Faith had been tracking the demon for a few days now, following it from America over to England, and thanks to it, she had experienced the uncomfortable stowaway method of travel.
When she finally caught up with it, it was going to be in a whole world of pain, just for that experience. Spending hours crouched in a box in the cargo hold of the plane hadn't exactly been the most fun in the world, particularly now when her neck was aching and she felt like she was walking around like the living dead.
After what seemed like hours (and in actual fact, the tally was getting up to around 96), the demon finally stopped to take a breather... and that's when Faith made her move, in a seedy alley, somewhere in England.
She moved with frightening speed and silence, so much so that the demon had no idea he was being attacked until he felt the cold steel of a knife plunged into his leg.
Zac
"Dang it!" Zac muttered.
He really quite badly needed to go to the loo after the show and there were no toilets anywhere that weren't occupied. Except the ladies ones, and he just so did not want to go there.
In a move of desperation, Zac jiggled his way outside the back door into the alley way and relieved himself there with a satisfying "ahh".
Faith
"Ooof!"
Faith heard her cry before she felt the demon's hoof connect with her stomach, in turn, pushing her back against a wall which really didn't feel like it was going to hold her and...
She flipped to her feet, seemingly unaware she was in the next alley over and her ex-husband was peeing a few metres away.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered, folding into the charge from the demon, finding herself sprawled back against a pile of empty boxes. She kicked out, pushing the demon off her and she slowly got to her feet, knife glinting in the moonlight.
Zac
Zac did a doubletake.
"Faith?" he whispered to himself, eyes wide at the sight of her a particularily hideous demon.
Hurriedly, he attempted to zip himself back up again, only to have the zipper get stuck. He cursed to himself and he tried to fix it.
Faith
Just as Faith realised Zac was in the alley with her, fiddling with his crotch for some reason, her head was yanked back and she slammed into a fence.
"Ok," Faith said, flipping her head back and smacking the demon's face with it. "Ow."
She roundhouse kicked and spun around, knife in her hand as she advanced on the demon.
Zac
"Finally!" Zac exclaimed as he succeeded in making the zipper behave itself.
He turned and jogged over to Faith.
"Wanna hand?" he asked even as he contemplated the best method of attack.
Faith
Faith plunged the knife deep into the demon's stomach, before bringing it up (while it was still inside) and splitting up it's head.
"Nope, I think that did it."
As if on cue, the demon collapsed on the ground.
"Yep, that did it."
She smiled and looked at him.
"Hey, what are you doing here anyway?"
Zac
Zac nodded.
"Promo tour," he replied, thumbing at the building he had come out of. "Just did an interview. Needed to go leak, and all the toilets were occupied. Well, except the Ladies, but I'm not like Day, I can't just get away with that sort of thing."
Faith
"Ah, cool," Faith said, pulling her knife from the demon. She wiped it on a cardboard box, cleaning it off the best she could, then re- sheathed it.
"I've been tracking that bad boy from LA to here."
She paused for a moment.
"So, you have to go back in or anything?"
Zac
"Probably. Wanna join us?" Zac asked, eying off the demon. "That's one big ugly sucker, isn't it? How'd he get here from LA with no one noticing?"
Faith
"We travelled in the luggage hold of the plane," Faith said, wrinkling her nose at the memory. "Not the most comfortable place in the world, let me tell you."
She bent down to fix her shoe, then stood up again, tossing her long brown hair back in the process.
"Yeah, sure, I haven't seen you guys in awhile."
Zac
"I'm sure," Zac agreed. "It's good to see you again."
He waited until Faith was ready, then headed to the back door.
Faith
"Yeah, you too."
Faith looked over at him and smiled, following him over to the door.
"Good to be on the road again?" she asked.
Zac
"Yep!" Zac said. "It's great. I didn't realise how much I missed it. "
He opened the door and gestured for Faith to go ahead of him.
Faith
Faith walked ahead of him, then stopped a little bit inside the hallway, waiting for Zac to lead the way.
"Yeah, it's been ages since you guys were on the road, hey?"
Zac
Zac shut the door and lead the way back to the room the band had been assigned.
"Yeah," Zac agreed. "Far too long. So, what have you been up to lately? Aside from tracking demons on luggage compartments on planes?"
Faith
"Eh, the usual, patrolling, partying, skiving off responsibility, looking after our delightful daughter."
Faith shrugged, not knowing whether or not she should mention the break up with Kim. It wasn't totally relevant, after all.
"What about you?"
Zac
"Not much. Recording. Putting a tour together. Sending Saku off to the watcher academy to learn about magic. Rah rah. How are the girls these days? I haven't seen them for awhile," Zac replied.
He paused a moment, trying to remember which way down the hall he had to turn.
Faith
"Aww, little Saku all grown up and away from home?" Faith teased. "The girls are good, currently on a trip in Europe with some of their friends, just doing the tourist thing. Financed by Angel, of course."
She waited for him to find his bearings.
Zac
"That way... I think," Zac said, picking a direction. "Sorry, I haven't been here before. I would have invited them to come with us had I known, but then we're doing the working thing, not the tourist thing, so they probably wouldn't have enjoyed themselves as much."
Faith
Faith nodded and followed him.
"I think they're happier with friends anyway... less watchful eye on them."
She shrugged.
"How are the rest of your kids?"
Zac
"They're good," Zac replied. "Dee Dee's a budding telekinetic. Friday greets me by saying "how's Elektra?" and Brock's trying to take after me, rather than his insane mother. And I mean that in the literal sense. Heaven is turning one next month. B'E and Tom are good, last I heard from Julie. They just turned two. Annika tells me Brett's good too. Briar's apparently started hovering around the room so I guess this is the early stages of 'Flight'. Tranno-Zirran is apparently on a short list for acceptance in a special Adigian school. Last I saw Annie, she was good too. Umm... yes... that's all of them."
Faith
Faith grinned.
"Do you have a photo of each of them in your wallet? And if so, how fat is your wallet now because of that?"
Zac
Zac laughed. And then pulled out his wallet.
"I've cheated," he said as he pulled out the photos. "I have group shots. B'E, Tom, Brett and Briar. Annie. Dee Dee, Elektra, Brock and Heaven. Tranno-Zirran. Saku, Orion, Tru and Airlia. Okay, Orion and Airlia aren't mine, I know, but whatever."
Faith
Faith smiled faintly.
"Well, you're the only father Airlia has ever really had, or will ever have, I imagine. She alternates between calling you 'Dad' and 'Zac', but I don't think she's ready to have anyone replace you. And Tru, well... you've met her, she's convinced she's so gorgeous because we both have great genes."
Zac
Zac chuckled.
"Did they tell you what they did? About Saku and Airlia?"
Faith
Faith raised an eyebrow.
"No... do I want to know?"
Zac
"They pretended they were dating," Zac said. "Sort of. And when I confronted Saku about it, he made it look like all the sexual induendo was all in my head and I was reading too much into things. He actually got me to apologise to him! Saku admitted the whole story - with much laughter, I might add - a couple of weeks after Tru and Airlia left."
He shook his head in both disgust and amusement
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Well, there's no mistaking it... you know that they are definitely our kids now, right?"
Zac
"Oh, definitely," Zac nodded. "Goodness knows what mischeif they're going to get up too without our supervision."
Zac paused, then opened up a nearby door. There was a scream and he closed the door.
"Ahem," he coughed. "Wrong door."
Faith
"Your sense of direction astounds me," Faith said, her face perfectly straight, but a cheeky twinkle in her eye.
Zac
Zac poked his tounge out at her, and frowned while he tried to figure out which door it was.
"Okay, it's this one. I think. Maybe."
He opened it tentatively, then, relieved, the whole way.
"This is it," he said. "That's our stuff."
Faith
"The brothers abandoned ship once they realised you were gone?" Faith joked.
Zac
Zac shrugged.
"Either that, or they're trying to find toilets too," he replied.
Faith
Faith nodded.
"So... still seeing... I don't actually remember if you're seeing anyone right now, sorry."
Zac
Zac shook his head.
"Naw," he replied. "Met a girl named Tristan who's really cool. She's an awesome musician. And she's hot. But... we're touring now, and busy with the kids and stuff, so yeah. Interested, but I think we're probably better of as friends. At least at the moment. Don't really have the energy for a relationship right now."
Faith
"Yeah, it gets a bit like that," Faith said.
She ran a hand through her hair.
"More fun when you're single anyway. You can do more things for yourself, rather than always having to check if it's ok with the other person."
Zac
"This is true," Zac replied, nodding.
He plonked down on a lounge and put his feet up on the coffee table.
Faith
After hesitating for a moment, Faith chose to sit across from him on a different couch. After all, their past was complicated, and with both of them single, she didn't want to risk any mistakes occurring.
"Next stop for you?"
Zac
"Ireland," Zac replied. "Not for another few days though. We only just got here."
Zac got up again, deciding he was hungry, and went looking for the complimentry buiscuits that they were given.
"Wanna drink?"
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"No thanks, I'm good."
She looked around awkwardly.
"I should probably go."
Zac
"You sure?" Zac asked. "You're welcome to stay."
He found the buiscuits and put them on the table.
Faith
"Nah, I should get going... I haven't slept in about a week, so I should probably... you know, get some of that."
Faith grinned.
"And there's the other problem about slaying that happens too. So I should go take care of that."
Zac
"Ahh," Zac said, oddly uncomfortable. "I'd forgotten. You wouldn't think I'd forget that, would you. Wanna cookie to starve off the hunger for a bit?"
Faith
Faith laughed and ruffled his hair playfully.
"Stop looking so awkward. We can be friends. We can talk about being hungry. We can talk about being hungry for more than food. And it's all good."
She scratched at her neck.
"And nah, I'm off to find myself like... ribs. Or something."
Zac
"Hmm... " Zac considered. "I don't think we have ribs. Well, I have ribs, but you can't eat them, being still in my body and all. Plus y'know, needing them and that would be cannabalism. Sort of. I am a Dathrian, but I'm in a human body so yeah. I'm thinking about this way too much. Want me to walk you to the door?"
Faith
"That would be nice," Faith said, nodding. "About the walking to the door, not the cannabalism part. Although, buddy, if we were trapped on an island with no powers, no nothing... yeah, you'd totally be gone before you got the chance to off me."
Zac
Zac laughed.
"What about fish?" he asked.
Faith
"You just saved your life," Faith said, nodding. "Although, I couldn't fish to save my life, so unless you can... it's back to the original plan of eating you."
Zac
"And then you would still die, because after I'm gone and you've failed to teach yourself how to fish..." Zac shrugged.
Faith
"Hmm, you raise a good point," Faith mused.
They reached the door.
"Well..."
Zac
"Well, I guess I'll see you around then," he said.
He paused, then leaned over to give her a kiss good bye on the cheek, missed and got her lips instead.
Faith
Out of habit, Faith kissed him back, before pulling away gently.
"So nice seeing you," she said softly. "Um... see ya."
She turned to leave.
Zac
Zac licked his lips and swallowed.
"Yeah..." he said. "See ya."
His arms urged to grab Faith, pull her back and kiss her again.
Faith
Faith looked at Zac for a moment, then turned away, her fingers almost reaching out to touch him.
"Yeah... um... stay in touch, yeah?"
Zac
"Yeah," Zac said softly.
He leaned on the door and chewed his bottom lip.
Faith
Without thinking, Faith touched his cheek gently, then walked through the door.