The next couple of weeks went by faster than Faith had expected. There had been a flurry of emotions from all parties involved. Buffy was alternating between anger born of worry for her sister and a genuine interest in helping her best friend. Willow had gotten rid of every single item that could possibly be used for spellcasting, which went so far as to include every single candle in the house as well as a number of spices that Faith had thought were used only to flavor food.

Dawn was taking it the hardest. In the mind of a child who felt more than a little entitled, Tara had abandoned her by moving out, and Willow had done even worse in the accident. Forgiveness would take time on that front, but Faith was confident that it would come along eventually. The sooner Willow and Tara were back together, the better it would feel for all parties.

As for Tara herself, Faith had decided to speak with her about what had happened. Naturally, Tara's first concern was for Dawn's safety and health, and Faith couldn't help but feel inadequate next to the blonde witch. In another life, Faith would have pursued Tara to the ends of the earth. In this life, however, Faith's heart belonged to Buffy, and Tara and Willow belonged to each other. Tara had felt awful for Willow when she had heard what had happened, but it was a worry that her girl had fallen down too far to ever get back up.

Faith had gone out of her way to assure Tara that however painful this was for everyone, that it was necessary for Willow to understand exactly how much she had lost before she could start working to earn it back. And Tara clearly did want Willow back, but she was also wary of going back to her lover's side too soon. For all that Dawn had suffered, Tara had suffered worse, and that was something that Faith wasn't sure that Willow understood. Willow had almost killed Dawn in her recklessness, but she'd deliberately violated Tara's mind. Until Willow understood that rock bottom for her had come long after she'd done the worst of her damage, a full healing might be out of reach.

For her part, Buffy didn't kick Willow out of the house, but she made sure that Dawn was never left alone with her. Faith was doing her best to help out, even if all that meant was keeping an eye on Willow or Dawn or both of them for a few hours while Buffy went out to slay or visit the Magic Box or something else or another.

And a few minutes earlier, a phone call had come. Willow had answered, but quickly passed on the phone to Faith. Buffy was out and about, and Faith was concerned that Buffy might be with Spike. It wasn't just that she didn't trust the vampire, but Faith was worried at Buffy's use of him as a convenient way to feel something. Not that there was anything wrong with wanting to feel alive after what she'd been through, but her choice of outlet was more than a little disturbing.

And face it, Faith. You wish that Buffy was using you instead of Spike. Even if there's nothing resembling love there, you still ache for her, and you always will. The thought was a painful reminder, most especially because it was true. But that had to wait now. Willow had passed the phone to Faith, and Faith had listened. Now she had to wait for Buffy to come home, hopefully without any more bruises.

Afternoon passed into evening and then into night. Faith put Dawn to bed, still not used to acting like a big sister or a responsible adult of any sort, and then she'd watched as Willow had eased herself into bed. Not wanting to keep either of them out of sight, Faith sat on Buffy's bed with the door open into the hallway.

Faith waited patiently, listening for the front door to open, practicing some rhythmic breathing exercises that she'd learned in prison. After a few hours, Faith jumped at the sound of the window opening behind her. Thankfully, it was just Buffy, but why she was sneaking into her room instead of coming through the front door of her own home…

"You saw Spike again," Faith said, her voice flat, yet somehow full of judgment despite her best efforts not to sound that way.

Buffy closed the window behind her and took off her jacket, revealing freshly cut and bruised arms. "And?" Buffy replied.

"He can hurt you. Can he hurt anyone else?" Faith asked quietly.

Buffy shook her head. "He can't. Just me," she said with humorless laughter. "Just me. His chip is fine, I'm the one who's not right here."

Faith didn't like the sound of that laugh. "What do you mean, B?"

Buffy let herself fall backwards onto her bed, though she kept a seated position. "Spike's chip keeps him from harming humans. He can harm me. Therefore…"

Faith's eyes widened as the implications of what Buffy was saying began to sink in. "I don't believe it," Faith said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Buffy just huffed. "That was my reaction at first, too. But the thing is-"

"No, Buffy," Faith said, her voice deepening with emotion. "I don't mean 'you can't be serious' or some hypothetical or whatever it is you call it. I mean I don't believe it. I don't believe you're not human. You're just… You came back. That doesn't happen, but it did happen, and I'm no witch, but I gotta believe that has to throw off the math somehow. It's like those ballots that got the wrong hole punched or something? I dunno, I heard about it on TV when I was in prison on some news program. Point is, the only thing up with you is that you came back when you shouldn't have. And I know you're still dealing with all that, so don't go thinking you're not human or anything, because even if you're not, I don't give a damn. You're Buffy Summers, and that's all that matters."

Buffy looked like she was about to argue the point, but then exhaled, seeming to decide not to pick this battle. "Why are you waiting in my room?"

Faith shrugged. "Had to talk to you. Also had to keep an eye Red and Lil D. Why'd you come in through the window? Afraid they'd judge you if they found out what you were up to?"

Buffy sighed. "And you're not?"

Faith felt her face flush. "Not trying to judge you, but if I am, then I'm sorry. I'm just… You feel safe enough with Spike to get down and dirty with him. You've been around him for a few years. I haven't. I see a vampire who's killed two slayers before, and now he has a serious obsession with you. I don't want you to think you've got one thing going with this vamp and he thinks he's got something else going on. I don't want to…"

Buffy sat up a bit straighter and looked at Faith in the eye, a mischievous smile on her face. "You don't want to what, Faith?"

"I don't want to lose you, B!" Faith said, just barely restraining herself form shouting. "I don't want you to go into a predator's den and forget that he's a predator. I don't want you to think you're in control and then suddenly end up in way over your head. I don't want you to make my mistakes, B!"

Buffy wasn't laughing anymore, and her eyes held something that might have been worry. "What mistake are you talking about? I've picked up bits and pieces in the past few months, but I never got the whole story. I think it's time I heard it."

Faith looked up straight into Buffy's hazel eyes, her own brown gaze a mix of pain and fury. Slowly and quietly, Faith got up and closed the door to Buffy's room. "This doesn't go beyond this room," Faith said with steely resolve. "This is how my story begins. I'm the only one who gets to tell it, and only if I choose to. You hear me, B?"

Buffy nodded. "I hear you, Faith. And I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think it was important. But like I said, I've picked up bits and pieces, but I want to understand you. And for that, I think I need the whole story."

Faith sat down next to Buffy on her bed. "So, I'm guessing I have a dad out there somewhere, but whoever he is, he never cared enough to stick around. Mom was a drunk and a druggie, and she barely noticed I was around most of the time. When she did notice, it was usually because she'd done something stupid and needed to take out her anger on someone other than herself.

"So, I'm a growing girl, got a mom who barely remembers to buy food. Looking back, probably couldn't afford it. All the money went to booze and drugs, I'd bet. So I learn how to be quiet and quick, lift wallets from people with enough money that won't miss a little. Managed to keep myself fed. Learned where the best shelters were, and where the nicest alleyways were for when the shelters were full."

Faith took a deep breath. "I went to school more for the cheap lunches than anything else. Also a few hours a day with a roof over my head and a temperature where I wouldn't freeze to death or overheat in the summer, so that was nice. After a while, the teachers started to get on my case about my grades, and I figured it was starting to be more trouble than it was worth, so I left one day and didn't look back."

It was getting difficult to keep her eyes open, but Faith was too scared to close them. Some of her worst memories were dangerously close to the surface, and so long as she was in Buffy's house, she wasn't back there. "So, I go back to picking pockets. Only this time, I'm not looking close enough, and someone grabs my hand before I can lift his wallet. Turns out I picked some mobster, and his flunky caught me before I could get to him.

"So before I know it, I've got a hood over my head, and I'm taken who-knows where. They lift the hood off, and I'm in a dark room with guns pointed at me, and the guy… He makes me an offer. Says he gets my story. Says that he knows that I was just trying to survive, but that I made a big mistake going after him. He tells me he knows some cops, and if I don't do what he says, I get the finger for a bunch of stuff he and his boys have done. Or, I can do what he says, and I get a roof over my head, three square meals a day, and I never have to worry about food or a place to stay for the rest of my life. All I gotta do is 'keep him company' at night when he's lonely. I didn't what he meant at the time, so I figured it's as good a deal as I'm gonna get."

Faith wasn't looking at Buffy, but she could feel her sister slayer's gaze upon her. "The next two, three years or so, I get dolled up every morning, pimped out every afternoon, and every night, I come 'home' to this asshole who likes to try something new every night. And if he doesn't have fun, then I get beat. Every night for I don't know how long. And before you ask, I never knew his name. I only knew him by what he made me call him. Started with a capital M, you see? And I'm never calling him that again.

"And now, here's the part where I gotta ask you to promise not to kick me out of the house when you hear what happens next. I don't think you will, but maybe that's just me wanting to believe something. So promise me, Buffy, that you listen and don't judge me, okay?"

Faith looked up at Buffy, and she saw unshed tears in the blonde slayer's eyes. "I'm listening," she said softly.

Faith nodded. "So, one night, I'm bracing myself for meeting the guy, and then something passes through me. I feel alive like I've never felt before. I didn't know it at the time, but I'd just become a Slayer. And I knew I was almost home free. So when he starts to have his way with me, I act. I barely even remember what happened, but somehow, I knew how to fight. Not just brawling or tumbling, but actually fighting back. And I know that this guy's never gonna give me up without a fight, and I have no idea how far his reach stretches.

"So I snapped his neck, and I killed the guard who stood in my way, and I broke free. I couldn't go to the hospital, since he'd have guys there, so I just wandered for a few days, maybe weeks. And then a woman named Diana Dormer meets me in the rain, tells me I'm destined for great things, and that there's a hero out there just like me. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was proof that there was such a thing as good in the world, and I knew I had to meet her. And one thing led to another, and here we are."

Faith looked up again at Buffy, and one look told her all she needed to know. Just as she'd feared, Buffy looked to have taken the one thing away from this story that Faith didn't want her to. "You killed them," Buffy said quietly. "Alan Finch wasn't the first. Why-"

"Because he was a monster, Buffy," Faith said a bit angrily. "He and his boys may have been human, but that's just their bodies. While you were fighting demons, I was a monster's plaything. I was a slave, Buffy. I was stuck in a monster's den, and when I had the chance to free myself, I took it. I didn't have a mom to protect me. I didn't have anyone to protect me! All I had was myself. And then I met Diana, and she told me that I was destined to be a hero. And she told me that there was another hero. Someone like me who had been fighting monsters for three years already. And I knew that she had to be something special, because she was a superhero who looked out for those who couldn't look out for themselves. And maybe, I wanted to her to look at me and see something better than gutter trash. Better than just some worthless girl. Better than the monsters she escaped from."

A chuckle escaped Faith's lips. "What's that saying? Stare too long and the darkness stares back? I think I may have been beyond help by the time I got here. Got a second chance now, though. You gonna let me take that second chance, B?"

Buffy seemed to be at a loss for words. Faith could tell that she was trying to form a sentence, but it wasn't coming to her lips. "I… I don't know what to say, Faith," she said at last.

"Then don't say anything," Faith replied. "But you wanted to know my story, and that's it. And I know you have this thing about not killing humans, but I gotta disagree with you there. Human is just a term for a living body with a soul in this general shape and size. There are good people, like you. And there are bad people. And some people are so bad that they do some things that would scare some not-so-violent demons. Human or demon, that's not the issue. The issue is people and monsters. Humans can be monsters and demons can be people. And I wish I could tell you which one I am, but I'm afraid I got a bit of both in me, B. Wish I knew what the balance was, but I don't."

The two slayers sat quietly on Bufy's bed for a while, not moving, barely breathing. After maybe minutes, maybe an hour, Faith got up and started to head to the door.

"Faith?"

"Yeah, B?" she said, turning back around.

"So, why were you waiting here for me?" Buffy asked.

"Ah. I forgot, what with the storytelling and such. So, um… Got a call from City Hall earlier today. Specifically the courthouse. Remember when we went to the bank and found out that Wilkins left me enough money to keep us all living nice for the rest of our lives?"

Buffy nodded. "What about it?"

"Remember how there was a demon at the bank that day? And how some stupid old classmates of yours tried to rob the bank while you were fighting the baddie?"

"I thought they caught the guys," Buffy said. "You managed to pull off their masks, and the bank cameras got their faces, right?"

"Yeah," Faith said. "But that's not enough, it seems. You and I are about to become witnesses for the prosecution in the case of Sunnydale vs. Mears, Wells, and Levinson."