Faith lay back on the bed, tiredly listening to Sam pottering about in the bathroom. Her fingers slid her phone up and down absently for a few minutes, her eyes drooping a little. The sound of the shower running woke her up slightly, and she remembered she'd meant to give Zac a call.
She scrolled through her phone until she reached Zac's number and pressed the call button, lifting the phone to her ear lazily and waiting for an answer.
Zac
Zac surveyed the nusary with a frown.
"Where's Dee Dee?" he asked, just as the phone rang.
Not all that far away, Dee Dee heard the ringing phone and looked up. Ringing meant Daddy would pick up that thing and talk into it. Dee Dee stuck out her tongue in concentration and used her telekinesis to pick the long thing up and float it down to her. She grabbed it and put it to her side of her face like she'd seen Daddy do.
"Hewooo?"
Faith
Faith made a face at something across the room.
"Hi, is your Dad there?"
Zac
"Dee Dee!" Zac exclaimed.
"Daddy!" Dee Dee replied happily. "Ring ring!"
Zac scooped up Dee Dee and removed the reciver from her hand.
"Hello?"
Faith
"Well, it certainly seems you have your hands full these days," Faith remarked dryly.
She stretched her legs out on the bed.
"But hey, it's your favourite ex wife."
Zac
Zac chuckled.
"Hey Faith," he said. "Sorry about that. Dee Dee hasn't answered the phone before, so hey, lucky you."
Faith
"I get all the luck."
Faith smiled slightly.
"So how are you? I haven't really had a chance to catch up with you since I left at Christmas."
Zac
"Well, I've been good, mostly," Zac replied. "We were scouting around for some 3CG signees and we're going to start touring again next month. Julie's moved in with me though, so yeah... the place is just a tad crowded these days."
Faith
"Wait, back the train up a bit," Faith said, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Isn't Julie married?"
Zac
"Ahh, technically yes," Zac replied. "But she and Bobby have broken up. The how's and why's I'm not entirely clear on because she gets hysterical every time you bring up Bobby's name and she's turned into some kind of depressed nymphomaniac. It's rather disturbing, actually."
Faith
"Ah, well, glad it's you in that situation and not me."
Faith grinned slightly.
"That wasn't all that helpful, was it?"
Zac
"Yeah, thanks for your vote of confidence," Zac replied cynically.
He shook his head but mostly to himself.
"So, how are you? How are the girls? Lia doing okay?"
Faith
"Ah, and thus we come to the reason for the phonecall. The girls."
Faith grinned slightly.
"I'm not sure if we had a chat about this over Christmas, I thought I mentioned it, but I could've just dreamed that I did. Tru and Lia are currently in another dimension, because Tru wanted to accelerate her age."
She paused.
Zac
Zac paused.
"Okay," he said finally. "Well, all right then. So... how old can I expect them to be when they get back? Where are they due back?"
Faith
"Lia is going to be... whoa, around my age. That's kinda weird. And Tru will be around 18."
Faith made a face.
"Ummm, from what Angel has said, it'll be another few months. Maybe September, or October."
Zac
"Wow, okay," Zac replied. "Is it just me, or is having kids physicially nearly the same age as you really bizarre? Because y'know... Saku feels more like a brother or a cousin than a son these days."
Faith
"You're not wrong."
Faith shrugged.
"But, you know, at least we know they can look after themselves."
Zac
"True, true," Zac agreed. "Thanks for the warning, by the way."
He picked up a pen and started doodling on the scribble pad.
Faith
"That's cool."
Faith examined the scar on her arm.
"Well, I should probably let you go."
Zac
"Yeah..." Zac said slowly, looking at Dee Dee. "I suppose I should get going. Oh, hey you still touring around learning martial arts every which where?"
Faith
Faith smiled faintly.
"Nah, Angel and I went to Korea a few months ago, but right now I'm on the road sorta... slaying whatever pops up."
Zac
"Oh, fair enough," Zac replied. "Cool, so... Anything interesting going on?"
He paused briefly then added:
"Can you tell I'm stalling for time?"
Faith
"Eh, Sam does the research, I just do the heavy lifting."
Faith laughed.
"You miss the sound of my voice that much, or are you just putting off seeing Julie? Or a mixture of the two?"
Zac
"Both," Zac replied cheerfully. "Well, except Julie's not actually here at the moment. It's getting back to work I'm putting off. So... who's Sam? Anyone I know?"
Faith
"Aww," Faith teased gently. "You miss my voice."
She scratched her stomach lightly.
"Ummm, I don't think you know him, no. Do you want the complicated typical Faith version, or the clean and wholesome one?"
Zac
"Hmm," Zac considered. "I think I'd like the complicated typical Faith version. Sounds like it'll be more fun."
He started drawing a funny little man.
Faith
Faith chuckled.
"Alright. So, I went to high school with both of them, but I knew his brother more back then. We'd made this pact to lose our virginities together, but then I left school and yeah, we sorta fell out of touch."
She paused.
"Then we meet up like... the end of last year? And his brother and I started sleeping together casually, and then... now... I'm sorta dating Sam. So, to sum up, Sam is the brother of the guy I was having casual sex with and now I am having pretty serious relationship sex with Sam."
Zac
Zac was silent for a minute.
"Okay," he said slowly. "And you're also travelling with Sam right? He cool with the whole slayer thing, or doesn't he know?"
Faith
"He's sorta... a hunter. Like a demon hunter."
Faith wrinkled her nose slightly.
"So it definitely makes it easier. Like, I don't have to lie about going out patrolling or anything."
Zac
"Oh, well, that's good," Zac nodded. "Yeah, I kinda enjoy not having to lie to people about being an alien so... yeah..."
Why did the idea of Faith having sex with other people weird him out so much? Seriously, it's not like he didn't know.
Faith
"I think being honest, in general, is a nice feeling."
Faith shrugged.
"I don't know, listen to me, all bright and cheery. I've gotta change that, or my reputation will be ruined forever!"
Zac
Zac laughed.
"I dunno," he said. "I think bright and cheery looks good on you."
Faith
"But I'm Faith," Faith said, nodding. "She of the Dark and Twisty."
She paused.
"The Scary and Damaged. It's part of my charm. How I win you all over. You all want to take care of me."
Zac
Zac laughed some more.
"Aww but you look so beautiful when your eyes light up with happiness," he teased her.
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Take that back, Zachary Walker!"
Zac
"Aww, but it's true," Zac replied. "You do look beautiful. You look beautiful when you're being dark and twisty too..."
Why on earth was he calling her beautiful? Well, she is, but she was also with someone else and Zac wondered if what he was saying was entirely approrpiate.
Faith
"You're crazy," Faith declared. "Absolutely 100% certifiably crazy. I hear they have doctors for that. But wait, would you have to see an alien psychiatrist?"
She felt it was best to make it less awkward between them.
Zac
"Yeah," Zac replied. "But y'know, I could also see Taylor's wife, Natalie. Her power is empathic healing and she's doing a counselling course so y'know. But yeah. Can you imagine we going to a human psychiratrist and telling them I was an alien? 'Right, so how long have you had these delusions?' "
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Well, I mean, I'm in the same boat. 'It's my destiny to fight and kill the vampires, demons and forces of darkness'. I'd be shipped off in a little white jacket so fast..."
Zac
Zac chuckled.
"And that's even before you got to the vampire part," he joked.
Faith
"Yeah, I'd get locked up for talking about destiny."
Faith rolled her eyes slightly.
"I don't know, the whole thing is so old hat, man."
Zac
"That's the problem with 90% of the human population: they dominate this planet and they have no idea what's really going on," Zac replied.
He nodded, forgetting Faith couldn't see him.
Faith
"Well, you forget that technically, I am a human. Although, I do know what's going on."
Faith shrugged.
"Moreso, really. But if we're being honest, I do look good when I'm all hot and sweaty."
Zac
"No, I didn't forget," Zac corrected. "That's why I said '90% of the human population' instead of 'humans'."
He grinned.
"And you always look hot. Especially when you're sweaty."
Faith
Faith laughed.
"Listen to you, all with the flattery."
Zac
"I only speak the truth," Zac replied solemnly. "I hope that Sam is as honest."
Now why did he say that?
Faith
Faith paused for a second.
"Oh you know," she said casually. "He's a guy."
She wasn't quite sure what that was meant to mean.
Zac
Zac stopped for a moment, uncertain as to what that actually meant.
"Right so... he just trying to get into your pants?" he joked lamely.
Faith
"Well, yeah."
Faith shrugged, then realised that probably sounded like that's all Sam wanted.
"But I mean, no. Well, he wants in. But he's a nice guy."
Zac
"As long as he's treating you good. Because y'know, I might be forced to come over there and kick his butt," Zac nodded. "Not that you actually need a protector of your honour, because y'know, I'm sure you could kick his butt yourself, but y'know, it's the principal of the thing."
"Rambling much?" he thought to himself.
Faith
Faith listened with a raised eyebrow, wondering what Zac was actually hinting at there.
"Well, it's nice to know I have someone looking out for me."
Zac
"Yes," Zac replied.
Insert awkward silence here.
"So, umm, yes, I suppose I should let you go, huh? Probably got vampires lining up to be slayed or something."
Faith
"Um, yeah."
Faith paused.
"I'll um... get Tru and Lia to be in touch when they're back."
Zac
"Okay, sounds like a plan," Zac replied.
Yes, maybe when they hang up he'll stop putting his foot in his mouth and making things awkward!
Faith
"Ok, well... see ya."
Faith hung up, shaking her head slightly.
That was... weird.
Zac
Zac hung up the phone and sighed. That could have gone better, he supposed. Zac shook his head and turned to Dee Dee.
"Okay missy," he said. "I think you and I need to have a little chat about answering the phone."