Chapter Nine: She's Running

Cordelia ignored the slightly pungent reek of cat piss and old cabbage and tried to concentrate her attentions on the grubby sleazebag that Angel was holding two feet off of the ground. She glanced around and grimaced at the crumbling walls and the shabby furniture in Faith's apartment. A whimper caught her attention she turned back to Angel.

"I'm telling you, I don't know where Faith is. The little bitch is violating parole though! And as soon as she gets back she's going back!" Rob said, red-rimmed eyes wide as Angel growled in is throat.

"Does she go out a lot?" Cordelia asked, eyebrow rising as she placed a hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Yeah. All the time. I watch her coming and going at all hours." Off Cordelia's look he stammered, "Uh, not that I give a shit what she does, I'm supposed to keep on eye on her, ya know?"

"Right." She said, sighing and nodding her head, unconvinced. "Do you know where she goes?"

"Followed her one night, just curious. I thought maybe she was hooking, but she just went to this park and sat outside this apartment building for a while. Then I thought she was dealing drugs and I was going to turn her in, but I wanted...uh...well..."

"You wanted to see if she'd give you a cut, huh?" Angel said, his hands still wrapped up in Rob's stained shirt, his nostrils flaring as he tried not smell anything. Rob started to protest, but Angel cut him off again. "What was the address of the place you saw her at?"

Cordelia let out a sharp intake of breath as Rob told them Wesley's address. "How long ago was that?"

"About three days ago. Why?" Rob asked, eyeing the pretty girl before him.

"Shit. She's been planning this for a while. Angel, she might be looking to get even with you next. We have to---" She stopped as Angel's cell phone trilled to life. She fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Cordelia? Fred just found some activity on one of the credit cards. She bought a room at the Desert Rose Motel right outside of Hodge." Gunn's voice said in a rush. She relayed the info to Angel and he nodded, dropping Rob from his grip. The probation officer slumped against the wall and looked up at them.

"She's running. Tell Gunn we're going after her." Angel's eyes blazed fire and he swept out of the shabby little room before Cordelia could respond. The Seer ran after him, speaking quickly as she went. Rob watched them go, wondering what the hell had just happened.

*****

Wesley was driving, lantern jaw clenched as he kept his eyes glued to the road before him. His thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning.

He had woken with a strand of strawberry scented hair draped across his face, his chest warmed by a solid wall of flesh resting against him. His fingers were clenched around hers and he knew she was sleeping soundly next to him on the floor. Frowning and blushing all in one big breath, he sat up a little and stared into her peaceful face. What the hell?

"Faith?" He'd called, untangling his fingers from her and sweeping his fingertips along her cheek. Her eyes had fluttered open and she stared at him groggily. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Bad dreams. It's warm..." Came her reply and he had smiled sleepily at the Slayer and the unguarded words. "Lay back down..." So he had done as he was told, curling up around her and keeping her warm and safe, his breath blowing softly on the back of her neck.

As strange as it was, he hadn't been uncomfortable laying there wrapped around the younger girl. He smiled and wondered how bad her dreams had been for her to have crawled onto the floor with him. Not that he minded, it was just an odd tableau and the fact that he had started responding in a most...noticeable way to the skin against his stomach, well he was glad she'd been asleep for that.

And then, well the door had crashed open and moonlight had streamed in through the open door. Wesley had sat up and watched, eyes wide as two very obviously horny people had come stumbling in, hands and mouths everywhere. Faith had sat up too, her mouth open as she watched the two intruders fall onto the creaking bed with nary a glance in their direction.

"Uh..." Wesley had started to say as the woman slipped her shirt over her head, but Faith put her hand over his mouth.

"Shh...we're getting a show." She said with a smile, eyes glinting. Her words made the couple stop and look over at them, mouths open in shock. A beat and then the woman screamed her head off.

In the confusion that had followed, the manager had come and there were some words exchanged and Wesley had agreed to pay for the room for fear of the police showing up. A quick, desperate search of the car had yielded two credit cards. A pang of guilt for using Angel's card and then they were on the road, driving into the sunrise.

He hazarded a glance over at Faith and she was scratching at the rapidly healing wound on her arm, her nose scrunched up as she felt the stained, bloody clothing on her stomach. She looked highly disgusted at the fact that she was still dirty and bloody, something he could heartily agree with. Even though he'd washed back at the motel, he was still very aware that he was quite pungent. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she spoke before he did.

"Where are we going?"

"Uh..."

"You're heading into the sunrise, which, if I know my geography, isn't toward L.A. What's up?" She peered over at him, the wind sweeping a strand of red-tinted hair across her face. He sat in silence for a minute and then spoke wearily.

"We're running Faith. The Five expect you to be in Los Angeles and I want to make sure you're nowhere near there."

"Wes, we have to go back! You said so yourself; running is not a solution. Running is what you do when you don't have a plan!" Faith protested, eyes wide as she looked her Watcher up and down.

"But I don't have a plan! There's...its all gone to hell Faith. Angel's bloody son is gone. Vanished because of me. And now you're....they're going to kill if you go back and I won't let them. I failed you before and I WILL NOT do it again. I wish I was dead." He said vehemently, pulling the car over to the side of the road. He laid his throbbing head on the steering wheel and traced the scar on his neck absently. Faith slid over to his side of the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him. He was too surprised to move and he sank into her embrace as if she was taking the weight of the world off of his shoulders.

"Wesley? Can I tell you something?" Her voice was so soft, he wasn't sure she had spoken. She went on before he could answer, her breath tickling his ear. "Suck it up."

His shoulders went rigid and he wrenched out of her embrace, glaring at her and the way she was smiling at him, coldness gleaming in her eyes. "What?"

"Suck it up, English! You fucked up but that's no reason to go all Death Wish-y! Angel's son is gone, but you didn't know that was going to happen when you found out about that prophesy or whatever. Give it up! Deal with the consequences and move the hell on. I learned that lesson a long time ago." She said, eyeing him as he glared at her. He thought a moment, the words sinking in.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" He said bitterly, glaring over at her, his mouth twisting into a scornful grin. She gulped and clenched her fists in her lap, daring him to say something else. "Sorry, " He said, seeing how much he had hurt her. “This isn't going to help us."

"No, its not. We'd better get running. And I don't know about you, but I need new clothes and a shower." She said, shrugging off her anger with a smile. He could sense the hurt flowing beneath the surface of those deep brown eyes and he wanted to reach out to her again. He didn't.

"I agree. I'm afraid I'm beginning to smell like Cordelia's cooking. Never a good thing." He joked, glancing over at her as he eased the car back onto the road.

"I'm not going to die so stop thinking I will." Faith said suddenly, eyes locked to his as he turned to her.

"What?"

"You think these Five--Four things are too much for me. Well they're not you know. I can handle them." She said proudly, lifting her chin and regarding him with a cool, appraising look.

"Maybe. Hopefully we won't have to find out." He said, a glimmer of pride in his eyes at the strong girl before him. Faith frowned and put her feet up on the dashboard, lip poking out in a charming way that made him want to...well never mind what he wanted to do.

"You never let me have any fun." She smiled and he laughed, his thoughts distant. Wherever the remains of the Five were he wondered if they knew where Faith was. He prayed they'd already shaken them.

*****

Uriah followed the black convertible from three miles away, watching them with eagle keen eyes, her booted feet flashing as she ran. She followed them, followed them all day without a rest. As the lights of Las Vegas bloomed up in front of them, the sun slid below the horizon and she put a burst of extra speed into her steps.

She'd have her as soon as they entered the city. And then, the prize would be hers. Uriah smiled and ran a bit faster.

Chapter 10

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