Title : The Vessel

Chapter Title : Chosen

Author : kat

Disclaimer : The characters of this story belongs to the almighty creator of Angel the Series. No infringement is intendent by the making of this story. In other words, nothing belongs to me.

This is a response to gidgetgirl's Redemption Challenge. The challenge is posted at CCS. The requirements are:

1) Faith must somehow be let out of prison.

2) Buffy must make an appearance

3) The pregnancy must bring to Faith feelings similar to what it brought to Darla, and the child may be Connor, or you may choose to make it AU, with a different child.

The other things that are included but do not fall under the challenge requirements are mine.

Enjoy.

For surely in that time when the sky opens and the heavens weep

There will be no birth

Only death

Faith looked at the being in front of her assesing him warily through dark, narrowed eyes. Remaining silent and holding her stance, she waited for him to speak. Or pounce. Whichever he chose first.

They stood a few feet from each other in what seemed to be an endless white space.

"Your time has come, Dark One." The being in the shape of a little boy declared to Faith softly, his voice echoing. He cocked his head to the side, his face soft and expressionless.

Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Faith arched an eyebrow. "My time?" She echoed. "I died? Really?" There was a long tentative silence as the boy refrained from replying and continued to stare. Faith huffed. "I'm guessing this is hell, then. I was expecting more flames and schorching heat. Thought I'd even run into a few people from back in the day." She sounded indifferent despite her surprise.

I guess I had to go sometime. Faith thought with a slight disappointment.

The boy's expression shifted and his lips stretched into a smirk. His actions looked almost fluid, uncanny.

"You are still of the living. This is not your heaven, hell or purgatory. This is the Stillness where space does not exist and time stops." He clarified, his blue eyes piercing into Faith's dark ones.

"Now that we've established the where, do you mind telling me who or what the hell you are? And what do you want with me?" Faith drawled, attempting to establish dominance. The little boy was beginning to make her uncomfortable and she suspested he was enjoying it immensely.

"Who I am is none of your concern, Dark One." The boy replied calmly.

"Why don't you let me decide that, junior?" Faith argued, eyeing him dangerously.

The boy scoffed indignantly as he glared back at her. "Boorish creature." He hissed. "What you see is a corporeal representation of what I am. I am the messenger of the Powers that Be. I am part of them but also detached. They-we have a message for you. You have been chosen."

"Chosen?" She drawled sarcastically as she folded her arms in front of her. "I've already been chosen. Slayer. Didn't you get the memo?"

"Silence!" The boy yelled; his blue eyes flickering with irritation. "You are not here to speak, mortal. You have been summoned and you shall listen." He waited for Faith to say something and when she remained silent, standing in front of him with an annoyed look, the boy continued. "We are aware that you are a slayer. One of two. You have been chosen for another task. You are The Vessel, Dark One. The first in over a millennia."

"The vessel?"

The little boy nodded. "Yes. The Vessel is a creature chosen to carry and protect a powerful and usually mystical being until it comes to term. That is you." He explained.

Faith scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh, you mean you want me to play mommy to some alien baby?"

"Not alien and not yours." He clarified. "The child is not yours to keep. It belongs to another. You are merely a container, a shelter to the being until it is ready to be born."

"Gee, sounds tempting. But sorry, surrogacy's not my kind of temp-job." Faith declared petulantly.

The child let out a howling laughter, which sounded empty and haunting as it escaped his pale lips. "You do not have a choice, Dark One. It is your destiny. You will accept it."

Faith gritted her teeth. "I don't like being forced but let's pretend I'll bite." She said as she folded her arms defensively. "What do I get in return? It's not like the Powers that Be have given me anything."

"You dare to ask for a reward?" The boy jeered. "You have done acts of horror. You are not entitled to make demands, dark slayer. You could have a far worse fate."

"Fine. Why do you need me?"

"Because it is your role. You are The Vessel." He said matter-of-factly.

"I heard that already." Faith impatiently declared. "But why do you need The Vessel, me, and whatever?" She demanded. "Why now?"

The little boy frowned. "The world is at a turning point. Your services are needed. Tonight a mother sacrificed herself before the infant was the delivered. And the child must be born. It is special. Valuable." He explained, sadness etched slightly in his words. "And the father, he means something...many things...to you. And you to him. It makes you an even more likely candidate."

Faith sighed sharply. "You have to stop talking like I know who you're speaking of, kid." She muttered impatiently.

"Why do you not take this seriously, Faith?" He asked, confusion marring his beautiful face. Faith smirked slightly; her name sounded somewhat strange hearing it from him. "The vampire- he can not do this. He needs your help."

"Angel?" Faith whispered, beginning to understand. The boy said nothing. "Is he okay?" Faith pressed.

The boy nodded, his lips stretching into a satisfied smile. "The vampire is well but his child is not."

"The baby is Angel's?" Faith asked in astonishment. She was silent for a moment, her mind spinning with thoughts and questions. "I'm supposed to carry Angel's baby?" She would have laughed at the absurdity of it all but Faith really couldn't find the humor.

"This child is the offspring of two vampires. It is an impossibility made possible. Now, do you understand the gravity of the situation?" He whispered, suddenly standing almost toe to toe with Faith. She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "You wonder if this is some form of trickery. It is not."

The little boy was looking up at her, eyes larger than they already were.

Faith took a step back. "It would be easy to get me to agree by putting Angel in the equation. I need to be sure that the baby isn't the next evil."

He shook his head. "There are no guarrantees but you already know I tell no lies. Do you not want to help the vampire?"

"Yes, but-"

"You ask yourself, why you? Why the not Summers girl. She would be fitting for many reasons." The little boy mused, tapping his temple gently, his voice softening for the first time. He looked at her sympathetically and Faith dispised the pity she found in his eyes. "She has her own purpose. And you, little one, are in search of your redemption. You will not find it in a cage full of sinners. You may have your redemption and other things, if you do this right. I promise. You and the vampire will help each other. You are meant for great things, Faith. Great things to come and become."

Faith swallowed uneasily as she tried to absorb everything. This baby must mean a lot to Angel. Hell, he probably loves it already. Faith thought as she tried to weigh the odds and consequences to what she was being asked, or more likely, demanded to do. It's the least I could do for him.

"Okay, do it. Whatever it is that you have to do." She flailed her hands in front of her. "But know this, super-boy, if I find out that I've been tricked and the baby is not Angel's but some sort of the next demonic Hitler, I won't hesitate to kill it even if it means I have to go down too."

"You won't." The little boy smiled. "Your permission was never needed. This was merely a courtesy." He said as he closed the space between them and placed a cool hand on Faith's now swelling belly. Faith jerked away, startled. He smiled.

"Just like that?" She exclaimed, almost sounding frightened. "I'm massive. I thought this was going to go slow."

"The infant has grown. All you need is to protect it while it is inside and deliver it when the time comes. The tiny creature has had great hardship. So much pain and so very special." He whispered, taking a step back and directing his attention back to Faith.

"Are you sure I'm meant for this?" She asked with a shaky breath, worry settling in her voice.

He nodded. "We have great confidence that you shall protect the infant. You are the prophesized Dark One, the Vessel." When Faith opened her mouth to ask what he meant by Dark One, the little boy pressed his index finger on his lips. "All in due time, mortal. All in due time."

"I can still fight, right? If I'm supposed to protect it, then I need to fight."

Again, the little boy nodded. "Your slayer strength is still in tact and has been significantly enhanced. The child has many enemies and now, so do you."

Faith heaved a sigh as she shifted her weight from one foot to another somewhat uncomfortably. "I'm guessing you have a plan to get me out of prison?"

He blankly looked at her. "You will never leave."

"What?" Faith exclaimed angrily. "You expect me to carry and protect Angel's baby while fighting off the other inmates and locked in a cell? You're kidding."

The little boy chuckled. "Such presumptuous little creatures, you humans, and often wrong too. We have left a duplicate in your place. She is exactly like you. No one will suspect a thing."

"Exactly like me?"

"Only in appearance and sound." He clarified. "You or she, to be exact, will die in two days. No one will look for you after that. You are free."

Faith smiled softly. "I like this already." She quipped. "So, this is it? I'm the Vessel. And now all I have to do is find Angel."

"Beware, Faith, it will not be as easy as you think. Not everything is what they seem. You will be tested and you can not fail. Good luck. You will need it." He warned her gravely as he waved his hand and Faith was gone before she could ask another thing. Another figure, a female, materialized next to him.

"You did not tell her about the other one. The Vessel will not be pleased."

The little boy nodded, his face settling back into a blank expression. "It is not our place to please her. The Dark One serves us. And she does not need to know. For now."

The front door to the Hyperion Hotel opened and Gunn walked in, shivering and soaked from the rain. It had poured since last night and from the looks of it, it had no intention of letting up.

Lorne looked up from one of the books he was reading to acknowledge Gunn's presence before returning to his reading. He already knew that the man found nothing.

"Nothing." Gunn declared somberly, echoing Lorne's thoughts, not waiting for anyone to ask him where his leads sent him. "What about you guys?" He asked as he discarded his jacket.

"Zilch. Zero. Nada." Lorned replied, loudly pushing the chair back behind him and retreating to the kitchen. "I'm going to get something to drink before my head implodes."

With a sign, Gunn turned his attention Cordelia, Wesley and Fred who were huddled together around Wesley's desk, books and scrolls scattered around them.

Cordelia pursed her lips. "Nothing. I'm not even getting any visions." She replied in frustration.

"Has Angel come back yet?" Gunn asked, looking around the lobby.

Cordelia shook her head. "Not since he went to kick some Power that Be ass and get some answers." She uttered. "I hope the Oracles have something for him."

"Me too. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I did last night."

Wesley looked up from his book and readjusted his glasses. "It was going to happen, said or not. And we all thought it, Gunn."

Fred, who had not spoken much since last night, nodded in agreement. "I checked with hospitals, the police station, churches and a bunch of other places for any reports of a baby found last night. No luck at all." She gave everyone an apologetic look before ducking head down and returning to her laptop.

"Maybe Fred was right about the cosmic convergence." Cordelia hesitantly voiced.

Wesley shook her head. "No, Holtz may have tried to interfere. He may have tried to kill us all by blowing us to smithereens but he had nothing to do with Darla staking herself. That was entirely up to her." He announced. "It would have been a true cosmic convergence if he found Angel and Darla, like he set out to do and then killed the baby as a result. He was merely a distraction and nuisance."

"There's still hope that the baby is out there, alive." Fred declared. "We can't give up now."

"That's the spirit." Lorne said as he returned with a drink in hand. "Well, I've already called every demon, human and mystical being who might be able to help us. They didn't even know about the whole shebang."

"Angel, you're back!" Cordelia exclaimed when she looked up and saw him standing by the stairs, listening to their conversation. "What did the Oracles say? Did you find anything?"

He folded his arms rigidly, a dismal expression falling on his weary face. "They didn't say much. A bunch of cryptic crap mostly."

"What were their words exactly?" Wesley asked. The room had suddenly fallen into a strange silence.

"They said, as it was prophesized so it shall transpire." Angel grimly said.

Lorne scoffed. "That doesn't help much or narrow our search field down."

Angel's frown deepened. "What else did they say, Angel? Anything might give us a clue or help us." Wesley persisted. "Anything at all."

"They also said something about death before birth."

"Reincarnation?"

Angel shrugged, defeated and tired and angry. "I don't know!" He snapped. "If I knew, I wouldn't be standing here and discussing this with all of you."

"We're just trying to help." Cordelia gently declared.

"I know. I just…I can't stand this, not knowing. Hoping. We're running around in circles. And my son could be dead!" He exclaimed angrily. "But I can't give up. I refuse to."

Cordelia rose from her seat and stood next to Angel, wrapping a supporting arm around his shoulders. "We know and we'll find something. We will, Angel. We will." No matter how hurt or betrayed she was about Angel sleeping with Darla, Cordelia had to put aside her feelings. It simply wasn't the time.

Wesley suddenly shrieked excitedly as he began to fervently flip the pages to his book, rereading the words carefully.

"Tell me you have something, Wes." Angel pleaded.

The British man smiled optimistically. "I think I might. It could be nothing but it's worth a try. I was looking for anything remotely related to our situation, to Angel's-"

"Don't keep us in suspense, English!" Gunn interjected. "What is it?"

Wesley paused and pursed his lips. "I was getting there, Gunn." He dryly stated. "It's a spell, a locator spell to be exact. It's not meant for our situation but I could revise it. It just might help."

"That's perfect!" Lorne exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Let's get hopping, people! We have a baby to find."

"Wait, it might not work. I don't want to get your hopes up-"

Angel shook his head. "And I don't care, Wes. We have to try everything, anything, if we're going to find my son."

"What do we need to do?" Fred asked as they began to frantically scuttle around each other, filled with some sense of hope no matter how small.

Wesley flipped through the pages. "We need bloodroot, sage, two things that belong to the person, lizard eye and oracle's blood. Seer's blood."

"We're on it already." Gunn declared as he and Fred rushed to the kitchen to find the other ingredients.

Cordelia frowned. "Seer's blood? My blood?" Wesley nodded. "Haven't I been drained enough?"

"Just a drop, Cor. The seer's blood will find the way. We need it or it won't work." Wesley explained and Cordelia nodded grudgingly.

"I don't have two things that belong to the baby." Angel declared.

Lorne patted him on the shoulder. "Improvise, muffin. Two things that relate or are connected to the baby. It doesn't all have to be literal."

Angel nodded and a few minutes later, they all gathered in a circle in the middle of the lobby with Wesley cradling the book in his lap and Lorne holding the large bowl with the ingredients.

"Set it on fire, Lorne." Wesley somberly told him. The Host nodded. "Tusla. Diminor. Avas'lek. Purteri Kuvlai Tusla. Diminor." Wesley began to chant and a blue light flickered in the middle of their circle, hovering above them.

"Are we supposed to follow it?" Fred whispered to Gunn who was kneeling beside her.

"Yes." Wesley replied instead just as the light flew past him and towards the door. It collided with Faith, hitting her right on the stomach, sending her hurtling to the front door. Faith landed on her back, shattered glass cutting into her skin as she tried to stand up. No one had seen her walk in.

"Oh my God." Cordelia murmured.

Lorne rushed to Faith, helping her up. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Faith?" Angel whispered in surprised.

Faith groaned as she let Lorne help her. "I guess I should have knocked."

Author's Notes : So, I've tweaked the Faith finds herself pregnant in prison part. This is my way of making sense to what's happening to Faith. I am respectfully bending the rules a bit.

I don't claim to be an expert on any of the characters, especially Faith. I consider her one of the hardest characters to write, along with Lorne, Cordy and pretty much all of them. So, if they're out of character, I'd appreciate it if you point it out to me.

I can take constructive criticism, not unwarranted flames. Since this is one of the most difficult but interesting challenges, updates won't be as often as my other Angel fic. I'll try my best to update but first, let's see what you guys think. Be kind.

Please review!