Faith
Faith numble rose herself off the ground. She glanced at Zac quickly, before looking away.
She knew it wasn't him who'd done that to her.
But it had looked like him.
And she'd had to kill Kenny.
While he looked like Zac.
It was almost too much to bear. Why was everything so hard for them?
"I should go..."
Faith pulled Xander's sweater tighter around her body, rubbing her arms to try and keep warm. She accidently scratched the cut on her arm and she winced involuntarily.
Zac
"Faith?" Zac asked, sensing something was wrong. "Faithy? What's wrong?"
He reached for her and put his arm around her waist.
Faith
Faith accepted Zac's arm around her waist, but her body tensed. She hope Zac knew she wasn't afraid of him, she was just jumpy at the moment.
"Can you just take me home?"
Faith could feel her tears resurfacing and she pushed them aside, not wanting to cry.
"I'm sorry that I didn't stop him in time."
Zac
"Sure, sure, I can take you home," Zac said.
He kissed her gently and lead her over to his car.
"It's not your fault Kenny was... who he was. You tried."
Faith
"I knew he was coming after you... I should've been waiting. He could've..."
Faith hopped in the car and stared straight ahead, unable to look at Zac.
"Maybe your mom was right... I'm just going to get you hurt."
Zac
"I don't care," Zac said. "I would rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you."
He started the car and began to drive.
Faith
They reached the Manor but when the car stopped, Faith couldn't bring herself to open the door.
She rolled her sleeve up slightly and could see that in the course of the evening, the bandage had slipped and her cut had re-opened. There was blood all along the sleeve of Xander's sweater. She sighed, she'd have to buy him a new one.
"Thanks."
Faith still couldn't move.
Zac
Zac looked at Faith, then leaned over and kissed her.
"I love you, you know," he said. "I always will."
He stroked her hair, and then kissed her cheek.
Faith
Faith felt her body tense again.
She nodded and her eyes started watering.
"I love you too."
Zac
Zac nuzzled her neck.
"Would you like me to stay with you tonight?"
Faith
"Won't your mom get angry?"
Faith undid her seatbelt, still unable to look at Zac.
"I would... but you don't have to."
Zac
"She can get as angry as she wants," Zac replied. "If you want me to stay with you, then I'm staying with you. SHe's just going to have to accept that I love you."
He got out of the car and opened Faith's door for her.
Faith
Faith shakily stepped out of the car, not sure if she was going to make it to the house without falling.
"Please stay."
They walked to the front door and Faith unlocked it, letting them both in and led them to her room. She pushed the door open fiercely, dislodging her bed from it's place as the barricade.
Zac
"I'm getting the impression you don't want to be interupted."
Zac paused and eyed her arm.
"You sure you don't want that looked at?"
Faith
"No, I heal fast."
Faith moved her bed back to it's proper place. Not in front of the door. She closed the door after them and pulled the sweater off. She grabbed some bandages and fixed her arm again.
Faith stopped and looked at Zac for the first time since they'd been alone. She felt the mask she'd been wearing crack and she began to cry.
Zac
"Oh Faithy!" Zac said.
He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder.
"You... you let it all out," he encouraged her. "It was horrible and you deserve a good cry."
Faith
Faith felt her tears making a rather large wet spot on Zac's shirt. She lifted her head and kissed him softly.
"I'm so sorry... I love you so much."
Zac
Zac smiled and rubbed her back.
"No, it's fine," he assured her. "I love you too."
Faith
Faith hugged Zac close to her again. She tearfully looked at him and kissed his cheek.
"I don't deserve you."
Zac
Zac sighed.
"I know," he said. "But you're the one choosing to lower yourself to my level."
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"Zac... don't be... if anything, you're lowering to my level."
She leaned her head against him and kissed his neck softly.
Zac
"Mmmm Faithy... Faithy you're so high above me, I need a ladder in order to even see your toes. You're so beautiful, inside and out, and I don't know what I would do without you."
He kissed her lips gently.
"Whatever you want, I'm yours."
Faith
Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever I want?"
She kissed Zac again.
"You make me so happy."
Zac
"Good, at least I'm doing something right."
Zac nuzzled her neck and moves his hands up and down her back.
Faith
Faith pulled back suddenly.
"I don't... I can't tonight. I just... I can't. I'm sorry."
Zac
Zac met Faith's eyes.
"That's okay," he assured her. "For once I wasn't going to ask."
He reached a hand out and touched her hair.
"It's enough for me just to be here with you."
Faith
Faith smiled and sat on her bed. She lay down after a few seconds.
"I'm so lucky..."
Zac
Zac laid down next to her.
"Nope, I think I'm the lucky one."
He took a deep breath and just looked at her, a smile on his face.
Faith
Faith put her head on Zac's chest and took a deep breath.
"I was so scared..."
Zac
Zac stroked her hair.
"You're safe now."
Faith
"I love you."
Faith closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.