Title of Series: Soul Searching
Name: Moving On
Author: FaItHzAnGeL a.k.a. Fernando Rangel
Email: fivexangel@aol.com
Pairings: None as of yet….
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to either Joss Whedon, UPN, all the crew who makes Buffy possible, and Peter David, and DC Comics for Supergirl.
Author's Notes: AU. That's about it. Oh! Spoilers for Season five Finale. Buffy's dead, no one's bringing her back—a s far as I can tell right now at least… I borrowed some of the comments made in the thoughts, and the situations will probably be somewhat (if not verily) similar to the first few issues of Supergirl.
Summary: When heroes collide, the unlikeliest things happen. For Faith and Supergirl, they'll learn that lesson the hard way…
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst, Romance, Horror, Drama
Spoilers: Season One through Five of Buffy the Vampire up to and including "The Gift". Barring Five by Five and Sanctuary of Angel, that's where it goes AU. This also contains spoilers from Supergirl of DC Comics. Pretty much issues one through fifty right now.
Rating: PG, for violence
Dedication: To all of you who've read this and sent me a review and continue to read this (especially those who've sent some through e-mails) I thank you, I'm finishing this for you.
Feedback: I'd love to get feedback. So, if you read this, and would like to give a guy a pat on the back, then go on ahead and give me feedback!
"Take deep breaths," Giles spoke gently as he circled around his new Slayer. He watched her form carefully as she flawlessly held her position on the block, supporting all her weight on her hand. "Keep your mind free from all thoughts, focus on yourself, the power you hold within, look to yourself for the strength."
He kneeled in front of her as she held a serene expression on her face as she kept her eyes closed as instructed, and he stared at the gems all around, "You're doing wonderful Faith." Suddenly the door shutting distracted them both causing Faith to open her eyes wide, and fall on her back with a large thudding crash.
Giles stood up taking a deep breath as he whipped off his glasses pinching the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance.
Faith stared at the ceiling for a moment before hearing a small, "Sorry," from behind her as she turned back. She shook her head lightly, "Dawn," she said softly as she turned back to Giles. She watched as Giles shook his head, "Dawn, did you not read the sign?"
"Oh, yeah, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind."
"It is there for a reason, Dawn."
Faith sat up and turned to Giles, "It's fine Giles, did better today than I have in a long time." She chuckled, "I'll get her out of your hair for a while, I'll see you later." She picked up her water bottle as Dawn gave her another sheepish grin, "I didn't mean to..."
Faith shook her head as she took a sip of water, "Forget about it squirt, no biggie."
"What are we going to do?"
"Go home. Eat. Sleep. And watch cartoons."
Dawn scowled lightly, "But you do that every night!"
Faith smiled lightly, "I know." She took a deep breath, "I'm kidding; I don't think there's much that I can do." She hovered over the counter as Anya counted her beloved money. Faith grinned as she watched Anya's hands take hold of the bills with her 'mine-all-mine' smile. For an ex-demon, she was pretty cool.
Faith turned back to Dawn, "Yeah, well, I still need to keep an L.P. With the entire Sunnydale P.D. out for me, I really can't afford to be spotted anywhere."
"But Faith, you've been here for a month. School starts in two weeks and I really need new clothes! You do too!" Dawn moved closer, lightly taunting Faith, "There's a big leather pant sale..."
Faith glared at her lightly, "Damn you." She bumped her head on the table, "I can't."
Dawn nodded, "I know." She gave Faith a pat, "I wish there was a spell to make people forget."
"There is, I'm sure," Faith replied.
Willow's ears perked up as she stared at Faith, I knew it; she's looking for a way out, she thought.
Faith fiddled with the drawstring at the base of her sweater as she quietly said, "But I don't want people to forget, its like getting away with murder," she waited a beat before adding, "ok, it is getting away with murder, and it's still wrong." Her brow furrowed, "It'd make things easier though..."
Willow's brow furrowed as she stared back at the book in front of her. Faith? Not looking for the easy way out? Nothing ever made sense anymore.
Dawn cleared her throat, "I don't know Faith, I mean, maybe there's a way to get people to...y'know drop the charges, or..." She sighed, "I just wish you didn't have to hide out all the time."
Faith chuckled, "Yeah, like be invisible." She grinned, and messed with Dawn's hair, "Not gonna happen D." She turned back to Willow whose shoulders tensed up as she caught her staring, and Faith watched as Willow avoided Faith's eyes. She looked back down at her bottle as she quietly whispered, "She's never going to forgive me."
Anya grinned as she stuffed the wad of cash before her, "Money! Isn't it glorious!" She took a whiff of the wad and grinned, "Its like having sex, only without the sweaty parts, and the heavy breathing...." She hugged the bundle of dead presidents, "God I love retail." Faith watched her and blinked, and she turned to Dawn; both exchanged a questioning gaze before bursting into a fit of laughter leaving Anya with a blank expression on her face.
* * * * *
Faith brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she lay in Buffy's bed staring at the ceiling. She lay there in her sweats, her hair up in a disheveled ponytail and she was tired. She'd never been this tired, she'd never had to work herself to tone her body – ever. As just Supergirl, she was fit by default. As the Slayer, she was more fit than any human on earth – that wasn't a meta human – and she never really had to work to stay that way, it came naturally.
She'd forgotten about the work in the beginning, the feel of mortality, and it was back. Oddly enough. One would think that after three years of fighting as a Slayer, they'd keep their humanity, but as she stared at Buffy, she herself knew more than anyone did how false that was.
"You're rambling again," she whispered quietly to herself.
She stared at her bag on the floor and grinned sitting sat cross-legged on the bed, concentrating on her bag, and slowly it levitated above the air; she grinned, Faith had almost forgotten her other powers, now that she was the 'Maid of Might'. However, as it made its way toward her, she let it fall back down, hitting the edge of the bed and all her belongings leaked out. If she did that, it'd only be abusing her power.
She sighed lightly, This whole conscience thing is just perfect. She chuckled to herself, Yes, well you did want to redeem yourself girl.
She stood up reluctantly as she started stuffing things in her bag, but she stopped as she pulled out two books. She stared at them lightly, and chuckled, "Oh God."
She sat back down on her bed as she opened one of the books up lightly, "I write stuff?" She blinked, memories flooded through her as she remembered spending hours on end just scribbling. Odd, she thought. Nevertheless, it didn't matter, her body involuntarily grinned as she read the passages, and her eyes dimmed at the darkness of the poetry and prose.
She closed the book and placed it on the desk by the window, and stared at the leather cover of the second book she held in her hands. She touched the cover lightly before opening up to the first page, as she read aloud, "The Diary of Faith L. Danvers." It was thick, large, who knew how long she had kept it, she certainly couldn't remember.
"Faith," someone called behind the door.
She set the book down with its partner and quietly replied, "Come in." She sat quietly on the bed, sneaking a look back at the Diary. Giles stepped through the door, and cleared his throat, "How are you?"
"Good as ever."
He nodded, wiping his glasses clean. She sighed, "What is it now? Did the council go berserk and are going to hunt me down again?" Giles laughed as he shook his head, "No, though I have spoken with them coincidentally, and they're perfectly fine with our request – I found it odd as well, but with no Slayer on their hand, and you willing to turn a new leaf, they really didn't have much of a choice."
She grinned, "Good."
"Faith…"
The tone of his voice; it was so serious, and it was definitely scaring her deep down inside, "Giles?"
He smiled lightly, "I know…I know when you first came to us you had dropped out of school."
Oh God.
"And although I thought it wrong at first, when I was training with Buffy, I now see why she faired so well."
Oh dear God.
"I think it best, if you enrolled back in school."
Kill me now.
"I think that if you were to be put back in an atmosphere where you can interact with other people, it might help better your…"
"Sanity?" she offered lightly as a joke.
He gave her a small smile, "No. I mean that perhaps you'll make new friends, give you more to your life than just the slaying."
"The Scoobies are leaving…aren't they?" She fiddled with her fingers.
"No…at least not now."
She shook her head, "I'm fine, Giles, really."
"Faith, Willow has school at UC Sunnydale, Xander is making a new business, and Anya and I are running the Magic Shop, I hardly think they're considering leaving because you happen to have come back in their lives." He moved closer to her, "I want you back in school because I saw how effective it was for Buffy. Yes, she worried about midterms, and principals and teachers not liking her, and the traumas of adolescence, but you need to be a kid again Faith, you're 17."
She looked down, "I know what you're trying to do Giles, but…I don't know if I'm ready to face kids my own age, I mean God…"
He smiled, "I know."
Faith blinked, "Giles, I can't."
"Pardon?"
"Go to school, I can't. With the Sunnydale P.D. after me? No way, I'll get busted in a second the minute I walk on that campus."
Giles sighed as he stood up fiddling with the lamp on Buffy's desk, "No."
Faith stared at him blankly.
He gave her a long stare before he quietly said, "The Council has ways of making…things disappear, like criminal charges."
Faith blinked, Oh my God.
Willow happened to be outside the hall when she heard and she growled, "What?!"
"Oh dear," Giles muttered. He turned back to face Willow, "The Council has pulled strings to have the charges against Faith be dropped."
Willow glared at Giles, "Dear God, the extent you people go; she killed people!"
Faith stood up, "I have to side with Will on this, it isn't right."
"My name is Willow," she said coldly as Faith stood back taking the bitterness as Willow vented on. "Giles, how could you agree to that, I mean she's a cold-hearted killer…"
Giles stood up, taking a stand in front of his Slayer, and he glared at Willow, "Now you listen here, Willow, I understand your reservations around her, and I understand the hardships you've endured at her expense, but do not, I repeat do not speak about Faith that way now." He turned back to look at her, "You are too blinded by your sniveling hate to see the truth, and I'm very sorry Willow that you feel the way you do, and I'm sorry for having to attack you like this, I've always thought the world of you, but this ends now!" Willow stared at him hurt, like a lost puppy.
Faith stared in disbelief, and watched as Willow turned back and headed down the stairs.
Giles stood there unmoving, his heart crumbling. Faith quietly said, "I'll go talk to her…"
"You best not…" Faith held her hand up signaling him to stop, "Giles, she won't listen to you now, you've just hurt her in a big way." She smiled lightly, "Even if it was defending me, which, if you think about it, is a lot to her." She chuckled, "Besides, what's she going to do to me? I already know she hates me," she stared at him, "if you go she'll say something you'll both regret." With that said she moved out of the room.
* * * * *
Willow held herself as she sat outside, the first of the autumn leaves began falling from the trees, and she sighed. She heard creaking footsteps and she bitterly growled, "Leave me alone Giles."
"Nah, he's back inside, it's the other person you love to hate."
Willow blinked, Faith? "Go away."
Faith sighed, sitting next to her. "Fall, the season before Death." She turned to Willow and quietly said, "I know you hate me, I see it every day; I hear it in your voice. I can't make you like me, Lord knows I don't like myself, but just because you hate me doesn't mean you should take it out on Giles."
Willow growled, "You have no reason to talk…"
"I'm not the one beating up on my father figure."
Willow blinked, "I…"
"…just lashed out on him because you are angry at me, not too cool Red." Willow sneered to herself, some of the old Faith coming back; and in that moment she, for the first time, realized she used 'old Faith' in reference to the dark-haired Slayer next to her who caused her stomach to fill with bile.
"Look, I don't like you."
Willow blinked, "You don't like me?"
"I mean come on Willow, why shouldn't I?"
"Because, I'm…I'm a good person, I help people, I'm decent, I…"
Faith gave her a shrug, "The only side I've seen is the vindictive, angry, bitter, grudge-keeping redheaded girl, who lashes out on those she loves." Faith looked at her shoes, "I can't make you like me Willow, no more than I can make you forgive me. No matter how hard I try to do the good little girl thing, no matter how many times I will save the world, I'm not going to be anything but the 'psychopathic cleavage-y slut bomb that says, 'oh look at me, I'm five by five' to you, right?"
Willow blinked, How did she know that I said that?
"But I accept that, I'm never going to be Buffy, and I'm a lousy replacement, but I am moving on. And I know you'd love nothing more than to see me die when the next vamp passes me by, and you know what, it'll probably happen…"
Willow shot head up and gave Faith a look of horror, "I'd never…"
"Grenades?"
Willow smirked and shook her head, "I've been that…"
Faith nodded, "But I understand, and I don't care. I deserve it." She touched Willow lightly, who stiffened at first, but then relaxed, "But Giles doesn't deserve it. He's only trying to help me fit in – no matter how hard that'll be." She stood up, and started to go back in, "Come back inside and tell him you're sorry, you're his favorite aside from Buffy, you know?"
With that last sentence she moved inside leaving Willow alone in the cold, numb.
In utter shock.
She rubbed her arms for warmth and although she hated Faith, she knew how right she was, however unfathomable the notion was, and entered the kitchen where Giles sat drinking tea alone.
* * * * *
Faith closed the door behind her as she smirked lightly, at least she helped mend things between Willow and Giles, and whether or not Willow was her bud didn't matter. Though she knew so herself that she desperately wanted Willow to forgive her, to be her friend, but it would never happen, And you have to remember that, she thought quietly.
She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling when she turned to look on her desk, the thick books lying on Buffy's desk. She stood up and grabbed the first one, A diary huh?
Maybe I can read this to give me a better clue on what happened to me, why I am the way I am. Maybe it'll give me something to help me understand who I am. Faith sighed, "At any rate, at least these are memories. Thoughts. How bad can they be?" She sat on her bed, and opened the diary and began reading.
