The room was filled with the low buzz of people trying to hold private conversations, despite being separated by sheets of plate glass. Faith walked slowly out of the corridor into the small, stuffy area behind the glass, aware of the glares the guards were giving her. The only unoccupied seat was half way down the row and she smiled faintly when she saw who sat on the other side of the divider. She picked up the handset as she sat, and grinned.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"How's it going?"
"Oh, the usual." Faith grimaced. "Bad food, worse guards and people who think it would be a great plan to get me in trouble with them. Sometimes I wish..."
"Yeah?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. I wouldn't want to go back to what I was, not now, but sometimes it's just so tempting to say 'screw this, I'm getting outta here'."
"The road back is never easy."
The dark Slayer nodded. "Is it worth it?"
"It can be."
"I managed to talk the guards into letting me make some phone calls," Faith said, smiling.
Angel returned her smile. "Can I guess who you called first?"
"She didn't hang up on me."
"No, she wouldn't."
"She hates me though."
"She doesn't hate you," Angel tried to reassure her. "You hurt her a lot and it's going to take more than a couple of phone calls to make that up. Give her time."
Faith let some of her hope and amazement show in her eyes, surprised by how easy it was becoming to let her emotions out. "We talked, not deep or anything, and it was weird how easy it was. She didn't even yell - I think she's working up to it. I'm not looking forward to that but she'll feel better for it so..."
"You really have changed," Angel said wonderingly.
"I guess I have." Faith paused to consider. "I still get mad, and sometimes I really, really wish I could just...but I know I can't now. And I know why I can't. Before, when you were all trying to help me and I was..."
"Rejecting it?"
"I was gonna go with 'trying to kill you all' but that works too. Anyway, before...I couldn't see why you wanted me to change." She smiled sadly. "I couldn't understand why anyone could want to let go of the rush once they'd tasted it. I couldn't see why you were all making such a big deal about my life and what I'd done. I mean, hell, I'd saved hundreds of people! I figured I was owed a few."
Angel sighed. "It's an easy thought to have."
"Yeah."
There was silence for a moment and then Angel looked at her curiously. "What made you change?"
"Truth?"
He nodded.
"Buffy."
She stared at the desk in front of her and began tracing patterns on the wood with her fingers.
"Buffy?"
"Yeah."
He thought for a moment. "I can understand that. She's very..."
Faith nodded.
"You don't want to talk about it?"
"Not yet."
"When you do..."
"I know where you are." Faith shook herself and grinned through the glass. "So, how are the new offices working out?"
"They're...working," Angel said with a grimace.
"Let me guess - Miss High School Cheerleader is not impressed by them."
"Something like that." Angel rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I'll work it out."
"Wanna talk about it?" Faith asked. "That counsellor keeps telling me that anything looks better when you've talked about it. Can't hurt to try her out."
"It's...complicated."
"Life always is. So, what's going on? Sounds more serious than a bad case of sixties wallpaper."
The vampire paused for a moment and looked at her, weighing everything up. If he told her, would she think he was going insane? But maybe she would understand. "Did Buffy ever tell you about Darla?"
*finis*