Title: Turn Around
Author: AngelChase
Rating: R
Spoilers/Setting: AtS season 4
Summary: Faith was on her way to LA but she had to turn around.

Turn Around

Wesley was switching from station to station, thinking he’d go crazy any minute now. He couldn’t find anything interesting on TV. He looked at the bookcase across the room and fought the temptation to pick up a book instead.

Faith had told him that even though he looked a lot cooler than before, he still had old habits that would never die, like reading a book instead of watching TV. She had spent only one night in his apartment, but that time had been enough for her to make fun of him for not wanting to watch TV. She had even said it was surprising enough to see that he actually owned a TV set.

After moving to yet another station without any luck, he wondered why he even bothered. Faith was on her way to Sunnydale with Willow. Even if he managed to change some of his old habits, she wouldn’t be there to notice them.

A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. He shook his head, wondering why Faith still lingered in his mind. He walked towards the entrance, hoping it wouldn’t be Angel or any other member of Angel Investigation. He simply wanted to spend one quiet evening at home for a change. Cursing for the lack of peace, he opened the door. There he found Faith, leaning on the doorframe.

“Hi, Wes,” she smiled at him. “Missed me?” she asked playfully as she moved inside without waiting for an invitation.

Wesley was surprised. He would have sworn that nothing could have kept Faith from going to Sunnydale. Angel had even told her that if she wanted to stay in LA she’d be welcome at the Hyperion without hesitation, but she was resolved to give Buffy a hand. “Did you change your mind?” he asked, confused.

“Don’t worry, Wes,” Faith said with a calm tone. “I’ll be right out,” she stopped in the middle of the living room and turned to face him. “I just thought I’d…” she started. The seconds passed and she didn’t complete the sentence. The air became hard to breathe and they started feeling uncomfortable.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” Wesley asked softly, not knowing what else to say. He was glad to see her again, and he knew it wasn’t good for him to be so happy to see Faith again. He didn’t even want to evaluate the reasons why he was feeling the way he did. The only thing that he wanted to know was why Faith was there.

“Is it about Angelus?” he asked. That was it, perhaps. Faith had shared some time inside Angelus’ head and she probably had questions or comments to make about that, and she obviously didn’t want to talk to Angel about them.

“No, that’s not it,” she said. “I just…” she tried again to let out the words. Wesley watched her as she looked around the room, dying to know what was going on in her mind. “I forgot my top,” she said, finally.

“Your top?” he asked. He couldn’t believe she had made Willow turn around because of a top. He had bought her some clothes before getting her out of prison, and he knew that he didn’t buy lots of them, but it was still too much trouble to go through for just a top.

“I really liked that top,” Faith shrugged. Wesley looked at her unable to believe this side of her. Faith was caring about clothes? Well, he had to admit that stranger things had happened. And the fact that she liked the top made him a bit proud. His taste in clothing wasn’t all that bad after all.

“I’ll go get it. Have a seat,” Wesley pointed towards the couch and the TV. She sat down and opened her eyes wide when she looked at the screen.

“Porn, Wes?” Faith laughed. Wesley turned to her, shocked.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Porn,” she repeated, pointing at the TV. Wesley looked and found the image of a naked couple having sex in a laundry room. Faith seemed amused by the scene, but also by the expression of embarrassment on Wesley’s face.

“A laundry room? People, please! Do you think they’ll ever let go of the cliché?” she wondered. “I thought you didn’t go for stuff this cheap,” Faith told him.

Wesley blushed furiously. “I was just trying to find something interesting and you knocked on the door… I was just passing by that channel… I wasn’t watching” he stammered.

“Yeah, right,” she laughed loudly. “Oh come on, Wes. You’re a grown man. No need to explain yourself,” she winked an eye at him. She was enjoying the situation to no end.

“I really was just…” he began to explain again but noticed it was pointless. Faith would never believe him. “I’ll be right back,” he said and went inside his room. He closed the door behind him and rested his back on it. He couldn’t have been more embarrassed, could he?

He sighed. Faith was right. He didn’t have to explain anything. He was a grown man and he obviously had certain needs. He shook his head. He wasn’t even watching porn, why was he started to believe that? He realized he was trying to see what Faith would be thinking about him. But why did he even care?

He walked towards the bed and removed the left pillow. Underneath it, there was Faith’s top. His hand shook a little before he touched the fabric. He knew why he cared. It was the same reason why he had kept the top under his pillow. He wanted Faith.

He had wanted her since Sunnydale, but never admitted that to himself until then. It had taken seeing her in LA, fighting to bring up the sun and to restore Angel’s soul without hurting him in the process to make him realize how much he admired her. Their past of torture had been long forgotten. He had forgiven her that night, under the pouring rain. And now what he saw in her was a beautiful, strong and caring woman, who seemed truly willing to make up for her mistakes.

That was why it mattered to him what he thought about her. It was why he was giving pop culture a shot in the first place and why he had kept her top under his pillow. He liked smelling her scent before going to sleep. It made him feel she was with him.

He looked at the piece of clothing in his hands. He inhaled the vanishing perfume one last time. He had to let go. It was always like that.

“I can’t decide…” Faith voice’s startled him and he threw the top on the bed. “Is that’s flattering or sick?” she asked, stepping right next to him. She picked up the top and handed it to him.

“Flattering,” Wesley suggested. “Please, consider it flattering,” he said as he grabbed the top she was offering him.

“I didn’t know you…” Faith seemed shocked. There were no signs of sarcasm or amusement in her face. Faith yanked the piece of clothing from his hand and looked at him seriously. Wesley closed his eyes and sighed, hating himself for a brief moment, thinking he had offended Faith. When he opened his eyes, he found her chocolate pools staring right at him and a second later, her soft lips were being pressed against his.

Her arms circled his back and he responded by wrapping his around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She grabbed him by the sides of his face as her tongue licked the surface of his lips seductively.

“God, Faith,” he whispered and she broke the kiss and smiled at him wickedly.

“This is fucking wild,” she said and Wesley wondered if she was regretting the kiss. Faith noticed his expression and quickly kissed him again. “I came here because I needed to see you. I don’t give a shit about this stupid top,” she confessed. “I wanted to see you again, for all the wrong reasons. Willow thought it was cute. I might be getting softer with age, because I should have punched her for that comment,” Faith laughed. “And yet, here I am. I came to tell you I…” she stopped once again.

Wesley walked over to her and kissed her softly. “You…” he tried to encourage her to finish the sentence.

“Just when I was about to tell you to forget it because I thought it was all pointless, I came in here and found you smelling my clothes,” she recapped. “You…” she trailed off.

“I want you,” he assured her. He wasn’t taking any chances. He knew it was mutual. He had felt the hunger in her kiss and he wasn’t going to let the moment pass him by. It didn’t always have to be the same way.

He kissed her again. This time, he took over by pushing her softly towards the bed. She landed on the soft mattress and he climbed on top of her a second later. Their hands initiated the exploration of each other’s skin surface, marveling at the contrast of utterly soft textures and deep, raspy scars.

Clothes were quickly discarded and thrown carelessly on the floor. Their bodies craved warmth and they were moved by the urge of feeling absolute contact. Seduction had been a game they had been playing over the past few days, without following the usual parameters, but it had been present. Every reassurance, every word of comfort, every small bit of attention had been part of a silent game of implicit foreplay that now came to and end.

They whispered each other’s name repeatedly as their synchronization led them to feeling they weren’t alone in the world anymore. They had both lost so much, and yet they seemed to be complete, perfectly content as they moved together over the soft sheets, oblivious to everything but each other.

With her energy spent, Faith rest his head on his chest, tasting the saltiness of his sweat playfully as she wondered how long will take them to get back in the game. He caressed her hair and made her look at him by gently taking her chin. They smiled at each other, both unable to believe what had just happened.

“Oh shit!” Faith exclaimed as she jumped off the bed. Wesley felt his heart stop for a second, before she said: “Willow. I left Willow waiting outside,” she laughed. She gathered her clothes and put them on recklessly.

“Wait, don’t go,” Wesley begged without realizing it.

“I’ll just go down there and tell her to go to the hotel for tonight,” Faith said. Wesley had asked her to stay and she was about to burst of happiness. Nobody had asked her to stay before. She ran off the room before the stupid tears showed. “Stay away from the porn,” she shouted before closing the door.

Across the hall, and old woman who was standing in the door of her apartment looked at her from head to toe. She seemed to have heard her suggestion because of the shocked look in her face. Faith simply giggled and ran downstairs.

After telling Willow that everything had turned out more than ok and promising details for the next day, she headed back to Wesley’s flat. When she reached his floor, the old woman was still standing there.

“Are you Mr. Wyndham Pryce’s girlfriend?” the woman asked without preamble.

Faith looked at her, not knowing what to say and hoping she’d resist the urge to send the old lady to hell. “She is,” Wesley’s voice sounded behind Faith. “Good night Mrs. Pratt,” Wesley said politely as he grabbed Faith’s hand and pulled her inside the apartment.

“Look, Wes… girlfriend already… I…” Faith didn’t know how to tell him he might be rushing into things.

“Easy, Faith” he said, noticing her nervousness. “Mrs. Pratt is an old woman and she’s happier thinking you’re my girlfriend. It’s going to keep her off my back,” he explained.

“What the fuck does she care?” Faith wondered. Wesley laughed and kissed her while his fingers found the hem of her top and he lifted it up. “May I?” he asked before removing the item off her. She shook her head.

“That brings me to the point… you’re just too polite. You need to work on that,” she joked and lifted her arms to allow him to undress her.

“I’m still working on the pop culture thing,” he said. “Let’s do one thing at a time.”

“But you’ve got the pop culture down. Porn, remember?” she pointed out. He was really taking giant steps.

“I really wasn’t watching porn,” he said. “I was just trying to find something…” he explained again, but he noticed it would be pointless to continue. Faith would never believe him.

“Does the laundry room appeal to you?” she asked as she stepped out of her jeans.

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied distractedly as he knelt in front of her to take off her panties.

“Does this building have its own laundry room?” she asked, but Wesley didn’t reply. He was busy kissing the skin around her navel and Faith decided the laundry could wait.

THE END