Zac
Zac tentatively knocked on Faith's door. He hoped she would be willing to talk to him after he stormed out of the medlab earlier.
"Faithy?" He called, "I... I wanted to appologise for before..."
Faith
Faith pulled the shirt over her head and ran a hand through her hair. She looked at the door for a long second, then went over and opened it.
"Come in."
Zac
"Umm... yeah..." said Zac, walking in, "Sorry about before. I didn't mean it."
He chewed his lip nervously.
Faith
Faith nodded and picked up a stake and tucked it into the back of her pants.
"Yeah, it's alright."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Is that it? I kinda want to go patrolling."
Zac
Zac looked at Faith incredulously.
"You nearly died today and you're going to patrol?" he blinked.
Faith
"No, I nearly died yesterday," Faith corrected.
She picked up her jacket and shrugged it on.
Zac
Zac sighed.
"The point is... you nearly died," he replied.
Faith
Faith shrugged.
"But I didn't."
She bent down and put her boots on, wincing slightly as she touched her stomach.
"And what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?"
Zac
"Well, yeah but..." Zac said reluctantly. "But... I... you sure it's wise? This soon after a near death experience?"
Faith
Faith folded her arms.
"I'm surprised you care."
Zac
Zac gave Faith an indignant look.
"Of course I care!" He exclaimed.
He more than cared.
Faith
Faith raised her eyebrows.
"Well, you could've fooled me," she replied.
Zac
"Well, I'm sorry for that too," Zac replied with a sigh. "I wasn't trying to fool you."
Faith
Faith bit her lip.
"Zac, don't you have a girlfriend to see?"
Zac
A cheeky grin crossed Zac's face.
"No," he replied.
Faith
Faith looked unimpressed.
"So, you're forgetting about Rachel again, are you?"
Zac
"No I'm not," Zac replied. "We broke up just today."
He chewed his lip nervously.
Faith
Faith's heart jumped in her chest.
"Oh..." she said, struggling to keep her tone even. "Good for you."
Zac
Zac was silent for a moment, then shook his head in emotion.
"Damn, I've missed you so much!"
Faith
"Zac..."
Faith closed her eyes for a second, then took a step closer to him.
"There's just so much to work through. Trust has to build again, on both sides... you have to learn if... if we're even the same people we were, if you can fit in each other's lives, it's a long and important process and... can we just skip it? Can you... can you just be kissing me now?"
Zac
Zac didn't even think about it. He just wrapped his arms around Faith and kissed her passionately
"I... I... does this mean we can be sex buddies again?"
"Okay Zac, that was just plain stupid!"
Faith
Faith bit her lip.
"Yeah, none of that pesky love crap?"
"Ok, honestly, what are you doing?"
Zac
Zac nodded.
"Yeah, look where it got us last time," Zac said.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid! You just agreed not to tell her how much you love her!"
Faith
"Well, that was your fault, if I recall correctly," Faith replied.
"There is no help for you... I'm leaving."
Zac
"Yeah, I should never have asked you out on a date," Zac replied.
"Yeah, that's right. Dig the hole deeper!"
Faith
"And maybe I should've slept with Ike," Faith commented.
Shouldn't have said that, what do I do?
"Oh, look who's come crawling back..."
Zac
"Yeah, well, I know Ike needs to get laid and all, but he IS for all the love crap," Zac pointed out.
"Must... keep... her... away... from... Ike..."
Faith
"Hey, I could love Ike."
Faith paused.
"He wouldn't cheat on me."
"Right, repeat after me... 'I am an idiot'."
Zac
Low bow! Low bow! Okay, maybe I deserved it but still a low blow!
"Hey I always told you right after," Zac defended, "and you knew even before we started dating that I cheated."
Faith
Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, because you were terribly proud of it."
"Ok, I'm going to ask you something seriously, do you want him back? Because you're honestly screwing it up."
Zac
"Well, before you I was," Zac admitted.
Yeah... five girls at once... that was pretty good... plus the regular one night stands... "Zac, shut up."
"After you I always felt guilty about it," he went on.
Faith
"Hmm, and yet..."
Faith looked thoughtful.
"You continued to do it. Why?"
Zac
Zac was silent for a moment.
"Because I was depressed without you," he said finally.
And even then it never filled the hole inside me."
Faith
"I was *always* there," Faith said emphatically.
Zac
Zac gazed into her eyes.
"Were you?" he asked quietly.
Faith
"Yeah, and unlike you, my affection never wavered."
Faith bit her lip.
Zac
Zac shook his head.
"It was not my affection that wavered," Zac replied.
Faith
"What? Just your penis?" Faith asked.
Zac
"Yes. It was feeling neglected when you weren't around," Zac replied smartly.
"Zac, I don't think playing the smart alec is going to help you any here."
Faith
"And you couldn't wait?"
Faith narrowed her eyes.
"If you had really loved me, you would've waited."
"Yep, there's the way to win him back..."
Zac
"Hey some people cut when they're depressed, or drink or take drugs or kill themselves," Zac proclaimed. "I get laid!"
Faith
"Mmmm, yeah, there's something to brag about. That you've impregnanted like one thousand girls!" Faith shot back.
Zac
"Yeah well, at least I'm creating life and not getting myself beaten almost to death," Zac replied sarcastically.
"Uh huh... Zac? How is this helping?"
Faith
One of Faith's hands clenched into a fist.
"You better be careful before I take your life," she said quietly.
Zac
"Please do," Zac replied in cold fury, "maybe it'll end my misery!"
Faith
"Right," Faith replied, her eyes flashing angrily. "And I get to live with the pain of killing the father of my child... doesn't really matter, the kid died too!"
Zac
"Oh and thanks so much for telling me!" Zac replied sarcastically. "I had to find out through my wasted brother!"
"Okay, so can we start this again? Please?"
Faith
"Well seeing as you turned out to be such a child, I'm glad I didn't tell you."
Faith took a deep breath.
"I didn't think it mattered, you had all those other kids anyway."
"Clap, clap. Well done, Faith. I'd like to welcome everyone to today's seminar, 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Seconds'."
Zac
"Doesn't matter?" Zac repeated quietly. "If you and I ever had a child, I would be accused of favouritism, because I'd love him or her more, just because... just because you're the mother."
Faith
Faith looked away.
"Well, that's hardly an issue anymore, because we don't have a child... and we're not going to because you don't love me anymore, and that hurts me so much that I'd rather die a thousand deaths than have you tell me..."
Zac
Zac touched her cheek gently.
"Whatever gave you the idea that I didn't love you?" he asked softly. "I love you so much I thought I would die when I walked in on you and Ike. "
Faith
A tear fell from Faith's eye onto Zac's hand.
"But you didn't love me enough to trust me that nothing was going on..." she said sadly.
Zac
"You had been so distant. Even during sex you were just... it was like you were in a different room. I felt like I was losing you..."
Zac looked down at the floor.
Faith
Faith pulled away from Zac and walked over to the window.
"How could I have not been distant? I couldn't tell you because then you'd have hated me, but I guess I should've told you, because you ended up hating me anyway..."
Zac
"I never hated you Faith! If I hated anyone I hated myself because... because I thought I had driven you away," Zac replied passionately.
Tears began to prick at his eyes.
Faith
Faith cloed her eyes and leaned her head to the cool glass of the window.
"How could you drive me away? You'd never done anything but bring me happiness, while all I brought you was pain and trouble..." Her voice caught in her throat. "No, you were right to let me go."
Zac
"I was right to let you go?" Zac stared at Faith incredulously. "Let you go? I've never let go of you, Faithy. I thought you had let go of me."
Faith
Faith turned around to face him.
"I would never let you go... you were my one reason to hold onto a life, and then you left me alone... all alone in this shitty world and I had *nothing* left..."
Zac
Zac shook his head.
"Nothing," he answered, "except my heart and I was never inclined to ask for it back."
Faith
Faith wiped a tear away from her cheek.
"I guess we were even, because you had my heart, and you stomped on it when you didn't believe me."
Zac
"And you tore mine up in a billion pieces and scattered them across the world," Zac retorted bitterly.
Faith
"I loved you with all my heart, but you... you didn't want me anymore," Faith replied. "And so I left, because I thought that's what you wanted, and I was hoping you'd come after me... but you didn't... and I thought I would die then and there from that."
Zac
"I didn't come after you because I thought you didn't want me to! I thought you were... I thought you were... I thought you were in love with someone else!"
Namely, Isaac."
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"So maybe, maybe I should spare you the trouble and leave."
She paused.
"No, you know what, this is my room, you leave."
Zac
"Damn it Faith. I'm not leaving," Zac replied. "Not ever leaving you again. Don't care if you have to get a restraining order to keep me away. I'm not leaving!"
Faith
"Why not?"
Faith sighed.
"What changed? Hell, you couldn't get rid of me quick enough when you thought I was with Isaac..."
Zac
"I thought I was doing you a favour!" Zac exclaimed.
"Yeah, no one likes the ex hanging around when they have a new partner."
Faith
"What, by breaking my heart?"
Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Well congratulations, because you succeeded. Well done."
She clapped.
Zac
"Broke your heart? What about my heart?" Zac demanded. "Don't you think it freaking killed me? Don't you think that - Damn it all Faith, will you marry me?"
Faith
Did he just...
"What?" Faith asked, confused.
Zac
"Marry me," Zac replied. "Do you want me to ask again? Because I will. I will get on my hands and knees and beg if I have to."
He hadn't felt so sure about something before in his life.
Faith
"Weren't we just arguing?"
"Come again?" Faith asked.
She mustn't have heard correctly.
Zac
Zac walked on his knees over to Faith and took her hands in his.
"Marry me, Faith! Be my wife. I want to be more to you than a lover. I love you Faith, and I never want to be parted from you again."
Faith
Faith looked down at Zac.
"Ok, now that it's sunk in... of course I'll marry you."
Zac
Zac stood up, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with all the passion he could muster in the world.
Faith
Faith wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
"I love you," she whispered.
Zac
"I love you too. More than anything in the world," Zac replied softly.
Then he went back to kissing her, his arms holding her tightly as if to let go would mean the worst possible torment.
Faith
Faith ran her hands through his hair, then pulled him gently to the bed. She sat down carefully, kissing him softly. One hand reached behind to pull the stake from her pocket, tossing it on the ground.
Zac
Zac followed Faith onto the bed.
This was the best day of his life.
Faith
Faith smiled happily at Zac as she kissed him again.
Everything would be ok now...