YELLOW BRICK ROAD

By: Lisette (lisette@chaletian.co.uk)

Rating: PG-13 so far - might change later on.

Distribution: Want, take, have. Just e-mail me first.

Summary: Faith is released from prison - but there's a catch.

Feedback: God, please.

Angel, Buffy, the whole lot, belong to JW, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who officially owns them. I don't. Big surprise. Brother Anselm is all mine, though!

Okay, a few notes. Firstly, I haven't seen any of season 3 yet, though I know vaguely what happens. So, definitely after "Billy", and Fred and Gunn are getting with the happy, but "WITW" never happened.

Please, please review - I need to know what people think! I have a fragile ego and it needs bolstering! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed - you have made me a happy person!

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Chapter Twenty-Two - Put the Past in the Past

Cordelia entered the ladies' toilets, and leant against the sink, looking at Faith calmly.

"You really have a problem with the whole people thing, don't you," she offered idly.

"Really none of your business, C," snapped Faith, drying her hands on a towel. "Look, I didn't want to sing, anyway, so just fuck off." Cordelia raised her hands.

"Hey, you don't need to get all killer queen about it. I'm just saying, I understand how it can be,"

"You don't understand a thing, Queen C. Look, I sang, I had my fortune told - all in a day's work, right?" Cordelia walked close, till she was nose to nose with the slayer.

"Okay, Faith, I know you've had problems, not least of which was murdering half my home town, but we're trying to cut you a break here - God knows why. So just take a little advice, okay?"

"I'm all ears." Cordelia pointedly ignored Faith's sarcasm.

"Trust us. You can let us in. We're not the kind of people who are going to turn our backs on you. Now, Angel and Wesley have decided they want to help you, and that means, like it or not, the rest of us are in on it too." With that, she turned and left the ladies', leaving Faith standing alone in the empty room, her only companion the sound of the dripping tap.

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Later that evening, back at Wesley's flat, Faith was quiet, all through dinner and the washing up. Once everything was tidy once more, Wesley sat down with the latest Harry Potter book (a secret addiction he had so far managed to keep from the rest of the team at Angel Investigations). Faith was restless again, and he was about to suggest that she go out patrolling, when she suddenly spoke.

"Wesley, I…" She broke off, and he waited, somehow sure that what she wanted to say was important.

"What is it?" She looked unsure for a moment and Wesley leaned forward, afraid that she would back out.

"You know what happened… the last time." He nodded, his face serious. "When Angel took me back, I said I didn't know how to say I was sorry. Angel asked me if I was - sorry, I mean." She stood up suddenly, clearly disturbed by what she was saying. "The thing is, I'm not sure that I was. I'm not sure I felt anything. But now -" She turned, and looked at him, her gaze steady. "I am sorry, Wesley. I - I can't say I shouldn't have done it. I mean, I shouldn't, but that's obvious. God, I'm not doing this very well. All I want to say is, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt you." Wesley smiled.

"I know you are," he said softly. "It's not something I will ever forget. But I understand why you felt as you did, and I do forgive you." Faith looked at the older man for a moment, sitting there, understanding shining from his eyes, then she smiled, a radiant smile that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.

"Thank you, Wesley. And…" She took a deep breath. "I never got it right," she said in a rush. "Slaying. I never got it, not really. Not like Buffy did. I never understood - but I want to. I want to do it properly.

"Wesley, will you be my watcher again?"