Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Just Borrowing.

Chapter 8

When Buffy reached the school, she saw that it was deserted. The campus and parking lot were nearly devoid of all cars and students, except for the few who had stayed after school for sports or what not. Buffy strode down the hall to the library knowing that Faith and Giles would be waiting for her, knowing that it was now that she had to tell Faith the truth about who she was. When she walked into the library Willow, Xander, Faith and Giles were spread out around it, each with a book.

"This is definitely a font of nothing." Xander remarked slamming the book he was reading shut and getting up to get another one of the table. He was the first to notice Buffy standing in the doorway. "Hey Buff, we were researching cryptic guy's message."

" Yep, and these books definitely nothing in them." Faith grumbled.

" Yeah, I mean hello couldn't he have been a little bit more specific?" Willow asked.

" Umm Red, he wouldn't be cryptic then." Faith said smirking. Buffy didn't say anything during their banter, just stood looking at Faith, realizing for the first time just how much the picture she had of her and Faith as children really looked like the girl sitting in front of her now.

" Will, Xand me and Giles need to talk to Faith umm can you wait outside?" Buffy asked softly.

" Sure Buffy." Willow said noticing how upset her friend looked and knowing something big might be going on. Xander opened his mouth to protest but Willow grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the library. When they had left Buffy crossed over to the table sitting down across from Faith.

" What's up B? Why the cryptic?" Faith asked, hanging out with Willow, Xander and Buffy had made her pick up some of their slang. When Buffy didn't answer Faith started to get worried. Buffy didn't look happy, far from it, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were rimmed with red as if she had been crying.

" Faith," Buffy began but for some reason she was having a problem putting a sentence together, she drew in a shaky breath, hoping everything would go okay, "This is going to sound nuts, but when is your birthday?"

" Why? Planning a party?" Faith asked and Buffy shot her a look that said 'I'm serious, now shut up and answer my question.' "Okay, okay, its January 21st." Buffy stopped looking at Faith and glanced at Giles, almost as if imploring him to explain, but he shook his head knowing this was something Buffy had to do herself. Faith looked from Buffy to Giles and then back to Buffy. "Buffy speak."

"Alright here it goes, I had a twin sister, her name was Faith. We were born on January 21st, 1981. When we were five our mom took us to a park and my sister was kidnapped, basically she vanished without a trace. Faith, I think you're my sister." Buffy told Faith. Faith's eyes went wide with shock but she didn't say anything just lowered her gaze to the table. Buffy began to bite her lower lip in nervousness when Faith didn't speak up right away.

"That's impossible," Faith said in a voice which was barely above a whisper bringing her gaze to meet Buffy's, "My parents are dead, they died when I was five. Beside you guys read the prophecy it didn't say anything about twins."

" Faith, that prophecy doesn't exist. There is absolutely no prophecy about two girls being called at the same time, there is however one about twin girls being called together." Giles told the other girl.

" You are wrong." Faith said bitterly.

" Faith," Buffy got up from her chair and went to the other girl, moving to lay a hand on her shoulder, but Faith jerked away from her, "Giles spent all night researching this."

" Well, look harder." Faith said.

" Faith, listen, ever since...."Buffy began.

" SHUT UP! I'm not listening to this anymore, you guys are wrong, both of you. I'm out of here." Faith said jumping out of her chair knocking it over in the process. Both Buffy and Giles jumped at the sound of the chair clattering to the ground. Faith turned and ran from the room not even shooting Buffy and Giles one last look. Buffy turned to run after Faith but Giles stopped her by placing a hand on her arm.

" Buffy, let her go. She's confused, this is something she must deal with on her own." Giles told Buffy.

" No, Giles this isn't something she can deal with on her own, this could break her." Buffy demanded, as she finished what she was saying the library doors flung open and Xander and Willow ran in.

" What happened Buffy?" Xander asked his friend.

" Nothing, Faith just had to get gone."

" Buffy, Faith ran out of her looking like she saw a ghost, now don't tell me nothing happened." Xander told his friend.

" Xander, please, its just something Faith had to do on her own." Buffy told him.

" And you just let her go? What if something happens to her?" Xander asked incredulously.

" Xander, just let it go, she needs to do this on her own." Buffy said tiredly.

" No, I'm going after her, if you won't then I will, someone needs to help her." He said turning on his heels to leave the library but Willow stepped in front of him.

" Xander, listen to Buffy, if she thought it was dangerous for Faith to go somewhere alone she would have gone with her." Willow told her friend.

" But she didn't and I'm going to." Xander said.

" Xander, resolve face. You aren't going out of that door." Willow told him a serious expression on her face. Buffy couldn't help but feel grateful to Willow for stopping Xander. Xander mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out and dropped into a chair.

" Giles maybe we should tell them." Buffy said softly hoping that no one but Giles would hear her. Giles looked at her and shook his head.

" Tell us what?" Xander asked. Buffy felt the tears well up in her eyes, not only because of Faith's total disbelief at the truth about her past, but also because she had to keep a secret from her friends, the two people who knew her biggest secret and yet stuck around.

" I c-can't." Buffy said, putting a hand to her face and running out of the library as the tears began to fall. She got half way down the hall and then leaned against the wall, sinking to the floor, head in her hands. She heard footsteps on the hallway and looked up to see Willow come towards her.

" It's okay, Buffy. Whatever happened, you don't have to tell us until your ready." Willow told her friend, but Buffy couldn't' help but notice the hurt look in Willow's eyes.

" Will, I want to tell you, you and Xander but it's not my place, its Faith's. Do you understand?" Buffy asked wiping the tears from her eyes. Willow nodded and offered Buffy her hand helping her friend to her feet. Buffy stood up and hugged Willow, "Thank you, Will, for what you did in there, helping me with Xand and thanks for understanding." Buffy let go of Willow and the two girls walked back into the library arm in arm.

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Faith was running as quickly as she could away from the library, her mind reeling from the shock of the things Buffy had told her. The only thing she could do now was go to the one person who always made everything alright, who was constant in her life, Dominick. He would tell her that Buffy and Giles were wrong, that there was another prophecy and he would prove it to her. When she was about three blocks from the school she realized that no one had followed her and slowed her pace down to a walk.

She knew in her heart that Giles and Buffy were wrong, she would remember having a sister. She even sometimes could remember small things about her parents, why wouldn't she remember anything about a sister. Sure she didn't remember what either of her parents looked like but she remembered that her mother smelled like vanilla and that she felt loved, and warm and safe in her parent's arms. That's how she knew what Buffy had told her couldn't be true, but she still had the faintest doubts in her mind. She reached the apartment her and Dominick lived in and ran in the front door. Dominick was sitting on the couch, legs propped up on the coffee table, a book open in his lap. He didn't even turn when Faith walked in.

" Hi Faith," He called. Faith grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator and joined him on the couch. Dominick looked at her when she sat down and he was surprised to see that she looked upset about something. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips drawn into a tight line and her eyes seemed to be darker than usual like they always were when she was upset, or angry. "Faith, what's wrong?" Faith dropped her gaze from his, studying her hands and fidgeting.

" Dom, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have to ask I need to know that truth," Faith stopped and drew in a breath, "Giles and Buffy told me that the prophecy about us being called together doesn't exist, but their is one about twins. Crazy thing is Buffy had a twin, named Faith, who got kidnapped when they were little, she thinks I'm her twin." She couldn't help but chuckle a little at the craziness of the whole idea and she expected to hear him laugh with her but he was just staring at her. "Dominick?"

Dominick was afraid that something like this would happen, that she would find out from someone or somewhere else and hate him for not telling her the truth. Mentally he was beating himself up, he had had every opportunity to tell her but he never had, she should have found out from him, not from Buffy and Giles. Now she was looking at him expectantly much like a child waiting for a treat of some kind, except she was waiting for reassurance that it wasn't true but rather a product of Buffy's own wishful thinking.

" Faith." He said softly.

" Its true isn't it?" Faith asked him in a small voice. Dominick reached out to put a hand on her arm, to comfort her in some way no matter how small, but she moved away from him turning to face the wall.

" Faith, I wanted to tell you, every single day since you came to live with me, but I couldn't, I didn't want to lose you, I didn't know what I would do if I did." He told her.

" Cut the crap, I don't want excuses, I want the truth," Faith said icily, "Tell me why."

"Potential slayers are found at birth, just like you and Buffy were, but the two of you were special. Because you were twins and part of a prophecy. Quentin sent me to Oakland shortly after your birth. Oakland is where you were born. He told me to observe you and Buffy and when the time came I was to separate you and bring you the oldest one to the council to train. But Faith, you have to understand that it killed me to do what I did, the day I brought you to the council, I tried to quit. Only then did they tell me I was to be your watcher. Since that day I vowed to tell you who you really were when the time came, but I couldn't." He explained his voice cracking with emotion at the end. Faith nodded slowly and turned to face him, noticing he had tears in his eyes and that they were full of remorse, but she steeled herself against her own emotions and against his.

" You bastard," She spat, her eyes blazing with anger, a shrill edge to her voice, "How could you? I was just a kid, you tore me from my home, and from the people that loved me, all because of some stupid prophecy. How can you watchers just decide to play God, what gives you the right to take a child away from their home, and tear apart a family that way. How could you make me believe that my parents were dead when all along you had taken me from them."

" Faith, listen to me, I never wanted it to go this far." Dominick said.

" Yeah, well it did. I trusted you, Dominick, I believed that you would never hurt me, that you were the one person I could always count on. Hell, I even loved you, you were the closet thing I had to a father, but you betrayed me. My whole life has been nothing but a lie perpetrated by you and the council of Watchers." Faith nearly shouted at him getting to her feet.

" Faith, believe me when I say I'm truly sorry, I would do anything to take what I did, and what I didn't do back if I could, I never wanted to hurt you." Dominick said, he was trying to make her believe that he would never intentionally hurt her, that he cared for her. Faith grabbed a jacket off of the chair next to her and pulled it on, walking to the front door.

" Well guess what you did, you hurt me more than anyone ever has and sorry won't make it better this time, it just won't go away with a few kind words and an ice cream." Faith told him pulling the door open and running into the night.

" Faith! Wait, we have to talk!" He called after her running to the door, "Faith!" He could just barely make out her frame as she ran and the next thing he knew she was gone. "Bloody hell." He shouted into the night, slamming the door and slumping against it head in his hands hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

*TBC*