Chapter 17
| A Simple Act of Faith Chapter 17 |
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Faith found Angel sitting at a table close to the stage. She rushed over to him.
“What is it?” she said. The green slime demon on stage had just finished singing Don’t Stop Believing.
“It’s really stupid what he plans to do,” Angel explained. “Stupider than anything he’s ever done.”
The next singer came on stage and the song began. This one was not on karaoke. The singer sang with a guitar. The lyrics began.
If you ever change your mind
About leavin', leavin' me behind
Oh, oh, bring it to me
Bring your sweet love
Bring it on home to me, yeah
“He made me do it,” Angel said. “He said I owed him.”
“What?” Faith said and turned around to see who was singing.
“I know I laughed when you left
But now I know I've only hurt myself
Oh, oh, bring it to me
Bring your sweet love
Bring it on home to me,”
Faith looked to the stage. Standing on
the stage was Lindsey. He was singing beautifully and playing his guitar.
He sounded as wonderful as he did the day as his wedding.
After Lindsey finished the next stanza, he got
off the stage and headed to Faith. He stopped enough feet from her
to not get too close but the show the entire audience who he was singing too.
You know I'll always be your slave
Till I'm buried, buried in my grave
Oh, honey, bring it to me
Bring your sweet love
Bring it on home to me, yeah
Lindsey smiled as her. Faith just looked stunned. All the misery that she had seen in his eyes over the last few months was gone. Her anger was beginning to fade. Here he was singing his heart out for her.
If you ever change your mind
About leavin', leavin' me behind
Oh, oh, bring it to me
Bring your sweet love
Bring it on home to me, yeah
When he finished, the entire audience applauded.
“Hi,” Lindsey said, after the applause died down. He placed he guitar next to the stage.
“Hi,” she replied. Not quite sure if she should kiss him or punch him.
“Are you calm enough now that I can at least talk to you? Please you have to let me talk to you.”
Faith smiled. “You got my attention.”
Lindsey bit his lip slightly. “I love you.”
Faith didn’t respond.
“I know that I hurt you and for that I feel like an ass. So all I can do right now is beg your forgiveness. You are everything to me, Faith. Everything. If you hadn’t been at that crypt, I would have been a demon’s lunch. Seeing you, knowing that I might get you killed. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Faith still didn’t say anything.
“Please say something,” he said. “I sang for you, told you I love you and I need you. Please forgive me.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, getting slightly teary eyed.
“May I say,” Lorne said, interrupting. “That he is as sincere as he has ever been in his entire life.”
“We have start over,” Faith explained.
“It’s gonna be a long time before I trust you again.”
Lindsey nodded.
"But I forgive you.”
“Just don’t leave me, us, LA. This is your home. We all need you here.”
He put his hand out. She did not move.
“For god’s sake, Slayer!” a vampire screamed. “Why don’t you kiss him instead of talking him to death?”
“Remind me to stake him later,” Faith said.
Lindsey laughed and when he did, Faith grabbed him and kissed him hard on the mouth. Lindsey grabbed her back and embraced her tightly. All the anguish, pain and guilt of the past two years left him. All that was left was love. He felt very loved.
The audience hooted.
When they unlocked from each other, they smiled at each other.
“Well, it’s nice to for a love story to have a happy ending,” Lorne said. “And Lindsey, don’t you worry. It may last a lot longer than you think.”
“So, you wanna do something simple, like a dinner and movie.”
“Just pick a day.” Lindsey said, putting his arm around her. "How's tomorrow?" Angel got up and looked at the both of them.
“That was really dumb,” Angel said. “Really dumb.”
“I got her to forgive me,” Lindsey said and laughed. “So it worked.”
“It was still dumb.”
Lindsey smiled. “And I forgive you.”
Angel was stunned. He was speechless for a long time. Finally he said. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“I do,” he said, pulling Faith close. “I really do.”
“Excellent,” the host said. “Now if I can give everyone some friendly advice. Evil wins when good is fractionated.”
Faith looked at Angel, then to Lindsey. “I don’t know yet. I need more time.”
“Well, think fast,” the Lorne said. “Cause
bad things are on the horizon and you all need to stick together.”