**** Chapter 4: Return of Faith ****
Willow walked in the front door of the Revello Drive home with great speed hurrying in her guest. Fresh off of their road trip from LA where they had beaten Angelus and brought back Angel. Andrew was laying on the couch and was startled by the appearance of another, quite hotter female into the house. Willow looked over at Andrew, "Where's everyone at?"
"Training downstairs." Andrew answered realizing that he was more bored than he thought humanly possible. "How'd your adventure in LA go?"
Before Andrew had finished the two females had started downstairs, leaving Andrew alone to just wonder ~Who the hell was that?~ Willow and Faith stood halfway down the stairs watching Dawn take out three potentials by herself, one by punch and two by roundhouse kicks. Faith was shocked, she had heard that these girls where going to be slayers and little Dawn was taking them out. Dawn turned to look at Spike for approval of her technique and caught a glimpse of Willow and..Faith. "What are you doing here?" Dawn asked in slight anger, slight confusion.
"Heard that there was a slayer's convention, decided to come. Besides jail fights are just not the same as a good hand to hand with a vamp." Faith said with a smile that she hadn't used in quite a while. "B, I'm five by five thanks for asking."
"But I didn't ask," Buffy said with a laugh. "Girls, this is Faith, and she IS a slayer." Buffy realized that this was going to take a lot of explaining so she prepared herself to tell the whole long story. Instead she was interrupted by Faith walking up to Dawn,
"Little sis is all grown up now, missed ya you know." Faith said as though looking for the approval she found in Dawn's eyes. Dawn had no hate for her now as Buffy had let hers go a long time ago. "So, I saw that kick, pretty good, let's see what you have."
Dawn smirked knowing that this might be fun, but still too much. Everyone was shocked to see that Dawn fearlessly accepted the challenge and even Spike stood watching in shock that she had. Faith and Dawn stood face to face for a moment when Faith punched with a quick right. Dawn dodged and kicked Faith in the gut with a quick boot. Faith doubled over and Dawn followed up with her boot to the side of the head. Faith spun around from the blow, when she had turned completely around she jumped and hit a spinning kick to the side of Dawn's face. She fell as Faith landed and dove towards her. Buffy started to reach for Faith when Spike stopped her, he looked in her eyes with that 'she can do it' confidence. As Faith neared Dawn she began to reach for her hair to pick her up. As her hand neared Dawn's head, Dawn landed a right hook to the face and a kick to the knee. Faith fell face first and layed on her belly as Dawn flipped to her feet. She slammed herself onto Faith's back wrapping her arms around her kneck, "Snap, you're done." Dawn said with a slight hint of labored breath and a slight confidence.
"Bit, I think that's enough for now. Let's let our slayer up shall we?" Spike said with a great bit of pride for his trainee. "What do you think Faith? Up to par?"
"A little sloppy with her punches but she's good." Faith said with a laugh as she noticed her mouth had been busted. She looked over at Dawn who was just now noticing that for the first time in these weeks that she too was bleeding, her from her nose. "Sorry bout that sis, didn't mean to hurt ya. Of course after that, I think I'm the one that should be worried. Where'd you learn that from, that wasn't Buffy's style."
"Spike," Dawn stated with pride as she smiled at her trainer who in turn smiled back.
"So, you've been training all these gals? Well," she turned towards Vi and Rona, "let's see what they have."
With confidence that they had received by seeing Dawn win they charged. Vi swung wildly at Faith's head, missing but hitting Rona. Rona kicked with her left leg towards Faith's side, Faith grabbed the leg with her right arm and her neck with her right after bitch slapping Vi to the ground. "You're dead." She looked at Rona in confusion.
"Faith, thanks for coming. Girls go on upstairs, we'll be up in a bit," Buffy said rushing off the potentials. Rona and Vi mumbled all the way up the stairs about hurting, while the others just whispered about there being two slayers.
"Hey, no big. Got a get out of jail free card when Angel lost his soul." Faith said with a pause trying not to say the last bit.
"Faith, don't worry I heard. They had to call Will remember. Anyways, we needed you here anyways."
Spike and Dawn shared a look and both headed up the stairs knowing that they could be down their a while.
"So, what's up with little sis being all kick ass? Those other girls where jokes."
"Faith, I really don't know. Spike started training her after she beat him one day. Dawn got mad at the potentials one day for screwing around and when she said something about it Rona told her to show them. After Dawn beat Spike apparently she started training everyday. Then when Vi, the one you knocked down with the bitch slap, broke her finger Dawn filled in. When she came up with her partner, her partner died right away, and before I could stop it Dawn had beat Spike. She fought like I had never seen anyone fight. She fought better than you and me. So she just started fighting with us everyday."
"So is she a potential?" Faith asked with confusion.
"I don't think so, but Spike sees something in her, and I'm starting to wonder." Buffy smiled as she looked at her former slaying companion, "I think she isn't a potential, I think she's one of us."
"You mean.." Faith started only to be interrupted by a returned Spike.
"She means a slayer luv. When Buffy died saving her, apparently someone was called even though Buffy wasn't the current slayer, that person unbeknownst to all was Dawn. Little bit is now the third slayer in this house, and dare I say, the fastest study."
"So you think she's a slayer?" Buffy asked with a slight hint of fear for her sister's life.
"Yeah, I think she is. I think that her little spar with Faith should prove to you that somethings different with her than the others."
"But why wouldn't the council know about her being called?" Buffy asked trying to figure out the mess that was her thoughts.
"Because you weren't the one in line to have a replacement called for. The powers must've seen fit to pass on your slaying to your sis." Faith stated as though she had figured out the puzzle.
"Good lord Spike, how long have you know this? Why didn't you tell me? Never mind, I know why." Buffy stood before Spike and Faith and just pondered what she was going to do with the knowledge that Dawn was now on her level.
"Bit's going to be the difference Buff, the first doesn't know about her. Let's try and not tell her yet, let's just let her accept her abilities first, then we can give her the news." Spike spoke as though he was more knowledgeable than anyone had ever conceived, "Besides, without the council around anymore she doesn't have a watcher."
"I guess we could tell Giles, let him take over," Buffy said absent mindedly.
"No, I get it," Faith smiled, "your going to do it aren't you?" She looked at Spike knowing exactly why Spike was training her. "You're going to be her watcher aren't you?"
"I don't know, I just felt it you know. Her power, and my need to guide her. I think I'm supposed to." Spike said as he leaned against the basement wall trying to figure everything out.
"Spike, I guess you'll have to do it," Buffy started, "she won't have a watcher coming. I guess she could do worse."
"Yeah," Faith chimed in, "she could've had the old sniveling Wes." She chuckled as she thought about his transformation into a rough and tumble person like herself, "At least you have the Brit thing going."
Willow walked in the front door of the Revello Drive home with great speed hurrying in her guest. Fresh off of their road trip from LA where they had beaten Angelus and brought back Angel. Andrew was laying on the couch and was startled by the appearance of another, quite hotter female into the house. Willow looked over at Andrew, "Where's everyone at?"
"Training downstairs." Andrew answered realizing that he was more bored than he thought humanly possible. "How'd your adventure in LA go?"
Before Andrew had finished the two females had started downstairs, leaving Andrew alone to just wonder ~Who the hell was that?~ Willow and Faith stood halfway down the stairs watching Dawn take out three potentials by herself, one by punch and two by roundhouse kicks. Faith was shocked, she had heard that these girls where going to be slayers and little Dawn was taking them out. Dawn turned to look at Spike for approval of her technique and caught a glimpse of Willow and..Faith. "What are you doing here?" Dawn asked in slight anger, slight confusion.
"Heard that there was a slayer's convention, decided to come. Besides jail fights are just not the same as a good hand to hand with a vamp." Faith said with a smile that she hadn't used in quite a while. "B, I'm five by five thanks for asking."
"But I didn't ask," Buffy said with a laugh. "Girls, this is Faith, and she IS a slayer." Buffy realized that this was going to take a lot of explaining so she prepared herself to tell the whole long story. Instead she was interrupted by Faith walking up to Dawn,
"Little sis is all grown up now, missed ya you know." Faith said as though looking for the approval she found in Dawn's eyes. Dawn had no hate for her now as Buffy had let hers go a long time ago. "So, I saw that kick, pretty good, let's see what you have."
Dawn smirked knowing that this might be fun, but still too much. Everyone was shocked to see that Dawn fearlessly accepted the challenge and even Spike stood watching in shock that she had. Faith and Dawn stood face to face for a moment when Faith punched with a quick right. Dawn dodged and kicked Faith in the gut with a quick boot. Faith doubled over and Dawn followed up with her boot to the side of the head. Faith spun around from the blow, when she had turned completely around she jumped and hit a spinning kick to the side of Dawn's face. She fell as Faith landed and dove towards her. Buffy started to reach for Faith when Spike stopped her, he looked in her eyes with that 'she can do it' confidence. As Faith neared Dawn she began to reach for her hair to pick her up. As her hand neared Dawn's head, Dawn landed a right hook to the face and a kick to the knee. Faith fell face first and layed on her belly as Dawn flipped to her feet. She slammed herself onto Faith's back wrapping her arms around her kneck, "Snap, you're done." Dawn said with a slight hint of labored breath and a slight confidence.
"Bit, I think that's enough for now. Let's let our slayer up shall we?" Spike said with a great bit of pride for his trainee. "What do you think Faith? Up to par?"
"A little sloppy with her punches but she's good." Faith said with a laugh as she noticed her mouth had been busted. She looked over at Dawn who was just now noticing that for the first time in these weeks that she too was bleeding, her from her nose. "Sorry bout that sis, didn't mean to hurt ya. Of course after that, I think I'm the one that should be worried. Where'd you learn that from, that wasn't Buffy's style."
"Spike," Dawn stated with pride as she smiled at her trainer who in turn smiled back.
"So, you've been training all these gals? Well," she turned towards Vi and Rona, "let's see what they have."
With confidence that they had received by seeing Dawn win they charged. Vi swung wildly at Faith's head, missing but hitting Rona. Rona kicked with her left leg towards Faith's side, Faith grabbed the leg with her right arm and her neck with her right after bitch slapping Vi to the ground. "You're dead." She looked at Rona in confusion.
"Faith, thanks for coming. Girls go on upstairs, we'll be up in a bit," Buffy said rushing off the potentials. Rona and Vi mumbled all the way up the stairs about hurting, while the others just whispered about there being two slayers.
"Hey, no big. Got a get out of jail free card when Angel lost his soul." Faith said with a pause trying not to say the last bit.
"Faith, don't worry I heard. They had to call Will remember. Anyways, we needed you here anyways."
Spike and Dawn shared a look and both headed up the stairs knowing that they could be down their a while.
"So, what's up with little sis being all kick ass? Those other girls where jokes."
"Faith, I really don't know. Spike started training her after she beat him one day. Dawn got mad at the potentials one day for screwing around and when she said something about it Rona told her to show them. After Dawn beat Spike apparently she started training everyday. Then when Vi, the one you knocked down with the bitch slap, broke her finger Dawn filled in. When she came up with her partner, her partner died right away, and before I could stop it Dawn had beat Spike. She fought like I had never seen anyone fight. She fought better than you and me. So she just started fighting with us everyday."
"So is she a potential?" Faith asked with confusion.
"I don't think so, but Spike sees something in her, and I'm starting to wonder." Buffy smiled as she looked at her former slaying companion, "I think she isn't a potential, I think she's one of us."
"You mean.." Faith started only to be interrupted by a returned Spike.
"She means a slayer luv. When Buffy died saving her, apparently someone was called even though Buffy wasn't the current slayer, that person unbeknownst to all was Dawn. Little bit is now the third slayer in this house, and dare I say, the fastest study."
"So you think she's a slayer?" Buffy asked with a slight hint of fear for her sister's life.
"Yeah, I think she is. I think that her little spar with Faith should prove to you that somethings different with her than the others."
"But why wouldn't the council know about her being called?" Buffy asked trying to figure out the mess that was her thoughts.
"Because you weren't the one in line to have a replacement called for. The powers must've seen fit to pass on your slaying to your sis." Faith stated as though she had figured out the puzzle.
"Good lord Spike, how long have you know this? Why didn't you tell me? Never mind, I know why." Buffy stood before Spike and Faith and just pondered what she was going to do with the knowledge that Dawn was now on her level.
"Bit's going to be the difference Buff, the first doesn't know about her. Let's try and not tell her yet, let's just let her accept her abilities first, then we can give her the news." Spike spoke as though he was more knowledgeable than anyone had ever conceived, "Besides, without the council around anymore she doesn't have a watcher."
"I guess we could tell Giles, let him take over," Buffy said absent mindedly.
"No, I get it," Faith smiled, "your going to do it aren't you?" She looked at Spike knowing exactly why Spike was training her. "You're going to be her watcher aren't you?"
"I don't know, I just felt it you know. Her power, and my need to guide her. I think I'm supposed to." Spike said as he leaned against the basement wall trying to figure everything out.
"Spike, I guess you'll have to do it," Buffy started, "she won't have a watcher coming. I guess she could do worse."
"Yeah," Faith chimed in, "she could've had the old sniveling Wes." She chuckled as she thought about his transformation into a rough and tumble person like herself, "At least you have the Brit thing going."