A Little Help

Summary: This story takes place after the episode Checkpoint of season 5 of Buffy. After finding out that Glory is a God, Giles realizes that whether Buffy is willing to admit it or not, she's going to need some help. The best he can think of is in the form of a certain second slayer who currently resides in a South California correctional facility for women. This is a Fuffy story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor do I own the general story arch for season 5, nor do I intend to make a profit from either one.

Feedback: Pretty pretty please! Good or bad reviews…doesn't matter…just give me something so I know how I'm doing.

Note: I usually find stories that go right along with the canon of the series to be slightly boring since we've already seen what happened in the series and I love originality. However, I got the idea for this story while rewatching the fifth season and thinking about how things could have gone differently (but still pretty much the same arch-wise) if Faith were around. With that said, some of the stuff will still happen that happened in season 5. Some things will be the same, but done differently, but most things will be new, and completely different. I hope you all enjoy the story!

You're Needed

When he first showed up, she wasn't sure what to think. He'd visited her before, but it had been a while, and he usually called first. He had always been very proper in that sense. That's why this worried her. He hadn't called, and she knew that meant something must be wrong.

She tried to read the expression on his face as she sat down across from him behind the thick glass. There was no sorrow in his eyes. That was a good sign at least. It most likely meant that none of the people she had once called her friends were dead. She was relieved at the thought.

A small half smile appeared on her face as the relief went through her and she realized just how much she'd grown and changed. Just a year ago she wouldn't have cared the slightest bit about the wellbeing of any of them. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She would have cared if it was a certain blonde slayer, but that was a different story entirely.

The brunette slowly picked up the phone, focused her gaze on the older man in front of her, and placed the receiver to her ear.

"Hello, Faith," the man greeted with a slightly forced smile.

Faith leaned back in her chair somewhat, making herself more comfortable. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She never was much for exchanging pleasantries. She liked to get straight to the point and figure out what was going on. Faith had a feeling that this wasn't just an ordinary visit. Her former temporary watcher had something on his mind and the brunette was all too interested in finding out what it was.

Not much excitement occurred in prison. Aside from the occasional brawl and sometimes attempted murder, a few of the times on her own life, prison life was fairly boring. She thought about the gang in good old Sunnydale a lot. Believe it or not, she actually enjoyed getting the scoop on what they were up to every now and then.

"I'm afraid this isn't going to be quite like my usual visits," Giles began to explain.

Faith shrugged her shoulders. "I sorta figured as much," she responded. "Is everyone alright?" she asked trying to sound as casual as possible. She couldn't let Giles know that she actually cared. That would completely throw off her bad girl image. "None of the Scoobs kicked the bucket or anything? B's five by five?" she added, again trying to sound casual.

Giles quickly shook his head. "Oh…no…everyone is alright. Buffy is fine. The others are all healthy as well."

Relief once again managed to sneak through Faith's body. She quickly brushed that off, however, and nodded her head nonchalantly. "Good to hear."

"No, thankfully it's nothing like that," the watcher added with a small smile.

Faith nodded her head in return. "So what's the sitch then, G?" she asked, once again getting back to business. "If your not here for a routine visit, and B and the slayerettes are all good, then what's the deal?"

"A new evil power has arisen in Sunnydale," Giles responded, getting straight to the point, "an extremely powerful being."

The brunette looked back at him with confusion. She didn't quite understand why the watcher was coming to her and telling her all of this. "Sounds like a regular day in Sunnyhell. So why come here to tell me?" she asked, eyebrows knitted together. "You guys handle new badies all the time."

"I'm afraid this one is unlike any other we have ever faced," the watcher responded. "We are dealing with power that far exceeds that of any other being that walks this earth. I don't…" he paused for a moment as if what he was about to say would be difficult to get out. "I don't think that Buffy can face this one alone. She's going to need help."

Faith was pretty sure that she knew exactly where Giles was going with this, but she needed to hear it straight from the horse's mouth before fully believing it. She leaned forward and placed her free arm on the counter as she looked questioningly at the watcher. "What are you tryin to say, G-man?"

Giles sighed briefly before responding. "Buffy isn't going to be able to do this one alone. She's going to need your help, Faith."

The slayer once again leaned back in her chair upon hearing the watcher's words. She smiled and almost laughed at the request.

"Umm…" she started to say but then realized that she had no words in mind that were ready to come out. Luckily it didn't take her too long to find them. "Why me?" she asked. "I mean…there is sort of this little complication of me being incarcerated and all."

"That's being handled," the former librarian responded. "And it has to be you, Faith, because there's no one else. You're a slayer and your power is needed."

Faith dropped her head slightly. She knew that they would never need her. Her power was the only thing they'd ever need and even that she was sure they could do without.

"So why not get Angel?" the slayer asked. "He's probably got just as much power as me, maybe even more. Why not have him help out B?"

Giles raised his eyebrows. "From what I hear, he has enough of his own problems to deal with."

The dark haired slayer nodded her head in understanding. She knew he was right so there was no use trying to refute it.

For a moment neither one said a word. Giles waited patiently as he allowed Faith to retain the information he had just given her, and to decide what to do with it.

There were more thoughts going through the brunette's mind then she could sort out at the moment. Giles was asking her to leave prison, and go back to Sunnydale with him to help out Buffy. She had a million questions running through her mind about this situation.

Did Buffy ask for Giles to get Faith out? Did Buffy even know that Giles was doing this? What kind of big, bad evil were they dealing with? How the heck was he going to get her out of jail if she did agree to this? Did this mean that he trusted her, or was he just that desperate for help?

She wasn't really one for asking questions though. She wasn't aware of the situation in Sunnydale, she didn't know if Buffy knew what Giles was asking her, all she knew was that she was needed. Buffy needed her help, and this time she made up her mind that she was going to be there for her. This time, she wasn't going to let Buffy down.

After the brief moment of silence, Faith sat up straight in her chair and looked Giles straight in his eyes.

"Alright," she said softly, "I'm in. How do we get me outta here?"

A small smile appeared on the watchers face as he nodded his head.

"We've been working with the council again recently," Giles responded. "Buffy made it perfectly clear to them that she is the one in charge and they will be helping her, not the other way around."

Faith saw a very proud smile on the watcher's face as he explained this to her. She couldn't help but smile herself at the thought of Buffy showing that Quentin Travers guy who wears the pants in the slayer/council relationship.

"They've agreed to use their connections to have you released," Giles continued. "They refused to inform me on the full details of your discharge but they have assured me that the next five hours will be your last in prison."

For a moment Faith's breath was caught in her throat. For a girl like her, prison wasn't so bad because she knew how to handle herself, but there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't dream about being back out there in the real world. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't wish to go back in time and change her current fate.

Although she knew that she could never turn back the clock, Giles was offering her a second chance. A second chance to do what's right for a change. A chance to make amends.

Of course, Faith did wonder what strings would be attached to this little deal. She knew that the council was anything but trustworthy, and they would certainly have a catch involved. The most obvious, and likely, catch was that once her help was no longer needed she would return back to prison where everyone felt she belonged. There was also the possibility that the council would deal with her in their own way once her services in Sunnydale were complete.

Whatever the catch was, Faith didn't really care. Right now she was wasting her life, and her power, here in prison. At least out in the real world she would have a chance to do some good, if only for a little while. Worst came to worst, she wouldn't make it through the coming fight and then at least another slayer would be called, one that could help B instead of rotting away in prison. Instead of hurting her like Faith had.

As nervous as she was about what was to come, how the others would react, and where all of this would take her, she knew that she had to do what was right.

She looked at the watcher with a seriousness in her eyes that no one who had ever come into contact with her was used to seeing.

"Well then, I guess I better start packin."