The Soulmate Series

Crisis of Faith (Chapter Thirty-Five of Soulmates)

Angel has spent far too long with Faith today and it’s not nearly as hard as it should be to let his demon out to play. While there was a time - those days before curses and portals and centuries of torment had forever altered even his very soul - when he would have considered Faith a ‘project’ and actively fought to help redeem her, that time has passed and left not so much as a souvenir to mark it as ever having been. As of now, Faith is the enemy, not the least because she’s no friend of Willow’s, and all Angel really wants to do is get the information all this play-acting is supposed to induce her to reveal and then end her life.

Sadly, there’s still more of this farce to be enacted before any of that comes to be. “Actually...we have a slight change in plan, Buff.”

“Buff? You just called... What’s the matter with you?”

She’s actually a better actress than he’s given her credit for in the past. He’s almost buying the confusion and fear. As for Faith, there’s no almost about it - she’s completely fooled by Buffy’s charade.

“Nothing. Matter of fact...I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”

He’s wearing his game face now. A bit over the top, but Angelus was always shamefully lacking in subtlety, embarrassing really, but at least it makes it so easy to cut to the chase without a whole lot of fuss. Game face = bad guy. The simplest of equations, easy enough for even a special education student like Faith to get the right answer, or at least the answer she’s supposed to get. She bought it from moment one, just as Buffy appears to now.

“Angel?” The little tremor in her voice is perfect. Worthy of an Academy Award, in fact. Pity that being the Slayer leaves Buffy little time for a film career because she might just have the goods - at least if she never has to do love scenes. The cow eyes are always a bit nauseating.

“You know, I never properly thanked you for sending me to Hell.” Come to think of it, he has a point there. Of course, his time in Hell did strengthen and deepen his bond with Willow, and that does make it all worthwhile, but still, on general principle, he owes Buffy a sound thrashing or perhaps even a spot of torture - the real kind - for all those centuries of pain and fire.

“No...” Scratch the movie offers. Good thing Faith didn’t see her break character and smirk, nor does she seem to have registered the flat tone and lack of panic. Damn Buffy. If he’s had to have Faith’s tongue in his mouth for nothing today, his ex-lover is going to be one sorry Slayer.

“I’m just wondering, where do I start? Cake? Fruit basket? Evisceration?”

“No.”

He’s grabbed Buffy and now he’s happier than ever that Faith doesn’t have the keen senses of a vampire. He should have known Buffy would get turned on. Oh well, at least her little whimper seems to have passed for fear. As to the smell...well, it’s a good thing he’s the only one whose nostrils are filled with it right now. It’s not his favorite scent, but at least it’s doing a bit to dilute the odor of Faith’s desire, which has been fouling his senses for hours.

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe there’s still some good deep down inside of me that remembers and loves you if only you could reach me. Then again, we have reality.”

She pulls back on her kick as she pushes herself away from him. Good Satan in Hell, she is this close to blowing the whole thing if Faith isn’t as bereft of intelligence and perception as she seems.

“I will kill you before I let you touch me.” Weak again, but he’ll be damned once more if Faith isn’t buying it. She really is an idiot. Too bad she doesn’t have a chance with Xander because, really, they’d be a perfect match. He smiles inside as he remembers punching the boy. The look of poleaxed astonishment on Cordelia’s face was a delightful added bonus and the whole event made for the spoonful of sugar he badly needed to swallow the bitter pill that was his day with the second-string Slayer.

“Faith, we need to get out of here. Now.”

“Speak for yourself, B. Me? I like it here.” Faith’s purring in a way she obviously thinks very alluring, but then again, she thinks every move she makes is like Viagra. She ought to have looked at her track record lately and adjusted her ego accordingly, but then again, if she had, he’d never have fooled her today. Only a complete dunce would believe that she could score Angelus after failing miserably to screw Xander.

Buffy stares at Faith for a bit too long to be credible, but once again, Faith’s stupidity - more than likely mixed with a healthy dose of a desire to believe that Buffy is even more lunkheaded than she is - has made her easy to fool. Just as Buffy turns, Angel punches her. She sinks to the floor, actually unconscious. Scary how much he enjoyed that. Still, he didn’t hit her that hard, so she should awaken in a trice. Good thing, too, because Faith is going heavy on the groping right now and Angel’s way too keen to break her neck before they learn a thing about the Mayor’s plans.

“One thing I learned about Buffy - she’s so cute when she’s sleeping.”

They carry her over to the wall and Angel lets Faith kiss him, picturing Willow all the while. He tries not to think about the fact that this, for all intents and purposes, is very close to infidelity. Though it’s not as if his heart is unfaithful, that’s for sure, and isn’t that what counts? Besides, he’s doing this for a good cause, one Willow herself heartily believes in: saving the world.

He’s not the only one thinking about Willow, it seems. “Aren’t I better than that little bookworm?”

“What makes you think Soulboy had a thing for her?”

“Oh, c’mon, I saw you two walking together the other night, all close and romantic.”

He grabs her wandering hands and pushes her away from him. “Let’s get one thing straight, sweetheart. I’m not Angel. Oh, and one more thing, he wouldn’t touch that little hacker. He knows I’d rip his soul into pieces for that. The little bitch caged me up like an animal.” The words are anguishing to say, but he has a part to play and he’d also like to keep Faith’s nose out of his business.

Faith gets the message. “Okay. Whatever you say.” She backs away with an expression of what passes for contrition on her face.

“Let me take care of my girl here.” Angel does just that, putting the finishing touches on the fake captivity Buffy’s in. Nice loud click of the handcuffs and it’s all so believable. Here’s hoping Buffy doesn’t screw it all up.

She comes to, the groggy expression unfeigned.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead.” His voice is sweet and seductive. He’s actually being a bit more cruel and understated than Angelus would be, but aping his alter ego’s lack of true finesse is wearing him down. He simply must let his greater refinement and craft out for an airing. Not too much, though, because only the obvious is apparent to Faith. “You know what I just can’t believe? All of our time together, we never tried chains. Well, can’t dwell on the past. Especially with the future we have ahead.”

“Bondage looks good on you, B. The outfit’s all wrong, but hey...” Why does Angel get the feeling that Faith has actually considered this scenario more than once in the past? Oh yeah, that would be because of the stench brought on by Faith’s heightened arousal at the sight of Buffy in chains.

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Angel could not agree more. His cock is still sore from the way Faith was grinding on top of him earlier. Ouch. Just because he’s a vampire, that doesn’t mean she’s supposed to use every ounce of her strength. Again, ouch.

“Really? Weird, ‘cause something about all this just feels so right. Maybe it’s one of those unhappy childhood things.” Oh no. The self-pity party has begun. Angel is struck for a moment by how real his contempt for Faith is and how differently he would have felt before, but he doesn’t despise himself for his callousness. No, there’s no self-loathing in him at all. “See, when I was a kid, I used to beg my mom for a dog. Didn’t matter what kind. I just wanted, you know, something to love.”

On that last word, she strolls back to him and now his gorge is well and truly rising. Love? Then her lips are on his and her hands are going places he only wants Willow to touch him and there’s one thing he now knows with absolute certainty: Faith will pay for this.

“A dog’s all I wanted. Well, that and toys.” She unveils a collection of shiny silver instruments laid out like an art installation...or like the cutlery at the banquet Angel’s envisioning where he could feast on Faith’s agony and despair. But he smiles and continues to play his part. All of this will have been for nothing if they don’t get the information they’re seeking. “But Mom was so busy, you know, enjoying the drinking and passing out parts of life that I never really got what I wanted. Until now.”

“Faith, listen to me very closely. Angel’s a killer. When he’s done with me, he’ll turn on you.”

“She’s right. I probably will.”

Of course, Faith doesn’t believe that for a moment. For a self-proclaimed abused child, she has an amazingly healthy ego. “Yeah? Huh. Guess we’ll just have to keep you around a while, then.” She has a tool in her hand, one Angel would be amazed if she could properly use, as she walks over to where Buffy is ostensibly bound to the wall. “Before we get started, I just want you to know: If you’re a screamer, feel free.”

“Why, Faith? What’s in it for you?” Exactly the sort of stupid question Buffy really would ask in a situation such as this.

“What isn’t? You know, I come to Sunnydale, I’m a Slayer, I do my job kicking ass better than anyone.”

And the pity party swings into full gear. Is there any way they can get her to come forth with the good stuff right now so he doesn’t have to listen to any more of this? All right, at one point, he actually did feel sorry for her, but that was many a long day ago. Now? Now he just wants to rip her head off. Isn’t it about time for that bad movie moment where the moronic villainess spills her guts about the evil plan so she can be killed already?

Apparently not. “What do I hear about everywhere I go? Buffy. So I slay, I behave, I do the good little girl routine, and who does everybody thank? Buffy.” Boo hoo.

“That’s not my fault.” For once, he has to agree with Buffy. It’s not her fault that she’s the best Slayer he’s ever seen.

“Everyone always asks, ‘Why can’t you be more like Buffy?’ But did anyone ever ask if you could be more like me?”

“I know I didn’t.” And if Faith wasn’t an idiot in search of a village, she’d be wondering about that remark right now.

“You get the Watcher, you get the mom, you get the little Scooby gang. What do I get? Jack squat. This was supposed to be my town.” If only Angel had a violin right now. Willow has spent her whole life emotionally starved, ignored, and bullied, yet she’s a far better person than Faith. Even Xander, as much as Angel hates that boy, earns his respect on that score. Pathetic as he is, at least he deals with his troubled home life without a trace of Faith’s extravagant whining. Buffy isn’t the only one Faith should be more like.

“Faith, listen to me.”

“Why? So you can impart some special Buffy wisdom? That it? Do you think you’re better than me? Do you? Say it. You think you’re better than me.”

“I am.” Again, Angel has to agree. “Always have been.”

Faith was actually expecting a denial. Angel can tell by the way she hesitates and looks a bit lost before responding. “Um, maybe you didn’t notice. Angel’s with me.”

Oh merciful heavens, she’s cozying up to him again. He plays along as best he can, once more picturing Willow as he attempts a fond look.

“And how did you get him, Faith? Magic? You cast some sort of spell?” There’s not a spell powerful enough to make him want this girl, but she doesn’t know that as he continues to gaze at her with what might pass for lust to the untrained - and blind - eye. “Because in the real world, Angel would never touch you, and we both know it.”

Ooh, that hit home. Of course, Faith returns the favour by hitting Buffy - pretty hard, at that.

“You had to tie me up to beat me. There’s a word for people like you, Faith. Loser.”

Faith rams her tool into the wall next to Buffy’s head. Close thing, that. Buffy might have gone a bit overboard.

“Uh-huh. You’re just trying to make me mad so I’ll kill you. But I’m too smart for that.” Angel is pretty sure that Faith isn’t too smart for anything, but he is rather glad she didn’t kill Buffy. Of the two Slayers in this town, Buffy’s the one he finds least objectionable. “Stick around.”

“For what? Your boss’s lame ascension?” Yes! Thank you, Buffy! At last! “Like I couldn’t stop it.”

“You can’t.”

“I will.” Could they just get to the details already and skip the one-upmanship?

“Keep dreaming. No one can stop the ascension. Mayor’s got it wired, B. He built this town for demons to feed on, and come graduation day, he’s gettin’ paid. I’ll be sittin’ at his right hand. Assuming he has hands after the transformation. I’m not too clear on that part. And all your little lame-ass friends are gonna be kibbles and bits. Think about that when your boyfriend’s cutting into you.”

“I never knew you had so much rage in you.”

Faith preens. “What can I say? I’m the world’s best actor.”

Hallelujah, that’s his cue. “Second best.” And there’s a world of further meaning behind that remark.

It takes a few seconds, but: Surprise! She’s starting to get it.

“Graduation day. You think we missed anything?”

“I think we know everything she knows.”

“May I say something?” Faith turns to Buffy at that question, the rage boiling over within her. One more word from her bete noire and she might just be provoked enough to give Angel an excuse to kill her. Please. The chains drop as Buffy lifts up her now free arms and says it: “Psych.”

“You played me. You played me!”

She lunges at Angel and all seems to be going perfectly...until the Scooby gang bursts into the mansion, Willow included. It’s enough to distract him and he winds up being thrown across the room and directly into their midst, knocking down Willow and Xander.

He’s a bit woozy and befuddled for a moment, but then he sees something happen that might take the burden of getting rid of Faith entirely out of his hands. Buffy grabs a knife from the spread of ‘toys’ they had laid out earlier and looks ready to use it. Atta girl. At the same time, he also has the presence of mind to open up the bond; he only prays that Willow has been too preoccupied with the fight between Buffy and Faith to notice that it is only just now strong again.

“What are you gonna do, B? Kill me? You become me. You’re not ready for that.” With that, Faith pulls Buffy to her and kisses her forehead. “Yet.”

Sadly, that’s enough of a distraction and Faith makes a clean getaway. Dammit.

Willow, of course, is the first one to run to Buffy’s side. “Are you okay?”

Buffy is silent, but the cow eyes have made an unwelcome appearance as she gazes at him.

“Yeah, Will. I’m fine.” She is still staring mistily in his direction.

Willow is experiencing so many different feelings right now: confusion, fear, and something else he can’t quite fathom. Sadly, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll have the chance to unravel that mystery tonight..

“C’mon, Buffy. Let me walk you home, okay?”

“Sure.” She gets up slowly. She’s clearly milking this for every ounce of sympathy. Their farce with Faith has not quenched her thirst for drama tonight, that’s readily apparent.

They leave and only Buffy gives him a backward glance. Angel is forced to pull back from the bond having had barely a taste of it. Painful though it is, however, he does it. He is no fool.

Xander, Wesley, and Cordelia remain behind, clearly wanting to be ‘in the loop’ now, but Angel’s in no mood for a chat, especially not with that Council rat. Xander, moron that he is, can at least be trusted to some degree, and by extension, so can his dim bulb of a girlfriend, but there is no way Angel is going to give sensitive information to Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

“What did you discover?” Wesley’s voice is as irritating as ever.

Angel decides to mend some fences a bit while still refusing to talk. “No offense, Xander, Cordelia, but I trust Wesley here about as far as you can throw him. So I think I’ll just wait and talk to Giles, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Can’t say I disagree with you, Deadboy.” Xander glares at Wesley. There’s obviously some personal friction between the two or there’s no possible explanation for Xander actually agreeing with him. A glance at Wesley and the reason for Xander’s antipathy becomes clear as Angel sees the puling watcher practically drooling as he looks at Cordelia. And surprise, from the smell of things he now knows something he hadn’t had time to pick up on earlier - that the object of Wesley’s pathetic desire seems to have offered her wares to Xander at long last. The plot thickens...or sickens. Either way, for once, the tension in a room he occupies with Xander has nothing to do with him.

“Let’s go, Cor. We’ll get the story from Buffy later.”

“But...” Despite her protest, she’s not hard for Xander to lead away, the expression on her face looking astonishingly like that of a girl in love...with Xander Harris? Oh well. There’s no accounting for taste, or lack thereof. Besides, between her two choices, even he would pick Xander.

Wesley, of course, practically runs from the mansion once the other two have started towards the door. He’s pitiful, so terrified of a vampire everyone has told him is next door to neutered that it’s almost laughable. Of course, if he knew that the vampire in question wasn’t such a house pet anymore, that would be a different story.

Angel begins to clear away the tools and tidy up a bit. He’s not actually eager to see anyone else tonight, though he knows he probably ought to find Giles and tell him what happened. He’s pretty sure Buffy will be too busy blubbering to Willow about having to watch Angel kiss Faith to take the time to call her Watcher. What is it doing to Willow, he wonders, hearing about her soulmate with another woman? Is it possible that this could make her jealous enough to realize her true feelings for him?

Unfortunately, there’s no time to ponder that possibly delightful outcome of this purgatorial day, as Giles chooses this precise moment to walk into his home. He doesn’t bother knocking, a lapse of manners Angel assumes means he’s spent far too much time with the likes of Buffy and Xander.

“Rupert. I was about to head out and look for you. We need to talk.”

“Indeed, we do.” The look on Giles’s face is extremely worrying.

“The ascension is supposed to happen on graduation day. That seems to be all Faith knows, but she’s also sure the Mayor’s got it in the bag. Every demon in Sunnydale owes him a favour. Also, he can’t be killed. I tried and he healed even faster than I do.”

“Well, none of that is good news, but thank you. At least now we have a better idea of what we’re up against.” There’s something bothering Giles, however, something that seems to weigh almost as heavily on his mind as what the Mayor is planning.

Angel decides to gamble on this being something he actually wants to know about and asks straight out. After all, sometimes the direct approach even works. “Is there something else?”

“Actually, yes, there is. Angel, have you felt anything...different since you returned from Hell?” Oh no.

“What do you mean?”

“I might as well come right out with it: Have you noticed a connection to Willow?”

Fuck. He’d better get this right, or Giles could monkeywrench everything. “A little bit. It’s the same way I felt connected to the gypsy who cursed me the first time.”

Giles appears puzzled. “You felt a connection to the first caster as well?”

“Yeah. Nothing much, but I could feel the hate she felt for me. That was pretty much the extent of it. With Willow it’s just sensing her presence more easily. That kind of thing.” He’s trying to sound casual and offhand and it seems to be working because Giles seems more confused than ever. “Why are you asking about this?”

“Well, I...it seems that...when the sorcerer came to me and told me about the Mayor’s plan to remove your soul, he told me something rather extraordinary.”

Angel waits, but Giles says nothing. Angel is almost rabid with curiosity at this point. What might this mean for him and Willow? “What did he tell you?”

“Oh...yes. Well, he told me your soul can’t be lost, at least not through perfect happiness or even by the magickal techniques used to remove an unanchored soul. Not anymore. Because, it seems, your soul is now bound to Willow’s.” He pauses for a moment before asking, “Are you sure it feels no different from the original curse?”

Angel tries to look stunned, figuring shock is expected and also hoping it will buy him some time. He knew this, deep inside, already, but the conformation is heartening. Still, the fact that Giles is now aware of their connection is more than a little bit troublesome. He’s going to have to think on his feet now and keep the meddling old man from interfering with his pursuit of Willow.

“No, I...”

“Angel, I’m not blind, or stupid. I’ve noticed your attitude towards Willow has changed and...”

What is that saying? The best defense is a good offense? “Of course my attitude towards her has changed. She gave me back my soul. Not only that, but she’s been through a hell of her own lately and naturally I’m concerned and protective, just like you and Buffy and Xander are. Do you really think that only a mystical bond could make me care about a friend in trouble?”

Giles appears nonplussed by Angel’s explanation.“Yes, well, of course. It’s simply that...”

Angel takes a softer tack. “I know that we’re not friends and you don’t really trust me. I can’t say that I blame you, not after everything that’s happened. But believe me, when it comes to the few friends I do have, I would never lie to you. I didn’t notice anything at all different or unusual about my connection to Willow. I would have said something if I had.”

“Yes, well...I suppose you must be telling the truth because I’m certain Willow hasn’t even sensed it at all. I’m sure she’d have informed me if she had.” The wheels are turning in Giles’s mind, possibly even down the most favorable road. Bless his logic.

“You’re right.” Angel acts as if he himself is considering that fact for the first time. “I hadn’t thought about it, but she definitely would have told you if the connection was anything strong enough for her to feel.”

Giles clears his throat and collects himself before speaking again. “While we’ve cleared up that issue, there’s still the matter of your soul being anchored to hers. There’s no telling what that means or what sort of danger that might put her in...or you for that matter. The sorcerer was unclear about what the ramifications of this bond might be or if there were other ways your soul, and hers, could be jeopardized. I shall have to research this.”

“Are you going to tell Willow about it?”

“No.” Giles is emphatic on that point and Angel is almost ecstatic. “I don’t want to distress her unduly. When and if she needs to be told anything, it will be after I’ve gathered enough information to understand this connection. She’s had far too much pain and worry as it is.” His voice is full of concern, as it should be. But of course, there’s another one of his charges on his mind. “May I ask what you’re going to do about Buffy?”

“You mean, am I going to tell her?”

“Precisely, because of course, this would seem to mean that...”

“No, I’m not going to tell her, not right now. I mean, we’re not sure, not really, about my soul. And besides, with everything the Mayor is doing and with Faith going rogue on us, I don’t think Buffy needs any distractions, nor do I. When this is all over, then I can think about her and what this might mean for us.” It’s definitely the best way to play, letting Giles think he still loves Buffy. Still, he also doesn’t want to be forced to rekindle their romance just to allay the man’s suspicions. He’s almost grateful to Faith and the Mayor for giving him a good excuse not to do that.

“Yes, well, that’s very sensible of you. Thank you. I was going to suggest you proceed on those lines. It’s not that I don’t want Buffy to be happy, it’s just that...”

“Right now, saving the world is a little more important.”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll come to the library tomorrow night and we’ll see what can be done about Faith and about stopping the ascension.”

“Yes, that’s an excellent idea. I should have had the chance to do some research by then. About the Mayor, that is. I’m afraid that will have to take precedence over this matter of your soul and your connection to Willow for the time being.”

“I understand.”

There is silence for a time, a time that stretches into awkwardness.

At last, Giles speaks. “I’ll leave you to whatever you were doing.” He nods with some distaste towards the tools on the floor.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

With that, Giles is gone and Angel is left with a great deal to ponder, some of it good and some of it definitely not.

His soul is bound to Willow’s. That is a very good thing, though he’s sure Giles is not in accord with him on that point and would be even less so if he knew Angel’s true feelings for her. Still, it’s worthwhile knowledge to have, even if Giles shares it. He’d been fairly certain that his soul was secure, but this confirmation does ease his mind to what little extent it yet needed to be.

Unfortunately, Giles being aware that his connection to Willow is out of the common could be a problem in the future, and Angel can’t help but be concerned. However, there is the Mayor and his ascension to keep the Watcher at bay for the time being. Once that’s been dealt with and all their enemies vanquished, who knows?

It’s important, though, to stay vigilant and do what is best to keep Giles from finding out about what’s already happened between himself and Willow. Luckily, there’s the fact that the man has no intention of sharing what he thinks is something she doesn’t already know with her. That will at least keep her from feeling any inclination to confide her perception of what went on between them. That will remain their secret, as it should. Because, after all, soon she will see things very differently.

He definitely has some thinking to do - thinking and planning. Leaving the tools on the floor, he heads upstairs to his bedroom. It will be so much easier to plot a successful campaign with the scent of his prize all around him.


Tbc...