Parts: 41 - 50
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~Part: 41~
"I smell food," Faith called out when she finally heard the door downstairs close. She got off the couch and moved to take the bags from Willow. A smile crossed her face when Willow came upstairs, carrying a milk shake and nothing else. Spike soon followed the redhead, easily carrying the bags of food as well as two take out cups.
"Sorry it took so long," Willow apologized as she took the strawberry shake from Spike and handed it to Faith. "It's a bit melty cause it's hot outside, but it's still good. Hope that makes up for the slowness at bringing home dinner."
"Strawberry. My favorite," Faith laughed, taking a drink of the shake. "Perfect. The shake definitely makes everything better. Thanks."
"Don't thank me," Willow whispered, glancing at Spike, "but don't thank him, either. I wasn't supposed to mention that he bought it."
Faith's smile grew larger as she looked at the vampire that had moved to put the bags on the table. She winked at Willow before moving towards the table, "Blondie, you bought me a milk shake! That's so sweet. You're such a nice guy."
"Sod off, slayer," Spike rolled his eyes as the brunette approached the table, her voice overly sweet and her tone stressing the words sweet and nice.
"Faith, stop teasing or he might take the shake back," Willow had to laugh, shaking her head as she moved to Spike's side. She opened a bag and started to empty it.
"Yeah, I could take it back," Spike warned, a slight smile crossing his lips as he glared at her before moving to help Willow empty the bags. "Could also keep this cheeseburger for myself."
"Mine," Faith snatched the burger from Spike and grinned, "I was just kidding, Fang. Thanks for the milk shake. You're not a nice guy at all. You're an evil bad ass vampire."
"And don't you forget it," Spike smirked before getting his order of fries and eating one. He took his milk shake into the kitchen and put in the freezer before getting a bag of blood from the refridgerator. Tossing it into the microwave, he leaned against the counter to wait for it heat, his blue eyes finding Willow and watching her as she got her dinner ready.
"I'm so hungry," Willow told Faith with a smile as she put her food on the plate that Faith had waiting for her. "The grill was busy tonight and it took forever to get our food."
"So, how did the work field trip go?" Faith asked before taking a bite of her burger. She got her plate and walked back into the living room, sitting down and looking at Willow with curiosity. She hadn't missed the change between Willow and Spike. It was subtle, but she could see it. There was still that explosive chemistry, that attraction that was practically visible, but there was also a relaxed feeling to them. It was as if they'd moved past the tense attraction phase and settled into a friendly yet lusting phase. Personally, she was happy about that change. She wanted Willow to be happy and could see that Spike seemed to make the redhead happy, but she'd been a bit worried that the lust might override the friendship. While she was all for lusty interaction, she wanted Willow to have a great relationship built on solid ground, not some sexual thing based on lust. While she didn't bet it was long before the relationship did progress, she was glad to see that the friendship was coming along greatly.
"It was great. Spike was a natural with the sisters," Willow looked up and smiled at Spike, looking back at her plate as she realized that he'd been watching her. Maybe he'd been looking at the table, thinking about his food. There had definitely been a bit of a hungry look in his eyes. Goodness, it was suddenly very warm. She took a long drink of her milk shake, letting the cold ice cream cool her nerves. One look from him and she was on fire. When had it happened, this desire for Spike? She knew that it hadn't been that way in Sunnydale. They'd been friends, in a way, and she'd thought he was attractive, but she'd never been like this. There had never been this kind of desire, the feeling of contentment she felt just being with him. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of naughty images as she got her plate and joined Faith in the living room. She wasn't aware that her face was slightly flushed as she sat down, taking a bite before continuing, "He entertained us with stories and they both adored him."
"They adored him, huh?" Faith asked, amusement in her eyes as she realized that the sisters hadn't been the only that were adoring Spike. She heard the microwave buzz and glanced back as Spike got the plate that had his french fries before he came into the living room, sitting beside Willow before turning his head and drinking his blood. Faith asked, "So, you've got a fan club now, huh, Fang?"
"What can I say? They have good taste," Spike said with a smug smile before looking at the TV. "What's on the telly?"
"This old movie I found on cable. I think I saw it years ago. It's pretty funny," Faith shrugged.
"I know this movie," Willow said, watching it for a few minutes. "That's Keanu Reeves. A very young Keanu Reeves. What is it? Wait…he sells his prom date, doesn't he? To a pimp….Guido, no that was Risky Business…Tito? It was Tito, wasn't it? I loved this movie. Goodness, it's been years since I've seen it. The Night Before, right?"
"Yeah, that's what it's called," Faith laughed, "You've got a great memory, Red. I couldn't remember it until I started watching and then I realized I had seen it before. I just turned it on for the eye candy of Mr. Reeves looking all cute pre-Matrix like."
"I've never heard of it," Spike said, eating his fries and watching. He glanced at Willow and asked, "so, it's funny?"
"Hilarious," Willow nodded after chewing her bite of her BLT. "He takes out this real popular girl to prom and gets drunk and loses his car and sells her to a pimp and her Dad is a cop who is trying to catch them and it's just crazy. It looks like it just started."
"It's been on about fifteen minutes," Faith said, "I just finished watching Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I was laughing so loud I'm surprised I didn't wake up Gunn!"
"'There ain't no basement in the Alamo'," Willow said in an exaggerated accent before cracking up. "I see you've had a busy and productive night, Faith. You're getting lazy, slayer girl."
"I know you are but what am I," Faith shot back with a smirk.
"Shhh," Spike glared at them both. "I'm trying to hear this."
"Sorry," both girls said in unison before looking at each other and sharing a smile before turning back to watch the vampire make himself comfortable, his blue eyes on the screen, a smile crossing his face as he watched.
~Part: 42~
They watched the movie as they ate, laughing and rolling their eyes and commenting on the silly bits. Willow had forgotten just how funny the movie was, enjoying Spike's reaction almost as much as the movie itself. He'd put his empty mug in the sink after rinsing it and had gotten his shake about midway through the movie. Now, he was pretty much laying in her lap, her back against the arm of the sofa, his head resting on her tummy. Sometime during the movie, she'd started to play with his hair again, twisting it around her finger and brushing it and just touching him in a casual way. When the movie was over, she glanced at Faith, asking, "What's on next?"
"Let's see," Faith hit the guide button on the remote, searching for movies.
"That was a funny movie," Spike declared as he rolled his head to look up at Willow. "Stupid, but in a good way."
"You have just described the majority of the comedies made during the 80s," Willow smiled.
"I didn't see a lot of movies during that decade," Spike said, "Dru and I took a cruise to Australia during the early part of that decade and then went back to Europe and roamed around Spain for a bit before heading back to the mainland. Hung around France and Italy for a couple of years before heading east. Didn't spent a lot of time in front of the telly."
"You missed some good movies," Faith told him, watching his eyes flash as he got caught up in his memories. She watched Willow brush his hair gently and saw the smile cross his face as he relaxed against the redhead.
"A lot of good movies," Willow smiled. "Xander and I were pretty young during most of the 80s, but we used to spend our summers, Before Buffy, renting all the old movies from when we were kids and watching them. Many a summer day was spent sprawled on Jesse's couch watching 16 Candles or Fletch for the hundredth time. Xander loved Fletch and I loved 16 Candles. Jesse's favorite was Uncle Buck. John Candy was so funny. We also loved the cheesy horror movies, before we found out that vampires and demons really did exist. That kind of ruined most of them," Willow sighed as she smiled softly, "Those were great summers."
"I saw a lot of them after I became a slayer," Faith remembered, "I'd go to school and train at night, but I didn't have any friends and ended up spending a lot of time at this little video store that was close to my watcher's house. She'd let me use her VCR and I'd rent a dozen movies a week. I didn't have a VCR when I was growing up, lucky to have the little black and white TV until one of my mom's boyfriends busted it when he was drunk one night. Anyway, I saw a lot of movies during the couple of years before I was officially called."
"Let me see the remote, slayer," Spike asked, taking the remote from the girl and searching through the lists of programs to see a title that was unfamiliar but looked interesting.
"Oh, Faith, before I forget, Brandon said hi and that he wants you to come by for lunch to chat," Willow said, relieved to see the smile cross Faith's face at the news.
"How is my boy?" Faith asked, a large smile crossing her face as she thought of the cute waiter.
"He was busy tonight. Took another double so he was tired. But not too tired to flirt with some Swedish guy," Willow giggled.
"It's too bad he's gay," Faith sighed, amusement in her eyes. "He cute and smart and funny. Just my luck he swings the other way."
"Not so gay he doesn't grope Red every chance he gets," Spike muttered. "Stupid kid wouldn't keep his hands to himself."
"He'd have rather groped you," Willow rolled her eyes, looking at Faith and smiling, "Brandon declared Spike as being a yummy hunk and was particularly fond of his accent."
"I can see that," Faith almost laughed at the jealous tone in Spike's voice and the frown that crossed his face when he talked about Brandon. She couldn't wait to talk to her friend to find out his observations on the redhead and the vampire, knowing he must have sensed the jealousy himself since Spike wasn't very subtle with his dislike for people. She told Willow, "Fang is a hottie and that accent is just delish. Brandon's got good taste. He loves us, after all. I think I might pay him a visit for lunch tomorrow. Have a chat."
"Have you seen this one?" Spike asked, having heard the slayer refer to him as a hottie, wondering if Willow agreed. He knew she was attracted to him, the sweet scent of her arousal giving him a good idea that she desired him, but he wondered if she'd agree with Faith's flattering comments. Of course, he and the slayer had flirted a bit so it wasn't too surprising that she thought he was attractive. He didn't give a damn what she thought, though, only caring about Willow.
"What is it?" Willow looked at the screen, nodding as she played with his hair, "Oh, yeah. This is a good one, too. Faith, have you ever seen this?"
"Valley Girl? Hell, yeah. This is like-totally a great movie," Faith said with a laugh.
"It's like so rad," Willow agreed with a giggle before looking at Spike and noticing that he was looking at them both with an arched brow. "It's valley speak, Spike. We're not crazy."
"Like gag me with a spoon, the vampire is bringing the mood down," Faith laughed, "he needs to check the tude and get with it."
"You're both nuts," Spike finally decided before turning to the movie. As the movie started, his eyes widened and he moved his to look up at Willow, "please tell me these chits don't talk like this through the whole movie."
"Oh, they get worse," Faith said with an innocent smile that was betrayed by her evil laugh. "Bet you're wishing you'd picked something else to watch, huh, Fang?"
"Spike, it's only annoying until you get used to it. Then, it's a really cute little movie," Willow explained, "and, okay, so the girls are still a bit annoying but it's got the sweetest ending. Can we keep watching it? Please?"
"You owe me, Red," Spike decided before being rewarded by her smile. He looked back at the movie, cringing every time one of the girls spoke, but content to rest against Willow and let her brush his hair as the movie gradually got less annoying and more entertaining.
~Part: 43~
Faith watched as the final credits began to roll for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the movie they had started watching following the end of Valley Girl. She glanced at the sofa and smiled softly. Willow had fallen asleep shortly after Fast Times had started. Faith knew that Willow rarely slept more than a few hours a night, but she also knew that the redhead hadn't slept at all the previous evening. She'd turned the television down a little once she had realized that Willow was asleep, not wanting to disturb her friend's much needed rest.
Spike hadn't said a word since Valley Girl had ended. He'd admitted to enjoying the film despite the annoying speech of the main characters and then he'd shifted on the couch to watch the next movie. Since it had started, he'd been silent. The movie was now over and he hadn't moved or uttered a single comment. Faith got to her feet and moved towards the entertainment center. She looked at the sofa and wasn't very surprised to find Spike's eyes closed. He was asleep, snuggled against Willow's stomach.
An affectionate smile crossed the slayer's face before she turned back to the entertainment center. As quietly as possible, she turned the television off. She could have been lazy and used the remote, but she'd wanted to see if Spike was asleep or just ignoring her. Once the TV was off, she stretched before picking up the remaining trash and dirty glasses that were on the table.
She knew she should wake Willow up, let the redhead know that she'd fallen asleep and that it was time to go to bed. But, she hated disturbing Willow's sleep, knowing that the girl tended to have difficulty getting to sleep and remaining asleep for more than a few hours. Besides, Willow looked so comfortable sleeping on the sofa with Spike resting against her that Faith really hated to wake her up. The slayer tossed the trash away and put the glasses in the sink, not rinsing them for fear of waking Spike up. It would be far easier to just let them sleep, especially if the alternative was dealing with a woken up and most likely cranky vampire.
Faith was pretty tired, herself, having almost turned off the movie several times before finally just watching the entire thing, though she had drifted a bit a couple of times. She walked back into the living room and turned off the lights, wondering what time Lorne planned to come home and worrying that he might wake up Willow upon arrival. Luckily, the demon hadn't been returning home from his dates with Lio until nearly dawn, which gave Willow several hours to sleep.
Faith walked up stairs and went into her room, shutting the door and not even bothering to flip the light on. She undressed on her way to her bed, yawning as she tossed the clothes into a pile beside her bed. She laid down and pulled the covers over her, her eyes closing as soon as her head hit the pillow. It wasn't ten minutes before the soft sound of snoring filled her previously quiet room.
~Part: 44~
Spike woke up nearly an hour after Faith had gone upstairs. It took him a minute to remember where he was, his eyes adjusting to the dark room easily. He'd fallen asleep during that movie, the one about the high school. He hadn't realized he was that tired, feeling a bit sheepish for drifting off during the movie at such an early hour, for him at least. Of course, he had woken early and had hardly slept the previous evening, but he still felt a bit foolish.
As he woke up, he became aware of a few things. He was still laying against Willow, though his position had changed. He was on his stomach now, his right arm underneath the redhead with his palm resting against her back, his left arm laying beside her on the sofa. She was no longer sitting up, instead laying at an angle that had to be uncomfortable. Her bare legs were wrapped around his denim-covered legs, her left foot resting against his ass, her hand on his shoulder.
Spike raised his head, trying not to focus on the fact that he had been sleeping so comfortable against her bosom, wanting to keep thoughts of breasts out of his head for fear of causing his slight erection to become impossible to ignore. It didn't help matters that he was surrounded by her warmth and her scent, nor did it help that he had just woken after a vivid fantasy starring the delectable redhead that was now snuggled so closely to him. She was sleeping. Good. She hadn't felt the evidence of his desire brushing against her leg nor had she seen his lust for her burning in his eyes. God, she was beautiful. He was enjoying the freedom that he had to just look at her without having to worry about getting caught.
He didn't want to wake her, knowing that she'd been near exhaustion when they'd finally gotten home with their food not a few hours before. He didn't know what time it was, but he had to guess that he'd slept a couple of hours at least. He could smell dawn approaching, knew that it must be early morning. She looked so peaceful that he didn't want to move her, but he also knew that her sleeping position had to be uncomfortable. She'd sleep longer if she was in her own bed, and she definitely needed that sleep. Reluctantly, Spike sat up, resting her hand against her stomach and carefully moving her legs so he could free himself. Finally, he was standing beside the sofa.
He watched her move, a frown crossing her face as she shifted on the sofa, but she remained sleeping. He gently moved his hands underneath her, lifting her into his arms. He heard her sigh and felt her head move against his shoulder. His eyes closed briefly as he inhaled her sweet scent, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, trying to ignore how perfect it felt to have woken up with her and how right it now seemed to have her in his arms.
He walked up the stairs, taking his time so that he didn't wake her up. That's the excuse he told himself for his slow progress, deciding it had nothing to do with her soft breath brushing against his neck or the feel of her warm body against his. He could hear the slayer snoring as he reached Willow's door. He had to admit that he was grateful the slayer hadn't woken Willow earlier. He rather liked being the one taking care of Red, a smile crossing his face as he walked into her room. He was glad she hadn't left her door closed, knowing it wouldn't have been very easy to open her door while holding her without risking waking her.
As it was, her door was just partially shut so he nudged it open and then he walked right into her room. He gently laid her on the bed, not bothering to pull her covers down. He watched her move on the large bed, moving to the middle and making herself comfortable as she continued sleeping. He was going to go to his own room to try to get back to sleep when he realized that her room was pretty cold. She was just wearing that thin sundress and it wouldn't be nearly warm enough as she slept.
Spike moved to the side of the bed, pulling the covers down. He frowned when he realized that he needed to get them out from under Willow so that he could cover her. He kicked off his boots, not wanting to mess her sheets, then crawled onto the bed. He moved his hand beside her and scowled as he realized that there wasn't really any easy way to get the covers down. He'd risk waking her up and that was something he didn't want to do. He moved off the bed and left her room, entering his own and grabbing the blanket from his bed.
Walking back into Willow's room, he spread his blanket over her. He crawled back beside her, tucking the blanket around her to keep her warm. When he was sure that she was tucked in, his blue eyes moved to look at her face. She was still sleeping, a slight smile on her face as she snuggled against her pillow. He laid down, his head resting in his hand as he watched her sleep for several minutes. Finally, he leaned over and brushed his lips ever so softly against her forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams, Willow."
Spike knew he should leave and go to his own room, but he found himself reluctant to go. He'd watch her for a few more minutes, then he'd go. He was pretty tired and wouldn't mind a few good hours of rest himself. He watched her turn on her side, which caused her to face him, her left arm moving out from the blanket and resting on the pillow beside her face. Unable to resist, he moved his hand over hers, his fingers tenderly brushing against hers. He moved to lay on his side, facing her, watching her sleep and thinking about everything that had happened in the past few years, months, weeks, most of his attention on the last twenty-four hours or so, since he'd arrived in New Orleans. Spike was so busy thinking and watching Willow that he didn't even realize just how tired he was as his eyes slowly closed.
~Part: 45~
It was a few minutes after ten when brown eyes slowly opened. Faith sat up, her hands moving to rub the sleep from her eyes as she covered a yawn. She glanced at the clock, surprised that it was so late in the morning. She stood up and stretched, feeling pretty darn good. She was rested and energized after several hours of uninterrupted sleep. The slayer made her bed before grabbing clean underwear and walking into her bathroom. She took a quick shower, hating to take down her hair that Spike had fixed the previous day but knowing that she needed to wash it. Maybe he'd fix it for her again before they all went out to listen to bands that night, she decided to ask him very sweetly. Once her shower was over, she hung up her wet towel and put on some lotion. Afterwards, she walked back into her room and opened her closet.
What was she going to wear today? She asked that question as if she had a wide assortment to choose from. She went to her window and put her hand against the glass, not surprised to feel the warmth of the day outside. It was already pretty hot and wasn't even mid-afternoon. Moving back to her closet, she pulled out a pair of black jean shorts and stepped into them. She fastened them and glanced in the mirror, deciding they looked pretty good against her tanned skin. She grabbed a red T-shirt that Lio had given her a few days before. Pulling it on, she smiled as she read the word Sassy emblazoned across her breasts in silver letters. The shirt fit her well without being as revealing as a majority of her other shirts, and Faith had to admit that she kind of liked that about it. She grabbed a pair of black sandals from her closet and slid them on, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked pretty damn hot, a pleased smile crossing her face before she moved back into the bathroom.
She brushed out her wet hair before pulling it up into a high ponytail. She didn't bother using her blow dryer, knowing the heat of the day would dry it soon enough once she went outside. She considered leaving it down so that it wouldn't dry with the slight bump in it that the holder would cause but it wasn't like that couldn't be brushed out straight before they went out that night anyway. Faith went back into her room and easily found the napkin that had Brandon's home and work numbers on it. She sat on her bed and glanced at the clock, wondering it was too early to call him since he'd worked a double the night before which meant he hadn't been off work until at least six that morning. Oh well, she'd not gone to sleep herself until nearly dawn and she was already awake so he could just wake his lazy butt up if he wanted to meet her for lunch. She dialed the number and waited, a smile crossing her face when she heard Brandon's sleepy voice answer on the fifth ring.
"Hullo?" Brandon spoke into the phone.
"Hey, lazy ass," Faith laughed as he cursed her.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Brandon moaned, a smile crossing his face as he heard his new friend laugh. "You evil wench, it's not even eleven!"
"Oooh…evil wench? Are we role-playing? Are you gonna spank me?" Faith snickered as she leaned against her pillow, making herself comfortable.
"You're impossible," Brandon groaned, laughing as he said, "I love it! Now quit teasing the sleepy gay man and tell me why you woke me up at such an early hour."
"It's not early," Faith defended before asking, "Do you want to meet me for lunch today?"
"It is early to someone who didn't get to sleep until after seven," Brandon whined before smiling, "but I'll forgive you because lunch sounds absolutely fantastic! You're lucky that I only need a couple of hours of beauty sleep per day."
"Great," Faith smiled, "Where do you want to meet?"
"Not the Clover!" Brandon said as he covered a yawn. "I'm off work tonight and I have no plans of going anywhere near that place. I know! We can go to Phil's Bar. It's one of my favorite hang-outs. Have you been there?"
"A bar? For lunch?" Faith's skepticism was obvious in her tone.
"It's not just a bar, silly girl," Brandon laughed, "they have great lunches. I love their club sandwich. Goodness, now I'm not only sleepy but I'm starving."
"It sounds great," Faith said, relieved to hear that it served regular food and not just alcohol. She wasn't much of a drinker and had been worried that it only served foods that went with alcohol like wings and peanuts. Of course, she should have known better. Brandon wasn't a drinker, either, and seemed to know good food. "I trust you."
"You'll love the food," Brandon assured her, "why don't you give me a half hour to shower and wake up and then we can meet. How does that sound?"
"Actually, can we make it an hour? I just got up and haven't even checked with Willow to see what she's got planned for today. I also figured I'd drop by the store and see if Gunn wants me to bring him some lunch back. He was tired last night so he was in his room pretty early and left hours ago for work so I don't know his plans, either," Faith said.
"An hour is good," Brandon agreed, excitement flashing in his eyes as he remembered that he wanted to question Faith about Willow and her gorgeous companion the previous evening to see if she saw the same sparks and chemistry that he had witnessed. He added, "Why don't you meet me at Phil's at twelve? Just go to the bar and wait for me."
"Okay…where is Phil's?" Faith asked, not recognizing the name from their many wanders around the Quarter.
"Oh, sorry," Brandon laughed, "guess that might help. It's over on St. Philip, between Bourbon and Royal on the east side. It's got a small sign above a door that is usually kept open."
"I'll find it," Faith told him, "I'll see you in a bit."
"See ya soon, Faith," Brandon told her before he hung up the phone.
~Part: 46~
Faith hung up the phone and then left her room. She was surprised to hear silence coming from downstairs. She'd have figured that Willow would be up with the TV on by now. She saw that Spike's door was open, which meant the blond vampire wasn't in his room. Her curious brown eyes moved to Willow's door, seeing that it was also open. She moved closer, her eyes widening as she looked at the two shapes laying on the bed. A small smile crossed her full lips as she moved into the room.
Willow was still asleep, something that was very surprising since the redhead had the habit of never sleeping more than a couple of hours a night, if at all. Faith personally believed her friend needed a good seven hours of sleep at least once every week or two and was glad to see the girl still sleeping this morning. What caused her eyes to widen was that Spike was sleeping on the bed beside Willow. A blue blanket was wrapped around the redhead and Spike was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Faith looked closer and noticed that Spike's hand was covering Willow's, something that caused a soft smile to cross the slayer's face. She didn't want to wake either of them, knowing that Willow deserved a good sleep. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything improper about the arrangement. There was a decent amount of space between them and it didn't appear to be anything except two friends sleeping on the same bed, much like she and Willow had been when they'd shared a bed during their travels to New Orleans.
True, there was a chemistry between Willow and Spike that hadn't existed between her and Willow, but they both kept saying they were just friends. Faith believed their words, knowing that friendship was all that currently was happening between the redhead and the vampire. Currently being the key word. She could see something going on between them, could see a relationship gradually developing, and she had a feeling that things would eventually move beyond just friendship one of these days. Until then, she'd keep her mouth shut and wait and see what happened. Since it was an innocent sleeping situation, she wasn't going to disturb Willow. Instead, she left the room quietly and walked downstairs. Once she was there, she went to tell Lorne where she was going so that he could let Willow know when the redhead woke up.
She found Lorne fast asleep. It was a strange day, she decided with a smile. She was usually the last person awake, the others having the annoying habit of being early risers that liked to tease her for sleeping so late. Lorne must have gotten in late, she decided, a wicked smile crossing her face as she shut his door and left him to sleep. She was pleased that her friend had found someone like Basilio. The master of New Orleans was really a great guy and did care about Lorne in a way that the demon deserved. Lorne had been getting in at dawn most mornings but she had to wonder when the relationship would progress to the sleepover stage. It was great seeing Lorne in a happy relationship and made for some great teasing opportunities.
Faith found a piece of paper and quickly wrote a note to Willow letting the redhead know that she was meeting Brandon for lunch and would be home later. She tried to figure out where to leave the note, debating between the television or the refridgerator. The fridge won since the slayer knew that Willow would probably see it there before she'd notice it on the TV, especially if they were going to go downstairs to work on the club again today. That would mean no TV but they'd have to get something to eat or drink. Spike would see it when he got his blood if Willow hadn't found it by then. She taped the note to the front of the fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of water before she picked up her keys and left the house.
It was scorching outside. A dry heat that just washed over her. She was very glad that she'd gotten the bottle of water, taking a sip as she walked through the courtyard towards the street. She left the property and was soon on her way to visit Gunn. She glanced at a clock in a display window and realized that she was going to probably be a bit early for her lunch with Brandon. She'd not expected to find the entire house quiet and everyone still sleeping. It wasn't long before she reached the shop, thankful that it was fully air-conditioned. The store was empty, but not silent. She found Gunn stocking T-shirts around the counter, oblivious to the flirty smiles that Jessi was sending his way. She rolled her eyes, hoping he wasn't going to be so caught up in being hurt by Twiggy that he ignored the pretty girl that seemed interested in him.
"Hey Jess," Faith greeted the girl and smiled before turning her attention to Gunn, "Hi ya, Chuck."
"Hello, Faith," Jessi greeted the attractive brunette with a pleasant smile. Charles had told her about his roommates earlier, explaining that they'd moved to New Orleans from California and how he considered the pretty redhead and brunette she'd met yesterday like annoying little sisters. When he'd spoken about them, he'd definitely had an overprotective brother vibe going on, which was a relief to her, because she'd been a bit worried that he might be involved or want to be involved with one of them. She had to admit that Charles Gunn hadn't strayed very far from her thoughts the previous evening, causing a reaction that no other man she'd met had ever caused. It intrigued her at the same time it scared her a bit. What was really annoying was that she'd decided to go with it, to flirt and be friendly, which was completely unlike her, and see what happened, and he seemed oblivious to her smiles and her flirty words. He was just so infuriating!
"Hey, Faith," Gunn glanced at the slayer and frowned, noticing the smirk that was on pretty face as she looked from him to Jessi and back again. He rolled his eyes as he asked, "What brings you here?"
"I'm meeting Brandon for lunch and thought I'd stop in and see if you wanted anything," Faith said as she leaned against the counter.
"Nah, I'm good, but thanks for asking," he said, adding, "I brought something from home. Where's Willow?"
"She's still sleeping," Faith said, "I don't think she slept at all night before last so I guess it caught up with her."
"I don't know how she can sleep an hour or two every night and still have so much energy," Gunn shook his head, "it can't be that healthy. I mean, they say you need seven hours a night on average. I doubt she averages seven hours a week."
"Well, she's getting her seven hours today," Faith shrugged, "and it doesn't seem to be a problem. I mean, she told me that she started sleeping only a few hours when she was a kid, since her parents usually left her home alone and I guess she didn't like sleeping for long periods of time in that empty old house. She used the time for homework and studying and that's one reason why she's so damn smart. Later on, after Buffy, she used the time for researching and other stuff."
"That sounds like me," Jessi spoke up, a smile on her face as she listened to them talk about the pretty redhead she'd just met. They cared about the girl, that evident in their tones, and it was nice to see such affection amongst friends. She saw them glance at her and said, "I'm a bit of an insomniac and I usually do my best thinking late at night. That's when I concentrate on my classes and write the best papers. It sounds like Willow is the same way."
"Yeah, it does," Faith smiled at the girl before looking back at Gunn, "Don't work too hard, Chuck. I'll see you later!"
"See ya later, Faith," Gunn smiled at her before he went back to folding and stacking the T-shirts as Faith started to leave.
"It was nice seeing you again, Jessi. Have a good weekend," Faith smiled at the girl and waved as she left the store to go meet Brandon for lunch, wondering what kind of menu this Phil's place had and trying to decide what she wanted to eat as she realized that she was pretty hungry.
~Part: 47~
She'd been having such a great dream that she hated to open her eyes and wake up. She couldn't really remember the details of the dream as she woke up, but she had that safe and warm feeling that usually followed a great dream. The only image that was coming to her mind was that of Spike smiling. A smile crossed the redhead's face as she snuggled closer to her pillows, reluctant to open her eyes and begin her day. She felt lazy, the warm of her covers around her and the soft pillow under her head and the cool flesh against her hand. Green eyes suddenly opened, widening when she saw the hand covering hers. Spike was sleeping beside her. Spike was in her bed, sleeping and holding her hand. Okay, not really holding, more like covering.
Willow closed her eyes and counted to ten to prevent herself from freaking out at the knowledge that Spike was sleeping so peacefully beside her. She opened her eyes and slowly smiled. There was no reason to be freaked out. They were friends. It was completely innocent. Besides, the bed was a king and huge, so, even though he was beside her, there was a pretty wide amount of space separating them. She remembered watching the movie last night with Faith and then falling asleep. She assumed that Spike must have brought her up to bed and fallen asleep himself. She knew that he'd been asleep on the couch before her, his body having relaxed as he'd used her tummy as a pillow. She turned her head and saw the clock, groaning softly when she saw that it was nearly twelve. She hadn't been in bed past eight for as long as she could remember. She must have been really tired, she decided, most likely from not sleeping at all Wednesday.
She moved her free hand to check her mouth for drool, not really liking the idea of Spike waking up and seeing her with drool on her face. Luckily, her search found none. She glanced down and noticed that she was wrapped so tightly in a blanket that was not her own. She recognized it from Spike's room, a soft smile crossing her face as she realized he'd not wanted to wake her so he'd just used his own blanket. And boy did he know how to tuck someone in. She was wrapped up tightly and securely, no risk of getting a chill or of moving too easily. She was still wearing her sundress, cringing as she imagined how wrinkled it would be now. Turning her head back to face Spike, she found him moving just a little. It wasn't long before his eyes opened. She watched them widen as he realized where he was, her lips curling into a smile.
"Morning," she smiled at him, letting him know that she wasn't upset that he'd fallen asleep, just in case he was worried about her reaction.
"Morning," he replied, his eyes moving over her face. She looked rested and energized and absolutely beautiful.
"Actually, it's more like afternoon," Willow said, "it's almost twelve."
"That late?" he arched a brow, knowing that it wasn't all that late to him but that it was extremely late for Willow. She was an early riser, something he'd realized when he'd been living in Buffy's basement and he'd hear movement in the kitchen as she'd get breakfast ready for the potentials or she'd sit and read the paper. She must have really needed the extra sleep, he decided, glad that he hadn't woken her even as he had to admit to being a bit embarrassed that he'd fallen asleep in her bed. Not that being in her bed was a bad thing. On the contrary, he'd had many thoughts of being in bed with his Red, most involving nudity and moans and begging for more. Those were the thoughts that he was trying his best to keep under control and waking up beside her, surrounded by her sweet smell and having her look at him with such a soft smile, was not helping him remember that they were just friends, that he wanted to take this relationship slowly and not jump into something neither of them was prepared for yet.
"I can't remember the last time I stayed in bed this late," Willow said, wishing she knew what he was thinking about. She'd watched his eyes change color, a tremor of awareness washing over her as they had darkened to a stormy blue, then watched as he'd closed them briefly before opening them again to reveal the normal beautiful blue shade that she was quite familiar with. "But I won't complain. I feel rested and ready to face another day of working on the club."
"Please tell me we're finished cleaning those walls," Spike groaned, his lips twisting into a slight smile as he listened to her laugh.
"Close, but not finished yet," Willow laughed, "we should be done today, though, which is great. That means that we can start making some definite plans on Monday. We'll see what we've got to work with and all the trash is gone and it's going to be so much fun."
"Yeah, I guess so," he said with a smile, his eyes amused as he listened to her enthusiastic plans for the club.
"We'd better get up and get started or we won't have anything done before we go listen to bands tonight," Willow said, reluctant to get out of bed and to let go of his hand, which was still holding hers. It had gone beyond covering when he'd woken up and his fingers had curled under her palm, drawing small circles as they'd spoken.
"You're right," Spike finally let go of her hand and sat up, his hand running through his hair as he tried to figure out the best way to get out of her room without her seeing his erection. He'd woken with it after dreaming about his bewitching redhead and it had just gotten worse when he'd realized he was in her bed and he'd seen her looking so pretty fresh from sleep.
"Here's your blanket," Willow sat up and pulled the blanket out from around her. She glanced down to make sure that her dress was still in place and covering everything that needed to be covered. It was.
"I'll meet you downstairs, Red," Spike said as he took the blanket, inhaling her scent that now covered the material. Oh, yeah, that was gonna help him sleep at night. He could feel himself starting to harden even more from her smell and how pretty she looked sitting on her bed with that dress on and her legs bare and her hair falling from the style he'd given her to brush against her lovely neck. He lowered the blanket to cover his bulge as he stood up. Giving her a friendly smile, he turned to leave. He leaned over and grabbed his boots and then he got his duster off the chair. He tossed it and the blanket over his shoulder as he left her room.
Willow got out of bed and went to shut her door after he had left, a smile of feminine appreciation on her face. Spike was a gorgeous man, and she had really enjoyed the view when he'd leaned over to get his shoes. Even if they were just friends, she could admire his beauty, both internal and external. Spike wasn't just one of the sexiest people she'd ever met, he was also one of the nicest and most caring, though he'd deny the latter with tales of his previous evil exploits. He was loyal and protective and intelligent and funny and affectionate and sexy. She smiled as she went into the bathroom, moving to the sink to wash her face before she changed into something more appropriate for cleaning. She was extremely lucky, she realized, to have Spike as one of her best friends.
~Part: 48~
Faith found Phil's Bar with relative ease. Brandon hadn't been lying, though, about it being easy to miss. There was a double door and a sign above them and that was it. If she hadn't known what to look for, she probably would have walked right by. As it was, she got there about fifteen minutes too early. She opened the doors and walked inside, relieved to feel the cool air surround her. She was surprised to find a hostess standing at a podium. She'd figured it was a plain old bar, that being one reason for her lack of excitement at eating somewhere new. As it was, there were tons of tables that were occupied and the bar area was just a small part of the place.
"I'm meeting someone," she told the hostess, "so I think I'll just wait at the bar."
"Of course," the hostess smile pleasantly before moving her attention to a group that had come in after Faith.
Faith headed to the bar area that was separated from the tables by a wall of glass and shelves that were covered in various knick-knacks. She took the step up into the bar and saw that there were some tables in that area also. She walked to the bar and sat on a stool, hoping that Brandon would be early. She had thought about food the entire walk over and was now very hungry. She was also thirsty. She decided that's go ahead and order a soda as she waited, glancing behind the bar and seeing two bartenders that were both pretty darn busy.
Luckily, she wasn't in a hurry so she didn't mind a wait. Her eyes moved over the bartender that was farthest away from her. He was kind of cute with a mop of dark blond hair and an easy smile as he filled the servers' orders. She then turned her attention to the other bartender who had his back to her. He had a nice ass, she decided. Firm and tight, encased in faded blue jeans. He had brown hair that fell nearly to his collar and a nice build, from the back at least. He was too short, though, maybe a couple of inches taller than her. She looked away from the bartenders to watch the door for Brandon. She was tempted to get a table, but he said that he came her a lot and she didn't know if he had a special table he liked or something weird like that, so it was easier to just wait here for him.
"What can I getcha?" a voice asked from behind her.
Faith glanced back and found herself looking at the blond guy. She smiled and said, "Make it a Dr. Pepper."
"You got it," he smiled as he grabbed a glass and filled it before placing it back in front of her. He grabbed a straw and put it in the glass, telling her, "If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thanks," she took the glass and turned her stool around to watch the door as she sipped her soda.
She finished her soda and Brandon still hadn't arrived. Faith rolled her eyes, knowing that it wasn't twelve yet, but also knowing that she hated waiting. That's why she tried to always be on time. She didn't have to stand around and wait. She began twisting the stool back and forth, her dark eyes on the door, using her straw to stir the ice that was still in her glass. Finally, she turned back to the bar.
She looked for the blond guy but didn't see him. In fact, she didn't see anyone. She heard a noise coming from under the bar and realized that someone was putting stuff away. She leaned over and looked down. It was the dark haired one. He was counting bottles or something. She sat back down and said, "Hey, bartender. Can you give me a refill?"
"Just a second," his voice drifted up to her.
Faith turned back to look at the door and frowned when she still didn't see Brandon. It had to be twelve by now. She'd been sitting here for hours. Well, at least fifteen minutes, which meant that he was late.
"What are you drinking, Miss?"
Faith stopped twisting the chair when she heard the voice that was no longer muffled by the bar. "Dr. Pepper," she answered before turning the stool to face the bartender.
Her smile faded as her eyes widened in surprise. She'd only met him briefly, hadn't seen more than a couple of times, it had been years ago, but she knew his name, knew his face. He'd been partially responsible for everything that had happened to her. He'd unknowingly helped set her on her path to redemption all those years before. She wasn't sure what to say, what to do. Finally, she decided to just go with it. She knew he'd turned his back on his old life, having heard about it from Angel. She couldn't blame him for what he'd done and been in the past, knowing she'd made mistakes of her own. She sat back on the stool, her eyes surprised but alert, her lips twisting into a slight smile as she said, "Well, well, well….if it isn't Lindsey McDonald."
~Part: 49~
Lindsey McDonald stared at the smirking brunette for several stunned minutes before he finally found his voice. He had only spoken to the slayer a handful of times, and then for only a few minutes, so he had no idea how to react to running into her again. Last he knew, she'd turned herself in and gone to jail to serve her time, Angel winning yet again in his quest to save the souls of the people he deemed worthy. Lindsey was one of those lucky few that the vampire hadn't give up on, though he had given him more than enough reasons to consider him a lost cause. Now he had run into another of Angel's special projects, in a bar in New Orleans of all places. He decided to follow her example and play it cool, watch and listen to figure out what she was doing in town. He gave her a nod and said, "Faith. Fancy meeting you here."
"Small world, huh?" Faith shrugged.
"I guess it really is," Lindsey admitted, "when did you get to town? Just visiting?"
"A couple of weeks ago," Faith smiled, "Moved here with some friends. You may know a couple of them, actually."
"Friends?" Lindsey frowned, "Who?"
"Gunn and Lorne?" Faith watched his face and smiled, "I see you do remember them."
"They moved here? What about Angel? What about LA?" Lindsey asked, having always gotten along okay with Lorne but never really hitting it off with Gunn. He began to wonder if he was ever going to be able to escape his past. He hadn't forgotten any of his actions while working for the firm, but he had done his best to deal with what he had done, what he'd been responsible for, and move on with his life. Things had been going pretty well since he'd moved here.
"Angel's still in LA, pretty bored the last time I talked to him. Lorne wanted to open a new club so he tagged along with me and Will. Gunn drove us and decided to stay," Faith explained.
"Will?" Lindsey didn't recognize the name. He found it surprising that Faith was sitting at the bar and chatting with him as if they were old friends. They'd spoken maybe a couple of dozen words to each other when they'd previously met, and most of those centered around how she would kill Angel.
"Willow," Faith smiled, "you don't know her. She's from Sunnydale, and she's my best friend. So, you're working in a bar? I thought lawyers took some kind of bar test but I didn't know there was a real bar involved, too."
"Cute," he rolled his eyes as she smirked, "Yes, I work in a bar. I haven't practiced since I left the firm."
"You don't miss it?" she asked, actually curious about his answer.
"Not at all," he said honestly. His lips twisted into a smirk of his own as he asked, "How was jail?"
"The food sucked, but it wasn't that bad, I guess," Faith replied. "I enjoyed the breaking out part the most, I think."
"You broke out?" Lindsey had to laugh, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"Hey, I served nearly three years of my time," Faith defended, "and I'd still be there now if Angel hadn't needed me. As it is, I'm thinking that saving the world is like an automatic pardon. Cause, really, if I hadn't helped save the world, there would have been no prison for me to be in. It all worked out. I got my freedom and the world was saved."
"I have to admit that it does make sense in a way," Lindsey shook his head, "in a weird and twisted way, true, but it seems logical. So, there was world saving going on recently?"
"Yeppers," Faith nodded, "The usual, you know? The First evil, some nutty psycho preacher man, tons of annoying little potential slayers, a bit of bad ass magic mumbo jumbo, some major ass kicking, a few explosions, some ugly damn vamps that were created in Hell just for us to fight, a couple 'how the hell are we gonna win this time' moments, some bumps and bruises and various injuries, then we won. All is good. The world was saved, again."
"Well, speaking as a resident of that world you all saved, thanks," Lindsey said, having an idea that it hadn't been nearly as easy as Faith made it out to be. He'd heard a little about Sunnydale and some happenings that had sent most of the demons in the city elsewhere, but there hadn't been any details, just gossip and theory.
"You're welcome," Faith had to smile as she realized that was the first time she'd ever been thanked for doing her duty as a slayer. She glanced at her glass and saw that the ice was starting to melt. She didn't realize they'd been talking so long. Strange. She didn't know Lindsey at all, but she felt comfortable around him in the same way she felt around Gunn and Lorne and Spike and even Lio. She was actually glad that she'd run into him, finding it nice to talk about what had happened in Sunnydale to someone that hadn't been there but that would still understand. She looked back at him and smiled, "If you really want to thank me, why don't you finally give me a refill?"
"Sorry," he laughed as he got her new ice and refilled her glass. He had just put it on the bar when someone came up and embraced Faith from behind.
"Hey, hon. I am so sorry I'm late," Brandon came up behind Faith and gave her a hug. He smiled sheepishly as he admitted, "I fell back asleep after we talked this morning and just woke up. Forgive me?"
~Part: 50~
"You're forgiven," Faith looked at Brandon and laughed, "Your hair looks awful!"
"No teasing," Brandon warned as he ran a hand over his hair, "I barely had time to jump in the shower and then I ran all the way here. I knew you were waiting for me so I had to hurry."
"You went to all that trouble for me?" Faith smiled, "Honestly, I hadn't even realized it was so late."
"Really?" Brandon had to smile, having seen her talking to Lindsey when he came in. He glanced at his friend and said, "Hey, Lin. I see you met my new friend Faith."
"I actually met her in LA," Lindsey told Brandon, "but we never really had a conversation until today. Can I get you something to drink?"
"A sprite, lots of ice," Brandon said before looking at Faith, "Do you want to sit here or at a table?"
"A table would be great," Faith said as she slid off the stool and grabbed her glass. "How about the one in the corner?"
"Perfect. Go grab it and I'll get my drink," Brandon watched her go take a seat before turning back to Lindsey. He had to smile as he said, "I suggested us having lunch here because I wanted you to meet Faith and here it turns out you already knew her!"
Lindsey shrugged, "Like I said, I met her but I didn't really know her. I told you before that my life in LA was kind of fucked up."
"Well, you should join us when you take your break. She's someone you should get to know," Brandon said, adding, "merely in a friendly capacity, of course. You can never have too many friends."
"If you're still here when I take a break, I might stop by. Now, take your drink and let me get back to work," Lindsey rolled his eyes before he went back to counting inventory. Brandon was right, though. You could never really have too many friends.
Brandon joined Faith at the table and smiled when he saw that she was reading the menu. He didn't bother to look, knowing the menu by heart, "I'm having a club sandwich. What are you having?"
"I'm trying to decide between the chicken strips and the hamburger," Faith said. She finally shut the menu, "I think I'll have chicken since I had a burger for dinner last night."
"You've had a burger for dinner or lunch almost every day since you moved here, haven't you?" Brandon laughed.
"What can I say? Willow and I are not very good at the cooking thing," Faith smiled. She leaned back in her chair and asked, "So, you know Lindsey, too?"
"Yeah, he's a friend," Brandon nodded, "I mean, he's the day bartender at one of my favorite restaurants. We started talking and became friends. He's a good guy."
"That's cool," Faith said. If Brandon liked Lindsey, that was good enough for her. He was a great judge of character and she trusted his opinion that Lindsey was a good guy. Besides that, Angel had told her that the lawyer was trying to fix his mistakes and have a good life. Since she could relate to that completely, she was a bit more open to the idea that Lindsey had changed. "What's the dessert like here? I'm starving, since someone made me wait so long for lunch."
"Dessert is great and do not give me that waiting forever speech. You were so busy talking to Lin that you didn't even know I was late," Brandon said with a smirk.
"I knew you were late before I even saw Lindsey," Faith said. The server came over and took their order before she finished, "but you are forgiven for keeping me waiting. Do you have to work tonight?"
"Nope, I'm off," Brandon said with a happy smile. "It's great having a Friday night off. I usually try to work them because the tips are better third shift, but, after all those doubles the last couple of weeks, I'm glad to have a day off."
"You should come out with us tonight," Faith suggested, a smile crossing her face, "we're going to go listen to some local bands and dance and have some fun. It would be great if you could join us."
"Who are you going to hear?" Brandon asked, thinking that her suggestion sounded like a good idea.
"I have no idea," Faith laughed, "we're just going and seeing if we find any great local bands that we all like. It's gonna be me and Willow and Spike and Gunn and maybe Lorne."
"Lorne? I don't know him," Brandon said, "he's the other roommate, right?"
"Yeah, that's him," Faith nodded, realizing suddenly that Brandon had no idea that Lorne was a demon. Hell, Brandon didn't even know that vampires and demons existed. She'd forgotten that he was a normal guy who worked as a waiter in a 24-hour diner. She was unaccustomed to being around people that didn't know she was a slayer or didn't know what evil could lurk in the shadows.
"It sounds like fun. Why don't you let me ask around a little and see what's happening tonight? I'll find some of the good bands playing," Brandon said, already running through a list of some of the bands that he liked and trying to remember if they had any shows tonight. He smiled, "Maybe we can ask Lindsey if he wants to hang out with us."
"Sure," Faith nodded, her eyes narrowing as she studied him for a second. She finally had to ask, "Brandon, about Lindsey, you're not trying to like play matchmaker or anything, are you? I mean, Lindsey is a nice looking guy, but I'm not attracted to him in that kind of way. He's not my type and I'm not really his type, either."
Brandon said, "I just thought that Lindsey might have fun hanging out with us. He needs some friends, you know? His fiance lives in Chicago and only gets to town a couple of times a month so he doesn't get out much."
"He's engaged? That's great," Faith smiled, "we should definitely ask him if he wants to hang out with us tonight. It could be fun."
"I'll mention it to him when he takes his break," Brandon said, watching as their food was put on the table before them. He suddenly looked at Faith and said, "We so need to talk about Willow and Spike. What is up with those two? He's gorgeous and just eats her alive with his eyes. I was so envious and the silly little redhead was completely oblivious to those heated stares."
"They're 'just friends'," Faith said with a smile as she used her fingers to make marks in the air to illustrate her words. She laughed, "I don't know what's up with them. They're both single and there is definitely an attraction between them, but they seem content to just develop their friendship right now. I guess they're taking it slow, which is cool. They've been friends for years and I suspect that there was some crushing on Willow's behalf and perhaps even on Spike's. They've both been hurt in the past so maybe this is the best thing for them, to move slowly and gradually and not base their entire relationship on sex."
"I agree," Brandon said, "she's gorgeous, too, and they make a stunning pair, but relationships based on sex rarely last. There has to be a lot more for it to all work. He seems to make her happy and that's the most important thing."
"Definitely," Faith said before taking a bite of her chicken. Their conversation moved from Willow and Spike to the topic of music as they continued eating their lunch.