Faith had opted not to go see Zac when she'd arrived yesterday, instead checking into a motel and thinking about what she was even going to say to him.
Walking up the steps to Zac's front door, she sighed, then shrugged slightly, and rang the bell.
Zac
"Coming, coming," Zac muttered to himself as he trotted down the stairs.
He had a glanced through the window and spotted Faith. He felt his throat run dry and he opened the front door cautiously.
"Hey," he greeted.
Faith
Faith smiled slightly.
"Hey."
She stood there for a second.
"Um, can I come in?"
Zac
"Oh, umm, yeah sure," Zac replied.
He held the door open for her.
"So, uhh... what brings you here?"
Like he couldn't guess.
Faith
Faith walked inside and shrugged slightly.
"Well, I thought... I thought we were overdue for a chat."
Zac
"Really, a chat huh?" Zac replid a little nervously.
He closed the door behind her and gestured to the lounge room.
"Chat about what?"
Faith
Faith went into the lounge room, and hesitated for a second, finally deciding on a single armchair, rather than have them sitting directly next to each other.
"Well... the email you sent me, I guess."
Zac
"Oh you got that."
Zac laughed nervously.
"So, ahh... what did you think?" he asked slowly.
He suddenly found it very difficult to look at her and found himself dreading her response.
Faith
Faith crossed one leg over the other, leaning back in the chair as she thought of a way to answer that question.
"It was... well first off, I thought it was really amazing, like, musically."
Zac
"Yeah, I'm rather fond of it myself," Zac replied. "I really enjoyed writing it. It really just seemed to come together."
He nodded before he started babbling.
Faith
Faith scratched the back of her head gently, then nodded.
"So... without sounding kinda... up myself... it's about me. Or us, really. Isn't it?"
Zac
Zac took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Yeah."
He studied his hands in his lap. This was really, really uncomfortable. He knew he should never have sent it to her.
Faith
Faith nodded, thinking about it. Even though she'd suspected it was, it was another matter entirely to have that confirmed.
"Hey look... I'm not so good at the apology thing, mostly coz I think the world is out to screw me, so I'm generally more owed than owing, but... I am sorry."
Zac
"Oh, hey, y'know... you don't, you don't have to apologise," Zac said hurriedly. "I mean, we both screwed up. Okay, yeah, I was kinda trying to do the right thing by you but I... yeah... I guess we weren't meant to be or something."
Faith
Faith was silent for a second.
"Yeah, guess so."
Zac
Zac figetted for a minute or so.
"If you don't want me to play it on tour or something I'll understand," he said slowly.
Faith
"No, no, you should play it."
Faith glanced at him.
"I didn't realise I'd hurt you that much, is all."
Zac
Zac finally worked up the nerve to look up at Faith.
"Well, y'know," he replied softly. "I was totally and completely in love with you when we got married. So... y'know. But I hurt you too, so, y'know, it's kinda works out even. Y'know."
"Gee Zac, could you say the word y'know any more?"
Faith
Faith fell silent again, opting not to explain the whole thought process she'd had when she left him.
"I guess... and this is going to sound stupid, but... ok, so for like my whole life, it's just been me. On my own. And so I didn't realise that I would ever have an effect on someone else's life. So, I kinda didn't think you'd... you'd even really notice I was gone, you know?"
Zac
"Not notice you?" Zac repeated. "Faith, you are the singularly most amazing woman I have ever met in my entire life. Even if one day I get married to someone else there is no possible way she will ever compare to you. I... I don't think I'm ever going to get over you, y'know?"
He shrugged and looked down at his hands again.
Faith
"Um... oh."
Faith looked at her feet.
"I kinda don't know what to say to that."
Zac
"Well, y'know, I often render people speechless," Zac replied, a glimmer of his usual humour making an appearence. "Do you think it's bad breath?"
Faith
Faith closed her eyes for a moment, and rolled her shoulders, feeling the joints crack.
"Yeah, probably. You should probably look into the whole halitosis thing."
Zac
"Yeah," Zac nodded. "That's what I thought."
He tapped his hands on his legs then, uncertain as to what to say next.
Faith
"Well, this is suitably awkward."
Faith paused.
"So, recently, was almost turned into a real life wax statue. That was... freaky."
Zac
"Wow," Zac replied. "That's... bizarre."
He shook his head, then frowned.
"Didn't I see that in a movie once?"
Faith
"Yeah, it's pretty movie-esque."
Faith shrugged.
"And less hilarious when it's you know... me."
Zac
"True enough," Zac nodded. "You wouldn't be nearly so awesome as a wax statue."
Yes, talking about Faith's work was a much safer topic.
Faith
"Well," Faith considered, tilting her head slightly.
"I suppose I'd be a lot more obedient. Although, I wouldn't be able to move. Or speak. But then, maybe some guys are into that."
Zac
"I think there are, but would you really want to hook up with one of those guys?" Zac asked. "I mean, the word disturbed comes to mind."
He nodded.
Faith
"I don't know... I've been with some disturbed guys. It wasn't horrible, really."
Faith grinned slightly.
Zac
Zac chuckled softly.
"So, I presume you were able to deal with the wax loving fiend and prevent him from conducting further transformations in the future?"
Faith
"Yeah, the three of us work pretty well together... or... are all very violent given the opportunity."
Faith shrugged.
"Either or, I guess."
Zac
Zac grinned.
"Whatever works?"
Faith
"Yeah."
Faith tapped her finger against her chin.
"Plus, they're both pretty easy on the eye."
Zac
"Well, y'know, that helps," Zac nodded. "Except, y'know, I think I would prefer female side-kicks myself."
Faith
"Nope, it's all about the hot boys."
Faith grinned slightly.
"Mmm, all buff and such."
Zac
"Yeah, so it's good thing you're with them and not me, 'cause I just wouldn't appreciate them the way you obviously do," Zac replied with a slight smile.
Faith
"Well, now I more appreciate one of them," Faith said, laughing. "But he is all tall and tan. And can lift me up with one arm, so that has my vote, really."
Zac
Zac scratched his head.
"Right so... that's why we didn't work out? Because I can't lift you up with one arm? Darn, if only I knew..."
Faith
"Yep, that was the main reason."
Faith rubbed her eye.
Zac
"Ahh," Zac nodded. "Is this a common things with the girls? Should I work out more?"
He eyed off his biceps speculatively.
Faith
Faith shrugged.
"I don't know. I do like how tall he is as well. Mmm, Sam."
Zac
Zac looked down.
"You knew she was with some guy named Sam. Breath Zac, is okay. Really," Zac told himself.
"Ahh well," he said finally. "Guess I'll just have to find a girl who's not into really tall guys then."
Faith
"You're not short though," Faith pointed out.
"You're just not... like... 6'4". Although, who is? He's a freak, really."
There was a note of affection in her tone.
Zac
Zac snickered.
"Does he play basketball? Basketballers are really tall."
Faith
Faith shrugged.
"He's hot."
Zac
"I'll have to take your word for that," Zac replied.
He chewed his bottom lip.
Faith
Faith nodded.
"Well, I don't usually go for non-hot guys," she grinned. "You are also proof of that."
Zac
Zac grinned.
"Well, at least I have something going for me."
Faith
"Oh shut up, you know you have a lot going for you."
Faith smiled faintly.
Zac
Zac chuckled softly.
"Yeah, well, y'know," he shrugged. "You're not so bad yourself."
Faith
"Well, I figured," Faith teased.
"After all, I am pretty awesome."
Zac
"You are," Zac agreed. "And amazing. And spectacular. And magnificent. And marvellous. And any other other adjectives of that ilk I can think of."
Faith
"Ah well, hopefully Sam feels that way," Faith shrugged.
"It's kinda weird, considering, you know, slept with his brother."
Zac
Zac blinked.
"Okay..." he said slowly.
Faith
"Well, I'm not still doing that. But, you know, I don't know if like... how many guys would really want to date someone who had been sleeping with their brother?"
Faith shrugged.
"So it's weird. But nice, I guess."
Zac
Zac considered this.
"I don't think I would, mainly because I've seen Ike and Tay's taste in girls - oh, wait, I did sleep with Mouse once," he said thoughtfully. "Yeah... that was a bad idea. Although, if I recall correctly I was rather depressed about something at the time -"
He stopped his ramblings as he remembered what that something was and had to look away from Faith.
Yeah, that would have been just after he found out about Faith and Logan.
Faith
"Who's Mouse?" Faith asked, eyebrows knitting together in confusion until it dawned on her.
"Oh yeah. Ha, I had forgotten about that girl."
Zac
"Tay's fiance," Zac replied. "She was empathic, which would be why I went to her in my misery."
He sighed and shook his head.
"I should know better than to go to a woman when I'm depressed."
Faith
"Yeah, I think I remember her, she was pretty young," Faith said, shrugging. "I don't know, she wasn't very memorable."
She raked some hair from her eyes.
"I don't know, I find sex is always a good answer to things. In fact, it's how Sam and I got together. We had a huge fight and then... boom. In bed together."
Zac
Zac smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately, in my case it seems to end in more children."
Faith
"Did you have a kid with Mouse?" Faith asked, scrunching her nose up trying to remember.
Zac
Zac shook his head.
"No," he replied. "Mouse died in a car accident a few months later, so yeah."
Zac was uncomfortably aware that she had been pregnant at the time - and no one knew if the baby was his or Taylor's.
Faith
"Did she? Hmmm, I can't remember if I knew that," Faith mused.
"Or if I knew and just didn't care, which sounds like me."
She cleared her throat.
"But moving on."
Zac
"Yeah," Zac said.
He tapped his fingers on his leg.
"So... how are the girls? Or haven't you heard from them, their being in an alternate universe and all?"
Faith
"I've heard they're doing well," Faith told him.
"Angel has contact with the guardian who went with them, and they're doing really well."
Zac
"Okay cool," Zac replied.
Cue another awkward silence.
Faith
Faith nodded.
"Well, I'm gonna get going."
She stood up, running a hand through her hair.
"But yeah, you should play the song on tour." She paused for a second. "I'll catch up with you later."
Zac
Zac stood up as well.
"Yeah," he replied as he walked her out the door. "And, uhh, thanks."
After Faith left Zac leant againt the front door, closed his eyes and decided that all in all it went rather well. It has been awkward but it could have been a lot worse.