How It Could Have Been
by Lorri
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The characters in this fanfic belong to various people who aren't
me. These are people such as Joss Whedon, Fox, UPN, WB, Mutant enemy and
others.
Spoilers: This takes place when Faith comes out of the coma in
season four, and what would have happened if she had waited a few more
minutes. Very short and very bad.
Faith woke up in her hospital bed, and panic gripped her body. She had been being chased by Buffy through a grave yard, and she had fallen in a grave. She remembered climbing out of the grave but Buffy didn't, and now she was here, in a hospital bed.
Sitting up she pulled the wires off her body, and the IV out of her hand.
"Ouch." No one else was there, and she didn't know what was going on.
With confusion taking over her body she left the hospital, finding a girl on the way. The girl told her the date and Faith realised she had been in a coma for eight months. After beating the girl up and taking her clothes, Faith wanted to know what had gone on during the past months.
After visiting the school and seeing the ruins, Faith decided to go to one of the places she remembered, Giles apartment. When she got there she looked through the window and saw all the scoobies there. Buffy was sitting on the arm of an armchair stroking the hair of a beefstick guy. Faith couldn't believe what she was seeing. First she had been relegated to the worst ward on the hospital which looked like it hadn't been used for twenty years, and now the girl who had put her there now was with some college beefstick, instead of the guy she had put her there for. It was making Faith angry.
Faith was about to leave and plan her revenge when the phone rang. She was interested to find out who it was, so stayed and listened to what was going on. Giles told Buffy the call was for her, and she went to it. Buffy went pale when she realised what the call was about, and you could visibly see the different emotions playing across her face. When Buffy hung up saying she couldn't help, all the gang were looking at her expectantly.
She told them all it was about Faith, and that she is awake. The expected comments were received from Giles, Xander, and Willow, how it was great that she was in a coma, and how Buffy should now beat her up. Buffy still looked shaken however, and when Giles asked what they would do with Faith when they got her Buffy brightened up a little. With an optimistic tone of voice she told them that maybe Faith had changed, and wanted to move on, that she was sorry about what she had done, and wanted to put things right. Buffy had been playing with her necklace as she spoke suggesting her inner turmoil.
Faith, who had been listening, had become angered by the scoobies response. When Buffy however had said that she hoped Faith had changed, Faith brightened up and left thinking about what she was to do now.
Buffy had been thinking constantly about Faith since she had received the phone call. She had also had to explain to Riley who Faith was which had been difficult. She was now doing a patrol, which had fortunately been very quiet as she was very distracted by her thoughts. Buffy desperately wanted Faith to had come back to her. During the summer, despite her hate of hospitals, she had sat with Faith talking to her. She couldn't take it any more after two months. Seeing Faith there every day fighting for her life because of her, was too much, she stopped visiting but still thought of her. Buffy was so distracted she didn't notice the dark figure sitting on a tombstone waiting for her.
Faith had thought all afternoon what she wanted to do with her life now that she had one again. Would she continue to be the dark slayer? or would she reform and fight the forces of evil again?
At this current moment she was sitting in the grave yard waiting to tell Buffy her decision.
Buffy's ears picked out the kicking of heels against a tombstone, and pulled her out of her thoughts and she went into slayer mode. Her eyes quickly found the culprit, and they went wide, she didn't know what to expect. Faith was an unknown quantity. She decided to wait for her to make the first move, and she did.
"What, no hug?" It was said with slight menace, but Faith had a big grin on her face.
Buffy smiled and engulfed the brunette, this how she had wanted things to turn out. "Are you OK?" Faith nodded at her and released herself from the blonde's tight grip.
Faith said she would help Buffy finish her patrol, and they could talk. Buffy had tried to argue this as she didn't think Faith was well enough to patrol, but Faith told her there was no point in arguing as her mind was made up on the matter. As they walked they talked about what had happened during the last eight months. Faith had started it by bringing up the dream they shared while in hospital. Buffy had explained that she used Faith's information to beat the mayor, and that after that Angel had left and was now in L.A. Faith asked Buffy how she had cured him, and was shocked to hear that Buffy herself had cured him, and that he then had the nerve to leave town. Buffy told her that it had been the right thing for both of them, although she hadn't seen it at the time. Buffy also told her about Riley, Xander dating Anya, and Faith had found it hysterical when Buffy told her about the chip in Spike's brain.
Faith grew serious after their talking and spoke seriously. "We've never talked like this before." Buffy nodded her agreement, which had a tint of sorrow in it. She remembered how she had never let Faith in before, and saw it as her failure. "I like it." Faith told her smirking. "Y'know, I was never good at that touchy, feely crap, but I want to apologise for going off the rails. I did many stupid things to you, the scoobs, and not to mention the little jobs the mayor sent me on."
Faith was looking at her feet and Buffy stepped in and made Faith look into her eyes. "It doesn't matter. We both made mistakes, but it's over now?" When Faith nodded and brightened up a little, Buffy continued. "So how about we get something to eat and you come back to mine? It's very late."
Faith thought about what Buffy was suggesting and decided to go with her. The pair had a long way to go put it looked like their relationship could be repaired.