Faith's Room, Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, 1525 hours.
It had been sometime since Xander had left to find Giles, Joyce and Buffy while leaving Anya and Tara alone with Faith. Faith, for her part, did everything she could not to feel woozy but she had no choice… she started to stumble back when her surroundings started to spin around.
"Hold on" said Anya as she rushed towards Faith, and held her up, "you got up too fast, you need to sleep."
"No kidding" said Faith softly as she held her head, trying to steady herself, "everything's spinning."
"You.. you must have gotten up too early" said Tara as she still cradled her sprained wrist, "umm.. thanks… you know… for saving me."
"I'd be out f here if I wasn't feeling so dead in the head" said Faith as she looked at Tara, "and you shout too loud, anyone could wake up…. Even if they were in a coma."
"Oh" said Tara as she looked down nervously.
Faith looked on as Tara looked down and then stepped back a bit and almost kicked herself. The Slayer had reminded herself that this was one of the people who was talking to her, it was her voice… as well as Giles' and Joyce's voices that her dreams had changed. As Anya helped Faith to her bed where she slowly sat on, and then lay back after lifting the headrest to a forty five degree angle; she looked at the nervous looks that Tara was giving her.
"Listen" said Faith as Anya walked back to where Tara was standing, "Tara… right?"
"Yes.. yes" said Tara as she nodded her head while Faith closed her eyes and out her arm over them.
"I.. I heard your voice" said Faith, "I thought it was just one of those voices people have in their dreams you know… I thought it was a dream. Anyway… I just wanted to say thanks. But don't think too much into it."
"I.. I'm glad you woke up" said Tara.
"Yes" said Anya as she nodded her head, "there have been a lot of exciting things happening in the world of the living… I mean not that you weren't dead or anything… or maybe you where? Well, its kind of like Schrödinger's Cat you know… have I even told you that I actually dated him one time when…."
"You talk too much" said Faith as she looked at Anya, "but you were in my dream too."
"Oh?" said both Tara and Anya together.
"And were we.. you know…. You, me and Xander?" asked Anya with an eyebrow raised as she made some hand motions while Faith and Tara looked at her with their eyebrows raised to their hairlines.
"No" said Faith shaking her head, "I mean you, Xander and I were fighting some vampires and demons, and these soldier guys came and shot the demons…. It was all so wacked."
"That is actually interesting" said Giles who appeared at the door to Faith's room with Xander standing next to him.
"Old man" said Faith as she looked at Giles with an expression of anger on her face before she turned her head and looked up at the ceiling.
Frowning, Giles walked into the room and then noticed Tara's sprained wrist. He asked Anya and Xander to take her to see the doctor, and then talk to one of the MP's who were on the way and tell them about the doctor who tried to kill Faith. After initially disagreeing with Giles that he be left alone with Faith, Giles tiold him that he would be alright.. that he had to accompany Tara and Anya especially since that doctor could still be in the building.
Reluctantly nodding his head, Xander then signalled both Anya and Tara to follow him to the second floor where Joyce and Buffy were waiting to see the doctor. After the three of them had left, Giles slowly closed the door. When the door clicked shut, Faith opened her eyes and stared at the Wathcer as he approached her with his hands in the pockets of his trousers.
"So" said Faith as she looked back up at the ceiling, "you here to kill me? Kill me for your dear Buffy? Kill me for the Council who…."
"Oh do shut up" said Giles as he grabbed a chair and set it next to Faith's bed as the brunette Slayer turned to look at him, "you just got up from a coma Faith; I'm not here to kill you, I not hear on behalf of the Council. If you remember correctly, I was fired."
"Yippee" said Faith sarcastically, "so what? You're going to call Wesley?"
"Faith" said Giles as he sighed and leaned forward, "I know you don't trust a lot of people, and don't blame you. We made a lot of mistakes… I made a lot of mistakes, and I will be the first one to recognize that."
"Do you want an award? Or something?" asked Faith as she looked at Giles.
"Faith" said Giles softly, "we should have treated you better when you came to Sunnydale, we should have gotten to know you. I knew you didn't have a watcher anymore, and yes… we made a big mistake with Miss Post. And yes we made a lot of mistakes that contributed to you being taken by the Council. I've had time to think about a lot of things due to certain recent developments, and…. I am not joking with you; I am willing, and able to train you… I'll be your Watcher if you want me to."
"You? Take another Slayer" said Faith sarcastically as she stared at Giles, "ooooh, what'll princess Buffy say? Maybe she'll you know… stab me in the gut again?"
"Faith" said Giles as he took off his glasses, "I am not joking. I will be your Watcher if you'll have me, you'll be given special training… of course you'll have to either finish school or get your GED, and then…."
"Woah" said Faith as she narrowed her eyes and looked at Giles, "Time out…. You're serious?"
"Yes" replied Giles.
"Why would I want to?" asked Faith, "what if I want to get out of here, I can tie you up and put you inside the closet… and them I can just walk out of here."
"Because" said Giles, "you don't want to be alone. Faith, I know you don't want to be alone. Like I said, we made a lot of mistakes… and one of them was letting you stay at that motel. I realize I'm more at fault then anyone so I'm giving you a choice. You can stay with me, or you can stay with Mrs. Summers."
"Wait, what?" said Faith surprised, "listen I…."
"There are some conditions" said Giles as Faith stopped talking and frowned at him. Giles raised his eyebrows at the girl who then nodded her head slowly, asking him to continue, "I'll be training you together with someone from the military.. actually whoever it is will be training both you and Buffy. Buffy's agreed to join the Air Force Academy in a year's time… you'll train with her and whoever they send."
"You mean" said Faith who was both surprised and confused at the same time, "Buffy…. Queen Buffy is quitting?"
"You have the chance to truly succeed her" said Giles, "may I continue with the conditions?"
Faith nodded her head as Giles gave a small smile.
"Buffy told me what really happened with Finch" said Giles as Faith looked on like a deer that was looking into a pair of head lights, "and I know you lied to me that night."
"I don't know what you're talking about" said Faith as she looked up at the ceiling, "I told you the truth."
"Faith" said Giles softly, "Buffy admitted everything to the military, Joyce, Willow; and then to me when she and Tara got back from Colorado Springs. She told me that it was an accident, that the both of you were at fault. Please, I would like to know your side of the story."
"Look, Jeeves" said Faith as she looked at Giles, "it doesn't matter what I say, the both of us know that you'll only end up taking her side. So will Willow, Xander and the others."
"Something recently happened, Faith" said Giles, "I only just found out as well, but that's not for me to tell you. Either the military will fill you in, or Willow will tell you because it involves her."
"I don't know….." said Faith as she looked confusingly at Giles.
"Please" said Giles, "I would like to work together with you and to do that, we need to build up some trust between us. I know that it's…"
"Non-existent?" said Faith.
"Yes" replied Giles as he rubbed his forehead, "its non-existent. But I'd like to build a semblance of trust slowly, and I was hoping we could start with the accident involving Finch. Please Faith; all I'm asking for is the truth. You won't get into trouble with me, or the military."
"So I tell you the trust" said Faith, "and then what? Huh? I get pushed away like yesterday's garbage? Or do I get to be a project? You know a 'let's see how we can fix Faith' project?"
"Neither" replied Giles, "You get to be neither; you get to be a normal girl with special powers. Someone who has a destiny that's been around for thousands of years."
"What are the other conditions?" sighed Faith as she went back to looking at the ceiling.
"You have to talk to a psychologist" said Giles as Faith snapped her head towards him with her eyes wide open. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Giles, "and yes, even Buffy, Willow and the other have to do the same thing as well. This is a new opportunity Faith, some people from the military will be coming by to help you and Buffy. They'll ask you what happened that day in the alley, and about Professor Worth."
"Worth" said Faith softly before turning away from Giles, "what about him?"
"We just need the truth" said Giles as he slowly reached for Faith's arm, "like I said Faith, trust takes time to build… and I'd like us to get a head start. What do you say?"
Turning back to Giles, Faith tried to find any signs of deception from him.
'For all I know, this could be a trick' thought Faith to herself as she eyeballed Giles, 'I tell him what happened, I tell him that I stabbed Finch and I'm gone. The other members of the Council could be outside and they'll take me away. No… I can't tell him the truth.'
"The truth is that Buffy did it" said Faith softly. Faith looked on as Giles frowned and sat back on the chair and sighed.
'Even I didn't believe myself' thought Faith to herself.
"I should have expected that gaining your trust would be hard, and I deserved that" said Giles as he leaned forward, "so how about this? I tell you what Buffy told me on the drive from the airport, and then you tell me if it's true."
"Fine" said Faith softly as she thought to herself, 'it would be a lie anyway, probably place all the blame on me. Put me down as the cold blooded killer they think I am.'
Faith heard in surprise as Giles recounted to her everything that the blonde Slayer had told him on the drive back from the airport. He told Faith about how Buffy had grabbed the Deputy Mayor, and then pushed him hard against the dumpster. And then how Faith took out the stake and killed him. He told Faith that Buffy had admitted that she was running on pure adrenaline and that she only realized that he wasn't a vampire just a millisecond before Faith staked him. Giles had told the shocked Slayer that Buffy had admitted this to Willow and Joyce as well while they were in Colorado Springs.
"So" said Giles after he had finished recounting everything, "was Buffy right?"
"I'll be damned" said Faith softly as she looked at Giles, "B told the truth."
"Faith" said Giles, "why didn't you tell me?"
"You're Buffy's watcher" said Faith, "of course I figured you'd take her side."
"That wasn't the point" said Giles, "I'll tell you the same thing I told Buffy, the same thing the Air Force told Buffy; accidents always happen in a war. Faith, you and Buffy are fighting a nightly war…. This was bound to happen."
"Then why did the Council take me away?" asked Faith angrily, "Wesley said that I'll be put away for a long time, is that what happens when there's an accident?"
"What happened to you was heavy handed" said Giles, "I have assurances from the Air Force that they want to help you, Buffy and the others. A group is on the way to talk to you about some things, if you prefer…. I can stay with you when they question you. You're not alone Faith, I hope that you will realize that one day."
"What happened to the Mayor?" said Faith softly.
Giles had told the brunette, who shut her eyes, that the Mayor had ascended and in doing so he killed many students, parents and faculty members. He told Faith that they finally managed to kill him by blowing up the entire school.
"Oh" replied Faith as she looked down at her bed.
"I realize that he was a father figure to you" said Giles, "and that maybe what we did drove you to him, I understand that you felt…"
"Betrayed?" asked faith as she turned to Giles, "you people had already put me down as a lost cause even before that."
"Yes" said Giles frowning, "yes we did. Maybe that was our mistake. Perhaps our greatest mistake was isolating you, something that we hope to rectify."
Just then, they heard someone knocking on the open door to Faith's room. Turning around, Giles stood up and stood next to Faith.
"Faith Lehane?" said the man as he stood at the door.
"Yea?" replied Faith as the man walked into the room and took out a pair of hand cuffs.
"I'm Detective Clarke frm the Sunnydale Police Department, I was called by the hospital administrator" he said as Giles and Faith looked at each other. Knowing that Faith was preparing to do something that would get here into more trouble than she was already in, he put his had on her shoulder gently and squeezed. He then looked at her and gave her a small shake of his head before looking at the detective.
"Rupert Giles, I'm Miss Lehane's guardian" said Giles as Faith looked at the older Watcher in surprise, "and given that she's still a minor, I wont let you question her without me present."
"I'm sorry" said the Detective, "her file lists her as having no guardian, so I'm afraid that…."
"If you want to question her" said Giles, "I suggest you call someone from the Air Force, Miss Lehane is listed as a National Security Asset."
This time it was both Faith and the Detective who looked at Giles in shock.
"That's not on her file" said the Detective as he narrowed his eyes at Giles, "do you have any proof?"
"Yes" said Giles as he took out a piece of paper and handed it to the detective, "this number was given to me by a family friend. It's a number for a Colonel Jack O'Neill, and I was told that if he isn't available.. then you should ask for a General George Hammond."
"Fine" said the Detective as he walked towards the Slayer, "but I will have to cuff her to the bed, she has a history of running away."
"I'll be here" said Giles as he stood closer to Faith, "I will ensure that she doesn't leave, and I'm sure that handcuffs won't be required for a minor."
"I'm sorry" said the Detective as he walked towards Faith and grabbed a hand and cuffed it to the bed's railing, "She's wanted for questioning on a series of murders that occurred in Sunnydale. I'm ensuring that she doesn't escape. In the meantime, I'll call this O'Neill person."
"Giles" said Faith as she looked at her handcuffs and then at the Watcher, betrayal reflected in her eyes.
"It's quite alright Faith" said Giles as he sat on the chair next to the Slayer, "I'm sure that the Detective will change his mind once he's talked to the Colonel, and once the MP's are here to guard your room."
"If you'd excuse me" said the Detective as he dialled the number on his cell phone and then handed the piece of paper back to Giles. The Detective then walked out of the room, while Giles leaned towards Faith.
"Trust builds slowly, Faith" said Giles, "trust that I'll do my best to look out for both you, and Buffy. In return, I would like for you to stay here, and train with me and the military officer. The line goes through you now, Faith. You are Buffy's successor, you just have to want it."
"Ye… yes" said Faith softly as she looked at the hand that was handcuffed to the railing, "yes, I want it."
"Then you need to be patient" said Giles with a smile as Faith narrowed her eyes at him, "the handcuffs will be on you for a while, at least hopefully until the Detective talks with Colonel O'Neill."
"Great" said as Faith tugged softly at the handcuffed, "now all I need is someone with a bullwhip and I have my fantasy fulfilled."
"Huh?" said Giles.
"Nothing" said Faith, "just thinking to myself."
"Very well" said Giles as he leaned back, "do you have anything you would like to ask me?"
"Yea" said Faith as she looked at Giles.
"Fire away" smiled Giles.
TBC.