Court is in Session
by Living Dead Girl
Rating: R

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc own all the characters, I’m just playing around with them.
Spoilers: Set a while after season 5, sequel to Here I Am & The Mask I Wear.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to my mate Michelle, for reading over my fics before I post them and for listening to me whine. “” depicts speech, [ ] depicts thought.
Feedback: Yes please!!!

Lying awake in her motel room, Faith mulled over last night’s events. She was happy, confused, guilty, so many feelings, too many. She wasn’t sure if she could face Red and the crew, but Faith knew running would get her no-where, just back to square one. She had been given a chance, not the easy option, but hopefully better in the long run. She was gonna play by B’s rules.

There was a knock at the door. [Shit! I’m not ready for this!] But Faith knew she’d never be ready. Normally she wouldn’t really care what the gang thought of her, but they were Buffy’s friends, they mattered to Buffy. What mattered to Buffy mattered to her now.

Faith opened the door. “Hey.”

“Hi. Ready to face the mob?” Buffy laughed nervously.

This threw Faith. [She’s joking around?] She had half expected Buffy to be all solemn and serious. “Sure.”

“Ok, let’s go.”

Faith grabbed her key, then paused. “B?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“What?” Buffy knew what.

“Being nice to me, talking like we’re friends.”

“I don’t know…I just maybe think that…you know, even though stuff happened, there were wrongs on both sides. You stepped up for your punishment, you seem genuine. I think you deserve another chance.”

The younger girl looked at the ground. “I don’t deserve any…”

“Faith! You …” Buffy paused. “C’mon they’re waiting.”

The girls started walking.

“They know I’m coming?”

“Yeah I called them this morning, I didn’t think surprising them was a good idea.”

“How’d they take it?”

“As well as can be expected.”

“Pretty badly then!”

“Yup!”

They were approaching the magic shop.

Faith let out a breath of air. [I can do this.] “Well, time to argue my case to a jury who pretty much already have the chair heatin’ up!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?”

*****

“I can’t believe her!” Willow was voicing her opinion as she sat with Giles and Xander. Anya and Tara had cleared out, they weren’t as involved with the whole Faith situation as the rest and decided it best to stay out of this one.

Xander was confused. “Buffy or Faith?”

“Faith, Buffy, both of them! I can’t believe she’s had the nerve to show her face, or that Buffy’s bein’ all pals with her!”

“I hope Buffy’s plannin’ to wheel her in inside a super safe cage, we should get weapons, be prepared!”

Giles butted in. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary, I’m positive that Buffy knows what she’s doing.”

“Does she? I mean does she really? Cos I sure don’t!” Willow stopped when she heard the small bell on the door go off.

The two slayers entered, and suddenly there was an uncomfortable silence. Buffy greeted her three friends with a hello, and got a few half-hearted mumbles in return. Faith tensed, everyone but Buffy was looking at her like she was filth of the earth. [They’re probably right, I am filth.]

Xander attempted to break the atmosphere, as much as Faith’s uncomfortableness pleased him, he couldn’t stand the silence. “Well my tension-o-meter has just reached new levels!”

Nothing, not a word.

The younger slayer realised that they may be waiting for her to speak. [What the hell can I say?] “I…umm…I…”

“Your what? Sorry?” Willow used her best angry sarcasm voice. “Oh alrighty then, you’re forgiven! Let’s all go for tea, we can skip on the way, tra la la!”

[Red has cracked!] “That’s not what I was gonna say.”

“Oh! So you’re not sorry?!”

“Yes of course I am!”

“Make up your mind Faith!”

Buffy stepped in. “Give her a chance Willow!”

[Badgering the witness.] Faith thought.

“Why are you helping her Buffy? She is wicked! She’ll never change. Faith is evil!”

[Uh hello! I’m right here!]

It was Xander’s turn now. “What’s the plan Faith? Worm your way back in, then when you have us where you want us, start turning us against each other, or maybe you’re just gonna go for the whole killing of us all!” He bravely stepped towards her. “Or maybe it’s just me you’re after!”

[Oh shit, this guy is so full of himself.] “What? Because we had sex?”

Buffy felt a pang of jealousy.

“To be honest I forgot about that, and now that I remember, once was enough!” Faith sneered. She couldn’t stop herself, he obviously thought it meant something to her when it didn’t. She leaned towards him and lowered her voice. “Remember Xander, I was the one that kicked you out!”

Xander sat back down with a feeling of rejection.

Buffy had to stop herself from smirking at Faith’s outburst. Before anyone else had a chance to mouth off, she spoke. “I asked you here to hear Faith out. Not launch an attack!” She turned to face her watcher. “And what about you Giles?” She said sounding very annoyed. “You’ve been pretty quiet so far, have you anything to say about the evilness of Faith? Or why she doesn’t deserve a second chance?”

Giles stopped cleaning his glasses and put them on. “No, quite the contrary in fact. I think Faith deserves a chance to prove herself.”

Everyone’s mouth dropped open, especially the younger slayer’s. They all turned to face Giles.

“Buffy, you told Faith that she should be in prison, and she went, and served a 3 year sentence. She owned up to her misdoings and faced up to and dealt with the consequences, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy! And the fact that she has stood here and taken your abuse proves my point even further, which is that she is sorry, is taking responsibility and is changing her ways.”

“Oh.” That was the answer Buffy was least expecting.

Willow and Xander were stunned. They hated Faith for what she put everyone through, although they knew Giles had a point. But they weren’t quite willing to admit it.

Giles decided to get this meeting over with. “Do you two agree to give her a chance?”

Xander looked to Willow, waiting for her to answer first.

“Whatever!” The wiccan got up. “I’ve gotta meet Tara.”

Xander looked as if he was going to speak, but hesitated, then got up and followed Willow out of the shop.

Faith whispered to Buffy to give her a minute with Giles.

“Um…Giles?”

“Yes Faith?”

“Uh…well…listen I really…well thanks for what you did there.”

“I did nothing, you did. But because I pointed that out to the others, it does not mean that I trust you…yet.”

“I know but I appreciate it, it was gettin’ ugly in here!” Faith sighed.

“Time is your biggest asset here, give them time.”

Faith nodded and smiled, then turned to meet Buffy outside the shop.

*****

“So, don’t ya have classes or somethin’ B?”

“Nah, reading day today. I am class free!” Buffy lied, she had lectures.

“Oh right.” Faith looked around her. “So, do you wanna…umm..”

“Hang out?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

They made their way to The Expresso Pump again. Buffy ordered for Faith, remembering that she had black coffee the last time.

“They really should do Irish coffee here, it is wicked tasty.”

Buffy took a sip of her mocha and smiled. “And I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that it has alcohol in it!”

“What can I say B? I guess it’s just the Irish comin’ out in me!”

“You’re part Irish?”

“Well no, I don’t think so.”

The blonde laughed. “Oh so that’s just some flimsy excuse you use when you drink. Have you lived in Boston for most of your life?”

“More or less.”

“Where’s your family? Have you any contact with them now?” The older slayer felt slightly ashamed when she realised she knew so little about Faith’s background.

[God, why is she asking these questions? Why does she care?] “No.”

“No what? You don’t see them? Why not? Do you miss them?”

“Shit happens! Is your coffee ok? Mine is a bit cold.”

“You’re changing the subject. What happened? You can talk to me.”

“Maybe their machine’s broke, or they left it sitting too long before serving it to us.” The younger girl was growing increasingly uncomfortable, and was starting to squirm in her seat.

“Not the coffee Faith! I was talking about your family and you know it!”

“It’s a long story. Just leave it, please!”

Faith’s attempts to avoid answering her questions, just made Buffy more curious. “I have all day! I know it didn’t work out too well when I said this the last time, but you can trust me!”

[Can I? I know I probably can. Why is she bringing this up? I don’t want to talk about it!]

Buffy leaned towards the brunette and looked into her dark eyes, that looked as if they were beginning to soften, beginning to let Buffy in. She repeated herself. “You can trust me.”

“I know.” Faith looked down then glanced at Buffy, the ‘no-entry sign’ was back up. “I just can’t trust myself.” She mumbled.

Buffy put her hand on Faith’s arm. “Tell me!”

The younger girl’s temper got the better of her, she abruptly stood up, snatching her arm away from the blonde. “For fuck sake Buffy! Haven’t you figured by now that I don’t wanna talk about it?” Faith regretted her outburst as soon as the words left her mouth, but she couldn’t cope with this situation. “Why do you care? Why does it matter?”

“I just wanna see…”

“Oh I get it! You wanna see what made me the fuck up I am today! Trying to psychologise me, is that it?”

The other customers were looking at the girls now, wondering what the commotion is about.

“No! That’s not what I was gonna say!”

“But that’s the reason you wanna know right?” Faith calmed herself. “Listen I’m gonna go. I’ve gotta call Angel, and I’ve stuff to do.”

It was Buffy’s turn to be angry now. “Don’t run away from this Faith! You of all people know where running gets you!”

Buffy could see a quick flash of hurt in Faith’s eyes.

“I’m not running, I just need to be alone.”

Faith walked away. Buffy considered following her, but decided it was best to give her some space, but not too much. [Super move me! Why did I have to push so much?]

*****

The brunette cursed herself as she walked through the town. [Good move Faith! Fucked up again. That fit of rage will confirm any doubts B had about me changing.] She headed for the liquor store. [Fuck budgeting.] She thought. [I need a fucking drink!] Her hatred for herself had flared up, drinking was her way of escaping.

...continued in The Night Before...