All You Need is a Little Faith

What is this? Another chapter so soon? Yes! MissSpock and I are just that awesome!

All rights belong to Joss Whedon

Chapter 2: Welcome Back to the Hellmouth

By the time they reached Sunnydale, the sun had set hours ago. Faith could see the all too familiar "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign as she and her former "friends" entered the city limits. As they entered Sunnydale, the Slayer noticed her "friends'" shoulders slump as if the world's fate had been placed upon them and indirectly her. The first place they passed that struck a cord was the alley where she took her first step off the edge, where she killed Allan Finch. She can still feel the vibration of the stake as she broke through his sternum into his heart. Not long after that they passed the movie theater, where she could almost feel the tension of the bow that carried the arrow that nearly ended the life of the man that would help save her from herself. She then saw City Hall, former office of the man who was the closest thing she had ever known to a father. It was only another five minutes before they arrived at the Summers' home. When she saw the door the first memory she had was Joyce inviting her over at Christmas and Buffy greeting her at the door, then suddenly the realization that Buffy was really gone hit her.

Faith took a deep breath as the three got out of the car and walked through the door. The only person she recognized immediately was Dawn. The other two weren't complete strangers, she recognized them from her time in Buffy's body. Then she became confused because she knew the slick haired guy was a vampire. She wondered why Buffy would invite this guy into her house, they didn't seem to be on the best terms.

"Go fish," the dusty-blonde haired girl said.

Then the vampire said "Still feels weird without the kittens."

Dawn and the older girl just the tilted their heads and said "kittens?"

"Hello" an eerily familiar voice said. She turned to see Buffy carrying her own head in her arms, with a purple wire connecting her head to her neck.

Faith was stunned for a moment before turning to look at Willow "Robot?"

Willow's head sagged in shame and replied with a quick "Yeah."

At the sound of the robot's voice, the vampire's head snapped to look at them and range of intense emotions crossed face; a desperate hope, then disappointment and sadness, followed by confusion which turned into an animalistic anger. Before Faith knew it, the vampire exploded into motion flipping the coffee table, leaving Dawn and the blonde girl confused, the former struggling to regain her balance behind the vamp, and the latter covered in playing cards.

"Who the hell is she, Red?" he asked Willow

Xander quickly got in front of Faith "Now hold on a sec Spike, let us explain."

Dawn peaked her head around Spike "Faith? Wasn't she convicted of murder and sent jail for like a gazillion years?" she asked causing the blonde girl and Spike to turn to the Slayer.

Faith took a second to respond "Murder two, twenty-five to life for the record."

A look of realization crossed Spike's face, followed by more anger. "So first you reactivate that thing," pointing at the robot "now you bring her here? What the bloody hell are you thinking?"

Then Xander puts his hands up in a defensive gesture "Now Spike will you hold on and let us explain! Plus you have no room to talk about the Buffybot," As this was going on, Willow pulled the confused looking blonde girl out of the danger zone.

Spike completely ignoring him "What if she hurts Little Bit? It wouldn't be the first time she stabbed you all in the back?"

Xander completely throwing caution to the wind said bitterly, "And you would know all about that wouldn't you? For all we know you might have been the reason she had to die that night?!"

Dawn cried "Spike NO!" as he lunged for Xander. His face in full vamp mode but right before he reached Xander, he suddenly flew back narrowly missing Dawn. He hit the wall falling to the ground with a thud crying out in pain holding his head.

"Damn," Faith said "I don't remember you guys being this hostile! Red, what did you do to him?"

Dawn ran to his side to see if he was alright, but he just pushed her aside, too proud to accept her help.

Willow simply replied "I just pushed him away," smiling as she wrapped her arm around the blonde girl.

Xander looked down at him with disgust and said cruelly "He's neutered." Spike jumped to his feet ready to attack again only to be stopped by Dawn getting in the way.

Faith fighting the urge to laugh just said "So no mini vamps running around anywhere?"

Willow replies "There's a chip in his head stopping him from hurting any living thing."

"Well that explains everything," Faith responded casually "if I was a vamp that couldn't hurt anybody I'd hunt demons too."

"Well you don't have to worry about that do you? You've got killing humans down to an art," he sneered "Angelus would be proud."

Faith looked at Willow "You seem to have a pest problem, do you want me to take care of it?"

Dawn turned to defend Spike "No!" with panic clear in her voice.

Spike pulled her behind him again "Stay out of this Little Bit."

Willow looking at Faith "No, we need him…Dawn needs him."

After a long awkward silence, Faith realized she was still in her prison jumpsuit, she decided to break it "So do you guys mind if I raid B's closet?"

Spike snarled at her "Don't you dare go near her room!"

"You can't keep all her clothes in your creepy obsession!" Xander said coldly "It wouldn't have happened even if she hadn't died!"

Spike started to tense up again, ready to strike again, but he calmed down, most likely for Dawn's sake since she was clinging to arm.

Faith raised her hands in mock surrender "I'm gonna be hard enough to miss as it is, no sense putting a bull's-eye on my back. You know being a wanted fugitive and all. My schedule would back up real quick if they found me out."

Willow just said "Yeah you can borrow some clothes, just please don't overdo it."

"Cool. Thanks I'll get my own clothes as soon as I can," she said starting to look around as she suddenly realized that Joyce was missing "So where's Joyce anyway? I kind of owe her an apology."

It was then that Dawn finally lost it and started to sob. Spike looking like he wanted to kill her, but instead simply led Dawn out of the room and up the stairs. Xander turned to her with a shadow of his malice for Spike "Joyce is dead too," and he followed them up the stairs. Willow just gave her a look of contempt before rushing after them, leaving Faith alone with the blonde haired girl.

The blonde girl tentatively stepped toward her unsure of how to comfort her. "She died awhile back but Buffy's death has made it fresh again."

The girl spoke with kindness and Faith realized how cruel she had been to her before, when she was in Buffy's body. "Listen, about what…everything I said before…"

She just smiled "It's ok. You've changed, I can feel it."

"Th-thanks," Faith stuttered.

"Would you like me to show you where Buffy's room is?"

"No I remember but thanks," as she headed for the stairs but stopped "it's Tara right?"

Tara smiled "Yeah."

Faith went up the stairs to see Dawn's door shut with Spike sitting outside on the floor with his head in hands. Faith realized in that moment that they held almost as much disdain for him as they did for her. As she entered her Slayer sister's room she felt a swell of an emotion she wasn't used too. She stopped just to remember some of the happy moments she had with Buffy before moving to her closet. She started looking through her clothes, and the first ones she found were the ones she wore when she was in Buffy's body. She thought about taking them, but decided against it, feeling that it wouldn't make the best impression with her friends and family. "Damn B, why do you gotta be so clean cut?" she thought out loud. She then heard something behind her, whipping around on Slayer instinct to see Spike leaning against the door way. "Are you gonna start stalking me now?" she asked with a small smirk.

He looked at her with the cold hate of a predator but she could still see the very human hurt in his eyes. "You'll never replace her," he said deliberately "and if you hurt Dawn, I will kill you… even if it kills me."

She raised her eyebrow "Assuming I don't get to you before that chip does," as she took down one of the white shirts on a hanger.

When she turned back around he was less than a foot from her, he ripped the shirt from her grasp and stalked out of the room.

She watched the door for a moment and knew she would need to keep an eye on him. She knew he was more dangerous than she let on. To show some respect to the others she closed the door and changed into a black tank top and a pair of jeans. She sat on the ottoman in Buffy's room and listened. She vaguely heard the sound of Dawn's crying and Xander and Willow's attempts to comfort her. She just sighed and looked up at herself in the mirror and said to no one in particular

"Guess I'm back in Sunnydale."