Bosses Gift To Faith

Summary

Faith got out of prison and is in SF at the manor of the Charmed ones, a second parcel from the mayor. Part of something I wrote as part of a RPG played on Yahoogroup "angel_buffy_charmed@yahoogroups.com", a Angel/Buffy/ Charmed crossover. First try to write something.

Placement in the story, AU season 2/5/3 of the respective shows. Buffy hasn't died and Glory's still after her and Prue doesn't die and no Paige. Faith got out of prison by W&H and has left LA travelling up north and ending up in SF at the Charmed Manor. Preparing to go to sleep on the couch. It's quite, she's sitting on the couch taking in the living room, it's radiating warmth and safety. What a change of scenery this is, in only day, out of prison and free in a new city, a new chance. Looking down where she put her backpack down, seeing that some papers she got from W&H fell out of them.

*****

Faith takes a look at the papers she got in prison. One envelope catches her eye, it has her full name on it and is written in the mayors handwriting:

Faith gets a flashback to the last time she got a parcel from the mayor.

[Flashback]

Faith is walking around the streets in Sunnydale, looks at a display of Knives. Faith is about to go into a shop selling blades. However, she sees a police car coming around the corner and joins a group of students that are crossing the street to avoid being recognized by Sunnydale finest. After crossing the street Faith separates from the group and ducks into a corner street. Some kind of Demon comes up to her.

The Demon calls her name "Faith! Your friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him."

Faith beats the demon up and takes the case from him. Then another police car comes around the corner. Faith goes quickly up a ladder, dodging his searchlight. Once up the ladder she opens the case.

Breaks into a pawn store to find a video to play the tape, puts the videocassette into the video and the Mayors face appears on the TV screen

Hello Faith.

If you are watching this tape, it can only mean one thing. I'm dead. And our noble campaign to bring order to the town of Sunnydale has failed. Utterly and completely. But on the other hand, heck, maybe we won. And right now, I'm on some jumbo monder in the Richard Wilkins surrounded by a bunch of kids sitting Indian style and looking up at my face filled with fear and wonder. Laughs "Hi kids!" Faith smiles But the realist in me tends to doubt it.

Now, Faith, as I record this message you're sleeping. And the doctors tell me you might never wake up. I do not believe that. Sooner or later you will wake up, and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you. I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in. But, tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has it's limits. See, the hard pill to swallow is that once I'm gone, your days are just plain numbered.

Now, I know, you're a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life, but the problem, Faith, is that there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. By now I bet you're feeling very much alone. But you're never alone. You'll always have me.

Picks up box And you'll always have this. Go ahead. Open the box. Faith takes box from the case and looks at it. Don't worry. It's not gonna bite. That's my job. Laughs Go ahead. Open it. She does so Surprise! You won't find these in any gumball machine! See, when you've been around as long as I have, you make friends. And some of them forge neat little gizmos. Just like the one you're holding right now. She looks at it And here's the good news. Just because it's over for my Faith, doesn't mean she can't go out with a bang.

He looks down and laughs sadly. Faith looks sadly at the device.

[End flashback]

Faith slowly takes the envelop in her hand and carefully opens it, inside are three crisp free white sheets of paper with the mayors writing on them. She starts reading the letter.

_______________

Hello Faith,

if your reading this it means my Ascension failed and I'm death, damn I had such high hope about it, can't be done anything about it. And also our plan regarding Buffy failed also, too bad. Don't be sad, you did survive both plans.

Forget everything I told you on the tape, it's a new ball game now. If there isn't a place in the world for you anymore, then my Faith simple has to make one herself. And I've got all confidence in you that you'll succeed.

To do that you'll need to leave the past behind and make a fresh start somewhere else. To do this you'll need three things money, weapons and knowledge. Those I'll provide for you.

Like you know I have a lot of acquaintances through my long live who owe me favours, I called all of them in at one time. And a job that was, to get hold of them and get them too do the things I wanted. Lets say the Ascension will be a peace of cake compared to it.

A law firm based in LA has been in my service for over a century I made sure that all legal and other troubles will be taken care by them and deliver these papers and a box to you.

The box contains everything you'll need to make your place in the world. The box like the gizmo has special qualities, when you touch it and will it to grow it will shape itself into a great trunk. Only you can open and use the box.

I had special weapons, gadgets and gizmos fashioned for you and placed within the box, you'll figure out what they can do and how you'll have to use them. Inside you'll find a couple of 100 grand, jewels, precious metals and precious artefacts, and papers to grant you access to a couple of bank accounts that contain millions of dollars. You'll put the money to good use, you hear me Faith, have fun with it.

Also "The SlayerSword" the sword of THE SLAYER , its creation lays about 5 millennia back, it's back and it's now yours. Furthermore I got you a new blade to replace the one you lost, "DragonBlade" has all kind of special features like it creates shields/enhance your powers/sharpness of the blade and it's powered by the essence of demons and vamps you slay with it. Knowing my Fay you'll love this new blade and put it to good use. The last item you will love the "Twin Braces", there blessed and cause vamps excruciating pain if they are within a radius of half a feet of the braces.

Now listen very careful the next item is the most valued, powerful of all the items that are contained within the box, it's called the "BOOK OF SLAYERS", and only Slayers can handle and use it safely. It contains all the knowledge of the ancient Slayers, meant to guide and train the next slayer. Now listen very careful Faith you'll need to do two things when you use the box.

The first thing is to take the "BOOK OF SLAYERS" out of the box and open it and read the first page out loud. This will be signifying that you take possession of the book, it's yours now and only you can open and read the book. Take good care of the book Faith, it contains a lot of knowledge and powers that only can be used by you. I know my Faith doesn't like to read old musty books, but this book shows where you came from, THE SLAYER, not the myth the Watcher believe and preach nowadays.

And now to the last part, to make sure that your DragonBlade can never be used against you, I included an incantation with the letters, you'll have to perform. When you follow it to the letter, the blade will be bonded to you and can never be used against you. The Blade like the Book become part of you, like an extension of yourself.

This is all I could do in the short time before my Ascension, hope you'll never have to read it and I will be able to hand it to you in person. Make yourself a place in the world.

Your loving,

Bossmann

(PS. Do me favour and kick Buffy's and Angels butt, for me, for messing up my Ascension and harming my Faith by putting you in a coma.)

_______________

Slowly putting down the pages, tears start to fall on them from Faiths Face. All the bottled emotions finding release, she wasn't alone, she had two people who loved her, Mel her first watcher representing good/light and the Mayor representing evil/darkness. Both of them representing the extremes of the spectrum. Opposites of each other but connected through Faith, who walked in both ends of the spectrum, was part of both worlds and now has to find her own way.

Clutching the letter and box to her chest, the final gifts from the Mayor, she falls asleep on the couch.

_______________

Slowly waking up from the warm sun shining through the window into the living room, she has a place to stay. Scans her immediate vicinity for threats, registrating 5 signatures, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Leo she knows them from last night, but the fifth is an unknown but only human, so no real threat to her.

Faith takes another look at the letter from the Mayor and takes the box out of her backpack and puts it gently on the floor of the living room, takes a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves. Lets her fingertips slowly touch the surface of the box, exploring it for any imperfections, marks or openings, finds none. Next she attunes her senses to the box, the box gives off powerful vibes of power and feels warm to the touch.

Puts both her hands on the box and thinks/says "GROW", and the box starts to expend, segment for segment the box expends and a intricate patterns emerges on the surface of the box. (Imagine the cubes in Hellraiser that open gateways to hell, same principle, like some kind of lever was flipped and the box grew in a big chest.) Putting her hands on the full-grown chest "OPEN", and it opens.

Faith looks inside and wants first to take a good look to see what is in it, but the Mayor made it very clear to her that it was of the most urgency that she takes the book and reads the incantation on the first page. Puts both of her hands on the book and lifts it out of the chest, giving it a look over. From the outside the book looks like the covers are made from demon hides, scales, nail, claws, metals like gold and silver and some other things she isn't able to recognize, all of it fused together.

Faith sits herself down on the ground and puts the book in her lap and opens it on the first page, written in amalgam of silver/gold/jade colours where the words of the incantation she had to read according to the Mayor, "The Slayers Claim Spell". Concentrating for a moment on the spell and calming herself down Faith starts to read spell out load.

_______________

The Slayers Claim Spell

Through Darkness we Walk

In Darkness we Live

Through the Darkness we Hunt

In Darkness we Slay

Through Light we stand Guard

In light we Live

Through the Light we Battle

In Light we Protect

Both Light and Dark

Touched by Both

Belong to None

Standing as One

Standing as Many

The Slayer charts her own Path

The Slayer owns her own Destiny

The Slayer am I protector of Innocence

As Slayer I claim the Book of Slayers

For Now and Ever

_______________

Having said the last line of the incantation, the book becomes Faiths and a connection is forged between both them. Faiths name is added to the book, the first in over 2 millennia.

At the same time that Faith started the Incantation, the air started to feel heavy and full of energy, a wind started to pick up. Picking up strength and speed along the way, slowly forming a wall of moving wind around Faith. Knocking down pictures/lamps/furniture/etc. The house is starting to vibrate and tremble under the barrage. Slowly reaching it's climax at the end of the spell and with the last word being said by Faith a powerful wave is released, travelling at lightning speed in an expanding ring, signalling the return of the Slayer and her book, to the World, in particular to San Fran. A new (ancient) player has returned to the playing field.

The ring expanded slowly at first, a white crackling lightning ring surrounding Faith and her book, picking up pace while moving through the walls of the House, all occupants of the Manor where touched by the ring before expanding beyond the Manor.

From the sky five points, equal distant from the Manor lit up in five different bright colours, Blue/Green/Yellow/Red/Brown. Signalling that the first step in the battle for control of the Manor and the nexus has started.

_______________