Summary: Faith is alone for Thanksgiving. When she meets a new friend, will her life ever be the same?
Disclaimer: Joss owns all. I'm just having fun.
Spoilers: Starts just after the events in "Lover's Walk." Only vague references to specific episodes, however.
Author's Notes: This one has been a long time coming. A big thanks to Tim for finally prodding the muse into writing it.
There was no snow. No cold. No crisp feeling to the air. The only sign that today was even Thanksgiving was a cardboard pilgrim stuck to the window of the Doublemeat Palace. Faith stared at the smiling, round-cheeked figure in his black and white clothes.
Her life sucked.
Turning that thought over in her mind, Faith continued walking. She didn't have a destination in mind. Not that a place to go mattered. Nothing was open. The sidewalks were empty, and only a few cars interrupted Faith's lonely journey.
Her life so sucked.
Faith scowled. "Shoulda stayed in Boston," she announced. Kakistos had been hunting her, sure. But at least there she'd had a few friends. In Sunnydale, she had no one. Then some tiny bit of internal honesty forced her to admit that wasn't entirely true. Faith's scowl deepened as she mentally corrected herself. She had Buffy and the Scoobies. The Golden Girl and her cheering section. They weren't friends, though, not since the big showdown at Angel's mansion a couple of weeks ago.
The sight of a very empty Radcliffe Park ahead didn't cure Faith's rampant case of loneliness. What was she doing here? Dropping onto a bench, Faith stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jean jacket and hunched her shoulders. A light breeze lifted strands of her hair and played with the leaves littering the pathway.
Maybe the rustle of those leaves drowned out the sound of approaching footsteps. Faith jumped when a voice behind her asked, "Are you OK?"
"Fine," Faith answered even as she spun on the bench, ready for action. Her muscles went slack when she glimpsed a smiling blonde girl standing a few feet away. Not a vampire. Sunlight and silent Slayer senses said that. And not a problem, otherwise. If the wind picked up any more, the girl might blow away.
"Oh…" Biting her lip, Faith's erstwhile "rescuer" hesitated. "Are you sure? You looked pretty upset a minute ago. Is there anything I can do to help?"
It had been so long since anyone had offered assistance. Faith automatically discounted Buffy's repeated gestures; those hadn't been sincere. That tiny bit of sympathy, of genuine concern, snuck past Faith's defenses. "Can ya' change the past?"
"Not really. I might be able to do something about your future, though." The girl's smile lit up her whole face. "Why don't you tell me more?"
"Like what?" Feelings, frozen and ignored for so long, exploded in those two words. Faith grappled to regain her control. Fought to maintain her usual uncaring attitude. Unfortunately, putting the lid back on her emotions wasn't possible. Swinging her legs around the end of the bench, she faced the girl dead on and lashed out, glad to have a target. "Like I'm fuckin' tired of being treated like some piece of Southie whitetrash? Of havin' nothin', livin' with the roaches, and waitin' for the phone to ring?"
Faith broke off. Just talking about things had her on the verge of an explosion – and that wasn't something she ever wanted to happen. She'd sworn to never lose control like that again. Hands clenched, she glared at the other girl, daring her to say something.
It didn't take long. Slender fingers playing with the gaudy necklace around her neck, the girl nodded solemnly. "You have been treated unfairly," she said.
Unfairly? Faith sucked in a deep breath as she prepared to explain how far past unfair her life was. "I ain't playin' cards!" Her voice rose, startling a nearby bird into frenzied flight. "I'm the fucking Slayer!" The final word seemed to echo through the park, and Faith froze.
Her "helper" didn't understand the significance of the admission. Brows creased in thought, she mumbled, "I'm sure there's something I can do." Her frown grew before she peered resolutely at Faith. "Make a wish. Tell me one thing, anything, that would make things better."
It was such an outrageous suggestion that Faith chuckled. This chick was crazy.
"I'm not crazy," the other girl said as if she'd heard Faith's thought. "I can help, but you have to make a wish first. What do you want? To go back in time? How about a little plague or pestilence? I haven't done a really good plague in centuries."
Slowly relaxing, Faith shook her head. Nothing could change her situation in Sunnydale. Still, it might be fun to indulge in fantasy for a minute. "Miss High and Mighty B's got it all, ya' know? Family. Friends. Bet she wouldn't feel so big if she lost all that."
A blonde eyebrow rose as the other girl stared impatiently at Faith.
"What? You wanted a wish," Faith protested, oddly uneasy all of a sudden.
"You didn't give me a wish. Wishes start with 'I wish…'" The girl tapped a finger on her necklace. "So wish, already. I've got other customers."
Enough was enough. Faith surged to her feet and took a threatening step toward the other girl. Then she stopped. Something – the conversation, the ever present bitterness – kept her from giving in to the siren song of violence. That same impulse tore a tight, "I wish Buffy knew what it was like to lose her crew. To be like me. Alone."
The ground shook and the girl said, "Done."
A heartbeat later, Faith realized she was alone again and no longer in the park. The Bronze sign flickered and hummed overhead. "What the fuck?" Faith stared at the sign in confusion. Before she could make sense of the changes, a familiar cramping struck.
Getting answers would have to wait.
Faith let her hands dangle. Looking helpless (not to mention hot) always sucked the vamps in. Mentally chuckling at her unintentional pun, Faith strolled down the alley.
"Didn't anyone tell you not to be out at night?" A swarthy vampire dressed in his seventies best emerged from the shadows, probably expecting to surprise Faith. "It can be dangerous for a little girl like you."
"Like me?" Faith mocked, holding her arms out. "You musta missed the memo. I am dangerous." Ignoring the four other forms attempting to sneak behind her, she locked gazes with the Disco Dude. "Why don't you come closer and I'll give ya' a taste?" There was no vampire anywhere who could let that pass.
Right on cue, the vampire smiled. For an instant, he looked humanly handsome. Then his canines lengthened and ridges popped out on his forehead. He charged Faith with a roar.
Faith stood her ground and waited. When the vampire's fingers were mere centimeters from her throat, she stepped slightly to her left and brought her right knee up. Her aim was perfect. A pained grunt coincided with her knee slamming into his stomach. If breathing had been a requirement for vampires, the fight might have ended there.
Instead, the vampire straightened almost instantly. A wild right sailed harmlessly past Faith as she leaned back. In her peripheral vision, she saw the other vampires close in.
Playtime had to end. "Too bad ya' had to bring friends. One on one's way better than group staking." Faith was always armed. She slid a sharpened stake from the inside pocket of her jacket and lunged at the Disco Dude. A heartbeat later, a pile of dust drifted to the alley floor.
The other vampires froze. So much for Faith's element of surprise. Oh, well. Faith spun slowly on her heel, twirling the stake with a flourish. "Who's next? Don't be shy. I've got wicked stamina."
The challenge was too much. Two of the vampires ran straight at Faith.
She leaped up and somersaulted over their heads. "You missed," Faith taunted. Enjoying the thrill of the fight, she didn't immediately stake either of the vampires. Instead, she kicked one in the butt, sending him headfirst into the grimy brick wall of the alley.
It was now every vampire for himself. Without planning or teamwork, each vampire tried to exact revenge for Faith's actions. One picked up a jagged piece of wood and swung at Faith's head. Another dove at her.
Being the Slayer rocked. Faith ducked and stepped nimbly to the left. Right on cue, the grimy pallet plank whistled by. It pulled the swinger off balance, and he stumbled into the legs of his brainless brother. They tumbled to the ground in an ungainly pile.
Faith took pity on them. She staked both with a minimum of effort before facing off with the final two. "If ya' know who Sired those two, ya' might wanna smack 'em. Waste of Turnin'."
The only vampire who hadn't already closed with Faith met her gaze with cold yellow eyes. "The Master does not consider additions to his army a waste, girl." With more caution than his friends, he stepped forward, and Faith caught a gleam of metal in the dim lighting. "He will applaud the replacement of those two with a fighter like you."
"Not happenin'," Faith warned him. She dropped into a defensive crouch; this vampire was not only armed, he didn't seem to be a dense as the others. It was time to get serious. "You ain't got what it takes to Turn me." Faith hoped, anyway. Her one shot at Angel hadn't lasted long enough for her to know if he was the better fighter. There was a tiny chance this guy was a real threat.
He lunged. Faith blocked the thrust but missed with her stake. It pierced his shoulder, drawing a grunt of pain – but no new pile of ashes. Yanking the wood free of flesh and muscle, she bounced back a few steps and waited to see what else her opponent had for her.
Before the vampire could do more than glare and grip his injured arm, though, something zipped through the air. It stopped with a dull thud in the vampire's chest. He appeared as surprised as Faith when the object turned out to be a stake (and not the one still clutched in Faith's hand). A second later, the vampire was gone.
So was his friend. Another stake flew through the air and landed with frightening accuracy.
"It isn't safe after dark," Buffy announced. Stepping out of the shadows, she flicked Faith with an impatient and impersonal glance. "Go home. Now. You might think you're good with that, but you need to leave the fighting to the experts."
Buffy may have saved Faith's life, but that didn't give her the right to say that. The experts? Faith's hand tightened around the stake until her fingers ached. "Listen, you bitch. I'm tired of playin' second string to the Great Buffy. I'm a Slayer, too. The next time…"
"You're what?" Buffy snapped, striding toward Faith so quickly that she backpedaled to avoid being run over.
"A Slayer, B. You and the Superfriends may not…" Once again, Faith broke off. As Buffy moved closer, Faith saw her clearly for the first time. "B! What the fuck happened?" A jagged scar marred the usual perfection of Buffy's face. Faith felt sick. Whatever her ego might think, Faith knew Buffy was the best Slayer. If a vamp got that close, they needed reinforcements. "You talk to Giles about that?"
Faith was concerned. About Buffy. About the possibility of another big battle. And she was one hundred percent focused on helping.
That's why she nearly screamed when Buffy surged forward and picked her up by her jacket, slamming her back against the bricks. "How do you know who I am? How do you know about Giles?" Buffy yanked Faith forward and repeated the slamming.
Gasping for air, Faith couldn't respond.
"I'm not asking you again. Answer the question or I'll make you wish you had," Buffy warned in a soft, intense voice.