Chapter 13. Faith's Hope
A/N: Chapter 13 usually involves character death for me. To combat that, I wrote this flashback to take a look at a few scenes from Faith's perspective. Based on what we know about Faith and extrapolation of her motivations for things she did and said. Also my own deep-seated need to understand the characters I'm writing.
Summary: Faith crossed an entire continent to find Buffy Summers, her best hope against Kakistos and maybe someone who she could call friend. But what did she find when she got there? The same stuck up (female dogs) she left behind on the east coast.
After watching her watcher, Diana Dormer, get raped and torn in half; Faith used the lack of focus on her that Diana's death caused to throw an ax into the face of the biggest vamp and escaped while the rest of the vampires were reveling in the death of the one person she was close to. The big vamp's cries of pain were drowned out for a little while by the wild cheering going on all around him. No doubt some of the revelers later paid for their inattention with their unlives.
Next, Faith did something that was probably very stupid. She went back to the apartment she and Diana had shared. She went there trying to find help; a phone number, an address, anything to call in some backup that Diana had assured her was available. Instead she found books. Watcher Diaries, they were titled. Her own didn't interest her very much, but the next ones down were about other Slayers. First there was Kendra. She skimmed it for about ten seconds before skipping to the end to find out she was dead. No surprise there; one dies, the next is called. She didn't even browse the next one, she just skipped to the end. But this one wasn't dead. She opened Kendra's again and compared the dates. This Buffy chick was still alive. She checked the next few books down. Dead, dead, dead.
Faith stuffed Buffy's book in a bag with a few clothes aware that every minute she tarried here was another minute Kakistos' minions might be drawing closer.
Then she grabbed her bike. It was honestly a POS, but she had bought it with her own money years before being called as a Slayer. Back when having a bike had meant freedom. Freedom to leave her house and go wherever she liked. Now with Slayer powers, she could pedal fast enough to keep up with traffic on the highways. Which is what she did. She biked until the sun rose then she pulled off at the next exit and found a Greyhound station. She was going to catch a bus to Sunnydale California, where Buffy Summers, the Slayer who was still alive despite Faith being called, lived. And on the way, she was going to read about the exploits of said Buffy Summers. It was too bad she would have to leave her bike behind, it had meant a lot to her once.
There were two landmarks that were mentioned in detail in Buffy's Diary. The high school and a club called the Bronze. Both were easy for Faith to find but only one allowed her to observe the other Slayer anonymously. Also the Bronze seemed to offer good hunting opportunities. She found a vampire cruising for a meal and latched onto him, not letting him try to find another victim. She dragged him onto the dance floor. It was the easiest way to keep track of him while she waited for this 'Buffy' to show up. After Buffy showed up, Faith watched the other girl shoot down the dude pestering her. Faith wondered if the two of them could share this kill together or not, she just had to wait to get Buffy alone.
She waited right up until one of Buffy's friends, dressed in a skanky red dress, referred to Faith as 'slut-o-rama'. Faith was far enough away that maybe a normal girl would have heard that comment and maybe not. But Faith wasn't normal. Faith was a Slayer and though she wouldn't admit it, it hurt that the other Slayer didn't stand up for her at all to that bitch that dissed her. Faith didn't let it show though. Instead she let the vampire lead her out the back door to an alley where she could let a little steam off on his body.
Faith was having fun beating on the idiot vamp when Buffy and her friends, including the skank that dissed her, came to her 'rescue'. Granted, in her haste to get out of the club, she had forgotten to grab a stake, but there was plenty of wood around. She still decided to borrow Buffy's stake. It was her way of taking control of the situation.
As she left, she handed back the stake and said, "Thanks, B, couldn't've done it without you." And 'B' didn't stand for 'Buffy' any more than 'DD' stood for Diana Dormer though B's nickname didn't have anything to do with cup size. Well, maybe a little, but it was more of a small shot in payback for not defending her earlier. Or maybe for just standing there like an idiot while she dusted the vamp. Way to have her back. Not that she needed help for one vamp, but it was the thought that counted and Buffy didn't look like she had two thoughts to rub together and keep that puny brain of hers warm.
Back inside the Bronze, Faith tried to hint to Buffy that she wanted to talk to her alone, Slayer to Slayer, but Buffy didn't get the message. Instead, she got to meet all of Buffy's friends who were so preppy, she was just waiting for Zack Morris to step out of the shadows and call "Time out!". Faith decided to push her sister Slayer outside of her comfort zone a bit. Based on what she'd seen and heard from Buffy so far, she was a bit of a prude. So Faith told all of her raunchiest stories, embellishing them quite a bit, until the taller of the males was practically drooling. But no reaction from Buffy. So Faith grabbed a muffin and said, "Isn't crazy how Slaying just makes you hungry and horny?" Buffy's reaction to that was priceless though. Even if Buffy didn't understand the meaning behind Faith unwrapping and diving into her hot muff- in.
She shared another story then asked Buffy to share her toughest kill. That was fair. She'd done all the sharing so far, she wasn't about to share the real reason for her visit until she was sure Buffy was solid. So far she seemed kinda wishy-washy to Faith. But Buffy balked. Faith started to wonder why exactly she had traveled across the entire country to meet this 'Slayer'.
Buffy didn't seem particularly eager to date, if what Faith overheard at the Bronze was anything to go by, she didn't seem eager to introduce Faith to her watcher the next morning, and she didn't seem eager to Slay anything. Faith wondered if there was anything Buffy was actually eager to do. She thought she might have been eager to do her watcher, he was pretty cute, but the way Buffy reacted when she said something screamed 'daddy issues' not 'dating issues'. At least not with this guy.
Buffy also unenthusiastically invited her to dinner. She accepted anyway. She needed a feed before she moved on. Because there was no way in hell she was staying in this shit hole very long. She had come here to try and find help, but it seemed like it was a swing and a miss here in that department. Right now, she had to figure out a way to deal with Kakistos on her own.
Mrs. S was okay in an overly-positive-soccer-mom kinda way. She actually seemed to listen to Faith at the very least. Even if she didn't catch Faith's sarcasm about 'negative thinking' and wanted Faith to do all the dangerous stuff while B kicked back and relaxed. But you really can't blame a mother for feeling that way. At least the chick cared, which would have been wonderful growing up. But B didn't seem to appreciate what she had. Speaking of B, that nickname was originally going to be a one-time thing, but now it was going to stand. Did B not realize that she was only 15 feet away and could hear every word going on in the kitchen?
"I like this girl, Buffy." Joyce said, Faith perked up at that, but continued eating as if she hadn't heard anything. You found out a lot more by keeping your trap shut she had always found.
"She's very personable. She gets along with my friends, my Watcher, my mom. Look, now she's getting along with my fries." Buffy said. Granted, at that moment, Faith was eating from Buffy's plate, but Buffy had food at her beck and call. Faith was going to be hitting the road very soon again. Plus, B was just picking at them anyway. Faith wasn't sure how a Slayer could survive eating the way she'd seen B eating so far.
"Now, Buffy..." Joyce admonished.
"Plus, at school today, she was making eyes at my not-boyfriend. This is creepy." Faith just about jumped into the conversation at that point. First of all, she was not making eyes at the guy, she was just talking and trying to see why B wasn't interested. If she were interested, it would have been hella clear that she was. Secondly, that was a diss, with her sitting not 15 feet away. Even a normal girl would have heard that. And most of the girls at her school would not be taking it as well as Faith was. Her spoon was now a useless lump of metal crumpled in her hand, but who needed spoons anyway?
"Does anybody else think Faith is creepy?" Joyce asked. Thank you for the defense, Mrs S!
"No, but I'm the one getting single-white-femaled here." Honestly, Faith didn't know what that meant, but was pretty sure it was another diss.
"It's probably good you were an only child." Faith had to agree. This Buffy chick was über jealous of her talking to a guy she wasn't even dating. Something was wrong with this girl. Then again, Faith had read that she was a Slayer who had been dating a vampire. Something had to be wrong with her to start with.
"Mom, I'm just getting my life back. I'm not looking to go halfsies on it." Buffy said. Faith had no idea why B was 'just getting her life back' and didn't care.
"Well, there are some things I'd be happy to see you share. Like the Slaying. I mean, two of you fighting is safer than one, right?" Again with the sharing the Slaying. Faith wasn't big on the sharing thing and especially wasn't looking to share with a spoiled prom princess who liked to diss her behind her back after inviting her over for dinner.
"I guess."
"Unless, I mean, you heard her. She loves the slaying. Couldn't she take over for you?" Maybe you could ask me before you ask Buffy? Faith thought. Even if it was hard to fault a mom for trying to protect her daughter. Faith had no memories of similar actions on behalf of herself.
"Mom, no one can take over for me."
"But you're going to college next year. I think it would be..." Joyce was cut off.
"Mom, the only way you get a new Slayer is when the old Slayer dies." Buffy blurted out.
"Then that means you- When did you die? You never told me you died!"
Oops. Good thing Faith hadn't spilled those beans. She took a drink from B's cup to stifle the urge to snicker. "No. It- it was just for a few minutes."
"Oh, I hate this. I hate your life." Joyce was starting to panic a few years too late.
"Mom, I...
"Look, I-I know you didn't choose this, I know it chose you. I have tried to march in the 'Slayer Pride' parade, but... I don't want you to die." Luckily Faith was busy stuffing her face in preparation of her continuing journey at that moment and too busy to pay much attention or she might have yarked at the mushiness of that moment.
"I'm not gonna die. I know how to do my job. Besides, like you said, I've got help now." Buffy said. "I've got all the help I can stand."
Patrolling with B was pretty boring. B had an attitude that would've gotten her beat down at Faith's old school if she hadn't been a Slayer and was about two seconds from getting a beat down now, Slayer or no. B was really earning her new nickname. In fact, they were about to throw down when some vamps attacked and Buffy tossed her into some metal towers. Oww! That hurt more than anything any vamp did to her in the fight.
There were only four of them to start with and B staked one to bring it down to three. Faith picked one and decided to take her anger and frustrations out on it, instead of B, while the blonde took on two vamps. Faith figured no Slayer could last at all if they couldn't take even two vamps. But B was so busy yelling at Faith to help her that she forgot to fight the two she had. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing that B almost got taken by two vamps. Faith was not feeling particularly heroic at that moment either and ignored her pathetic cries for help. Someone who couldn't even handle two vamps wasn't going to be any help for her against Kakistos.
It was definitely time to split. She'd charm her way out of paying for the hotel room tomorrow and take off then.
A/N: I'd like you do go back and watch Faith, Hope, and Trick. Especially the part where Faith is talking to Scott. Look at her body language as she's talking to him. Totally closed off. Buffy being jealous of that, showed some serious issues.
Also, Zack Morris comes from Saved By the Bell, which I have a challenge written for if anyone's interested. Do not own.