Faith slipped her foot into her silver heel and straightened up, tossing her hair back over her shoulders.
"So, I really can't convince you to leave the book and come out for some drinking, dancing and maybe some slaying?" Faith asked. "We could search out a nest!"
Angel looked up from the text he was studying and smiled faintly. "I appreciate the offer, but no, I'm going to read up on this fighting technique, so we can start studying it."
"All work and no play," Faith replied affectionately. "Ok, I won't be too late, I want to get a sweep in before I come back too."
"Be careful."
"Always."
Faith left the hotel room and headed for the lift. She jabbed the button and waited patiently until she heard the ding of the bell, alerting her to the fact the elevator had arrived.
The doors parted and it wasn't until Faith had walked fully into the lift that she realised she was standing there with none other than her ex husband.
Zac
Zac stared.
"Faith?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
First Nikki, now Faith? Was everyone staying in the same hotel?
Faith
Faith half jumped.
"Hey! Oh, Angel and I are training all over the place again... are you... are you staying here?"
Zac
Zac nodded.
"Not for much longer though," he said. "Couple more days."
Faith
"Same," Faith said, reaching up to move her hair from her eyes. "I'm not sure where we're headed next... usually we either just decide when we're about to leave, or we hear of demonic activity."
She paused.
"So, where are you off to tonight?"
Zac
"We've got a spot on a TV show 'La Musique aux Oreilles'," Zac replied. "Do you have any idea who weird it is to be on a TV show where the whole thing is in another language and they have to have a translater? Serious psycho."
Faith
"The perils of being in a band?" Faith teased.
"Well, I am off to escape Angel and his Nazi-like training regime, in favour of a fun night of dancing and Slaying. Mostly slaying."
Zac
Zac laughed.
"Sounds like fun," he said. "I'm amazed that there are still vampires around with you on their case."
Faith
Faith grinned proudly.
"I try and give them a run for their money... or food."
Zac
"That's always good to know," Zac nodded, grinning back.
He paused, unceratin as to what to say next.
"So... training with Angel?"
Faith
"Yeah, we're studying the ancient French... style. I forget what it is called. My favourite was fencing, but not a lot of demons subscribe to traditional fighting methods."
Faith shrugged slightly.
"It keeps me young."
Zac
"And sweaty," Zac joked.
Now why did he go and say that for?
Faith
Faith smiled, but it was a little awkward.
"How's the tour going?"
Zac
"Eh, good. There's a couple of Ike fans following us around. How they have the money, I have no idea, but anyway. They've been providing no end of amusement," Zac chuckled.
Faith
"Probably not for Ike though, as I imagine you and Taylor have been giving him hell?"
Faith grinned slightly.
Zac
"Oh absolutely," Zac nodded enthusiastically. "Why, one of them -"
He was cut off by the feeling of the elevator halting, a clang and a power fluctuation.
"This can't be good," he said, getting a distinct feeling of deja vu.
Faith
Faith stumbled slightly, managing to keep her balance and she made a face.
"Are you serious?" she muttered to herself.
She glanced at Zac and almost gulped. The last time they'd been stuck in a lift...
Zac
Zac glanced at Faith, then swallowed nervously before reaching for the help button.
He looked at Faith again and laughed nervously.
Faith
Faith let out a laugh and shook her head.
"Well... I think we've broken another lift."
Zac
"Yes, yes we have," Zac agreed. "Or have we? Once is happenstance, twice is conincidence and thirce is an enemy attack."
He nodded sagely.
"Also, I like the word 'thrice'."
Faith
Faith shrugged slightly and sat down on the ground.
"Well, I get the feeling we might be here awhile."
She made a face.
"Why is it as soon as I'm trapped somewhere, my stomach decides it really wants to eat?"
Zac
"Because... you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?" Zac suggested.
He sat down as well, and absently started humming the corresponding tune.
Faith
It was then that Faith realised the emergency phone box was open... and that the phone was missing.
"Well... there goes my one phone call."
Zac
"Darn," Zac joked. "We could have ordered pizza."
He looked at Faith, grinning. Well, she was the only other person in the room. And she was very, very nice to look at.
Faith
Faith was looking up at the roof of the elevator, conscious that Zac's eyes were on her.
"I don't think we should try and supernatural escape again..."
Without realising it, the shoulder of her shirt slipped down and revealed her golden tanned shoulder.
Zac
"Yeah. No. Probably not."
Zac's eyes flicked to she shoulder.
"Zac," he told himself. "This is your ex-wife. Your ex-wife. And she left you. Stop drooling already. You're probably giving her the creeps or something. Gee."
Faith
Faith suddenly had an idea, completely unaware of Zac's mental battle with himself, and she lifted herself up a little to grab her phone from her back pocket. She flipped it open and made a face.
"Of course, no reception."
Not that she was in a hurry to get anywhere. Zac was awfully cute. Her ex-husband that she cheated on, but to be fair, he'd done it to her before. And she was single at the moment. And hadn't been close to anyone since then. And...
"Stop having these thoughts," she said to herself. "Bad."
She stretched her legs out in front of her and let her head slide back a little, rolling her shoulders to relax.
Zac
"Of, of course," Zac nodded. "I think it's a conspiracy. Clearly thr French are involved."
"Yes. Dumb jokes. Taking refuge in dumb jokes is a brilliant idea."
Faith
Faith smiled, suddenly feeling a little claustraphobic.
"So... here we are. Again."
Zac
"Yes," Zac nodded. "And this time, we shall learn from our mistakes and not have sex. Not that having sex with you is a mistake, just that last time the security feed ended up on ebay and we kept outbidding each other in an effort to prevent the tape from falling into the wrong hands."
"Babbler," he accused himself.
Faith
"Either way, it might still end up on ebay, considering you are in a band and all, so this would be the most boring movie ever."
Faith grinned.
"And I don't even have a boyfriend to make jealous with it."
Zac
"Dang," Zac laughed.
He was quiet for a moment.
"So you and Angel? Nothing there?"
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Oh no way. Apart from he'd lose his soul if we had sex, and believe me, we'd be having sex a lot, he's too much of a father figure to me."
Zac
"Ahh," Zac nodded. "I was forgetting about the losing his soul thing. He has my sympathy. I'm guessing you guys haven't found a way to counter the curse? 'Cause y'know, that's a really sucky curse. We'd both be in trouble if someone did that to us, eh?"
Faith
"Out of respect to the gypsies, Angel doesn't want a counter curse. The curse was for him to suffer and feel remorse over the things he'd done, and it loses the punch if you can be happy."
Faith made a face.
"Sometimes he's too noble, but you know."
Zac
"Isn't there a point where you've suffered enough?" Zac asked thoughtfully. "I think we should look for a counter. It can be a birthday present!"
"Yes! Talking about countering curses that have been around for goodness knows how long is a much, much safer topic of conversation than... Don't go there Zac," he advised himself.
Faith
"Well yeah, but happy Angel kinda freaks me out."
Faith crossed one leg over the other.
"Ok, it's getting hot in here. Could you do that temperature thing?"
Zac
Zac shrugged, and lowered the temperature of the room a bit.
"Better?" he asked. "More?"
Faith
"No, that's good."
Faith rested her head against the wall.
"Sorry, enclosed areas make me jumpy. Reminds me of jail."
Zac
"Ahh," Zac nodded.
He was quiet for a moment.
"This is awkward, isn't it?"
Faith
"A world of yes."
Faith rubbed her nose.
"Let's make it unawkward and lay it all out here. Ask me something."
Zac
"Umm okay," Zac thought for a moment.
What question would he like to ask her more than anything?
"I miss you."
That wasn't a question.
Faith
Faith was speechless for a moment.
"That... that wasn't a question."
Well, way to state the obvious, Faith.
She looked over at him and bit her lip.
"If we hug, will that make it more awkward?"
Zac
Zac sighed.
"Probably. Okay, an actual question this time: is it always going to be awkward between us?"
Faith
Faith shrugged.
"I mean, it depends on the situation... being trapped in an elevator with an ex is always going to be awkward, no matter who you are. We're not so awkward when we're around other people. It's just one on one when we struggle. And it's doubly awkward when either one of us are single."
Ah, clever, trying to find out if he was single.
Zac
Zac half nodded his head.
"Even worse when we both are," he replied, sounding resigned.
Faith
"Yeah."
Faith let her head slide back against the wall.
"So..."
Zac
"Well, we could either try to only ever see each other when other people are around, or we could... yeah, I don't know," Zac shrugged.
"We could make out," Zac thought to himself. "No, no forget that idea. That's a bad idea. You were just ripping on Ike for his on/off relationship with Nikki. Don't be a hypocrite!"
Faith
Just then, the lights in the lift flickered and then went out completely.
"Well," Faith said, torn between laughing and crying. "Alone in the dark. It just keeps getting more awkward."
Zac
Zac laughed nervously.
"Well, hey now that we can't see each other we also can't see all the things that temps us."
"Like your lips, and your hands, and your - shut up Zac," he thought to himself.
Faith
"What makes you think I need to see you to be tempted?" Faith teased.
She extended her leg and felt her foot connect with something.
"Oh, sorry... if that's you. If that's a wall, then I'm not sorry."
Zac
"Nope, that was me," Zac replied. "Well, y'know. I could still be tempted with the lights off, but y'know. At least you can't see me drool."
Faith
"I can hear it though... super hearing."
Faith giggled cheekily.
"So, I mean, this is already suggestive, why not kick it up a notch... favourite fantasy?"
Zac
Silence.
"Umm, umm... Lord of the Rings," Zac replied, deliberately misinterpretting her.
Like he was really going to tell her that.
Faith
Faith grinned, letting her foot accidentally brush past Zac's leg.
"I'm more of a Harry Potter girl, I think. Not that that's really fantasy, but I never got into the Lord of the Rings thing."
Zac
"Oh I love a good Lord of the Rings marathon," Zac nodded enthusiastically in the dark as he tried not to think about Faith's foot. "It's fun. Especially when you're with a girl who falls asleep in your lap during it."
Now why did he say that?
Faith
"In my defence, I had been patrolling all night and had been training during the day and was tracking a new demon. So kner!"
Faith nodded.
Zac
Zac chuckled evilly.
"Hence the fun."
Faith
Faith grinned slightly.
"Am I to assume you looked down my shirt or something?"
Zac
"Or something," Zac replied mischeviously.
Although in truth he hadn't actually done anything. But darn it, implying otherwise was fun!
Faith
"Well, too bad the lights are out then," Faith teased.
She paused.
"Ok, tell me a story or something."
Zac
"Okay, ummm," Zac scratched his head, thinking. "Well..."
A story. What story? Hmm. Oh!
"Not so long ago in a toy room not so far away," Zac began in a story-telling voice. "Lived a boy who had so many toys. And he didn't know what to do with them all."
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"That sounds vaguely familiar. Did he have a ballerina and a one legged soldier?"
Zac
"Yes," Zac replied. "At night they would share each others dreams under the stars shining bright. But they were too shy to speak of love."
Hey this was fun.
"One day the boy sat them on the window sill," Zac went on dramatically, standing up to better enhance this theatrical mood even if Faith couldn't see him. "To watch for the enemy coming over the hill. But when the wind it blew, it knocked him into the street! And the boys from the town they said: Won't you look at the one legged soilder? Let's stick him in a boat and send him far away, 'cause we can't find a use for a soilder with a missing leg."
Faith
Just then, the lift dropped a few metres.
"Ok," Faith said, her voice a little shakey. "Would it diminish your opinion of me if I admitted this was freaking me out?"
Zac
"Not in the slightest," Zac replied sounding a lot more calm than he felt. "I think I lost a few years off my life with that drop. I hope that's all I loose."
Faith
"Ok, well I'm going to admit something to you that I've never told anyone, but I have a slight problem with heights. Ever since I jumped off that roof a few years ago when Buffy stabbed me."
Faith closed her eyes and silently counted to ten, to regain her sanity and her courage.
"It's not a huge problem, just enough to get me shakey."
Zac
"Ahhh," Zac replied.
Carefully, he shuffled over and wrapped his arms around her. Which part of her he wasn't entirely sure because it was pitch black after all.
Faith
Faith bit back a smile.
"Um... Zac... hands... on... chest."
Zac
"Oh, umm, sorry," Zac replied, and moved his hands down around her waist.
Then he wondered whether he should have moved them around her shoulders instead. Maybe that would have been safer.
Faith
Faith rested her head against Zac's for a moment.
"Awkward again?"
Zac
Zac paused. He hadn't even thought about it actually.
"No..." he said slowly. "I guess comforting a scared friend come naturally to me."
Faith
"Maybe the key is to always be scared then?"
Faith lay her head on Zac's shoulder and smiled lightly.
"So... remember when we first met?"
Zac
"Yeah. We were at that party at P3," Zac mused. "I was charming, and you kept calling me a kid."
He chuckled to himself.
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Because compared to me, you were a kid."
Zac
"Yeah, well, well, there's an even bigger age differenec between us now, huh, because you've spent more time in alternate dimensios than I have. So ha!" Zac replied.
Faith
"Well actually," Faith started. "I never went with Airlia, Serafina and Tru. Angel went with them."
She pulled away from him slightly.
"And Valhalla's time moved the same as ours. All that dimension did to me was turn me into a zombie of sorts. Made me a better fighter though."
Zac
"Yeah, but didn't you spend three years in a hell dimension when you were pregnant with Tru?" Zac asked.
He wondered if he remembered wrong.
Faith
"Yeah... ok, so I'm a little older."
Faith pretended to choke back a sob.
"We're actually looking into some sort of immortalising thing for me. I think Angel would like me to live forever with him."
She thought for a moment.
"Although... I did die. And then when they brought me back in Valhalla, they restored me to what I had been before everything. Because they wanted to train me from a younger age. They thought being early twenties would make me more obedient."
She chuckled.
"Oh they were so foolish."
Zac
Zac chuckled as well.
"Very foolish," he agreed. "So, the immortal slayer, huh? That would really bring up the average age for a slayer."
Faith
"I think he's coming to terms with the fact that I will not always be around... and I think it makes him cry at night."
Faith giggled.
"Or rather, he can't have a true love forever or anything, so he's decided that having the Bratling Slayer around forever is a good idea."
Zac
Zac laughed.
"I'm sure for someone as, erm, long lived as Angel, he would appreciate some consistant company. Otherwise he'd always be outliving his friends."
Faith
"And honestly, an eternity with me? Well... that's just peachy!"
Faith rubbed her eyes.
"So... I'm thinking we might be stuck in this lift forever."
Zac
"Yes. It does appear that no one is coming to rescue us," Zac nodded. "Maybe we need to rescue ourselves again."
What was wrong with these hotel elevator people anyway?
Faith
Just then, a voice from secruity crackled in through the speakers.
"Hey guys, sorry about the wait, we've had a power outtage in one of the levels you're currently stuck in between, making it difficult to pinpoint the actual problem. Sit tight, and we'll have you out in no time."
"Well," Faith said, blinking slightly as the lights flickered back on. "Ok."
Zac
"Oooh lights," said Zac. "We can see again! Also, you're hot."
He grinned at her before shifting away.
Faith
"Well, I find it's my best quality."
Faith stretched out again, getting comfortable.
Zac
"It's certainly your most apparent one," Zac replied with a silly grin. "Your next best quality is your kick ass ability which quickly comes apparent after someone tries to pursue your best quality without consent."
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Did I ever use my kick ass ability on you? Aside from the tournament anything goes fight thing."
Zac
Zac stuck out his tounge to think.
"Y'know what?" he said. "I honestly can't remember. If you did you must have taken pity on me or something."
Faith
"I mean, there were times when I wanted to hit you."
Faith nodded.
"And not in a fun way."
Zac
"I've noticed I've had that effect on women before," Zac nodded.
The elevator shuddered and moved up a bit.
Faith
Faith smiled and playfully smacked Zac's arm.
"I'm sure you could hold your own if we had a fight. Maybe."
Zac
"Only if I could use my temperature manipulation on you," Zac nodded. "Otherwise... I know when my butt'll get kicked. I haven't got your extensive martial arts training."
>HR>
Faith
"But you're strong."
Faith smiled fondly at the memories.
"Mmmhmm."
Zac
Zac pulled a face at her.
"But you have super slayer strength."
Faith
Faith smiled and nodded.
"That I do."
Zac
"Right, so, yeah, I'm not going to let you kick my butt," Zac nodded. "So there."
He grinned.
Faith
"You'd let me if I offered to make it up to you."
Faith nodded.
Zac
Zac eyed her suspiciously.
"Make it up to me how?"
Faith
"By doing whatever you wanted me to," Faith said with a perfectly straight face.
She nodded.
Zac
Zac opened his mouth to reply, shut it firmly, opened it again and then closed it again. He repeated this a few more times, then shook his head.
"So many possibilities," he murmmered.
Faith
Faith smirked.
"Like... what?"
At that point, the lights promptly went out aagin.
"Uh... sorry guys, we're having a few problems," the voice over the stereo said.
Zac
"Darn, not again," Zac said, grateful for the change of subject.
His mind was toying with all sorts of possibilities and he really didn't know if he should voice any of them. This was his ex-wife, with whom he had enjoyed a very raunchy history with. And he was trying to behave himself.
Really.
Faith
Faith slumped back against the wall, almost falling on Zac in the process.
"Ok... so... we took two steps forward and now we've taken three steps back."
Zac
"At least we're not falling again," Zac observed.
Then he wondered if that was the wrong thing to say. Murphey's law and all that.
Faith
"Good point."
Faith let out a sigh.
"I really wanted to go slaying too."
Zac
"Aww," Zac said sympathetically. "There'll be other nights. Plus, if you succeed in becoming The Immortal Slayer then you'll have lots and lots and lots and lots of night to go out slaying."
Faith
Faith sighed wistfully.
"Ah, fighting forever. Leather pants forever."
She giggled.
Zac
Zac chuckled.
"All I ask is that you remember me with fondness," he said. "Seeing as how you're probably going to outlive me and all."
Faith
Faith reached out and touched Zac's shoulder in the dark.
"How could I forget you?" she said, quite seriously. "You changed my life."
Zac
Zac smiled, more to himself seeing as how it was too dark for Faith to see it.
"You changed my life too," he replied softly. "I know we didn't work out in the end, but I wouldn't trade my time with you for... for... for anything."
Faith
Faith smiled a little.
"I'm sorry for the way I ended it," she said quietly. "It's no excuse, but I was in a bad headspace back then. Or really, for my whole life. It's only been recently that I've sorted myself out, and that was after Kim and I broke up."
Zac
"Well," Zac shrugged. "I did have a stack of kids. Well, I still do. I've got four of them on tour with me, although Ella's taking them around 'seperately' so the human fans don't start spreading rumours that would be difficult to explain. Heh."
Faith
"I have kids everywhere," Faith said, rolling her eyes slowly. "Tru and Airlia are currently on an extended holiday with their friends. Apparently they're using the excuse that it's a learning experience."
Zac
"Well, they're only what? One? Two?" Zac said, grinning at her. "It's weird having kids physically alsmot as old as you, huh?"
Faith
"Definitely."
Faith rubbed her nose.
"But it's good... I don't worry about them quite so much, now that I've taught them how to fight... and both of them are quite strong."
Zac
"Always a benefit," Zac nodded.
The elevator doors started to creak open like someone had jammed something in the gap and was trying to lever them open.
"We'll have you out soon," said a voice from the other side of the doors.
"Yes!" Zac said.
And then, without really thinking about it, he kissed Faith.
Faith
Faith's eyes opend in shock, the closed again, and she kissed him back, before pulling away as the lights came back on and the doors opened.
"Are you two alright?" the technician asked.
"Yeah," Faith replied, slipping back into her usual emotionless self.
"Here, I'll get a ladder," the technician offered, as they'd had to open the door while the lift was still halfway up in the air.
Faith simply jumped out, landing steadily on her feet. "No need."
Zac
Likewise, Zac hefted himself out of the lift. Of course, he kind of had to as the technician had been distracted by Faith's... prowess...
Not that he could blame him.
"Thanks for getting us out of there," he said.
Faith
"Might be best to get the stairs, you've only got to go down 2 flights to reach the lobby, if that's where you're headed," the technician told them.
"Thanks," Faith replied.
She headed for the direction of the stairs.
The technical whistled under his breath. "Sheesh! She's a good one."
Zac
"Yes," Zac agreed. "Yes she is."
And with a nod to the technition, he too made his way to the stairs.