Title: Outside Humanity

Author: Drake Roberts

Rating: Teen. Basically, if you can watch the show, I don't think you'll have any problem with this story. The F-word is bantered around occasionally, but nothing too bad.

A/N: I've probably got about three chapters worth of this story written out already. So, if I have time to sit at my computer and type . . . well, I'll try my best not to drop off the face of the Earth between updates. Also, any mistakes made in this work are my own. I don't use a beta reader, mostly because I never know how long it will be between updates. Please note, there's a little more cursing in this chapter for reasons that will become clear once you start reading. Let me know if I should up the rating.

Disclaimer: I do not own or even pretend to own the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am merely borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes. I promise to return the characters more or less in one piece when I'm finished with them.

Interlude: Faith Lehane versus the State of California

Faith Lehane always said what was on her mind. In elementary school one of her teacher had told her if she didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything all. Personally Faith considered that complete bullshit. The first amendment entitled her to free speech. If someone needed to be made aware of how the world worked, then Faith would share her opinion. Most of the time, anyone within earshot of the Boston beauty didn't find her opinion very nice.

That being said, Faith didn't rattle off every thought that popped into her head. The bubbly airhead was more B's bag. Faith didn't do bubbly and she didn't babble. But a time rarely presented itself where Faih found herself at a loss for words. In fact through the course of the nineteen years of her life Faith can only recall being rendered speechless a handful of times.

Standing demurely in a Los Angeles County Judicial Center court room, Faith lost the ability to speak for a full seven seconds. To a Slayer, that might as well have been a lifetime. When the brunette finally did react, it was . . . explosive.

"What she hell do you mean acquitted?" Faith shrieked.

The judge, a reed thin middle aged woman, scowled down at the teenaged defendant seated before her. The severe woman may have been pretty at one time, but years of pursed lipped expressions had given her a perpetually pinched looking profile. "Watch your language in my courtroom, young lady, or I'll be forced to hold you in contempt."

"You're the one throwing around the crazy words, lady," Faith retorted. "I confessed to killing two people in Sunnydale."

"Two people that the city of Sunnydale records have no record of; they don't even have birth records for them."

The dark haired Slayer silently conceded that point. It's not like Mayor Wilkins would have left any kind of paper trail implicating her, especially for the man that she killed for him. Faith had just failed to realize that the scope of his influence in the town stretched to include completely obliterating a person's records from the world. That fact only deterred her for a second.

"Well, once I stepped off the bus here in LA, I put the beat down on the first pervy biker that decided I would make a good piece of ass," Faith rallied.

From his position beside her, the Faith's public defender desperately tried to get his client to just stop talking. The poor overworked man watched the woman with a half incredulous, half terrified expression. They had just been handed a verdict of not guilty. Did his client want to go to jail?

The judge was now starting to look put out. She gestured toward the evidence table. "Exhibit F contains a signed affidavit from your alleged victim stating you administered that "beat down" as you put it in an act of self defense."

"I broke his pelvis and both of his arms!" Faith exclaimed.

"This man had also served time for aggravated assault on two separate occasions," the judge pointed out. "And he outweighed you by a hundred pounds."

Faith gritted her teeth. "But what about. . . ."

"Miss Lehane," the judge interrupted. "I believe this is the first time I have had a defendant argue against an acquittal." The condescending tones practically dripped from the judge's lips. "Undoubtedly, your lawyer is about to have a stroke." The judge folded her hands in her lap. "I have made my decision. You are not going to jail today."

The judge's expression softened ever so slightly, then she pinned Faith with a stare so intense the young woman was rooted to her chair. "You have been given an invaluable opportunity: a second chance to do things differently. My advice to you, Miss Lehane, is to stop looking for ways to punish yourself for the past, leave my courtroom, and start showing the world you can do better. Case closed."

The pounding of the woman's gavel cracked like a gunshot to Faith's ears. Various members of the press, onlookers, and lawyers started to gather their possessions and filtered from the courtroom. Faith made no move to get up for several moments. Her public defender finally clasped her arm, pulled her to her feet and guided her out of the room and into the early morning air. The Slayer didn't react until she spotted the limousine parked at the curb.

"Hey, what gives?" she asked. "I wasn't planning on leaving the courthouse in style. More like in leg irons."

Her lawyer smiled at her reassuringly. "My law firm wishes to express their congratulations on your acquittal."

Faith's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I thought you worked for the city as a court assigned public defender."

The lawyer's smile did not diminish a bit. It only served to make the man look even less genuine. "I don't work for the city. My firm takes a certain number of pro bono cases every year to help the city's public defenders with client overload. Your case happened to be one of them. The higher ups at my firm would like to say a quick hello before you get on with your second lease on life."

Faith studied the man and the limousine in front of her. Did she really have much of a choice? The dark haired Slayer finally gave in with a shrug. "Aw, why the hell not? Let's go." Faith stepped into the limousine with barely a glimpse at the man holding the door. "Hope this bad boy's got a wet bar."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Years of disdain for the snobby high society types she occasionally glimpsed in downtown Boston made her reluctant to admit it, but Faith really enjoyed being driven around in a limo. She could tell just by the feel that the seats were real leather, the sunroof gave her a wonderful view of the cloudless sky, and the air conditioning kept the car at just the right temperature. Plus, there were all kinds of buttons to push.

Faith rolled the window separating her from the driver up and down for the fifth time and grinned as the man's shoulders tensed. She had to hand it to the guy; he hadn't said a word in the last ten minutes while she fiddled with every button, toggle, and switch that she could reach, and a few in the front that she shouldn't have been able to get to. He had endured her near constant requests for a radio station change. The man hadn't made a peep when Faith rolled down the window and propped her feet up on the door like it was an ottoman. The tensing of his shoulders was the first indicator of any type of discomfort or annoyance. Faith couldn't blame him on that count; the squeak the partition window made as it rolled up could peel paint.

Her options now nearly exhausted, Faith decided to check the mini-fridge. What kind of booze would a swank ride like this stock? Kristal? Grey Goose? Or maybe just some good old JD? With a little chuckle and a quick bit of contortion so her feet could stay hanging out the window, Faith pulled open the mini-fridge door. Then she gaped in shock.

"Hey, jeeves? Is there a reason the mini-fridge has got three thongs, a lacy black bra, and a note saying 'Next time, we'll tip you' in it?"

The abrupt and quite inventive flow of cursing from the limo driver impressed Faith. Obviously, these were not from a bimbo he'd banged in the back the night before. Or if it was, the night hadn't ended well.

The man's tirade wore down and he seemed to realize he'd had an audience. Hazel eyes met Faith's through the rear view mirror. "Sorry about that, ma'am," he apologized with a slight blush.

Faith grinned. "Don't worry about it," she told him. "Sometimes the only thing you can do is cuss the world." Normally, Faith would have let the conversation drop, but what the hell, she was curious. "Bad night?" she asked.

Having to watch the road, the man's head remained facing forward, but Faith caught a glimpse of the rueful grin that appeared. "You could say that. I had to drive around a trio of LA socialites until 3 am. I'm guessing the underwear was their idea of a thank you." He snorted. "As if I would touch those things without a hazmat suit. I'm going to have to have the limo fumigated."

The man sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Then just when I'm ready for a break, this . . . thing tried to make me its late night snack."

"Thing?" Faith queried cautiously.

Faith watched through the rearview mirror as the chauffeur's cheeks reddened. "Wrinkly-faced freak of nature tried to chomp on my neck for dinner." The man sighed. "I'm sure it was just the sleep deprivation getting to me. Just forget I said anything."

Faith studied the man in surprise. Taking the young woman's silence as scorn, the limo driver started to roll up the divider window. "I think I'll just keep my crazy thoughts to myself."

"Funny thing about freaks of nature," Faith piped up from the back seat. The window stopped its ascent. "They're all strength and teeth, but a little piece of wood will scare them off real quick."

The limo drive blinked. Was he even crazier than usual or did this woman actually believe him? Maybe his morning was looking up for a change. "You tangle with monsters on the dark streets of L.A. often, miss?"

Faith chuckled. "It's Faith, not miss."

"I stand corrected. But you still didn't answer my question. I took the risk of sounding loony. You scared to reciprocate?" the man taunted teasingly.

There was no reason for the brunette to feel obligated to answer this guy. It wasn't any of his business. But Faith found herself answering anyway. "Monster-hunting used to be a hobby of mine, back in Boston. I haven't really tried it here yet. I'm new to the L.A. scene."

The grin that came to the driver's face as he turned at the stoplight was quite endearing. "Well, please let me be the first to welcome you to the City of Angels. I'm Rick"

Rick finished his turn and thrust the arm not holding the wheel back toward her. Faith smirked and grasped Rick's hand in a firm handshake. "Thanks for the welcome."

Rick took his hand back and gave it a little shake. "That's quite a grip you got there, Faith."

Faith's smirk softened into a small grin. "What's the matter? You intimidated?"

"On the contrary," Rick retorted. "I'm trying to figure out a way to weasel your phone number out of you for the next time I need a pickle jar opened. I swear those things are the devil."

That remark startled an honest to goodness laugh out of the dark haired Slayer. "You're all right, Ricky." Faith studied the man's smiling face in the mirror for several seconds. The judge this morning was a sanctimonious prude, but maybe she had a point about second chances. "If I actually had a number I'd give it to you." She gave Rick a wistful smile. "I guess it isn't in the cards."

The limo pulled up to the curve and came to a halt. Faith slid her feet back into her heels. "It's been real, Rick."

"Faith, wait," Rick turned around in his seat until he was facing the young woman. He held out a card. "Here, take this."

At the young woman's dubious look, Rick hurried to explain. "I swear I'm not just trying to be sleazy. You're new here. I doubt you know that many people. And everyone needs a friend."

"A friend?" Faith asked, still a little doubtful.

"Yeah, a friend. You know, in case you need a ride somewhere sometime, or something."

Faith hesitated a moment longer, then took the card gently. "I think a friend might be a good thing," she admitted. "But I gotta tell ya. I don't usually do the whole limo cruising thing."

Rick gave her a disarming grin. Head on the man's smile was a sight to behold. "This limo's not the only car I own." His expression sobered slightly. "Seriously. I'm sure you're more than capable of taking care of yourself. But something tells me you could use a friend. And I think you'd be a good friend to have. I bet you make life interesting."

"You need someone to make life interesting?"

"Hey, I might scream like a woman in the face of monsters, but I bet you'd be great to talk about the day with over a cup of coffee."

Faith smiled without a trace of her usual cynicism. "If I need some conversation, you'll be the first I let know."

"That's all I can hope for?" Rick told her. "Now let's get you on your way."

Rick got out of the limo and walked around to open her door. Faith knew she probably looked like a total spaz with a grin that wouldn't leave her face. A nice conversation with a guy who didn't seem to want her for a quick lay or want to use her for hired muscle. It wasn't something Faith thought she wanted. Now, the normality of it all was . . . nice. Maybe she could take advantage of this so-called second chance.

Rick opened her door with a flourish. "Milady, your appointment awaits. Enjoy your morning."

He gave the young woman a jaunty wave before getting back behind the wheel and pulling out into the morning commute. Faith watched the limo until it turned the corner, then turned to face her destination.

The slayer's expression soured in an instant. "I should have known my day couldn't stay good forever," she muttered

In front of Faith were the offices of Wolfram and Hart. Faith glanced down at the card in her hand for a moment with a hint of her former grin. She slipped the card into the front of her bra, straightened her shoulders and marched up the stone steps. "Let's see what kind of shit these assholes are slinging."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Next time: We returned to Sunnydale for a day in the park. Don't worry; we'll get back to Faith eventually.