Things that go bump in the night

Faith lay in bed next to Wilson; he had long since fallen asleep. Fingering the ring on her left hand, the ring that Raya had lovingly put on there all those years ago, she could still see the nervousness in the wolfs eyes. Feel her kiss, her touch, smell her scent. She remembered everything as though it had happened yesterday.



She smiled and felt tears slide down her face as she thought of the way Raya looked holding Skye, or how she looked whenever Faith would walk into there room with that ‘I Want you’ look, how she looked when she smirked whenever she had been proven right. God the woman ALWAYS had to be right.



Faith thought back over the last year. Wilson as it turned out came from a long line of Watchers, and had been the family rebel in choosing to go into teaching instead. Aside from a healthy trust fund he made his living as a history and English professor at the institute, formerly NYU. They were talking about visiting his parents later that year…yep…definitely a couple.



For the last six months he had been hinting at living together but something always stopped her.



He was a good man. He loved her and Skye, things had been rocky at first, ‘weren’t they always’. Everyone had been surprised when she began dating him; she had managed to work up enough anger at Raya that she didn’t feel guilty…well for the most part she didn’t. Skye had been hesitant at first but once she realized that Sean, Wilsons five year old son was easily manipulated he became her best friend. Often her partner in crime, stealing Reds rabbits, draws pictures all over the walls of the institute and many other various stunts.



Faith knew by the time Skye reached her teen years she would be paying wads of cash to some head doctor. And she didn’t even like shrinks.



Next year Skye would be starting school and she tried to convince herself that it wouldn’t hurt so badly without Raya. But she knew that was a lie, and as much as she did love Wilson, she knew in a sick twisted soap opera way she was using him, and she had the nagging feeling Horus thought this too…oh God Horus had all but tore out Wilsons throat when they first met, figuratively speaking of course. He had just sat there, never taking his eyes off Wilsons face throughout the entire meal. Wilson thank god had taken it very well and told Faith later he even understood.



Asher had taken to a healthy teenage resentment of the tall man. Warming up to him only when he offered to teach Asher how to drive, something Faith was sure he regretted because they had both almost swallowed there tongues when the kid had back down the driveway and leveled the mailbox.



Tomorrow would be there one year anniversary. And she knew that he was planning to propose. How she wasn’t sure but she just knew. To be honest he would make a wonderful step-father and would always make her laugh. Wasn’t that what a partner was supposed to do? Have a good sense of humor or something?



This probably wouldn’t be bugging her so bad if B and Willow hadn’t taken her out for ‘Girls Night’ and gotten drunk on coolers while she was still sipping her JD and Coke and asked her if she REALLY loved him.



They had then being the wonderful friends they are started listing all his good attributes verses Raya which had led to drunken apologizes and open access to B’s credit card. But she knew she didn’t love, love him like she did Raya but he was safe. He was good and he loved her and she knew no matter what he would always be there.



*******



Willow sat on the couch grading the fall exams from her students when Kennedy walked into the door, stomping her feet and blowing on her hands to heat them up Kennedy took off her coat and hung it on the rack.



“Wilsons going to propose to Faith.” Kennedy said as she walked into the kitchen.



‘God I hate it when she walks off after sayin something like that.’ Willow thought as papers were forgotten and she followed her lover into the kitchen.



“What? How do you know this?” Kennedy pulled a beer out of the fridge and twisted off the top, taking a healthy swig before turning to Willow.



“He asked me if I thought Faith would be open to the idea.” Kennedy put down the beer and started going through the freezer, looking for a Popsicle most likely.



“Why did he ask you?” Willow was a bit confused, the fights between Faith and Kennedy were rivaled only by the ‘legends of the Chosen Two’ that Andrew spun for the impressionable girls.



“I don’t know he just did. So were taking the kids tonight.” Kennedy didn’t meet her girlfriend’s eyes at the last part.



“Fine. We’ll take them if you go to the lunar eclipse with me.” Willow smiled at the disbelieving look from Kennedy.



“Will baby you know I hate hanging with those coven chicks. That’s more your thing.” Kennedy pleaded, even throwing on a pout for good measure.



“No, agree or say no to the kids.” Willow honestly loved watching the kids but the eclipse was only a week away and she knew if she didn’t get her to agree to it now shed only find a way out of it down the road.



“Okay deal.” Kennedy leaned in the kissed Willows softly before moving into there room to change into something more comfortable.



*******



Wilson looked up from his menu as he watched Faith cross the room, standing he pulled out her chair and gently pushed it in when she sat. Taking his own seat he was pleased when she wore the earrings he had bought her for Christmas the year before.



“How was the drive?”



“Good, you look nice in that shirt. How’s Sean?” Faith took a sip of her water and watched closely as Wilsons smiled, noticing his laugh lines and the way he lightly scratched his carefully cut beard.



"Thank you, he’s good. Today he got gum stuck in his hair so I had to take him to the barber but other than that nothing really.” Faith smiled, this was how conversations always were. Polite, unassuming and about the kids.



Okay so she shouldn’t be more preoccupied with being late for the Friends marathon that started at midnight than she was with her date. Sighing she put down the menu and looked across at her boyfriend.



“Faith, there was something I wished to ask you tonight.” Getting out of his chair, he bent on one knee and pulled a small red velvet box from his blazer. “Will you be my wife?”



Looking down at him, she smiled. Nodding and smiling when he broke into a huge grin and slipped the ring onto her finger. He leaned over and kissed her until the waiter reminded them they were in a restaurant, not at home.



‘Hey sometimes, you just got to go with the moment.’ Taking her hand in his the rest of the evening went by fairly quickly. When he dropped her off at her house, she leaned over and kissed him softly, his beard tickling her lip before she pulled back.



“Are you going to come in tonight?” Faith asked.



“No, I have a meeting early in the morning with some Watchers. Ill be by for dinner. Is that okay?”



“Yes, ill see you then Wilson.”



“Goodnight Faith.”



********



Walking into her darkened living room she nearly chucked her key holder at Horus who sat there in the dark, waiting for her.



“What are you doing here? I thought you would be out with Dawn” Since Dawn had turned nineteen the two had been inseparable and aside from him being her ‘first’ and a few years older than Dawn Buffy had unsurprisingly only went after him once or twice.



“He proposed didn’t he?” Not waiting for an answer Horus looked to her right hand, noticing the new ring. “And you said yes.” Faith didn’t like the calm stony tone to his voice.



“Yes I did Horus, he’s good to me. Why shouldn’t I marry him” Faith wasn’t prepared for Horus to leap to his feet.



“BECAUSE YOU’RE MY MOTHERS MATE!” They had had this fight a few times over the years. Did he really think she stopped loving her? God she had sobbed like a baby the first time she and Wilson had had sex because all she could think about was Raya, but shed be damned if she admitted that to him.



“SHES GONE HORUS…WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? Sit down forever and watch the world go by? Never moving on? God you have NO idea how much I miss her EVERYDAMN DAY. But she is NEVER coming back….and it hurts. It hurts so fucking bad and I can’t breathe and it’s just…” Biting back a sob, she struggled half heartedly when Horus tried to hug her, pushing him back she punched him across the face and walked upstairs and slammed her bedroom door harder than she intended.



*********



~The Day of the Eclipse~



Priest watched as Raya walked into the hidden room where he had sent her from Egypt all those years ago.



She had informed her father that she had learned in a vision that her cousin was meant to be Pharaoh and at first he had been adamant that she was wrong but she told them her ‘vision’ and that she must return to the place she came from.



Right now she was under ‘guard’ but she still remembered the hidden tunnels and passageways and slipped past them easily.



“You understand that after I send you away again, there is no possible way fro you to return…ever?” Raya nodded.



“Drink this. It will make you feel drowsy; we have twenty minutes before the day of the Eclipse begins…it will be no turning back my Prince.” Raya nodded as she drank the bitter liquid.



“Priest…thank you for this. May the Gods smile upon you and your family for this.” Raya gently grasped her hand before she turned and lay down on the platform.

After a few minutes she felt the eerily familiar feeling of dead limbs, her head became fuzzy and she felt herself slipping away. Thinking she heard someone say ‘Goodbye Raya’ she was cast out.



*******



Faith rolled over and groaned. Burying her head deeper into the pillow trying to drown out the damned annoying knocking at her door…knocking? Who was knocking at….noon…okay never mind. Time to get up.’



Sitting up she hid the bottle of Jameson under her bed and stood up to open her door, smiling she looked down at her daughter.



“What is it pumpkin?” Skye smiled and put her arms up for Faith to pick her up. Leaning down carefully she balanced Skye on her hip and walked down the hallway.



“I want juice.”



“Why didn’t you get Horus or Asher?” Skye shrugged.



“I wanted you to get it.”



“Okay Hun, orange or apple?” Smiling at the way her daughter’s eyes lit up at the mention of apple she pulled a glass and began to pour.



*******



Coughing Raya dug through the dirt and looked up, she was in some sort of hole, only…it seemed to go on forever. ‘Where am I?’ standing she looked up…and up. Sighing she started to climb, the heat made her dizzy and apparently the buzzards thought she would be fair game. ‘Stupid fuckers come near me ill rip there throats out’



The dirt was loose, and hard to grasp, the rocks slipped away. After what felt like three hours but was probably more like one she lay down on a shoulder, catching her breathe. Looking up she noticed something out of place.



Standing up she started the slow climb, pulling herself up onto the shoulder that it rested on. She recognized it…it was a sign of some kind.



Scraping away the dirt, the words on it began to appear. Taken aback when she read ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’



‘What the hell happened?’ Turning she realized she was closer to the top and could see how truly massive the ‘hole’ she was in was.



TBC



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