Just a one-shot. no idea where the idea came from but this is probably gonna get the idea juices flowin for my other fics.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Buffy characters.
Summary: Post-chosen. AU. Bout three years after the fall of sunnydale, an apocalypse in which Faith plays a key role in is found. She's called to Cleavland to help, but will she do it?
No pov.
"Buffy that isn't a good idea." Angel says to his once lover now bordering foe.
"We don't have a choice. Its either call her and hope she does the right thing for once, or not call her and pray for a miracle." Buffy replies. Everyone is sitting around a long table in the middle of the conference room discussing the latest apocalypse in which they need Faith to help fight. Some are leaning towards not calling her and hoping for a good outcome but Buffy and the Scooby gang, minus Giles and willow who are on Angel's side, are being stubborn.
"We can't just call her back into duty. After she came to LA to help us, she retired. Not everybody can come out of retirement like you Buffy." Cordelia said.
"Being a slayer is a calling, you can't retire from it." Buffy retorts.
"Buffy, there are millions of slayers now, she can retire. Hell you could too, move to the Netherlands and get out of our hair." the freshly resurrected Anya replied.
"I'm true to my calling unlike she is. I care about the fate of the world, unlike she does. She said she wanted redemption, well now is her chance to start." Buffy said.
"I'm gonna have to agree with the buffster on this. She wants redemption, this is the way to work towards it." Xander said coming to the blond's aid. Not that she needed it. The Fang gang was so annoyed that they were considering saying what the hell to shut her up.
"Buffy, Angel is right. We can't call Faith. If we did i-it would just endanger us more." Willow put in.
"I'm afraid I'd have to agree with Willow in this instance Buffy." Giles said cleaning his glasses. Not out of habit anymore, more out of annoyance toward Buffy.
"Look, we're just going to call her, have her do her job, then she can go back to whatever she was doing." Dawn said.
"No. Faith is...dealing with somethings right now and she doesn't need us interfering." Angel tries.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait." Buffy says. Angel and Cordelia share a look.
"Buffy le-" Willow starts but the blond cuts her off.
"No Will, I don't care what she's going through right now, she can handle it once she saves the world." she says storming out of the room.
"This isn't going to be good." Cordelia mutters. They all sit there for a few minutes. Suddenly a shimmer breaks through the air.
"What?" a husky voice asks annoyed. Buffy walks back into the room with a triumphant smile.
"Faith, good to see you've taken time out of your 'busy schedule' to come help us." she says.
"Look B, whatever ya need help with, call somebody else. No isn't a good time for me." Faith says to Buffy.
"Faith whatever it is, its not more important than this." Xander tries. She turns to him angrily.
"You don't know what is and isn't more important than slaying." she growls.
"Faith, go home. We can han-" Angel starts to say but he's cut off by dawn.
"Don't lie. Faith we need you right now. If you don't fight the world ends. This is about you." Dawn says. Faith looks at Dawn then to the rest of the group.
"What makes you think I want to fight? What makes you think I even care?" she asks.
"Faith, it doesn't matter whether you care or not, all that matters is what's right." Buffy says. Faith lets out a bitter laugh.
"Just cause its right, don't mean its worth doin." she says. Buffy glares at her.
"Faith, I understand you're fucked up, but would you please think about somebody other than yourself for once? Forget how the world treated you and do some good." Xander says to Faith. Faith looks at him then Buffy, then dawn.
"No." she says.
"Excuse me?" Buffy asks.
"Ya hard'a hearin? I said, No." Faith says again.
"Faith you can't just i-" Buffy starts but Faith talks over her.
"Notice anythin different Fang?" she asks angel. He looks at her closely then gasps unnecessarily.
"Faith, I'm sorry." he whispers. She shrugs.
"Don't sweat it. I've moved on an all that." she says.
"What are you two talking about?" Dawn asks sensing something or someone is causing Faith's reaction.
"I refuse to help save the world. I won't fight. I won't slay. I don't give a flying fuck what happens to this spinning ball of pain." she answers calmly.
"Faith, please. Think about everyone else." Dawn pleads. "I don't wanna die." she adds. Faith shrugs.
"We all gotta go sometime. Honestly D, I'm sorry to say, but I don't care if ya die or if ya don't." she says.
"Right, you only care about yourself. Well in that case, do it so you can live." Buffy says. Faith just scoffs.
"I don't wanna live." she answers plainly.
"So save the world and off yourself." Xander says heatedly not liking the fact that Faith just dismisses her calling.
"I'm not savin nothin. Good luck doin this on your own." she says rising to leave.
"Faith you are so selfish. How can you live with yourself? You're just going to let everyone else die because you're having a bad day or a bad week? God, how some people stand you and your self-centered ness I'll never know." Buffy says shaking her head. Faith turns back to her quickly.
"You're right B, I'm bein selfish. I don't give a fuck who lives and who dies anymore and I'm not ashamed to say it. I don't give a fuck what you have to say about me but don't assume I'm doing this because I'm having a bad day or week. I'm just not the Faith that helped Angel and the gang fight before. I'm not the same Faith from sunnydale in ANY way. I'm just somebody who doesn't give a shit what happens to the world anymore." she says.
"Faith, think about it. If you do this, you can have a family in the future. You can be happy." Dawn is practically begging.
"I can't be happy ever again dawn." she says sadly.
"Maybe because you need a heart to be happy and seeing as you're a heartless bitch, its not gonna happen." Xander states. She looks at him.
"You're absolutely right Xander. I'm heartless. Wanna know why?" she asks. She's planning on telling the people who are so quick to judge her why she personally doesn't care about anything anymore. Of course the mighty scoobs would pick up the pieces after the events in her life and move on but she can't. She's done it too many times before. Picking up the pieces and moving on. Now? All the pieces are unmendable.
"Please, enlighten us." he says.
"Faith you don't have t-" she cuts Cordelia off.
"I'm heartless because that's just how it is. I had a heart but after having it broken so many times, I decided that maybe its not worth trying to fix. So I stopped trying. I'm heartless because all the love I ever had, has been ripped from me in one way or another. Drugs, murder, jail, other loves. So I'm tired. I just had to bury my husband and two kids. I couldn't protect them. I couldn't save them. I couldn't be there when they needed me. So why should I be here for the world and I wasn't there for the people that mattered the most to me. Robin, died in a car accident. Wesley, got hit by a drunk driver. And Amanda? She was born four and a half months too early because her mother freaked out and started stressing her self too much. She died during birth. So if I couldn't, didn't, protect those three, what makes you think I'm going to be able to save the world. I couldn't even stop those simple events." she said sadly. Everyone stared at her in shock. "So again, I'm sayin. Good luck." and with that she left the conference room. She was going to let whatever happened happen. She was going to spend her last, however long she had on earth, with her family. Even if they were in a cemetery.