to the Louisiana border. By tomorrow afternoon, they'd be in New Orleans.
Faith glanced at the closed bathroom door, stretching as she waited for
Willow. She and the redhead were going for a walk. She really hoped she'd
spot a vampire or something, having gone three days without doing a proper
patrol and was starting to feel a bit antsy. During her years in jail,
she had missed her patrols. Hated being confined to a small cell, the car
having begun to remind her of those years behind bars a little too much.
She liked freedom, liked fighting, liked being a slayer.
"Okay, you ready for that walk?" Willow asked as she joined her friend.
"Yep," Faith nodded.
"Maybe you can get rid of some of that energy," Willow laughed as she
followed the slayer outside.
"Tomorrow, you can ride in the back with me," Faith said, her eyes scouting
their surroundings as they started to walk away from the motel. "You don't
take up as much room as Lorne."
"Fine, I'll ride in the back," Willow said, her eyes moving to the dark
room that Gunn was sharing with Lorne. "The guys are asleep."
"Good. Maybe Gunn won't be so crabby tomorrow," Faith said with a smile.
"If you and Lorne are nice, I'm sure Gunn will be in the best of moods,"
Willow said sweetly, knowing that her new friend enjoyed playing around
with Faith and Lorne, but she could also see that the drive hadn't seemed
to do him much good. Poor Gunn.
"I'm always nice, Red," Faith said with a wink, "want me to show you
how nice I can be?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm just too tired," Willow laughed as Faith
flirted with her. Truth be told, she almost wished the slayer were serious.
It had been so long since she had touched someone, since someone had touched
her. She sighed as she thought of Tara, still feeling sadness over the
loss of her lover, but it wasn't the consuming grief that it had once been.
She was ready to move on, had taken a few tentative steps with Kennedy
before realizing that it just wouldn't work between them. She missed being
loved. Faith was attractive and sex with her would probably be wild and
hot and exciting, but Willow had too much on her plate at the moment to
deal with passionate sex with one of her best friends. Talk about complicating
things. Nope, there could be flirting and friendship, but nothing else.
She wouldn't say never, because who knew what the future might hold, but
it wouldn't be happening anytime in the immediate future, that was for
certain.
"Well, at least you didn't say you had a headache," Faith said with
a smile as her eyes moved over the redhead. She knew that Willow thought
she was joking, just being a flirt. Yeah, sure she was flirting, but she
was far from joking. She'd had a crush on the shy redhead when she had
first arrived in Sunnydale, had almost acted on the crush when she had
switched bodies wiht Buffy and realized Willow was into girls, was now
starting to feel a variety of emotions for the gorgeous witch starting
with lust and ending with a love that calmed her. Of course, who wouldn't
love Willow? Willow was very love worthy. And, she appeared to consider
Faith a friend and not a potential lover. Faith was cool with that. Having
a best friend was better than having a lover. Of course, having a best
friend that was also a lover would be the best of both worlds, and Faith
was never one to settle for less than the best. Not yet, though. Too much
happening to try to change their relationship at the moment. Maybe after
they got moved in and things settled down. Until then, she'd continue flirting,
let Red know she was really interested in moving their friendship to a
more physical level, especially one that included nakedness and moaning
and screaming in pleasure. And if nothing came of it, well, she'd still
have a best friend that she'd do anything for. No harm done either way
as far as she could see it.
"You're too much," Willow had to giggle at the pout that Faith shot
her way, taking the other girl's arm and hooking it with hers. "I'm hungry.
Let's see if we can find something to eat."
"With milk shakes," Faith added as the two girls headed to the 24 Hour Diner that was just down from their motel.
~Part: 13~
"Woo hoo!" Faith exclaimed when she saw the highway sign announcing
New Orleans. "We're going to be there in time for lunch."
"You can't possibly be hungry," Willow stared at the slim slayer, "you
ate three pancakes, bacon, and eggs only a few hours ago!"
"What can I say? I'm a growing girl," Faith said with a smile. "I'm
making up for years of jail food. Give me a break!"
"We should be in the city within the hour," Lorne said, "but we need
to decide where to look for a room."
"What do you mean, where to look?" Gunn asked as he glared at the car
in front of him that was barely going sixty miles an hour. He turned on
his signal, easily passing the car before moving back into the right lane.
"Well, do we want a cozy little bed and breakfast in the Quarter or
something a little more formal or a motor lodge near the airport?" Lorne
asked. "It's summer, so it won't be very difficult to find a room wherever
you want."
"What's the cheapest?" Willow asked as she leaned her chin on the seat
in front of her. "We can't afford some fancy place. We'll be staying there
until we find a new house, which could be weeks."
"I see your point," Lorne said, growing thoughtful. "That could be quite
expensive when it is all said and done. Maybe something with weekly rates."
"Uh, guys," Faith interrupted, giving Willow and Lorne a look, "haven't
you forgotten something?"
"What?" Willow looked at her friend curiously.
"Lorne! We need to find somewhere that he could stay without people
thinking it's a bit weird he's a big, green demon," Faith laughed, rolling
her eyes.
"Right," Lorne said, nodding. "Quarter it is."
"You're serious when you say you'll be able to prance around this city
without anyone even noticing?" Gunn glanced at Lorne, still finding it
a bit hard to believe. He wasn't calling the demon a liar, but what kind
of city was it if a six foot green guy could walk around freely without
anyone being scared or shocked?
"Sugarlumps, we're talking about the French Quarter, New Orleans. They'll
either think I'm wearing a great costume or they'll know I'm a demon,"
Lorne said. "It's part of the reason I love the city. You don't have to
hide what you are to be accepted."
"Sounds wonderful," Willow said with a sigh. She remembered being accepted,
having her friends trust her and care about her. She gave Faith a smile,
knowing that her new friend was as eager as she was to start a new life.
It didn't really seem possible to think they there were nearly there.
"I think we're going to fit right in," Faith declared, liking Lorne's
description of what would soon be their new home.
"When we reach the city, I'll make some calls," Lorne decided with a smile. "Time to use those contacts I mentioned. I'll find us somewhere to stay. Just leave everything to me."
~Part: 14~
Willow looked around the room and smiled. Lorne had pulled through and
then some. They'd reached the city limits of New Orleans not an hour ago.
He'd immediately been on his cell phone, making calls. It had taken three
before he had located Markine, a Lorius demon that happened to run a quaint
little hotel on the edge of the French Quarter. She had rooms empty and
had insisted they stay with her until they found a new home. The hotel
was beautiful, having a calm feel to it. Balconies overlooked the peaceful
courtyard. Willow was sharing a room with Faith, having decided to take
up as few rooms as possible. After they finished unpacking, they were to
meet Markine in the lobby for her to take them out to lunch.
Lorne hadn't been exaggerating about this town. They'd been passed by
several people when they had first arrived and been unloading the car.
Lorne hadn't even warranted a second look from most of them, earning a
"Cool mask, dude," from a group of three boys. This had been a good choice,
Willow decided. Here, they could start over and be happy. Not that she
wasn't happy in Sunnydale. Okay, so she hadn't been happy for months, but
it hadn't been a total hell. Buffy and the others had tried, she could
give them that. It just hadn't been home anymore. Everywhere she looked,
she saw her past. The good and the bad. Here, everything was new. It was
a blank canvas waiting for new memories to be made.
"After we eat lunch, you want to go exploring?" Faith asked the thoughtful
redhead as she moved to lay on her bed. She bounced, a smile crossing her
face. "Wow...the bed actually moves. The last few nights, it felt like
we were sleeping on wood!"
"I know! Those motel beds were horrible," Willow said, before answering
Faith, "Sure, we can go exploring. Lorne said he was going to meet with
some of his friends and see if there was any good real estate available.
He seems so excited about opening another club."
"I like this hotel and all, but I really hope it doesn't take long to
find our own place," Faith admitted as she sat up, her hand pushing her
hair away from her face.
"I understand," Willow agreed. "A new home, find a job, meet some new
people, help Lorne with the club, help you with patrol."
"A job," Faith made a face, "I guess we do have to find jobs. Where
am I supposed to work, Red? I have a record and all I've ever done is be
a slayer. I really wish the council paid us for ruining our lives."
"Your life hasn't been ruined," Willow said with a smile, having to
agree with Faith that she wasn't too eager to find a job. Hopefully, it
wouldn't be too difficult. She didn't mind the idea of working with Lorne
at his new club, but she wanted to bring in some money on her own, rather
liked the idea of a part time job to give herself some spending money,
as long as it didn't interfere with patrol or the club.
Faith laughed, "I know. I love slaying. Okay, for a few months there,
I went a little...."
"Psycho? Evil? Bad?" Willow supplied several adjectives.
"Yeah, those," Faith smiled, "but I got over it. I'm a slayer, I help
people. That's my thing. I just wish I got paid buckets of money for doing
it!"
"Hey, I might not be a slayer, but I'm a pretty damn powerful witch
and you don't hear me complaining about not getting paid for all the times
I've saved people and the world," Willow pointed out with amusement, having
accepted her natural ability with magic and come to a balance between the
power and being good that satisfied her. She was stronger now than she
ever had been, knowing that nothing would ever cause her to slip back into
the depths of darkness she had embraced so eagerly not a year before. She
had hope, something she had lost during that time.
"And would they have sent you that check before or after you tried to
end the world?" Faith asked sweetly, glad to see that Willow could talk
about what had happened without growing sad and guilty.
"Well, before of course and for the last few months. I think I deserve
some sort of reward. And I do think I should have received a plaque for
killing Warren," Willow admitted, feeling no guilt at killing the raping
murderer. She felt guilt for hurting her friends and for causing them pain,
she even felt guilt for losing control like she had because she knew she
was stronger than that, but she felt no guilt at all for killing Warren.
Wouldn't Buffy be shocked if she knew that?
"Good riddance to him," Faith agreed, having heard about the man Willow
had killed. He hadn't been a good guy, had, in fact, been as close to a
monster as a human could get. She could understand why Willow wouldn't
regret that action. That was the first step in moving past it all. She
knew from experience that you never really forgot, but time heals. It also
didn't hurt if you spent that time saving people and fighting evil. It
didn't make your actions go away, but it helped replace the guilt. Of course,
she couldn't really compare herself to Willow in this case. Her victim
had been an innocent, while Willow had killed a murdered. On the flip side,
her first murder had been an accident while Willow's had been pretty much
barbaric torture. Okay, maybe they were even in the past mistakes department.
"You know what? I'm really glad I was unsuccessful at ending the world,"
Willow said thoughtfully, a small smile crossing her lips as her hands
moved across the bed.
"Duh," Faith said, rolling her eyes.
"If I had ended it, we'd never have become friends," Willow continued,
ignoring Faith's sarcastic comment.
"That's so sweet," Faith said with a genuine smile at the redhead. Willow
thought that their being friends was better than destroying the world.
"And if we hadn't become friends, I couldn't do this," Willow said with
an evil laugh as she picked up her pillow and hit Faith with it.
"Oh....the witch thinks she's a contender, does she?" Faith laughed, picking up her pillow, "we'll see about that, little girl," she said as she started to hit Willow back, both girls laughing as they continued their pillow fight.
~Part: 15~
He was in Austin. Had reached the capital city shortly after dusk, renting
a cheap room in a chain motel off the interstate. He wasn't very far from
San Antonio, his current destination, but he'd decided to call it a night.
He'd driven all the way through the night before, and was ready for a break.
After he'd registered for his room, he'd found a nice pub to have a drink.
It had been a popular place, crowded with humans on the prowl. It had entertained
him, watching them. Had found himself being the object of one chit's attention,
her eyes giving him no doubts that he could have had a warm body in his
bed had he so much as arched a brow in her direction. He'd been amused
by her flirting, returning it for a bit. Then, she'd told him her name.
Angel. That had stopped that flirting immediately. He'd scowled at her
and turned back to his drink, his mind moving from the pretty flirt to
his brooding grandsire.
That had pretty much ruined the evening. Couldn't enjoy a drink at the
pub with a bunch of loud humans when his mind was centered on Angelus.
He'd paid for his drink and left shortly after, deciding to take a walk
and get some air. Turned out to be a good idea. He'd stumbled upon a couple
of fledges, college boys it would appear, trying to feast on a frightened
woman. He'd knocked her out of the way and let his demon out to play, this
being the first time he'd fought since the big battle with the First. It
was nice, letting out some of his aggression on the stunned vampires. He'd
ignored his souls urging that he should simply stake them and move on,
instead having fun with their deaths. Soul or not, he still enjoyed a good
fight. Afterwards, as he was walking back to his car, he found himself
wondering what the difference was. Between him and Angel. They both had
souls, but he hadn't reacted in the same was as his grandsire. Okay, so
he'd gone a bit crazy when he had first received it, but that hadn't really
been his fault. It had been the First, messing with his head, confusing
him, making him see things and hear things that kept him off balance. Once
those voices were out of his head, though, he'd adapted.
Was still a bit strange, having a conscience, but it wasn't that much
different than before. He liked to think he had been maturing as the decades
had passed anyway. Didn't need a damn soul to tell him what was wrong and
what was right. So maybe he hadn't cared so much before, but he'd still
known the difference. Hell, he'd deliberately done a lot of things because
he knew they were bad. Angelus, on the other hand, had received his soul
and completely changed. Become a whiny, brooding, miserable Nancy boy.
True, there were more signs of the old Angelus around now than ever before,
but for decades the vampire had wallowed in pity and guilt. Why? It was
just a soul. Didn't really change all that much, in Spike's opinion. Humans
had souls and committed evil actions daily. What was the difference? He
had decided, after his many hours on he road and endless stream of thoughts
concerning what had happened and his past, that he was just stronger than
Angelus. Maybe not in physical strength, but in mental strength. He had
adapted easily when given time while Angelus had not. It was rather a nice
thought, thinking that there was finally something he had done better than
the might Angelus. Ironic, in a way, that it had turned out to be adapting
to a soul. Of course, Angelus had always claimed part of his soul had remained
when he had originally been turned, claimed that was what made him weak
by allowing him to care and to love. One reason Spike had earned his nickname
in the first place, doing everything he could to contradict the handsome
vampire's amused words about him being pathetic and retaining some of his
humanity.
He'd proven his grandsire wrong, joining him in murdering sprees across
Europe. A frown crossed Spike's face as he remembered those sprees, all
the blood and screams….oh, how he'd loved it….playing with Angelus, learning
from the dark vampire, sharing a meal and a shag and a spot of torture.
Those were the days. He shook his head slightly, not wanting to dwell on
the carnage. It hadn't always been like that, sometimes just the two of
them hunting quietly, dark eyes watching him, lips twisted into a secret
smile that only he got to see, hands on his flesh, shagging in a rented
room for hours upon hours, wet lips on his neck and his face and everywhere.
Why Darla hated him so much…..Drusilla wasn't a threat. She was an amusement,
a childlike beauty that would never give Angelus what he needed, what he
craved. He, on the other hand, was an equal. Darla had done everything
possible to keep a wedge between him and Angelus, never understanding that
what was between them, the lust, desire, friendship, and an emotion that
was as close to love as Angelus could allow, could not be controlled. That
was the reason Angel hated him so much. When the dark haired vampire looked
at him, he saw what Angelus had created, what Angelus had ached for, what
Angelus had loved. The soul couldn't very well enjoy the idea that, even
before it had arrived, Angelus had allowed himself to care. Oh, but he
certainly hadn't cared when he had returned. No, he'd taken great pains
to show how much he didn't care. Doing everything possible to cause Spike
pain, to laugh at him for still caring about Drusilla for still caring
about him….punishing for the weakness his emotions showed.
He'd made the damn deal with Buffy because he'd finally seen that his
grandsire was right. He did possess a bit of humanity, not wanting to see
the world end. He liked humans and their oddities….found them amusing.
Hell wasn't somewhere he'd wanted to live, especially not with Angelus
ignoring their entire past unless it was to throw it in his face as an
example of how useless a demon he was, without the soul as an excuse. Everything
that had happened since, it had finally been his own choice, his own decision.
He hadn't acted with thoughts of what Angelus would think, of how Angelus
would feel. He'd made his own choices, finally having to take responsibility
for them. And what had happened? He'd gone and gotten himself caught and
implanted, been unable to even feed like a demon. He had fallen in love
with the girl his grandsire had loved, been able to still smell Angel's
scent on the blonde slayer despite the years since their mating, had felt
a connection to Angelus when he had shagged Buffy that he hadn't felt in
so many years. He'd used the slayer in a way similar to how she had used
him. She had wanted to feel again, even if it was extreme lust for someone
she hated. He'd missed his grandsire, wanted to possess something the soul
had loved so dearly. When he had seen her again, with the soul, he'd looked
at her and not feel the suffocating need to possess, had not had the urge
to shag her senseless, had, in fact, felt an admiration and fondness for
her in a way that he felt for Niblet. It was then that he knew it had never
been love. Devotion, infatuation, lust….but never love.
Spike arrived back at his motel, laying on the hard mattress as he found himself debating the idea to go to San Antonio. He studied the ceiling of the room, his blue eyes thoughtful as he tried to figure out where to go. He could have made San Antonio that night easily, but he had hesitated, instead stopping in Austin. He smiled as he decided to go to Houston instead of San Antonio. It wasn't very far, plus he knew some people in that city. Could stay with them until he decided if it was the place to stay or if he would be moving on again. He could be there in a few hours, have a visit with his friends, and then decide what the future held. He covered his eyes with his arm, deciding that a few hours rest would be nice. He'd shower in the morning, not caring that his hands still had bits of blood on them from his fight earlier. He was suddenly exhausted, not taking anytime until he was drifting off to sleep, his sleep dream free for the first time in weeks.
~Part: 16~
"This is delicious," Faith said after she swallowed a bite of her gumbo.
"I was famished."
"Of course you were, Cupcake," Lorne shot the slayer a smile, "it has
been nearly five hours since you last ate."
"I just can't believe you can eat so much and still be so thin," Gunn
said, shaking his head as he remembered all the food the slim girl had
eaten over the last few days. She usually finished everything on her plate
and would then steal off their plates.
"It's metabolism, dear boy," Faith said loftily, having to smile, "that
and a hell of a workout training and patroling. Slaying keeps you in shape."
"Besides, Faith needs to regain her strength," Willow said with a smirk.
"After all, she did lose our pillow fight."
"Red," Faith's eyes narrowed at the smiling redhead. "You cheated! You
used magic. Had to have. No way I'd have lost if it had been fair."
"Hmph," Willow snorted, "I didn't use magic. I'm just a better pillow
fighter than you are, slayer."
"Whatever," Faith muttered as she took a bite of her food. "It's just
because I didn't have experience in fighting a pillow fight. Next time,
I'm kicking your cute little ass."
"Just face it, Faith," Willow shook her head. "You might be great at
slaying vampires and killing evil demons, but you suck at pillow fights."
"Children," Lorne interrupted, his eyes shining with amusement, "who
was it that suggested that I was the immature one the other day?"
"You know," Faith shot Willow a smile, "if we teamed up on the green
guy, we could so take him down!"
"He *is* a demon, so it would be quite fair for two weak little humans
to fight against him," Willow said with a large smile.
"Oh no," Lorne said, shaking his head. "I am not getting dragged into
a pillow fight with you two."
"Party pooper," Faith said as she stuck her tongue out at the demon
before laughing. She exchanged a look with Willow and knew that, before
the night was out, Lorne would find himself on the receiving end of two
fluffy pillows. She gave him an innocent smile and said, "We were just
teasing, Lorne. We'd never think about hitting you with a pillow."
"Hmm," he studied them suspiciously, finally nodding as he decided to
keep his own pillow ready that night just in case. He was loving this.
Having fun and laughing and just enjoying the company of some good friends.
The last few years had been so dismal, the fun having left his life over
the last few months. So much internal fighting and bickering and that didn't
include the battles they had participated in. He was ready for a break.
He wanted his club back, wanted that nice life of entertainment and amusement.
He would be surrounded by friends that he cared about deeply, could help
fight evil, but it wouldn't be near as dark and broody as it had been in
LA. Nothing could be very dark around his darlings, Willow and Faith. The
poor dears had both been to Hell and back and now radiated a strong power
and light that was nearly intoxicating. It was hope and knowledge and friendship
and strength all rolled into one lovely bright aura. Being around them
made him happy, growing a bit more as the days passed and they had moved
farther away from their pasts and Sunnydale. Soon, once they were settled,
things would be abolutely lovely.
"Willow, Lorne mentioned to me that you would be looking for a job,"
Markine spoke up as the redhead looked at her.
"Yes, something part time probably. It's not going to be that easy,
I'm afraid. I promised to help him with the club, and I've got patrols
with Faith, so my time is sort of limited," she made a face as she wondered
how she could find a job that was only a couple of days a week and would
be finished by dusk.
"Might be easier than you think," Markine said. "I've got a friend that
runs a shop over on Royal Street, Yesterdays. A nice little gift shop with
an area devoted to magic. She gives readings in the back a couple of days
a week. Tourists and locals visit it, and she mentioned needing to hire
another person since her day girl moved back home after she finished college.
It would probably only be two or three days a week, nine to four or hours
around that. I know she hasn't had a chance to hire anyone yet, so, if
you're interest, I'll set up a meeting with Sienna. You've got knowledge
of magic, that much is evident in the power I can feel from you, and I
think you'd be good."
"Really? That's great," Willow smiled. "Thank you so much, Markine.
It sounds like a perfect job."
"I'll call her when I get back to the hotel," Markine said with a smile,
glad that she could help one of Lorne's friends.
"And who was it that was whining about how difficult it would be to
find a job?" Faith asked with a pointed smile, having had no doubts that
Willow would find something easily. She would have more trouble, but she
probably wouldn't start looking until after they got moved into their own
place anyway.
"Just eat, slayer," Willow said as she rolled her eyes, not wanting any of Faith's I told you sos. She was thrilled at Markine's news, thinking the shop sounded wonderful. They'd only been in New Orleans a couple of hours, and already things were going better than she had ever imagined. After they finished eating, she and Faith were going to go look around a bit, play tourist as they checked out their new home. Maybe she'd go and find this Yesterdays shop, take a look. With that decided, she went back to eating her lunch.
~Part: 17~
"And just where do you two think you're going?"
Willow turned to look at Lorne with wide eyes, saying, "Oh my God...you
sound like a father!"
"Brat," Lorne rolled his eyes at Willow's words that were soon followed
by her laugh.
"Well, Daddy dearest, Red and I are going to check out the city," Faith
said with a wink at Willow.
"Do we have a curfew?" Willow asked eagerly, smiling at the green demon.
"I've never had a curfew before. Giles never gave us one."
"Now you're comparing me to that old watcher?" Lorne made a face. "Maybe
I should have just gone back to LA. I don't know if I can put up with you
two wiseasses."
"You love our asses," Faith said with a snicker.
"It's a compliment, Lorne," Willow said as she gave him a hug. "I've
missed having a parental figure in my life. If I have to have one in my
new home, I'm thrilled that it is you."
"Ah, how sweet. Can I puke now?" Faith asked, making a gagging face
as her dark eyes lit with amusement.
"I think I may join you," Gunn said, shaking his head.
"All a bunch of comedians," Lorne said as he returned Willow's hug.
"Since you put it that way, Cupcake, I'll be happy to be all parental for
you. No curfew, though. I don't believe in them."
"Hmm...okay, maybe this Daddy thing won't be all that bad after all,"
Faith said with a wink. "Does that mean we get an allowance?"
"No, it means that I get to meet all potential suitors and give them
my version of the Inquisition before they're allowed to court one of my
girls," Lorne said watching as the pretty slayer laughed.
"I don't think you have to worry too much about that, Pops, at least
not for a while," Faith said, having no interest in getting involved with
anyone except for the flirting she was doing with Willow. She'd never been
one for relationships, having only recently allowed herself to form a friendship
with someone other than Mr. Redemption himself, Angel, not that she and
Angel were really friends. No, it was more like she was one of his many
projects on his own path for redemption. With Willow, it was different.
She had finally let down her guard, letting the redhead become her first
true best friend. She knew it was only time though before she let more
people in. Damn it all to hell. She was actually starting to like Lorne
and would even miss grumpy Gunn when he went back to LA. This friendship
thing was weird.
"Pops? Did you call him Pops?" Gunn asked as he joined the group on the sidewalk. He looked them over, having to smile, "Talk about your fucked up families!"
~Part: 18~
"Ha ha, Chuck," Faith said, taking great delight in the way the man's
eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
"Faith, be nice to Gunn," Willow warned.
Gunn smiled at the redhead, "Thanks, Red. So, what's with the little
sidewalk party? Everyone forget to how walk?"
"I was asking the girls where they were going," Lorne said, "because
they were starting to talk in the wrong direction to go back to the hotel."
"And I mentioned that he sounded like our father, which is really very
sweet, because neither of us has a father. Well, we have them, but they
aren't around really and Giles has been pretty much my Dad for the past
seven years or so and now he's not here so I'm pretty much fatherless which
isn't a good feeling because I like having a bit of parental influence,
especially considering what happened when Giles moved away and my whole
sliding into dark magic wanting to destroy the world thing and I think
that Lorne makes a great surrogate Dad for us because how much cooler could
it be than having a big, green, funny demon as a Dad? And that's what we
were talking about when you joined us," Willow finished, smiling at the
stunned looks on the others faces, rather used to seeing such looks of
surprise from people that didn't know of her ramblings and lack of need
for breath when she had something she really wanted to say, which hadn't
been very often the last few months. It felt nice to ramble again, she
realized.
"That's just scary," Gunn decided, shaking his head as he looked at
the redhead, "I actually understood everything you said! I'm really worried
now."
"So, Pops, can we go look around?" Faith asked, admitting to herself
that she agreed with Willow's statement. It was rather nice having someone
that seemed to care where they were going. She had experienced a taste
of that with Giles all those years ago, and then with the Mayor, who had
become like a father to her in his own warped way. That was probably why
she had been loyal to him, even near the end when she had been plagued
with doubts and the knowledge that she had gone way too far to ever go
back.
"Well, actually, that's why I had asked," Lorne said, "Markine has gotten
in touch with a friend of hers that is in real estate. He's supposed to
come by the hotel in a couple of hours with some of his available properties
so that we can have a look at the pictures and decide what to actually
go view."
"Houses and clubs?" Willow asked, excitement evident in her green eyes.
"That soon? We've only been here a few hours!"
"I told you that I had connections," Lorne said smugly. "Did you dare
doubt my word?"
"Of course not, Dad," Willow said watching the pleased smile cross the green demon's face. He might not admit it, but he liked the idea of being needed by them. She had known he'd get a kick out of becoming their parental figure in their new lives, just giving off a vibe that suggested he enjoyed being a mother hen to all the misfits in the world, her and Faith being two of the biggest ones at the moment. She looked at Gunn, glad to see the easy smile that had been on the handsome man's face since they had arrived in town. He was relaxed and seemed to be having a good time hanging out with them. She was glad, knowing that he had had a few stressful months, just like the rest of them. They all deserved to be happy. And this was the first step.
~Part: 19~
"What time do we need to be back at the hotel, Pops?" Faith asked Lorne,
as eager as Willow to begin looking for a new house. She had figured it
would take several days before they'd be able to look at any places, and
then even longer to get moved in once they found the perfect place. It
was amazing to think that they would already be looking at pictures by
the end of the day.
"I don't really know, Cupcake," Lorne said. "Markine said it would be
late this afternoon. I'd guess sometime after five, since he does own a
business. I told him to concentrate on properties in the Quarter for the
house and definitely for the club. He mentioned having a couple of places
that might be ideal, but he wouldn't give me details over the phone."
"Five, huh?" Willow reached over and took Gunn's arm, turning his wrist
so she could read his watch. "It's nearly three already."
"Gives us two hours," Faith said, "plenty of time for a quick look.
We can look at street signs so we have an idea where these houses are when
we see the pictures later."
"Good idea, Faith," Willow smiled at her friend. "I know that the French
Quarter isn't really all that big, but it will be nice having some idea
where these places are. I also want to walk by and see that store that
Markine mentioned."
"She said it was on Royal," Faith remembered, "Yesterdays or something
like that, I think."
"It was Yesterdays," Willow said. She looked at Lorne, "We remember
where the hotel is, so we'll be there by five."
"I think I'll use that time to take a quick nap," Lorne said with a
smile. "Do be careful. This might not be a Hellmouth, but it is still a
new city for both of you."
"Where do you think you're going, Grumpy?" Faith asked as Gunn started
to follow Lorne back to the hotel.
"Back to my room," Gunn said as he rolled his eyes. Well, he guessed
Grumpy was better than Chuck.
"Sorry, Gunn. We can't allow that," Willow smiled at him as she took
his arm. "You have to come with us."
"Oh, really?" he looked at the redhead and felt himself smiling as she
nodded, her face trying to appear serious.
"You heard Lorne. This is a new city. It could be very dangerous. Faith
and I can't possibly walk around by ourselves until we get a feel for the
land," Willow said.
"Yeah, I mean, look at us. We're just a powerful witch and a slayer
with superhuman strength. What would we do if someone got rude with us?"
Faith winked at him as she took his other arm. She had followed Willow's
lead, knowing that all Gunn would do was go back to the hotel and mope
around about losing Twiggy, sorry, Fred to Wesley. The black man had been
around Angel way too long, probably knew all the best brooding techniques
in the book. It was up to her and Red to make sure he couldn't brood until
he got back to LA. Then, maybe he'd past the brooding stage and not give
a flying fuck.
"Probably kick their ass six ways from Sunday," Gunn said dryly, though
he was secretly pleased that they had included them in their short tour
of the town. He hadn't much looked forward to going back to his room and
having to think about what waited for him back in LA. He looked at the
two girls that had surprisingly become his friends, a smile crossing his
face as he gave in, "You're right. You need me. I guess I'll have to accompany
you two on your walk. It's a tough job, but I can't have it on my conscience
if anything happened."
"You're so brave," Willow said as her lips twitched. "So sacrificing."
"Our hero," Faith said before giving up and laughing. "Okay, that was
too much."
"Come on, let's go," Willow said, pulling Gunn's arm as the three started
to walk towards Jackson Square. "I want to see the river!"
"Oooh...the Cafe Du Monde is down here somewhere. I've read about that
place. They have these doughnut type things that are supposed to be delicious,"
Faith said with a smile. "We can eat some before we go back."
"We just ate lunch, Faith," Gunn pointed out, laughing as she arched
a brow.
"Your point?"
"Word of warning, Gunn, if you're going to be sticking around. Never
get between a slayer and her food," Willow whispered with amusement in
her voice.
Gunn laughed, his mind on her words as he felt himself being pulled down the street by the two pretty and talkative girls. Sticking around? A smile crossed his face as he found himself rather liking that idea, wondering if maybe there wasn't an opening in their twisted little family of misfits for an older brother type. He had experience, his mind flashing back to his sister and the knowledge that he hadn't been able to protect her. Who would be here to protect Faith and Willow? True, they had strength that was far greater than his, but sometimes even the strong needed help and protection. This time, he wouldn't let them down. He liked the idea, finding no need to leave New Orleans and rush back to LA anytime in the near future. He'd wait to go home until he was certain that they were okay, that they and Lorne were settled and everything was good. His eyes looked from the brunette to the redhead, his decision made. His smiled widened as he laughed at something Willow said, making the silent promise that he'd be the best big brother either girl would ever want.
~Part: 20~
"Piss."
"What?" Willow looked at Faith with a confused expression on her pretty
face. They'd been walking for a few blocks, the redhead amazed at how many
people were just walking around on a weekday afternoon. She'd already heard
four languages and found it fascinating to see all the different people.
She loved to people watch and somehow knew this town was going to provide
her with the best opportunity to do so.
"I finally realized what the town smelled like," Faith said with a smile.
'It was bugging me cause I couldn't quite place the scent."
"You think the town smells likes urine?" Willow asked, frowning as she
took a minute to inhale. Her nose wrinkled as she found herself agreeing,
"It does smell like piss."
"And alcohol," Gunn added with a shrug, "and kind of like trash."
"I like it," Faith decided, "gives it character."
"Only you would think that smelling like urine, trash and beer would
give something character," Willow said with a smile.
"Don't say a word, Chuck," Faith warned, watching as the black man's
eyes lit with amusement and his lips moved to add to Willow's words.
"Damn, you do take the fun out of it," Gunn said, "I guess I'll be nice
and not suggest how familiar you are with those scents."
"I warned you, Grumpy," Faith said, moving to hit Gunn in the shoulder,
finding no offense at his words. There was a bit of truth in them, her
life having not been the best. Growing up without ever knowing who her
father was, living in the slums of Boston with an addicted whore for a
mother, fighting off all her 'uncles' from the time she was ten and starting
to develop. She'd been thrilled to be taken away by her watcher when she
was thirteen, never realizing just how easy it was to slip into the behavior
she had witnessed all her life. It was a good protection against people,
prevented her from having to trust anyone but herself, had ended up driving
away everyone that might have cared about her, and had nearly gotten her
killed. That was the past, though, and she was sick of dwelling on it.
No more. She'd come to terms with her life many times over when she had
been sitting alone in her small cell with only her memories and thoughts
to keep her company.
"Ow!" Gunn moved to rub his shoulder, having forgotten for a minute
that he had been teasing a slayer. A very strong slayer that had now bruised
him with what had been a light tap on her part. Reminded to self, never
piss off Faith. His eyes moved to the smiling witch and he mentally added,
never piss of Willow, having no desire to find out what Willow's idea of
repayment might be.
"Quit whining, Gunn," Willow said with a laugh as the man glared at
her. She figured that he wouldn't be teasing Faith in the future without
remembering that she liked to hit back, not verbally but physically. Even
a playful smack from the slayer could be bruising, something she assumed
Gunn didn't know. She, herself, had earned plenty of light bruises over
the years from Buffy, and she honestly believed that Faith had more physical
strength than the blonde. "Oh, I think I can see the river."
"It's just a bunch of dirty old water, Red," Faith said as she saw how
excited Willow got at the idea of seeing the river.
"Yeah, but it's now our dirty old water," Willow smiled at the slayer.
"We live here. We're residents of New Orleans. Or we will be once we buy
a house. That means the river is ours, and I want to see it."
"I gotcha," Faith said, understanding the redhead's logic and then wondering
if that wasn't a bit scary that she was actually understanding Willow.
She smiled, deciding that it was comforting instead of worrying. "Come
on, Grumpy. Quit rubbing your arm. It was just a tap. We've got a river
to see."
"I'm not rubbing my arm," Gunn defended, glaring at the walking slayer that only laughed at him. He rolled his eyes, deciding that it had been a bit easy to slide into a sibling relationship with these two. He had to smile as he followed them, not at all that interested in seeing some dumb river.
~Part: 21~
"This is it?" Faith asked, her tone less than impressed.
"It's....," Gunn tried to think of an appropriate word, "certainly big."
"I so wouldn't swim in that," Willow said with a laugh as she looked
at them both. "Guys, it's dirty and brown and smells kinda funny. But,
it's our river. We can come here and sit whenever we want and just watch
the boats or the tourists. We can say that it's dirty because it's ours.
Does that make any sense or am I just crazy?"
"You're crazy," Faith said with a smile as she moved to sit on an empty
bench, "but we love you anyway."
"No, I get ya, Red," Gunn said. "If we were just passing through, we
couldn't say that it was just a big old dirty river because it wouldn't
really be our place. Since it's our river, though, we can say whatever
we want."
"Okay, you're right. I do sound crazy," Willow laughed as she took a
seat next to Faith. "I like it, though. True, the water isn't as blue as
anything in Sunnydale, but it's got character, just like the rest of the
town."
"I love this town already," Faith agreed. "I can stand the urine smell
because all the aromas of food sort of cover it up. And man, that food
smells great."
"I can just see it," Gunn laughed, sitting on the arm railing of the
bench, "you're so going to gain weight in this town, slayer."
"I can eat anything that I want and never gain a pound, Grumpy," Faith
said with a smirk. "You can call it slayer metabolism, I call it one of
the few perks of the job."
"Look!" Willow interrupted them to point out a large riverboat that
was returning to port. "Isn't it pretty?"
"Pretty?" Gunn asked, rolling his eyes. "Boats aren't pretty, Red. They're
seaworthy."
"So sayeth the expert," Faith snorted. "Willow, we've been looking at
the river for half an hour. Can we go get some of those beignet things
now? I'm hungry."
"I don't care if you have slayer metabolism or not, I'm thinking you
had better start training immediately," Willow laughed as she thought of
everything Faith had eaten that day.
"I don't mess with you for wanting to look at the dirty water, Red,
so you better lay off my food," Faith warned with a smile.
"Yes, Ma'am," Willow laughed as Gunn pulled her to her feet. "I think
we should follow up a visit to our river with some tasty treats for dessert."
"Our river," Faith repeated, putting her arm around Willow's neck as
she smiled, "I like the sounds of that, not as much as the idea of dessert,
but close."
"What are we gonna do with you?" Gunn asked with a laugh as they started
down the steps to head towards the Cafe du Monde.
"Love me even if I gain a billion pounds from living in this damn food
smelling city," Faith said with a smirk.
"Food smelling city?" Willow repeated with a giggle. She grabbed Gunn's
arm, looking at his watch, "We have about an hour until we need to be back
at the hotel for the meeting with the real estate guy. Should be enough
time for dessert. We can go look at the shop tomorrow."
"Are you sure? We can see it now and put off the food," Faith said,
knowing that she could always eat but also knowing she was never that hungry
until she actually was sitting down with the food. Besides, she was eating
so much now to make up for years of prison food. She deserved a reward
after eating that slop.
"No, we can see it tomorrow. I could use a snack," Willow smiled as
her two friends as they walked towards the cafe. She looked around, the
smile widening as she took in her new city. She loved it already, knowing
instinctively that it was right. A new start in a new city. And, in a few
hours, they'd even be looking at pictures of possible new homes. Could
it get any better?
***********THE END************