The fist seemed to slow as it came at her face and the impact of it against her cheek blinded her momentarily. The brunette threw her own into the solar plexus of the tall blonde man in front of her. He was bent at the waist as she put her knee into his face to knock him unconscisce. The crowd around her cheered as the announcer raised her hand in victory.
"The winner and still your champion Warrior." was spoken all throughout the arena. As the tall petite girl walked out of the ring with her face and fists covered with blood. She walks back into the locker room, after collecting her winnings, to change and wash the blood off her face. She had just got her bloody tank top off when a deep voice cut her from her thoughts.
"Nice job tonight Warrior. But when are you going to tell me your real name?" She turned to find a tall black man behind her.
"Well Clay," she said as she sauntered up to him and whispered into his ear "never."
"Now come on I keep finding people for you to fight and you haven't told me anything other than what you want people to call you." He angrily said to the girl as she finished dressing in her dark blue jeans, white t-shirt, with black leather boots and a pair of dog tags.
"And I thank you for that but I'm not going to tell so stop asking and take your money to buy yourself a drink." she replied calmly before handing him his half and walking away. The man stayed in his spot knowing better than follow after her as she would leave him broken in the middle of the road.
'This is getting too easy for me.' she thinks as she heads to the bar not too far from her hotel room.
"Now what do we have here? You been fighting again Shane McClay." The bartender stating the obvious knowing that she never walked in if she hadn't.
"Yeah and I could do with a double shot of Jack Daniels and then a couple more, Jake." Shane said and downed the shot and the next as he gave it to her like it was water.
"This next shot will be on me, Daughter of Aries. And before you hit me maybe you should listen to me as it concerns your half-sister, Tara." The voice belong to a man with dark brown hair and a suit which didn't stop the angered women from pinning him to the bar by his throat. "If you've done anything to her no one on Heaven and Earth will stop me." She snarled into his face
Gasping for air he managed to choke out that he wanted to stop what was going to happen to her. The stranger went on to explain that he was a messenger and she was to pick up a girl that they had managed to release from prison to help stop the end of the world.
"Where is this girl and where do I pick her up?" Shane questioned then she added sarcastically "Knowing her name would also make this perfect"
"Her name is Faith and both she and you will be needed in Sunnydale to win. She will protest at first but I think you of all people can persuade her."
So Shane arrived at the prison the next day and waited for Faith to get finished with her release, she sees her come into the front area and approaches her. "Faith, you and me are heading to Sunnydale to help save the world that's why you've been released. But before we go, why do I sense you to be part god?"
"I don't know and who the hell are you to demand me to go back there where they would kill me with no hesitation." Faith demanded, going on the defensive with this person setting off her slayer senses.
"I'm Shane and your coming cause I need to help my sister so you shut your mouth and come get in my truck so we can make it there for her twentieth birthday." She took a deep breath knowing she had to calm down. "Look I left both my mother and her with 2 abusive bastards when I was 8. The least I can do is try to help her so please come with me." Shane pleaded to the dark slayer.
"OK and maybe I can make it up to B. Show her that I am trying redemption." Faith replied relaxing after the demi-gods plea.
They rode down to Sunnydale swapping life stories and becoming close friends during the ride. When they got into town, they went straight to the Magic Box, as the stranger had said to go. They walk in to see that Buffy was giving a speech about how Mr. McClay had to go through her to get Tara to leave against her will then proclaiming was family.
"Tara get in the car or I swear by god I will beat you down." Donny said just about to get in Tara's face. That was all it took to get Shane to stop just watching and talk. She snarled "You do that Donny and you will be nothing more than corpse on the floor."
That made everyone in the room jump as they hadn't noticed them come in. Buffy went into protect mode at seeing Faith standing there. Shane addressed the rest of the McClay clan "Leave now and I can't believe you would lie to Tara about her being a demon. I have watch what you have done since the day I left and now you will let her live her life free of you and if I see you anywhere near her I will kill you without a second thought. Do you understand me?" They could only nod as they fled with their tails between their legs.
Tara just stood there people were talking to her but she couldn't really hear them. All she could was stare at her big sister. Buffy then turns her attention to the visitors and starts to Question them. "Faith, what are you doing here and whose this and how does she know Tara plus why aren't you in jail?"
Shane response "I'm Shane and the gods have deemed that she can help and have pardoned her. As for how I know Tara, I'm her half sister." Shane bowed her head in shame saying "if she still accepts me and can forgive me."
Tara sees and hears all Shane did and didn't say. She surprised everyone and Shane, when she ran and hugged her with tears in her eyes. She whispered of course into Shane's ear which nearly brought her to tears.
"Thank you so much and happy birthday sis." Shane says lovingly
"So what are you doing here and what do you mean by the gods have released Faith to help?" a confused watcher asked from his spot at the counter.
"Well I came because a messenger had told me that my sister was in danger and the gods can free Faith from prison because they are, well, gods. They have influences everywhere." Shane explained in a duh kind of voice.
"Hey Shane, shouldn't we find a place to stay while we are here so that kind of means we should go now?" Faith asked with a desperate tone to get out of there.
Buffy turns sharply at hearing Faith talk for the first time since walking in and glares her down while stating with more venom than a rattlesnake "I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know you can be trusted."
"Well what do you want me to do then, B, sleep on the ground in front of your house or you going to chain me up." Faith replied with equal hostillity.
"whoa, now lets all take a breather and Buffy, Zues provided us with a place as he would like me to train Faith for some odd reason. So here's the address and I believe that we have a birthday to celebrate. Also get use to Faith because from the sound of it none of you are equally as innocent. Sure she killed one guy on accident, murdered another on purpose, and a bunch of other stuff but how quickly did you give up on her and leave her to rot for herself not only in a bull shit hotel room but a bleak hospital room after you attempted to kill her for your boyfriend the vampire as you probably would have done the first time you guys fought over when she found out that he was alive from your zeppo friend over there, who didn't even explain that he had his soul. No, he just let her assume that he was evil and an evil watcher showed her more attention and actually tried to connect with her so of course she choose her side over yours same with the mayor." Slaming home the truth to the blonde slayer about her darker counter part leaving them all speechless.
Faith breaks the silence by turning to Shane and slamming her fist into her face which knocks her to the floor and gets into her face. "Don't ever condem Buffy and them again because I made my own decisions and taunted her into stabbing me. I wanted to die, why else would I shoot Angel with a poison I knew slayers blood could cure. The only reason I jumped off the roof was because I could see what just stabbing me had done to her and I gave them everyhting I knew could help them beat the Mayor. When I woke up I was just wanting it all to end so I just kept pushing and pushing but no one not even Weasley who I had bound and tortured would finish me so don't just don't talk about them like they are scum and I am so sorry for everything I have done and I will do everything to make it up to you." By the end Faiths anger had turned into remorse as she aplogised to the scoobys.
Everyone was startled by the laughing coming from Shane as stood back up to her feet. "Well that was the reaction I wanted for my speech. Yes Faith I goaded you into hitting me. I wanted to see if I was right about why Zues himself would tell me to train you and now I know why. See that planning, lolalty, and everything about you screams Athena whom I believe is your real mother and Zues' favorite daughter. Thats also why the fall and blood loss didn't kill you and you woke up just fine with very little after effcts. Anyway here you go Buffy, Our address and a way to reach me. Plus Faith didn't it feel good to get that all off your chest." Shane said to the stunned group as she handed buffy a slip of paper.