Summary : Faith wakes up from her coma and has to deal with everything she has done. Takes place right after she left Sunnydale in season 4.

A journey to redemption
Chapter 1: Waking up

Dawn has come and gone for the second time and she had yet opened her eyes. She didn't want to. Maybe if she kept them shut, she would sleep back in that coma. It was probably where she belonged, in a coma, far from anyone she could hurt. She was like venom. She would spoil anything she touched, make it worthless.

Groaning, Faith Lehane forced her eyes open as the pick-up suddenly stopped. She could overhear two passengers fight on whether or not someone was hiding behind. Cursing under her breathe, the fugitive quickly scanned her surroundings for a weapon. Footsteps were coming closer as her fingers gripped a lead pipe close by. The familiar adrenaline was back. She was ready to fight. She needed this. The footsteps stopped.

"I'm telling you Mike, you're tired" She heard someone shout. The doorknob twisted slowly. Faith got on her feet, her back against the wall, the lead pipe held close by. It was only a matter of seconds before she gets discovered. She held her breath, ready to get in the action, as the man pushed the door open.

"...Well I can't see anything." The driver said as he joined his friend. The man named Mike scanned the back of the truck.

"It's too dark" He told him, forcing his eyes to see clearer. Stubborn as always, he decided to hop in so he could have a better view of the place. Faith squeezed her back against the wall as the distance between the man and she became lesser. She could now see the back of his bald head. It was as if everything was now in slow motion. Faith watched his head slowly twist to her side. Her hand moved at the same speed, lifting the pipe in the air, preparing her swing. It was no longer a matter of seconds... At the very same time, they stared at each other and a crow flew by, passing close to trip them both.

"I think we found your intruder" The driver mocked from outside. Mike quickly turned his head, wondering if the pair of eyes were the result of his lack of sleep. Faith was laying on the floor, breathe held, trying to slow down her heart rate.

"I'm telling you" his friend from outside said again, "There's nothing in there. You need some sleep." Mike sighed.

"... alright" he gave in, letting his friend guide him back to the front of the truck. "You're right, I'm awfully tired"



She closed her eyes as the voices disappeared in the night. She could hear the pipe she had dropped roll on the floor and hit the wall. Breathing heavily, she tried to get rid of the guilt she felt regarding her ability of killing an innocent man. What happened to her? How did she sink so low? Wasn't she supposed to be one of the good guys, slaying demons and saving the world? How did her face end up as the most wanted one behind bars, if not executed?

Her eyes lay on her trembling fingers. Those fingers that caused so much damage. She should cut them off. There was no way she could kill all these people with no finger. Faith shook her head. They weren't the ones to blame. She didn't turn out this way by herself. People made of her what she was today. People who showed no appreciation for her hard work. People who couldn't care less about her miserable life, just as long as vampires were staked and amulets taken care of. Yes, these were the ones to blame for all this.

Faith pushed her hand on the floor and forced herself up. She tripped a little bit as the truck hit a bump and gained balance by holding on to the walls. She had to come to the evidence that it didn't matter who was to blame. She screwed up real bad and, no matter what forced her through the dark path, she remained alone at the exit. All alone to face the consequences. The simple thought of it made her stomach ache. Why did she have to wake up from that coma? Why couldn't Buffy kill her off for good? That worshiped slayer wasn't even worth the fame she got. Couldn't even do her job adequately and make sure she was dead.

The brunette cursed her thoughts for spinning back on the blonde. Why did everything have to end with her? Why couldn't she just get over the fact that Buffy was a bitch? The truth was obvious, but Faith was too stubborn to admit it. Deep down, she knew that the oldest slayer was by far the best friend she ever got, a guardian angel filled in wisdom, but she couldn't admit it, because admitting how good Buffy had been to her would include admitting how bad she had responded back. Yes, she screwed up. Buffy gave her every change and she screwed her back every time. Then again, there was something Faith could never forgive her for, the fact that the blonde had actually held the knife, her very own, and stabbed her guts with it. It was something even she, a cold-blooded murderer, couldn't have done. They were connected, as simple as that. No matter how much she tried, Faith could never bring herself to hate the blonde enough to take her life away. She just couldn't, and it hurt to face the fact that nobody cared that much about her.

She climbed up the wall and jumped off the road. The coma had numbed her muscles and weakened her reflexes. She noticed it as her knees hit the ground, bending under the weight of her unprepared body. Faith shifted her body to be on her back as she watched the truck disappear on the road. Her eyes connected with the so named Mike guy once again. She put her hands on both side of her body, willing to push herself up, but found herself unable to. Her leg refused to move. Looking down, she repressed a moan, noticing she had fallen on broken glass. Cursing under her breath, she managed to pull out the broken pieces from her flesh, biting her lip each time the pain intensified. She looked around, searching for something to stop the bleeding, but she was on the side of a road and the only thing that surrounded her was trees. Damning the whole planet, the brunette forced herself on her feet once more, ignoring the aching pain. She didn't even managed two steps before finding herself back on 

the floor. Tears were forming in her eyes. It wasn't about the pain, it was about being powerless. For the first time of her life, all she wanted to do was cry in warm embrace of a mother. The one person who was obliged to love you. She didn't have that.

Holding her breath, she stood up again, leaning against the closest tree. She groaned at the pain and waited a few moments before taking a few more steps. Hoping the pain would cease after a while, she started walking again. Meters turned to miles as she kept going, not having a clue where she was heading at. The sun had rose and slept, yet she was still walking. She let out a sigh of relieve when a Dinner appeared on her way. As the thought of finally sitting crossed her mind, Faith started to acknowledge all the pain she was currently feeling and the last steps to the door became the hardest ones. She let herself fall on the closest chair near the bar and let her head fall on the table. She could die right there and there won't be anyone on earth to miss her. Closing her eyes, Faith gave in the pain. People had told her she would die alone.

XxxxxxX

Was suppose to end here, but then I got dragged in the story. I hope you like it so far.

Ethereal-123