Page 64 of Pain
Xander held his breath for a moment, wondering how to answer. He glanced at Matt, seeing him still sound asleep. Did he dare open up to Faith about things or would that upset Matt? She'd been through so much, and knowing she wasn't the only one to go through bad things might be a good thing for her. He gripped his beard, trying to think. "Well, when I was about your age, someone did some very bad things to me. Sometimes, even still, I get sad when I think about it." Actually, he got pissed off and angry, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
"They did bad things to me too." Faith stared at her zebra. "I don't want to tell, Daddy."
Xander nodded. "It's not easy to talk about sometimes. I didn't tell anyone for a long time, but when I did talk to someone, it helped. If you can't tell your dad, there will be other people you can talk to. I have a friend who I talk to sometimes. Maybe you could talk to her too."
"Maybe." She hugged her zebra closer to her.
Xander got the feeling it was better to change the subject. He didn't want to push her too fast to open up. Hell, he was shocked she'd told him as much as she did. "So, I'm guessing since you love Zee so much, zebras are your favorite animal?"
Faith slowly glanced over at him, then a small smile formed. "Yeah."
"How come?"
"Have you seen the movie Madagascar?"
He shook his head.
"There is a zebra named Marty. He's my favorite. He makes me laugh so hard." She leaned back on the pillow and grinned. "It's my favorite movie."
"Hmm, you'll have to watch it with me one night, so I can see what it's about. We'll get your dad to make popcorn and we'll have ice cream. We'll make a party out of it."
"Why am I the one who has to make the popcorn?" Matt mumbled from the cot.
Xander laughed. "Because I don't own a popcorn maker and I'm guessing you do."
Matt sat up, rubbing his eyes before standing and coming to Faith. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Okay. Xander brought me Zee." She held up her stuffed animal. "And my blanket too." She ran her hand over it.
"That was very nice of him. I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"It's okay. I did too. I woke up when Xander came in." She glanced over at him. "He says he's your friend."
"He is. I met him and a few other nice people while I was searching for you."
"I wanted to call you, but they wouldn't let me." Tears filled Faith's eyes.
"I know, honey, and it's okay. You're home now, and I promise I will do everything I can to make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again."
Xander hated that promise. There was no way to stop all bad things from happening. Sure, Matt could try, but bad touched everyone from time to time. Some more than others. He watched Matt with Faith, taking in the two of them together for the first time. The love Matt had for his daughter was evident in his eyes, and he hoped that as time went on, Matt would be able to deal with the issues that Faith was going to have. Right now, she seemed okay, better than Xander expected. He'd figured she'd be a hysterical mess. She hadn't really blinked at him when he walked in the room other than a few nervous glances. He hoped she was a fighter and could get through this better than he had. His abuse had fucked up his entire life. He still struggled to control his temper at times, and he trusted very few people because of what was done to him.
He didn't want that life for Faith. He didn't want that for Matt.
"How's your pain?" Matt asked.
"I'm okay. Just tired." Faith leaned into her father's touch.
"I'm tired too." Xander stood. "I'm going to head home and let you two rest. Is it okay if I come by later and visit again?" He looked at Faith.
She glanced at Matt, and when he nodded, she nodded too.
Xander smiled. "Call me if you think of anything else I can bring when I come." He glanced up at Matt. "You okay?"
Matt nodded. "My girl's back home. I couldn't be better." He reached a hand over the bed to Xander. "Thank you, for everything."
Xander gripped Matt's hand, nodding. "Anytime." He smiled at Faith. "Welcome home, Faith. I look forward to seeing that movie sometime." He released Matt's hand. "You two have a good night, and I'll see you soon."
Matt brushed Faith's hair back, but still looked at Xander. "Night."
