Finding Faith
by Lyn
Rating: R
Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Joss Whedon.
Spoilers: Post S7
Notes: Go easy on me, I'm a 1st timer!
"Ahem," Giles cleared his throat, "I hate to break the reverie but we have wounded to tend to."
"Yeah, we need to get them to hospital," Buffy agreed.
With one last glance at the crater that once was Sunnydale, Giles, Buffy, Faith, Xander, Dawn and Willow turned back towards the bus. They had only walked a few paces when Buffy grunted and began collapsing toward the ground only to be caught by Faith.
"Hey B, looks like you could use a little medical attention yourself." Faith said as she carried Buffy onto the bus.
The Scoobies gathered around Buffy as Faith began to bathe, clean and bandage her with a tenderness that none knew Faith was capable. The enhanced powers provided by the scythe had helped heal the wound faster than Slayer healing normally provided and the Scoobies slowly backed away as they realised that Buffy was not in any danger and that a moment was passing between the two Slayers.
"There you go, B, you'll be as good as new in no time," Faith stated as she finished bandaging the wound.
"Thanks" Buffy mumbled as her weariness began to catch up with her.
"Catch some Zzzz's, B. We'll get this tub moving towards LA for some rest and help and leave the decision making for another day, OK?"
"Yeah…" Buffy replied as she fell to sleep.
Faith stood over Buffy and watched as The Chosen One slept. She leaned over and gently thumbed away the hair that had fallen over Buffy's face. "God, I still love you, B" Faith whispered sadly and turned towards the front of the bus. "Giles, I think LA might be the right place to go and regroup before you all make any life changing decisions," Faith said to the Watcher.
"I agree Faith, we need all the assistance we can get" Giles replied as he turned to the driver's seat and started the bus up. Faith sighed as her suggestion was agreed to and sat down next to the injured Principal Wood.
"Hey Woodie, how you holding up?" Faith asked lightly.
"OK…. Well, no, actually it hurts like hell." He winced.
"At least you didn't damage that pretty face" she smiled.
"You so hate to lose don't you?" Wood chuckled.
"You know it!" she smirked back.
They smiled at each other, sharing the moment.
"Faith, I…." Wood hesitated, "Now this is all over, I'm thinking that it's time I head back to New York and visit family and I… I was wondering if you'd come with me."
Faith closed her eyes for a moment as she considered her options.
"Wood, err Robin…" she began," I'm not real good at the commitment thing, y'know and with the whole 'end of the world' thing over…"
"It's okay Faith."
"I'm sorry, it's just that…."
"You think you need to stay with Buffy?"
"No… no, I'm not planning on staying and being a Scooby."
"You running away? Again?"
"Actually, running to, I got lots to sort out still, including the 'wanted' fugitive thing in LA and I need to deal with all this…" she said as she waved her hands around the bus, "before I can do anything else."
"I could help…"
"I need... no, I want to do this alone. I'm sorry."
"It's okay Faith, I get it. But if you make your way to New York, look me up."
"Count on it!" Faith pecked Wood on the cheek and walked further back into the bus and onto a seat by herself.
The bus trip was slow and by the time they made LA it was dark. They had called ahead to Angel and were told the Hyperion was available for use. Angel and the LA crew, along with medical staff from Wolfram and Hart, met them at the Hyperion and helped settle them all into rooms.
Angel and Faith spent a couple of hours talking in the office and then Faith, shouldering the knapsack that Angel had given her, began to leave the hotel, yelling something about going to Patrol.
Kennedy had been getting a drink when she spotted Faith leaving and called out to Faith as she exited the front doors.
"Faith?"
"Yeah, K, what is it?"
"You leaving?"
"Ah, yeah."
"After all that's happened? Why?"
"Oh, c'mon K, I'm sure Red has filled you in on some of my past dastardly deeds. I don't belong here."
"So you made a few mistakes, from what I can tell, they've all made a few mistakes, hell even I have."
"I've gotta go…"
"But all these Slayers.., you could help…"
"There's plenty to help here already. Besides, you've got the greatest Slayer ever in there. You'd be smart to stay and learn as much as you can from her." Faith gestured back into the hotel, "Besides I got some stuff I need to sort out, gotta get over h... err the past, gotta go face some of my own demons and I can't do that here."
"So there's no changing your mind?"
"Nope."
"Will you come back?"
"I'm not sure but probably. Like B I keep coming back, I just forget to die before hand" Faith smirked.
"Be careful Faith."
"Thanks K, I will be."
"And Faith..?"
"Yeah."
"You're a great Slayer too!"
Faith snorted as she walked off into the night.
Two weeks after arriving in LA, the Scoobies were meeting in a conference room at Wolfram and Hart, discussing their plans for the future and the baby Slayers. They were still having difficulty coming to any firm decisions other than: yes, there was a need for continued training. Despite the closure of the Hellmouth, demons and vamps still existed, and there needed to be some sort of 'watcher' type program but without the rigidity of the old style Watcher's council, and what about baby Slayers around the world? vThe conference phone ringing interrupted the meeting.
"Sorry, I'll have to get this, it must be important," Angel explained as he pressed the answer button. "Angel speaking" he answered.
"Hey Soulboy!" Angel quickly raised his hand to silence the rest of the group.
"Faith! How are you?"
"You know me, 5 x 5!" Faith replied.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"Boston. Going back to my roots, y'know."
"But are you okay?"
"Yeah, like I said…"
"I know, 5 x 5," Angel smiled.
"Look I need to ask you a couple of things so if you could take me off speaker phone for a sec…." Faith heard the gasps from around the room. "Gotta love Slayer hearing" she chuckled.
Angel picked up the telephone handset so that the rest of the room no longer overheard the conversation.
"So what can I do for you Faith?" he asked her.
"Um... I guess I need you to do a little background check for me, figured you could use your law firm. I keep coming up blank down here."
"Okay, who is it?"
"Aah, me actually."
"I'll need more details Faith."
"I know. I just wanted to find out if I have any other family and what happened to my Dad, my real Dad."
"I'll need names and a date of birth," Angel prompted but trying to keep the reason from the rest of the room.
"I know Soulboy. Don't laugh, OK?"
"I promise."
Angel wrote down the details as Faith gave him her full name and DOB. She knew that 'that' name was her step-Dad's name and the only other name she could remember was DiMarco.
"I suppose this is classified information" Angel half-joked.
"Actually, Angel," she paused know that the use of his name would let him understand that she was being earnest; "I don't really care. There's not much point to keeping some things secret."
"Okay, was there anything else?"
"Yeah, actually, I… my… the Slayer senses went off the other night so I think there's a Slayer chick here in Boston so I thought, y'know, that I'd help her out."
"Faith, I…"
"No wait, Angel, let me finish! I know I never seemed to be much of a Slayer when I was in Sunnydale but I did learn a lot, y'know. And the biggest lesson I learnt was that the Scoobies had a huge impact. So I wanna make sure this chick has Scoobies and has a life so that she doesn't get tempted to walk the path I've taken. So if you could ask Giles if that's okay I would appreciate it. Though I'd probably still do it anyway. And God, now I'm babbling… Fuck!"
"Faith?"
"Yeah."
"I think it's a great idea. It's what we've been discussing here actually."
"You have? Of course you are! Stupid me. Giles and B probably will want to do this anyway. It was a stupid idea…"
"Faith!" Angel yelled as he stepped out of the conference room.
"Sorry," Faith whispered quietly after a few seconds silence, "I got a little worked up."
"Listen. I'm not in front of the others so let me say this. They are busy worrying about the 20 Slayers here at the moment not the rest of the country, or the world for that matter. So go do what you think is best. Faith, I know you'll do the right thing. I believe in you. Okay?"
"Okay, thanks."
"Is there anything else?"
"Yeah, maybe. I was… um thinking that the friggin' Watcher's Council, even though they were bastards, they had all the info, y'know, on all the demons and vamps and stuff, which was handy knowing what we were going up against. So I was thinking that if the info was available, like on a secure net site or something, we could access it from Boston or wherever?"
"Excellent idea, Faith. I'll get the guys on it right away."
"Ok Big Guy. I appreciate it, everything, y'know."
"Yeah, Faith, I know."
"I guess I'll talk to you soon…" she finished off.
"Yeah OK. And Faith?..." Angel said as he walked back into the conference room.
"Yeah?"
"Happy Birthday!"
"Yeah thanks. And tell everyone I say hey."
Angel could see the look of surprise on everyone's faces.
"Birthday?" Giles asked," How did you know?"
"She just asked me to do a background check on her and gave me the details" Angel replied.
"But didn't we know that from her prison records?" Wesley asked.
"No that was the identity the Mayor provided for her, I believe he officially adopted her. And that would be the reason she ended up in an adult prison when she should have been in a juvenile facility" Angel replied.
"Huh?" they gasped.
"Did any of you know how old Faith was when she was called, or when she arrived in Sunnydale?" Angel asked, almost bitterly.
"Her records were destroyed when her Watcher's residence was burnt down. After Buffy's trouble with the Police, the Council decided to remove any trace of a Slayer's identity to avoid similar situations," Giles stated.
"Did you know she could have walked out of prison at any time?" Angel asked.
"How old was she?" a voice quietly asked.
"What?" they all gasped again.
"They had no evidence of any the Sunnydale crimes she confessed to. And if she had just used her real name, she could have got a minor sentence for the assaults in LA," Angel informed them, "I can't help thinking that if we had tried a little harder with Faith when she first came to Sunnydale, much of the heartache could have been avoided."
"How old was she?" again the voice quietly asked.
"She never told us her name or age" Willow said, "How were we supposed to know."
"How old was she?" the voice asked again.
"Did you ever ask?" Angel asked Willow.
"Angel, goddammit," Buffy suddenly yelled, "How old was she?"
"Would it have made a difference? If you'd known then?" Angel asked her.
"I don't know. Maybe. How old?" Buffy replied quietly.
Angel hesitated then; maybe he shouldn't tell them this.
"Angel?..."
"14 when she was called, just turned 15 when she arrived in Sunnydale."
"Fuck" Buffy gasped.
"Oh God, I had sex with a minor!" Xander exclaimed.
Nobody but Angel heard Buffy's whispered response to Xander's statement. "Yeah, me too!"
After a few minutes of contemplation, Giles cleared his throat.
"Ahem, let's not continue rehashing the past. We all made mistakes, but Sunnydale is gone. We have Slayers that need our help and we need to decide how we are going to help them."
"Giles, Faith had a couple of good ideas," Angel offered.
"Yes?"
"Well she has sensed a Slayer in Boston so she wants to help her. Give her some training but more importantly make sure the Slayer has her own support team, her own 'Scoobies' was the term she used."
"An excellent idea" Giles replied.
Buffy stood up, "We should go help her!" she stated.
"NO" Angel responded firmly leaving Buffy surprised at his vehemence, "Sorry, Buffy, but no. Faith needs to do this alone. Her project, her idea. She has other issues to deal with as well so she needs to do this on her own."
"But we can help" Buffy exclaimed.
"I'm sure you could but she's always felt second best around you Buffy and your being there would only fuel that assumption."
"I agree," Giles added, "Besides we have Slayers here that need your help. However I think Faith's idea has merit and we should explore how we are going to contact them around the country and the world."
Buffy nodded in agreement.
"Faith's other suggestion was that as there is no longer a Watcher's Council, the demon knowledge for the Slayers is lost. She thought if we set up a computer database for info on the demons they may be facing that the Slayers could access via a secure network then that knowledge would again be available, plus the Slayers could email questions and connect with each other" Angel said.
"Oh Goddess, what a fantastic idea. Can I help?" Willow exclaimed.
"Of course. I was hoping you'd head the project" Angel offered.
"I'd love to. Of course, if Wes & Fred don't mind." She deferred to the LA crew.
"We'll sort out the details," Angel said "Okay we done for the day?"
"I think so," Giles agreed, "We have plenty to go on."
18 months later: San Francisco
An announcer's voice: "UCSanFran, Please Welcome Laura DiMarco!"
The college campus crowd applauded and cheered appreciatively as America's newest chart sensation stepped onto the stage. The crowd danced and sang along to Laura's music. Fifty minutes later, the singer announced a short break.
"She's so cool. I really get the songs too." Dawn said as she and Kennedy walked towards the bar.
"Me too. I'm glad we decided to come" Kennedy replied. All of a sudden, Kennedy stiffened. "Uh oh" she muttered.
"Bad Guy?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah but I'm getting another buzz too. Come on."
Dawn and Kennedy slipped out a side door, led by Kennedy's Slayer senses. As they turned into the alley behind to college auditorium, they heard a familiar voice.
*Punch* "Leave" *Kick* "the" *Jab* "Kids" *poof* "Alone!"
The dark Slayer turned to leave the alley only to be confronted by the two younger brunettes. They eyed each other carefully.
"Faith!" Dawn exclaimed and ran to the dark Slayer and hugged her.
"God, Dawn, you almost seem pleased to see me!"
"I am, Faith, I am. And I'm sorry for being such a bitch when you came back to Sunnydale." Dawn replied.
"No more than I deserved, Kiddo! So K, how are you? And what are you guys doing here?"
"We live in San Fran now and we came to see Laura sing. She's so cool" Dawn explained quickly.
"How about you, Faith?" Kennedy asked her.
"I.."
"Faith?" a blonde exclaimed as she ran to the dark Slayer, "Are you okay?" The blonde-haired woman quickly scanned Faith for any injuries.
"Yeah, just bumped into some friends," Faith replied as the blonde- haired woman hugged her. Faith missed the look Dawn and Kennedy gave each other.
"Friends?" the blonde asked.
"Yeah, this is Dawn and Kennedy," Faith pointed out the two brunettes to the blonde, "Guys this is my friend Charlie."
"Girlfriend!" Charlie muttered.
"Yeah girlfriend" Faith agreed with a smirk.
"Hi" Charlie said as she shook their hands, "Wait, Dawn! As in Buffy's sister Dawn?"
"Yeah, that's me. How did you know?"
"Faith's mentioned you guys once or twice" Charlie smiled.
"Okay guys, I'm working here, we need to get back inside" Faith said, halting that conversation.
"Working?" Dawn asked.
"Security, roadie, roaming Slayer. You name it. You people wanna watch the next set from backstage?" Faith replied.
"Oh God, yes, that would be so cool" Dawn replied.
"Okay Charlie, that's your department. We'll hook up after the gig and chat okay?"
"Great" Dawn replied as Faith walked off.
"Right!" Charlie said," First things first. Cell phones off if you have them. Affects the radio mikes. Follow me!"
Near the end of the second set Dawn and Kennedy were stunned to hear Laura announce.
"Right guys. I'd like you to welcome my sister, Faith, to the stage so we can sing a tune we wrote together."
"Wha?" Dawn and Kennedy both yelped.
"You'll love this" Charlie said to them.
Darkness Falls I'm drawn into the fight I'm trying to do battle with The creatures of the night My heart is empty My body still strong I know that when she comes My spirit will live on The demons still surround me I pay the price for my mistakes Destiny is my companion Solitude my resting place My heart is empty My body still strong I know that when she comes My spirit will live on I see a light in the distance Always beyond my embrace You could be my saviour If I could only see your face.
Faith sang the tune with Laura providing the harmonies on this haunting track that reflected the life of the dark Slayer.
Boston
"Well this is the address Angel gave us but it's a school or something" Buffy said as they climbed out of the cab.
"Buffy, sometimes your observational skills needs some work. Look at the sign" Willow joked.
***Summers Academy***
"You don't think……. No!" Buffy babbled.
"Come on. Let's go in."
They entered the building and found a couple of offices and, what appeared to be, a Women's Self Defence Class running in a matted area at the rear. Willow picked up a leaflet and noted that the Academy provided classes in a variety of Martial Arts, Self-defence, Counselling and a rape crisis service. There was also a spiel about the Academy's founder, "Buffy Summers".
"Buffy, a qualified Martial Arts instructor from California, having attained great strength and courage in overcoming what would appear to some as overwhelming adversity, aims to share her skills and knowledge with those who desire guidance, assistance and self- protection."
Willow handed the leaflet to Buffy who just gasped in surprise "I'm qualified?"
Buffy's Slayer sense was tingling; she knew another Slayer was nearby.
After 30 minutes, the class ended and the participants began to leave. The instructor, a youngish brunette, sauntered over to Buffy and Willow when suddenly her expression changed to one of awe.
"Buffy Summers?" The brunette asked.
Buffy nodded hesitantly.
The woman bowed her head in respect to which Buffy briefly responded.
"I am so pleased to finally meet you. Faith said you'd come. Please come inside."
"Is Faith here?" Buffy asked.
"No….Oh, she hasn't made it back to LA yet? OK. Before we go on, I have to give you something. She told me to give it to you if she didn't make it to LA. I'm sure she's OK cos I would have felt it if anything happened. You know Slayer senses! Like when she felt it when you died… oh sorry…. I'm babbling. She says I babble like you. Sorry. I'll shut up now."
Buffy and Willow looked confused, Faith wasn't there, something about Slayer senses and dying.
"Goddess, I'm just trying to catch up" Willow said.
The young slayer smiled. "Sorry I do go on. I'm Frankie by the way. You have to be Red, sorry Willow. Come out the back to the lounge. The others are back there. Guys?" Frankie called out, "We've got guests! Guys, this is 'Buffy, The Vampire Slayer' and 'Willow the kick-ass Wicca' Faith's words. Buffy, Willow this is Nelly our Wicca in training, Su Ling our computer specialist and Peng, all-round good guy and kung fu instructor. I guess we are the 'Boston Scoobies'!"
"Take a seat. Can I make you tea or coffee?" Peng asked.
Buffy and Willow were still dazed after being regaled with the tales of how Faith had found them and brought them together. By the time the chatting finished, it was 1am. Buffy and Willow made noises about needing a hotel but were relieved when told there was a spare room, Faith's room, they could use.
"I need to do a quick patrol. It's pretty quiet these days after we cleaned up the nests but no use leaving things to chance," Frankie said.
"I'll come with you, if you like," Buffy offered.
"I'd be honoured. We'll take to Slaymobile," Frankie said as she pressed the alarm key for the black SUV.
The patrol was uneventful, with only a couple of newbie vamps.
"Someone's still turning them, gotta find the older ones" Frankie said as they walked back towards the SUV.
"It only takes one from out of town" Buffy encouraged.
"Yeah hopefully no more nests. I nearly lost it when we took on the first nest. I was so pumped when we found it, wanted to run in and take them out there and then but Faith talked about how you and she got a nest in the daytime and caused more damage that way. She says sometimes you gotta take a step back and think about the best way to take things out. Minimize damage that way. Still if she hadn't jumped in when she did, I'd be a goner. Man, I thought I was in the Matrix; she moved in like slow motion and took out six vamps within the blink of an eye. It was amazing. I guess you do stuff like that all the time?"
"Not really" Buffy replied. They were quiet for a while as Frankie recalled Faith's amazing feat and Buffy thought about what Faith had achieved. "Where did you get the money for all this?" Buffy asked as the SUV headed back towards the Academy.
"Faith!.. Oh, shit. I forgot to give you the letter. It apparently explains everything."
They arrived back to find Willow and Su Ling in deep conversation about computer security.
"Here" Frankie said as she handed Buffy the letter.
Buffy took the letter and went into the spare room to read it in privacy.
Hey B
If you're reading this then you've made it to Boston before I caught up with you or the 'worst' has happened (or the best and I'm free of my demons).
I guess this all seems to be a bit freaky to you but I guess this is one way for me to try to make things right with you.
I caught up with Frankie who, despite being my second cousin, talks more than you and Red combined and sometimes drives me quite nuts. And I knew that she needed Scoobies, one of the things that made the difference in the life of the 'greatest slayer ever'. So I knew what I had to do.
I met Peng's grandfather, A Grandmaster in Tai Chi, who taught me a lot when I stayed with him for a month, and we discussed how the slayer could have a life, a job, and companions and still fulfil her 'destiny', if that's what we can call it now. It was Master Wu, who certified you, after I told him how much of a better fighter and strategist you were than me.
I set up the school, found the equipment and then we discussed the best name for the place. I think Frankie chose the name but we all agreed.
I guess the money is the stickler. Seems I was the sole inheritor of the Richard Wilkins estate. I never wanted to use the money myself and never touched it until I decided to use it for this. Money from evil being used for good, kinda ironic.
Anyway, I didn't want anything in return, I guess it's my way of atoning. So the Academy is set up as a trust with 60% going to the Scoobies at the Academy and the rest to you and Dawn. Dawn's in a separate trust til she turns 21. I really hope you accept this, and it's set up so that if other Academies open around the place the same trust will apply and you'll never have to work fast food again. You could even take a few classes! Anyway, Angel has all the paperwork.
Finally, I really wanted to do this in person but who knows which way the cards have been dealt so...
Buffy, I'm really sorry for all I did to hurt you, your Mom, Dawn and the Scoobs. I was blinded by my crush on you and was jealous and angry when it felt like you kept pushing me away. I was young and stupid, which in no way justifies my actions, but I hope one day you can forgive me and maybe then we can be, maybe not friends, but sister slayers at least.
I'm working hard on getting over the crush.
Yours in Slaying
Faith.
Willow found Buffy curled up sobbing on the bed. Buffy handed Willow the letter.
After Willow finished reading the letter, Buffy turned to her and said.
"Will, I have to tell you what happened the night before Faith.. No before WE accidentally killed Allen Finch..."
Los Angeles
Angel had stumbled onto a demon nest on a night when he was patrolling alone. There were 6 of them, they were strong and he'd only dispatched of 2 of them before they began getting the better of him. He was beginning to wonder if tonight was the night his road to redemption became a dead end and that the prophecies and promises could all be wrong.
Three of the demons were holding him and the fourth was approaching with a chair leg held threateningly. Suddenly the stake-wielding demon squealed and collapsed in pain.
"Hey Big Guy, looks like you could use a hand!" Faith smirked as she took the head off the demon.
With renewed strength, Angel loosened the grip of the 3 demons, one of which was thrown towards Faith. It didn't take them long to kill the demons leaving Faith and Angel staring at each other quizzically.
Angel surprised himself, and Faith, by leaning over and giving her a huge hug.
"It's so good to see you Faith" he said.
"It's good to see you too, Angel" she replied.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I was gonna surprise you. Guess I have. SURPRISE!" she laughed.
"Okay I'm surprised," he smiled, "but seriously, why didn't you call?"
"Guess I was a little scared, y'know. Laura's got a couple of gigs so I thought I'd call you over the next couple of days so you could meet everyone. Was just working up the courage."
"You don't have to be afraid to call me, Faith."
"I know that Angel, wasn't you I was worried about." She looked at him and knew that he had understood what she didn't say out loud, "But I ran into Dawn and Kennedy at the San Fran gig and they told me the Scoobs had moved there."
"Yeah, it got a little crowded here. We've got 2 Slayers in LA but I gave them the night off."
"I can imagine!" Faith rolled her eyes.
"I've heard lots about what you've done in Boston and New York and I'm really proud Faith."
"Thanks Angel."
"You know Buffy's gone to Boston to check it all out."
"Yeah Dawn said. I guess she's gonna find out a little sooner than expected. Ah well, it had to happen."
"Yep. Anyway, I am glad you're here. Where are you guys staying?"
"God, the record company organised the crappiest hotel. The Downtowner it's called."
"Why don't you all come to the Hyperion? There's plenty of room. Only the Slayers living there at the moment."
"Angel there's 20 of us including the band. Too much."
"You forget there was 30 of you after Sunnydale."
"Okay. I'll check out what the other's want to do. Thanks."
New York
Buffy and Willow entered the Summers Academy in New York and were surprised to see Robin Wood sitting in the office. As he looked up, he looked welcoming but not surprised.
"Buffy, Willow, I'm so glad you made it."
"Robin? I'm pleased but surprised to see you" Buffy replied.
"Yeah Faith caught up with me a couple of months ago and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse," he smiled, "But at least you're here in time for the party!"
"Party?" Buffy looked incredulously.
"What party?" Willow asked.
"Oh, I take it you haven't caught up with Faith then so I guess.. Aah, we are just going to have to surprise you. Speaking of which, there's 2 more surprises and several other people out the back who'd like to meet you."
Buffy and Willow were surprised to find Dawn and Kennedy in New York, who were equally surprised.
Faith had begged Dawn to go to New York this weekend for a special party, Faith had suggested Kennedy be her chaperone, got her to ask Angel and Giles if it would be OK and said that Robin would meet them. So they'd come but they didn't know why. Dawn would only say that they had run into Faith in San Francisco working and she was on her way to LA. Faith had asked Dawn and Kennedy not to say anymore until Faith had a chance to explain everything to Buffy.
Robin had then introduced Buffy and Willow to the eight NY Scoobies, which included three Slayers, two of which had been in Sunnydale.
A limousine arrived to take the NY Scoobies to their party. Every time Buffy asked where they were going Robin kept saying, "You'll see."
They drove downtown to the Art Precinct to be deposited at a black tie gallery opening.
"Buffy, look!" Dawn exclaimed as she pointed to the sign on the gallery.
JOYCE SUMMERS GALLERY
Robin led them into the gallery where in the doorway they saw a portrait of Buffy and Dawn's mother, Joyce and a plaque.
In memory of Joyce Summers
Great Mother
Great Friend
Patron of the Arts
(Lost Souls Foundation)
They drank champagne and wandered through the gallery looking at the art, noticing that most of the artworks were by artists they didn't know. Soon a woman who introduced her self as Audrey Landers stopped them "I worked with your mother at her gallery in Sunnydale. I ran into Mr Giles in LA who asked of I would like to curate here, of course I jumped at the chance. Joyce was a passionate woman. She'd be so proud."
Not long after, the speeches began. Robin Wood gave the dedication.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the opening of the Joyce Summers Gallery. Unfortunately, the Lost Souls Foundation Board Members were unable to attend but they asked me to give this speech on their behalf. I never had the pleasure of meeting Joyce Summers but in discussions with her family and friends, I discovered 3 important things. The first was that she loved her family and was very proud of her daughters Buffy and Dawn who are here tonight. Joyce was always willing to 'jump into the fray' to protect her children.
"The second thing I discovered was Joyce's love of the Arts. She had her own gallery in California and was always willing to support new and emerging talents. Giving them the chance at her gallery that they might not otherwise have obtained. Some of you are here tonight and I know you are grateful for the chance she took on you.
"Finally, I discovered Joyce's other passion – helping others. Giving them chances in life that others were not willing to give. Giving them hope. Two such people that Joyce assisted created the Lost Souls Foundation to pass on that legacy. And dedicate this gallery in her name to celebrate new and emerging talents.
"Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the Joyce Summers Gallery."
Los Angeles – the next evening
"Oh God" Faith groaned and sat back down on the bed.
"Faith, what is it? Are you okay?" Charlie ran to her side.
"Buffy's here."
"Oh! Her timing sucks though, we need to be at the gig."
"Yeah I know. Come on, let's go face the music" Faith gave a weak smile.
Buffy slammed open the front door of the Hyperion.
"Where is she?" her voice was loud and forceful.
"Hi Buffy, how are you?" Angel smiled trying to calm her.
"Angel, where is she? I have to talk to her" Buffy demanded.
He was unable to ascertain if she was angry or not.
"Hey," a voice called behind them "Long time no see."
Buffy turned to see Faith walking down the stairs accompanied by 5 women and a boy. One, a blonde was holding Faith's hand.
"Faith, we need to talk, Come with me!" Buffy demanded again.
"Actually Buffy, we were just on our way out" Faith explained.
"No, we need to talk now" Buffy growled.
"Buffy, I understand we need to talk, there is a lot to explain but unfortunately now is not the time. We have to go to.. Uh.. work."
Buffy couldn't believe how angry she was getting, Faith was dismissing her and she was holding that girl's hand!
"What? You and your whores off to the brothel?" she spat.
"Buffy!" Angel hissed angrily at her.
And everyone could see Faith tensing with anger.
"Buffy," Faith growled through clenched teeth, "You can call me any name you want, Hell I've called myself worse, but if you ever use that tone or those words on my family again…" Faith left the threat unspoken; it didn't need to be said. Faith turned and began to usher the group out the door when Buffy raced over to Faith, grabbed her arm with one hand, and slapped Faith's face with the other.
"You dare threaten me," Buffy yelled.
Faith just stood staring at Buffy, one hand holding her face where Buffy had slapped her.
Suddenly Dawn raced into the Hyperion followed by Willow and Kennedy. Dawn threw her arms around Faith's neck in a loving embrace.
"Thanks Faith, the gallery was amazing. Mom would have loved it and been so proud of what you've done."
Faith let out a big sigh, letting all the tension and anger leave her.
"S'Ok Kiddo" she said, "Angel helped too. We might see you later, Angel has the tickets. I've got to go."
She turned again to look at Buffy and said quietly.
"It's really good to see you again Buffy. Maybe we can have that talk later."
Buffy shuddered at the quiet resolution in Faith's voice.
"Hey Buff, did you see who Faith was with?" Willow asked unaware of the tension that had just filled the room.
"Wha? Huh? NO."
"Laura DiMarco. You know the singer whose CD you have had on repeat these last 2 months," Willow said.
"Really?" Buffy asked very confused.
"Oh she's Faith's sister" Dawn quipped as she walked up the stairs to her room.
Buffy went with the others to Laura's gig. She had almost collapsed with amazement when Faith had got on stage and sung her song.
They had gone to the after show party to celebrate the end of Laura's tour. Buffy was introduced to Faith's sisters, Laura and Marie, to their foster mother Esther and foster brother Jack, and to Charlie, Faith's friend from prison.
"It's a long story, Buffy, I'll tell ya later," Faith had said as she introduced them. Faith then moved on to chat to other party guests.
Buffy and the others left whilst Faith, Laura and Charlie stayed behind to pack up and bid goodbye to late partygoers. When Laura and Charlie arrived back at the Hyperion, Buffy went downstairs to talk to Faith but instead found Charlie in the kitchen making coffee.
"Oh…" Buffy said," um.. Faith not back?"
"No she went to do a quick patrol."
"Is she avoiding me?"
"Actually, no, it's her routine. She patrols every night, regardless of where we are. Something about her 'sacred duty' and she goes even if she's dog tired."
"Oh" Buffy was about to go back upstairs.
"You want a coffee?" Charlie offered.
"Um… sure" maybe this would be a chance to find out if Charlie and Faith were, you know, together.
Buffy sat whilst Charlie poured coffee and asked Buffy if she needed milk and sugar.
"So…" Buffy began, "You met Faith in prison?"
"Yeah, she looked out for me. Stopped me getting beat up and ah.. stuff. Protected a lot of girls like me. The innocents she called us."
"And you're close?"
"Yeah well Fai and I shared a cell. So we got to know each other pretty well. Shared all our secrets and stuff."
"Fai?"
"Yeah that's what we call her, her family. She likes it."
"I noticed she hasn't called me 'B' once. I miss that."
"She stopped when we hit Boston. Since then I've only ever heard her use your name with reverence. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Buffy is amazing'."
"Oh."
There was a silence between them.
"Just ask the question you want to ask Buffy" Charlie muttered after a few minutes silence.
"Um.. so have you… aah are you sleeping together?" Buffy stammered.
"Buffy, as much as I would love to be a bitch, all I can say is, yeah, we share the bed occasionally," Buffy looked crestfallen, "but only to sleep. We've never had sex or made love but not from me not trying. I love her and I think she's amazing but she won't sleep with me. She won't sleep with anyone. But she won't sleep with me because we are friends. I only get to comfort her if she has a nightmare, which she still does occasionally" Charlie began crying and Buffy, strangely, felt herself comforting the girl for her unrequited love.
They both looked up suddenly as Faith opened the kitchen door.
"Charlie?" Faith asked, "You okay?"
"Yeah Fai, was just venting to the blonde here. I'm okay. Really."
Faith watched as Charlie patted Buffy's arms in thanks and then walked over to Faith and gave her a big hug.
"You okay, Faith? No big nasties?" Charlie asked her.
"Nothing I couldn't handle" Faith replied.
A nod passed between them that Buffy couldn't interpret, so Buffy gazed down at her coffee.
"So Buffy, alone at last" Faith said as she reached for a cup. Buffy was still looking at her coffee and didn't notice Faith's wince of pain. A silence fell between them as each gathered the courage to speak.
"So…" "Aah.." they began simultaneously. They shared a smile. Their first since meeting again and the silence fell between them once more.
And then Buffy began.
"So, was all this just to make me fall in love with you again? The Academies, the Gallery, the singing, which was amazing by the way. But, was it all part of a plan, Faith? Cos if it was, it…" Faith interrupted Buffy's babbling.
"No plan, Buffy. And thanks for the compliment. But no big, evil plan to make Buffy Summers love me" Faith said sadly. Buffy just nodded her head. "Though," Faith began, "when things started coming together in Boston, I really wanted to call you and say 'hey, come see what I've done, I'm good now' but I never did. Then I met the family and my whole view on life changed. And I was enjoying helping the new 'Scoobies'. And it wasn't about pleasing you, or them, or anyone else. It was doing good, the right thing, and doing it because I wanted to."
"I knew you were good," Buffy said, "I had faith."
Faith looked at Buffy incredulously, and a flicker of anger crossed her eyes but was soon snuffed out as Faith composed her self again.
"You know all I wanted Buffy was to be a part of your life, to be a part of your precious Scoobies. It was all I wanted, well, no, maybe not all, but the thing is, I almost had it. But it disappeared so quickly, spiralled so irrevocably and the only way I could get you to notice me was to tread the path you all expected me to."
"You killed a man Faith!"
"Actually, I killed two men, Buffy. And the tally must be much higher when you count the people I failed to save whilst I was in prison for 3 years. At least, now, I'm trying to make amends. I may not be 'The Chosen One' but I can help the baby Slayers get a leg up in the fight against evil. I tell them all about me, where I went wrong and they still respect me. With them I at least feel worthy of this so-called 'sacred duty'."
"I met some of them, they think you are amazing. They were almost disappointed when they met me. I think they thought I was Xena or something" Buffy tried to lighten the moment.
Again, there was silence.
"Faith? What about us? Can there be an us?"
"Us?" Faith almost laughed at the thought. In fact, she chuckled quietly.
Buffy felt her heart shatter as Faith laughed quietly, and suddenly she had an inkling of how Faith must have felt all those years ago.
"Like I said Buffy, I so 'wanted' to be a part of your life then, but I have my own family, my own life now. Anything between us would always be conditional, tainted by the past. God look how angry we got tonight. We would always be waiting for me to 'fuck it up'. I'm not sure it's worth the risk."
"You're just trying to pay me back now," Buffy said bitterly.
"No, I'm not! I am trying to be honest with you and with myself. I've tried to stop loving you so desperately Buffy. Somehow, I think we're destined to be, I don't know... like this, always hurting. I don't know if we can make it right, I'm not sure we could even be friends Buffy, I don't know what we could be."
Again, there was silence as Buffy absorbed all Faith had said. "You are so different…" Buffy began.
"I would hope so, it's been a long road" Faith quipped.
"No wait, let me finish" Buffy said raising her hand, "You are so different to the Faith I thought I knew. But one day I realised that I didn't even know that Faith. I'd never bothered to find out who you were, how 'old' you were, or where you'd been, where you'd come from," Faith nodded as she realised Buffy now knew how young Faith had been when she arrived in Sunnydale. "You blew in like a hurricane and turned everything upside down, including me, and then it felt like you blew out leaving only chaos and destruction behind. But we didn't give you a chance, at all, I didn't give you a chance and for that I'm very sorry." Again Faith nodded, this time in forgiveness. "But now, you, this Faith, is so calm, so loved, so strong. And I want to be like you, be part of your life and part of your family. You are stronger, braver, better than me now. You've accepted your mistakes, you've paid for them in so many ways and I haven't even been brave enough to face any of mine. I need you to help me now, I need you to give me a chance to be part of your life, unlike the chances I never gave you. I need you to… I need you to be the bigger person here and I need you to call me 'B' again, because you haven't since I got here and I miss it so very much."
Buffy laid all her cards on the table, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision, as she waited for Faith's response. She didn't see Faith's expression change to one of pain, nor the colour leave Faith's face. And as the moments of silence grew longer, Buffy felt sure that Faith wasn't going to give her the answer she so desperately wanted, needed, required. One word, one letter, in fact, could change that.
"Buffy…I…." but as Faith spoke her name Buffy knew that all was lost and she raced sobbing from the kitchen, out of the Hyperion, and into the night. Not hearing nor seeing Faith as she slid unconscious to the floor, blood pouring from a wound on her back.
...continued in part 11...