Meetings

Episode 18

Los Angeles, California:

            "Oh my God," Faith mumbled under her breath.

            Cindy had just died right in front of her face. It was all her fault. If she had been a better fighter, she could have taken out those Bringers and saved Cindy's life. They had been so close. They'd traveled from Wales and faced some many dangerous things on their trip across the ocean and cross country.

            Faith didn't know what to do. She fell to her knees and cried. Liz still stood there in shock. Her traveling buddy was stabbed, right before her own eyes. Tears began to swell up in her eyes.

            "Come on," Faith whispered, standing up, "We better get out of here."

            She grabbed Liz by the arm and dragged her down the street after her. They were both crying. After several minutes of running, they finally came to a nice hotel. Faith turned to open the door when she ran smack into a guy.

            "What was that for?" he questioned, "You need to watch where you're going."

            Faith stood there, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked at the guy. He looked very familiar but she didn't know where she had seen him before.

            "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, softening up, "I didn't realize that maybe you two just had a bad run in with someone. Come on, I'll get you a room. You two look tired."

            He held the door open for the two women and led them inside. Faith dried the tears from her eyes and then smiled. The man went to the desk and handed over a credit card and received a key in exchange, after the scanned the card.

            He walked into the elevator, the women followed. The doors closed and the three stood there in silence.

            "My name is Jake," he introduced himself.

            "I'm Faith and that's Liz," Faith said pointing to her and then to Liz.

            "What are you two lovely ladies doing out alone at night in this city?" he questioned.

            "Well, we were looking for a place to stay and our friend was murdered," Faith replied.

            "Murdered?" he asked.

            "She got stabbed," Faith informed, "We ran because we were so scared."

            "Oh," he said, staying silent.

            The elevator finally arrived at the right floor. The three of them got off.

            "I got a room for you," he informed, "Its right across from mine."

            He tossed Faith the key. Then he unlocked his room and went in. Faith turned to the door and unlocked her room. She and Liz entered. They were still shaken up over the whole murder thing.

The Next Day:

            Jake had taken Liz and Faith out to breakfast at a small, cheap restaurant. It was obvious to him that both women were still emotional unstable due to the murder of their friend.

            "So where are you from?" Faith asked, finally speaking up.

            "I'm from a small suburb outside of Philadelphia," he replied.

            "That's cool," Faith said, taking a bite of her pancake.

            "So what were the two of you doing coming to town late last night?" Jake asked.

            "How'd you know we're new around here?" Liz questioned.

            "Well you did say that you were looking for a place to stay," he replied, "And you normally do that when you first arrive in town."

            "Oh, good point," Liz said.

            "Well we have been traveling cross country," Faith informed.

            "That's pretty interesting. Where'd you start from?" he asked.

            "We started in Wales and then took a ship over here to the states," she went on.

            "Where are you headed?" he asked.    

            "It's a little town near here, called Sunnydale," she answered.

            "Why would you ever want to go there?" Jake questioned, obviously he had heard of the town and was afraid of it.

            "We have some information and some help to offer someone. She goes by the name of Buffy," Faith continued.

            "Buffy Summers?" Jake asked.

            "Yeah, how'd you know?" Faith questioned, "Do you know her or something?"

            "To tell you the truth," Jake began, "I was living with her and her friends. How do you know her?"

            "Well, my name is…" Faith said but was cut off.

            "Oh my god!" Jake exclaimed, "You're Faith, the lost slayer."

            "Yup, that's me!" she exclaimed, smiling.

            "But you're dead," he stated, "You died. You're watcher saw you die."

            "Nope, I'm alive and kicking," she informed, "I lost my watcher in an explosion. I thought he died. But I guess not."

            "Well, he came back to Sunnydale last spring. Then he just disappeared a while back," Jake went on to say, "So what is she."

            "Since you've been hanging with her friends for a while, you must know of potential slayers," Faith stated.

            "She's a potential slayer?" he questioned.

            "That's right!" Liz exclaimed.

            "So what do you need to tell Buffy?" he asked.

            "That I know about the supposed three slayers who the Council created when a new slayer wasn't called," Faith informed, "The Council used magik to temporarily give the slayer powers to a girl."

            "Who were these three slayers?" he questioned.

            "One was turned into a vampire and made the queen until she was kicked out. The second was her friend and I met her briefly. The third was our traveling partner," Faith went on."

            "Dani, Sarah, and Cindy?" he questioned.

            "Yeah," she said, "I guess you've met them before."

            "Cindy was my friend. She disappeared a while back while helping look for potentials," he told her.

            "I have some bad news for you," Faith informed, "She's dead. She was the one who was murdered last night."

            "No!" Jake shouted, "It can't be! She's still lost in England. She didn't die!"

            "Calm down, man," Faith told him, "It'll be okay. Trust me."

            Faith looked at him. He was obviously very upset. That's when she noticed something about him.

            "Make that three slayers," an unknown voice said from behind me.

            An unknown woman jumped at the mutant vamp with a stake. Instead of slamming the stake into its back, she slammed it into its side. The vamp dusted.

            "Uh oh," one of the others said.

            "She knows our weakness," shouted another.

            Then they quickly ran out the door. Buffy and Sarah put their swords on their backs again.

            "Who are you?" I asked the stranger.

            "The name's Faith, kid," she replied.

            "Faith! I thought you were killed," Buffy said.

            "B, is that you? You've grown into quite a woman," Faith said, "Who's you're friends?"

            "That's Sarah, she's a slayer too. That's Jake, he's Sarah's partner. And you already know Angel."

            "Um guys. She escaped," I said.

            "We'll get her later," Sarah said, "Her reign as the vampire queen is over.

            "Faith, how did you know how to dust the vamp?" Buffy questioned.

            "Simple, their rib cage covers their heart in the front and back. The only way to dust them is to stake 'em from the side or put them in the sun."

            "How do you know all this?" Sarah asked.

            "I have been following them after I left Sunnydale. I was attacked by some a few years ago and have traveled around the world, hunting for them."

            "I thought that you were killed five years ago," Buffy said.

            "Well after Spike captured you, I thought they were going to turn you. And I wasn't about to face you again. So I fled. I skipped town," she told us.

            "Oh my god!" Faith exclaimed, "You're that kid who was with Buffy when I saved your asses from those mutant vampires."

            Jake looked up, the sadness was gone from his face.

            "Yeah that was me," he said, rubbing his eyes.

            "And Buffy and I saved your ass that night in the cemetery when that queen vampire had you," Faith said.

            "Yeah, that's right," he said, smiling, "I remember that too."

            They three of them sat in silence, eating their breakfast. Jake finished his and then looked at the two women."

            "Let's go!" he said, standing up.

            "What?" Faith questioned.

            "Where?" Liz asked.

            "We're going back to Sunnydale. The three of us are going to help in this final fight," he told them.

            "Final fight?" Liz asked.

            "The First Evil is awake and reeking havoc on Sunnydale," he answered.

            He stood up and headed for the door of the restaurant. Faith and Liz followed. Jake got in his car. Faith rode shotgun and Liz sat in the back. They sped off for Sunnydale.

Outside of Sunnydale:

            A girl ran through the woods. She was running out of breath. She glanced back and noticed that the three Bringers were still hot on her trail. She noticed lights coming closer and realized that she must be near the road.

She came running out of the bushes a few yards ahead of the vehicle. It was a pickup truck. She began waving and yelling help. The truck began to slow down. It stopped a few yards back. She ran up to meet it. She opened the passenger side door and got in. The Bringers came dashing out of the underbrush just as the truck sped away.

"Thank you so much," the girl said, trying to catch her breath.

"That's no problem at all," the driver said in a southern accent.

He was a medium height male. He had kind of long brown hair and dark eyes. The weird thing was he was wearing a preacher's robe and collar. This puzzled the girl.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Shannon," the girl answered.

"Well Shannon, my name is Caleb," he introduced, "I'm a preacher."

            "Hi Caleb," Shannon said, calmly.

            "Where are you headed?" he asked.

            "Sunnydale," she replied.

            "Looks like we're both going to the same place," he told her.

            They sat in silence for a few moments until Caleb broke that silence.

            "So what were those hooded men doing chasing you?" Caleb questioned.

            "I'm not sure," she answered.

            "Well did you ever think that maybe they were chasing you because you're a whore?" he asked, calmly.

            Shannon didn't know what to say. She sat there confused, but began growing suspicious of him.

            "You were born dirty. It's not your fault. You just are dirty," Caleb preached.

            He reached forward and pushed in the truck's cigarette lighter. Shannon began to panic, trying for a door handle. She wasn't successful.

            "Oh by the way," he begins, "The door handle is missing. Anyway, you might not want to get out at this speed, especially with my 'boys' behind us."

            She reached for the wheel, but he shoved her back into the seat, effortlessly. The lighter popped back out. He pulled it out and held it against his ring, heating it up.

            "Pl-please don't hurt me," she cried, tears now forming in her eyes.

            "This is the part that has you begging for me not to do anything?" he questioned, "You have nothing I want."

            In one swift move, his hand shot out and he pressed the ring against her neck. Her skin sizzled. Shannon screamed in pain.

            "It's just the cleansing fire," he told her, "There is a car behind us with some folks headed in the same direction. I have a message for the 'accept no substitutes slayer'. Give this message to her!"

            "I'll give the message," Shannon replied, absolutely frightened.

            "Thank you, Shannon," he said.

            He pulled a knife out of his pocket and stabbed her in the stomach. Shannon jerked forward in pain and disbelief. Caleb leaned over to her ear and whispered something to her.

            "Now let's see what we can do about that door," he told her and kicked it open.

            Shannon tumbled out of the moving truck and skidded across the road. She came to a stop in a car's headlights. Jake slammed on the breaks when he saw a person shoved out of the truck in front of him and come to a stop in the middle of the road.

            He unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved open his door. He approached the person.

            "Are you okay?" he questioned.

            That's when he noticed that the person was a girl. He also noticed that she was badly injured. She had a large wound in her stomach, a burn mark on her neck, and several cuts and bruises all over.

            "We have to get her to a hospital!" Jake exclaimed to Faith and Liz.

            "I guess we're back in Sunnydale," Faith murmured.

The Hospital:

            Jake and Faith listened as the doctor told them that the girl would have to undergo serious surgery. Liz sat on the other side of the room. She seemed a bit jittery about being in a hospital.

            "So she's a potential slayer too?" Faith questioned, after the doctor had left.

            "Yes," Jake replied, "She fits the description of what has been going on here. We'll get more information once she wakes up."

            "Shouldn't we contact Buffy and her gang?" Faith questioned.

            "I already did," he replied, "Willow is on her way over. Where are you going?"

            "I'm gonna go find Buffy," she replied, "Keep your eye on Liz for me!"

            "Don't you think you should ease yourself in?" he questioned, "I mean everyone thought you were dead. They'll be freaked out if you just show up there."

            "If Buffy knows I'm coming, then it's all good," Faith replied, smiling.

            And with that Faith was gone. Jake stood there wondering what kind of trouble this would lead to. He glanced over at Liz, who seemed bored out of her mind.

            "Where's she going?" Liz asked.

            "She has some business to take care of," Jake informed, "She'll be back later. You'll be fine here."

            "What happened?" Willow questioned, barging into the waiting room doors.

            Jake turned and smiled. She was someone who he hadn't seen in a while.

            "I was driving back to Sunnydale and she was shoved out of the truck in front of me. I almost hit her. The doctors told me that she needs surgery," he informed.

            "Did you get a good look at the truck?" Willow asked.

            "It was hard to see in the dark, but I know it was a pickup," he replied.

            "Who's that over there?" Willow questioned, "She doesn't look like she's injured."

            "Oh she's a potential slayer too!" he exclaimed, "I found her in LA."

Downtown Sunnydale:

            Faith was wandering down the streets. She hadn't been here in so long. The town looked so different now then it did last year when she came back. Everything was all cleaned up and there were actually people walking around.

            She was so bored. She had no idea where Buffy would be and she forgot where her house was. In other words, she was screwed.  Now she wished that she had brought Liz with her. At least she would have someone to talk to.

            Suddenly out of no where, she was shoved to the ground. She landed hard on her side. She rose to her feet quickly to see her attacked. It was a vampire. He had bleach-blonde hair and was of a nice build.

            Spike was just about to knock her to the ground again, but stopped. Faith took this opportunity to fight back. She gave him a hard right cross in the jaw. He was knocked to the ground.

            "Let me guess," he said, standing up, "Leather pants, nice right cross, doe eyes, holier-than-thou-glower…you must be Faith."

            "Who are you?" she questioned.

            Not letting him get that answer in, she began beating him. Once again, he was knocked to the ground.

            "Bloody hell!" he shouted, "What are you doing? I'm on your side."

            "Do you still think I'm bad?" she questioned, "That was a long time ago. I'm reformed now."

            She dished out several more punches.

            "I'm reformed now too!" he shouted, punching her back.

            Faith gave him one final hit, again knocking him on the ground.

            "Stop hitting me!" he shouted.

            "What do you think? I'm stupid?" she questioned.

            "Well, yes," he replied.

            Spike stood up and brushed himself off. Out of no one, a fist hit Faith in the jaw, sending her to the ground.

            "Faith?" Buffy questioned.

            Faith slowly stood up, rubbing her jaw.

            "Are you okay, Spike?" she asked.

            "Yes," he replied, fixing his duster.

            "Whoa! Wait, you're protecting vampires now? Are you the bad slayer now?"

            "He's okay," Buffy informed, "He has a soul now."

            "Like Angel?" she questioned.  

            "No! Nothing like Angel!" Spike responded, obviously pissed, "Angel is as dull as a table lamp. And we have very different coloring."

            "I guess I have a lot of catching up to do here," Faith said, "Is there anything else I should know?"

            "Nice to have you back," Buffy responded, "But what are you doing back here?"

            "Excuse me?" Faith questioned.

            "You're supposed to be dead," she informed.

            "Oh, I guess you heard about that," she said, "I'll explain later. I have some things I have to tell Giles."

            "Alright, then let's go," Buffy said.

            Buffy, Spike, and Faith began walking down the street. After a few minutes, they arrived at Buffy's house. Buffy opened the door and the three walked in. Giles and Xander were in the kitchen, getting food when they heard someone come in.

            The two of them headed to the front door. Giles gaped in surprise at who was standing next to Buffy. Xander rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

            "Hi guys!" Faith exclaimed, smiling.