Happily Ever After

"So, what do you think?" The mayor asked as he unlocked the door to Faith’s new apartment.

"Wicked awesome," Faith said and looked around the room, containing everything she could have ever wanted, "You’re doing all this for me."

"Of course I am," The mayor replied as he shut the door behind him, "No slayer of mine’s going to live in a fleabag motel, that place has a very unsavory reputation. There are immoral liaisons going on there."

"Yeah," She nodded, "Plus all the screwing." She hopped onto the blue satin sheet cover, smiling. Joining forces with the mayor was the best thing she’d ever done. He treated her well, like the father she never had.

"You like it?" The mayor asked, she nodded ecstatically, "Good." He smiled. "Oh, by the way, I have a little errand I’d like you to run."

"Sure, what is it?" Faith was used to the errands, she’d always get little rewards for tying up the mayor’s loose ends. It was usually a fetch this, or kill this job, she was beginning to like them.

"I need you to get a package at the docks tonight," The mayor said, "Its a little preparation for a ritual I’m going to do tomorrow night."

"No problem," She said, "Any killing or maiming I need to do for tonight."

"Only if you feel like it," The mayor chuckled, "Now, come on, I’ll get you an icee." She smiled and hopped off the bed, following him out the doors.

"Still no word on Faith," Angel asked as he entered the doors of the library.

"Angel," Giles replied, "It’s been over two months and no word. I don’t think we’re gonna find her. She’s probably already left, skipped town."

"Yeah, but when Buffy left we kept looking," Angel pointed out.

"Look Angel," Giles said, "Vampire activity has been higher than normal lately. We really have to focus on that right now, but we are still looking for her. We’ll tell you if we find something."

Angel sighed, "I’m just going to patrol around for a while. I heard a shipment that could be linked to some demons is gonna be coming in at the docks tonight, so I’ll probably check there later." He left without saying anything more.

Faith leaned against the wooden crate waiting for the shipment to unload the package she’d been sent to retrieve.

"You Wilkins carrier?" A man carrying a small package asked.

"Yeah," She said and held her hand out for the bundle.

"Where’s the payment you were supposed to bring?" He asked.

She moved her hand to the band of her jeans and pulled out a small dagger, "This payment enough?" She pushed him against the crate and drove the knife into his gut.

Angel heard sounds of a gasping behind a wooden crate. He hurried over and saw a body slump to the ground, being carried down as to not make any noise. Then he saw a hand reach down to pick up the package the now dead man was clutching to. Then sounds of running.

He rushed behind the crate to see a longhaired brunette who’s body moved amazingly like Faith’s racing away. He looked harder at the women, wondering if it was her and if she could have killed this man. He followed swiftly behind her trying to make sense of what he just saw. He watched as she entered the mayor’s office building and disappeared behind a guarded door, briefly seeing her face, and realizing it was Faith, and that she had killed a man.

"Got the stuff." Faith tossed the bundle to the mayor, which he caught with little effort.

"Bravo, bravo. Applause, applause." He said delighted to see the package, "Did he ask for payment?"

"Well, yeah," Faith said and snickered, "But I think Mr. Dagger sorted it all out." She smiled.

"Well, I figured you wanted the workout," the mayor smiled back, "Did you have a good time?"

"Always do," She said and sat down in the chair at the front of his desk.

"Oh, about that," He said and opened a drawer of his desk and took out a key, "You might want to open your new apartment when you get there." She took it from him and put it into the pocket of her jacket.

"Need anything else done tonight," She asked.

"No," He said and walked her over to the door; "You’ve done more than enough already."

She smiled and walked out, exiting the halls of his office building. She stepped out into the streets, unaware that Angel was watching her every step, every movement from the shadows.

She galloped up to the door of her new apartment and slowly pushed open the door; still amazed the mayor had done this for her. She unknowingly left the door open and took in her surroundings, studying it. The mayor had gone to so much trouble, for her. Like she really mattered to him, she liked that feeling, to matter to someone. For someone to actually give a damn if she didn’t wake up. Not like with the Scooby gang, nope, no one was shadowing her now. The mayor loved her, only her, she wasn’t a replacement for someone she had never even laid eyes on. She enjoyed that, he thought she was the best, his slayer, his girl, the one he didn’t compare to anyone. His, only his.

Angel slinked down the hall, noticing Faith had left the door open. He looked in, simply staring at the women he loved, painfully. Who wouldn’t see him. Who had turned evil. But who he still loved more than his unlife. Maybe he could help her, turn her back, she wasn’t evil, she couldn’t be, he wouldn’t accept it. But he was now presented with a choice, to go, see her, speak with her and risk losing her forever, or slink away, a coward and never see her again. He swallowed, the harder the choice, the greater the reward, right. He cleared his throat, how cliched.

"Come in," she said before her body shifted towards his, her chestnut gaze falling to his own in surprise, and anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She crossed her arms across her chest, anger boiling inside her, breaking above the surface of her control. A passion, an animosity she didn’t know existed in her. A deep feeling of betrayal coursed through her. He wanted her to go and now he has the nerve to track her down and burst in.

"I was on patrol…" Angel stared deeply into her eyes; "You killed a man."

"Yeah, so." She answered casually, but underneath, her insides were being twisted as they tormented her, love and hate fighting for dominance.

"It doesn’t have to be like this Faith," Angel tried to approach her, but she backed up in each step he took. "You didn’t have to leave. You can come back, you don’t have to kill innocent people to be counted."

"Excuse me," Faith interrupted, "You were the one who wanted me out, ‘if you don’t care about me enough to stay, blah, blah, blah.’ You practically demanded I leave. Well, guess what, I’ve moved on. And I’m not killing innocent people, that breed doesn’t exist. Guess how I found that one out, Angel." Hate pulled a fist over her affection as she clamped her hand down and dug her nails into her palm, stopping herself from hurting him. "Angel, isn’t it obvious, you can’t just barge into my place and just expect me to come back and leave the mayor. Don’t you understand I’m happy? I think it has to be this way, you wanna know why. For the first time in an extremely long while, I am happy, totally content. And I wouldn’t give that up, even for the person I love."

"You still love me," He pointed out, "How can you be happy without love. We can be together, just come back to me."

"Stop it," She screamed, "Stop trying to woo me back in. We can be together, sure. The mayor loves me, in a way you never could. He protects me, he understands me, and he doesn’t think about anyone else when he’s around me. He’s not comparing me to precious baby Buffy. If you can give me that, then, send me back."

"Faith," Angel touched her shoulder, "I can love you, I do love you. I don’t compare you with her. She’s gone, you’re here. And I love you, not her. Just be with me." He was making her choose, between the person who loved her like Angel didn’t know how to do or him, the man she loved.

<Lovers come and go…> She took Angel’s face in her hands and brought her lips crushing to his. One of her hands pulled though silken strands and the other went to her back pocket.

Angel pulled back for a moment and whispered, "I love you."

She kissed him again letting his hands rub her back as her hand found its goal. She broke the kiss and touched the side of Angel’s face, "I’m choosing." She plunged the stake into his back.

His surprised and pained faced turned to dust as he whispered "Faith."

She stared down at her hand for a while, letting the wooden stake roll off and clamor to the floor. She looked down at the pile of dust that was slowly disappearing to her eyes, her face twisted in pain and then she collapsed and started to sob. Lovers come and go…

God knows even Angels fall.

THE END

End of series.