Faithfully Dangerous

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: These aren’t my characters, as you all know. If they were, they’d all be living happily ever after by now.

Summary: Set during my story Latter Days. Faith is sent to L.A. to get information out of Angel and recruit Wesley—if she can. What she discovers is a scheme by persons unknown to take advantage of the imbalance, and an unlikely friendship.

A/N: Although this takes place during Latter Days, there isn’t a direct 1-1 relationship between the chapters. So, you could say that time is moving at a slightly different pace, although they will intersect.

“Your paint dries, the canvas smiles,/with two eyes you lift yourself up./Stroke your skin, there are teeth marks to be sure./Maybe we’re best close to the ground./Maybe angels drag us down./I wonder which part of this will leave the scar…Let the whole world drift downstream./We’ll always be different./Swim the silent slipstream inside of me./No matter what they say, you’ll always be/faithfully dangerous, lost and lovely,/so beautiful to me./I’m not too blind to see.” ~Over the Rhine, “Faithfully Dangerous”

Chapter 1

Faith stepped through the gate at LAX and glanced around, trying to spot a familiar face. She had called ahead, but had been forced to leave a message with Angel’s secretary—who had, oddly enough she thought, identified herself as Harmony. She vaguely remembered the girl from the time she’d spent in Sunnydale, when she’d still been friendly with Buffy.

How the hell she’d wound up in L.A., working for Angel, was a mystery that Faith didn’t care to unravel.

She didn’t see anyone at the gate, so she headed to the baggage carousel. Faith had been happy to discover that her new papers were just as good at getting her back into the country as they were getting her out. The last thing she needed was to get caught red-handed with fake identification.

Faith snagged her bag from the carousel and headed for the exit, thinking she’d find a taxi to take her to the Wolfram & Hart offices. “Faith!” At first, she didn’t turn around, not realizing that she was the one being hailed. “Faith!”

She turned to see Wesley approaching her at a fast clip. “Wes?”

“Sorry,” he said, a bit breathlessly. “I was running late.”

“I can see that,” she replied, amused. He looked better than he had the last time she’d seen him, less tired, and his eyes weren’t as haunted. “Did Giles call you?”

“He did, although I didn’t get his message until this morning. Things have been a little hectic recently.” He held out a hand for her bag. “Can I get that for you?”

She smirked. “I think I’ve got it, thanks. What’s kept you so busy?”

“We’re still trying to get settled,” Wesley explained. “Lorne has been doing readings to see which employees are at the firm because they’ve bought into the philosophy, or because they were simply doing their jobs.”

Faith frowned. “What’s the difference? They had to know what the firm was up to.”

“That’s debatable,” Wesley replied. “Even so, it was Angel’s decision.”

“How is Angel?” she asked. “Feeling evil?”

His lips twitched. “Not that I’ve noticed, but then you know how often Angel talks about his feelings.”

“Never?”

“Precisely.” Wesley glanced over at her. “Would you mind telling me why you’re in Los Angeles? Giles said that you wanted to speak to Angel about the amulet, but that could have been done over the phone.”

“He wanted a personal report, and not just on the amulet,” Faith hedged. Then, wanting to change the subject, she asked, “So, where am I staying? The hotel again?”

He cleared his throat. “The hotel has been closed, actually. Angel’s paid for it, but no one’s staying there, so there’s no water or electricity. I thought—well, you could stay with me if you like, or I can get you a hotel room. It would be at our expense, of course.”

Faith considered her options. There was a good possibility that she and Wesley would end up wanting to kill each other, but she would have readier access to a steady stream of information. She couldn’t quite get a read on the ex-Watcher; Faith had no idea what his preference might be, or if it mattered to him at all. “It’s up to you,” she finally said. “It’s your place I’d be crashing at.”

Wesley seemed a little taken aback by her response, but he shrugged. “Well, we can try my apartment for a day or two, and if you decide you’d be more comfortable at a hotel, you can let me know.”

She shrugged. “Sounds good to me. So, where are these offices you keep talking about?”

~~~~~

Wesley had expected her to reject his offer of his apartment out of hand. This was Faith, and they would likely end up killing one another if they spent too much time in close quarters. He’d made the offer out of what was probably a misguided sense of chivalry, and when she’d sent the ball back into his court, he hadn’t been able to say that he would see to getting her a hotel room.

It just wasn’t polite.

Still, they had come a long way in the last few years, and they had made a certain kind of peace the last time she was in town. Wesley had regrets, of course; he’d used her shamelessly to capture Angelus so that Willow could restore his soul. Perhaps, in giving her a hand now, he could make up for those actions in some small way.

“This is my office,” Wesley explained, leading her inside. “Angel’s is in another area.”

“You guys still aren’t close, huh?”

He wasn’t sure what to make of that question. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, I know he was evil the last time I was here, but you and Angel weren’t all that friendly.” Faith turned away from his windows, hands shoved in her pockets. “To be honest, I was a little surprised when Giles told me you’d come to work for this place.”

Wesley shrugged, knowing how odd it might look, considering the allegiances that the law firm had traditionally held. “Angel made the decision to come, and we thought we could do more good with the resources at our disposal here.”

“What did they use as bait for you?”

He hated to acknowledge her point, but Faith was close to the truth. “Resources, as I said.” Wesley motioned to the book-lined walls. “There’s more here than I would have ever had working on my own, or with Angel.”

Faith gave him a searching look, then seemed to dismiss the matter from her mind. “Right. So where’s Angel? Does he know I’m coming?”

“I sent him a message that I was picking you up,” he replied, hanging his jacket on the coat hook just behind the door. “I’ll show you to his office.”

The walk through the hallways was silent; Wesley had no idea what to say to her, or how to combat the disapproval that seemed to radiate off of her. He understood what Wolfram & Hart had stood for in the past, but they were changing that. They had an opportunity to make real, lasting changes now.

He hoped. Wesley was still hanging onto hope, even though there was a small voice within him that kept insisting it was a fruitless exercise.

“Is Angel in his office?” Wesley asked Harmony, stopping by her desk on the way in out of courtesy.

Harmony didn’t even look at him, instead fixing her eyes on Faith with a look that clearly expressed her distaste. “He’s in there, but I don’t think he wants to be bothered.”

“He’ll deal with it,” Wesley replied. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind saying hello to our guest.”

Harmony shrugged and tossed her hair. “It’s your funeral.”

Wesley looked over at Faith, who smirked. “I’ll protect you.” She leaned in close to him as he opened the door. “Is she—”

“She is,” he murmured. “But she’s on a human-free diet.”

As soon as he opened the door, Angel called, “Harmony! I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“I never thought you’d be the kind of guy who didn’t have time for an old friend,” Faith drawled.

The vampire’s head came up, and he blinked at her a couple of times. “Faith?”

“In the flesh.”

Angel rose and came out from behind his desk, wrapping Faith in a hug. “How have you been?”

“Good,” she said. “Just got in from Brazil, actually. Willow was having some demon trouble down there.”

“What sort of trouble?” he asked, waving Faith to a seat on one of the couches.

Wesley sat down, used to being ignored at this point. Angel had been colder to him of late, although he had no idea why that would be.

“Demos demons were out to kill every newbie Slayer they could find.” Faith leaned back into the couch cushions and propped her feet on the table. “I took out the demons—all the ones I could find, anyway. It was a good time.”

“So, what can I do for you, Faith?” Angel asked, his gaze shrewd. “You didn’t come here to catch up on gossip.”

“No, I came to find out if you were going to go off the deep end,” she replied bluntly. “This place has a bad rep, Angel.”

His jaw set. “We’re changing that.”

“You know, my school guidance counselor said something about reputations. Of course, she was trying to tell me that I was a slut, but the same principle probably applies.”

Angel glared at her. “Faith—”

“It’s a legitimate concern,” Wesley pointed out. “Giles is correct; Wolfram and Hart does not have a good reputation.”

His sigh spoke volumes. “We’ve been over this. Just because this was an evil law firm doesn’t mean that it still is.”

“And just because you say so doesn’t make it so.” Faith’s eyes stayed on his face. “Come on, Angel. We’ve been through a few things together, which is why Giles sent me.”

“I’m not exactly sure what I can say to give you the proof you need,” Angel responded.

Faith smiled. “I need information, and we need help. I think that will go a long way towards proving your sincerity.”

“How bad is it, Faith?” Wesley asked quietly. He’d known that it would have to be bad if Giles was calling him and sending Faith to them for information.

She shook her head. “No one knows, but the last I heard was that Giles gave the go ahead for Spike to recruit demons to help out. No way he does that unless things are grim.”

“Wait, Spike?” Angel frowned. “I thought that Buffy said he was dead.”

Faith’s expression was unreadable. “It didn’t take, hence our need to know about the amulet. It’s hard to say what would have happened to him if Willow hadn’t taken steps to get it sent to her—and you’re the one who gave it to Buffy in the first place.”

“I thought I would be the one to wear it,” Angel protested.

“And it was Spike, which still begs the question of what the hell it was and where the hell it came from. That’s some powerful mojo built into it.”

Wesley studied both Angel and Faith, wondering what exactly was going on—what had gone on. “Where did it come from, Angel?”

The vampire glanced over at him. “Lilah gave it to me when she filled me in on what was going on in Sunnydale.” Turning back to Faith, he added, “And I told you, I was supposed to wear it.”

“Then what was it meant to do to you?” Wesley asked, feeling a spark of alarm. “Think, Angel. If Spike hadn’t worn it…”

“We don’t know what would have happened,” Angel muttered, sounding a little rebellious, but Wesley knew him well enough that he could tell that Faith was getting through. “All I know is what I was told,” he admitted. “At the time, I wasn’t thinking about the consequences.”

“Fair enough,” Faith said evenly. “But I’ll still need more information. Giles told me I was supposed to get everything I could.”

“Wes can help you with that,” Angel replied. “Anything else?”

“With all the resources you’ve got here, you could probably do something for us in the way of finding Slayers,” she pointed out.

“I can help her with that, too,” Wesley said before Angel could reply. “It’s not really your field of expertise.”

“Sure, that’s fine,” Angel replied. He glanced over at the clock. “I hate to have to run, but—”

“You have to run.” Faith rose. “It was nice to see you again.”

Angel sounded sincere when he replied, “Yeah. It was good to see you. I’m sure I’ll see you around. How long are you staying?”

“As long as it takes.” Faith headed towards the doors of the office, Wesley close behind, and she waited until they were back in his office with the door closed before saying anything. “What the hell was that, Wes?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Did you hear him?” Faith shook her head, pacing back and forth. “There’s something not right here.”

Wanting her to stand still, Wesley grabbed her arm. “Faith—”

“I’m starving,” she announced, interrupting him. “Is there anything to eat around here?”

He shook his head. “We could go get something. I probably should have offered earlier.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Faith replied. “I need a break.”

~~~~~

Faith couldn’t believe that Wesley didn’t sense it, but he had changed since the last time she’d been in L.A. He was a little less edgy, a little more relaxed, and Faith might have chalked it up to being at the law firm, but she hadn’t seen any difference in Angel.

What was worse were the gaps in her memory, something she hadn’t noticed until she saw Wesley and Angel again. She remembered that she’d broken out of prison in order to help stuff Angel’s soul back inside him, but there were things that were fuzzy after that. It was like trying to recall something that was at the tip of her tongue and not being able to.

“When we were trying to capture Angel, who was with us?” Faith asked urgently, after they’d been seated. Wesley had found a restaurant that served burgers, which was what she’d asked for.

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Who was with us, Wes? Who was around the hotel at the time?”

His brow furrowed, and Faith saw that he recognized the problem too. “Gunn and Fred, of course,” he began, speaking slowly. “Cordelia was around, but she’d been possessed. Willow came down from Sunnydale to do the curse, but…” Wesley trailed off. “There’s something else there.”

Faith felt her shoulders sag in relief, absurdly grateful that she wasn’t the only one having memory problems. “So, it’s not just me, huh?”

“No, but—” He shook his head, as though trying to clear it. “It’s not just capturing Angelus,” he murmured. “There’s so much that’s missing, and I never realized.”

She took a breath. “Angel knows. Whatever it is, he knows about it.”

“How can you be so sure?” Wesley demanded. “Angel may have been affected as well.”

“He hasn’t changed, Wes,” Faith insisted. “You were different; he wasn’t, and nobody ever told me why he agreed to take over when he hated that place.”

After a moment of silence, Wesley admitted, “I don’t know what changed his mind, exactly. From what I remember, one moment he was certain that it wasn’t a good idea, and then he changed his mind the next.”

She didn’t like the sound of that; it seemed as though the firm had been able to get some leverage on him, and Faith didn’t like not knowing what that was. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

“What’s more important?” Wesley asked. “The amulet, or this?”

Faith couldn’t quite believe that he was asking her, or that he was letting her make the call, but she appreciated it. It was her mission after all. “The amulet,” she decided. “Both Willow and Giles were asking about it, and Angel seems to be okay where he is. That’s not to say we can’t do two things at once, though.”

“We can do that.” He leaned back in his seat, his eyes hooded. “The best place to start would probably be the archives; there should be a record of it there, if it came from the law firm.”

Faith nodded. “Are we going to say anything to Angel or the others?”

“Better not.” Wesley’s lips twisted into a grim smile. “They’re all rather busy at the moment.”

“Doing what?”

“Enjoying their new resources.” He looked up as their waitress brought their food. “It probably doesn’t need to be said that we shouldn’t talk about this at the office.”

Faith shook her head. “I didn’t think so.” She picked up her burger and bit into it with a moan of pleasure. It had been a long time since she’d had a meal, and she’d been hungry.

Wesley’s expression was amused, but he followed her lead and started eating his own meal. “How is Willow doing in Brazil?” he asked between bites.

She began to fill him in, wondering if his show of interest was going to make it easier to convince him to leave Los Angeles and rejoin the Council.

~~~~~

Angel knew that Faith’s appearance didn’t bode well. It wasn’t that he regretted his decision to take over the law firm, but that he didn’t want anyone to find out about the deal he’d made, and what they’d done for him.

He had expected that the amulet would kill him; from what he’d been told, it had purifying properties, and it was highly unlikely that the demon would have been able to survive the process. What disturbed him was that there might have been more to it than simply meaning his death; if he had been the one trapped inside, would that have meant that Wolfram & Hart would have had a greater hold on him?

It had brought Spike back, but that might have been because the amulet hadn’t been meant for the other souled vampire. Angel suspected that he’d had a narrow escape, even though he wasn’t sure from what.

Angel knew Faith; she wouldn’t be put off. She was incredibly stubborn, and about the only thing he could do—other than coming clean—was to hope that the spell held, and that they didn’t discover his secret.

The timid knock on his door was followed by Fred. “Did you want to see me?”

“I did.” Angel forced a smile. “How’s the lab, Fred?”

“It’s great,” she replied enthusiastically. “Everyone has been really nice, and I think I’m finally settled in.”

“Good. I’d like you to do me a favor.”

“Sure.” Fred smiled, her expression as open as it ever was. Although Angel remembered a time when she’d been warier, she didn’t. He wasn’t sure exactly how the memory spell worked, only that no one would remember Connor.

How that affected their memories of the last two years was unclear, but it hadn’t been a question he’d been willing to ask.

“Faith is in town, and she’ll probably be sticking around for a while. I’d like you to help her out any way you can. She’s looking for a way to locate the Slayers who were activated.” Angel hoped that the gesture on his part would convince Faith that he wasn’t evil, while giving the Council the assistance it so desperately needed.

Fred looked a little dubious. “I don’t know, Angel. That doesn’t seem like something I’d be any good at. Why don’t you have Wesley research it on the magic end?”

“He already is. I’d like you to try, Fred. Just do your best.”

“I’ll try.” Her brow furrowed, and Angel knew that she was already working on the problem. “Do you think Faith would give me a blood sample? That might help. There has to be something that makes Slayers different from everybody else.”

Angel smiled encouragingly. “I’ll send her your way.”

When she’d gone, he ran a hand over his face, wondering what this was going to mean for the future.

He didn’t know that he had the capacity to hope for the best anymore.

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