"Where the Hell have you been?"
"Did something happen, were you alright? You're meant to call in after every assignment"
"You were meant to be helping me teach advanced attack methods"
"We're out of blood and I'm bloody starving."
She held her arms out in front of her and said
"Chill please everyone I'm fine really, I'm sorry I didn't call I should have. Blondie get you own blood, Buffy I know I'm meant to call in after every assignment, Giles I'm sorry was the class ok? Xander, Dawn... I'm just sorry can you all just leave me alone."
She flopped down on the sofa and held her head in her hands leaning on the coffee table.
"Right that's it everyone out."
Xander shouted and started shoving everyone out of the house, Buffy tried to put up some resistance saying
"If there's something wrong we should all be here to help her."
Xander said softly
"If there's something wrong she isn't going to tell everyone, me and Spike are here for her 24/7 living under the same roof and all that she's more likely to talk to us. I'll give you a ring later and tell you what's the what if you want."
Buffy nodded and said
"Remember to call me later then."
She dragged Dawn out of the house with her trying to catch up with Giles, who had left when Xander had initially tried to get them all to leave.
Once they were gone Xander Shut the door and walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Faith putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to him. Spike coughed and said
"Better check on Minnie and Susanna bloody chits nearly brought the house down last time they were sparring."
And left the room quickly throwing faith a concerned look before he left.
Xander started to rub Faith's back and lifted her up so she was sitting on his lap and whipped the hair away from her face and hugged her.
"Come on now Miss Faith you gonna tell old one eyed Xand here why you all down and gloomy?"
She flipped the corners of her lips up into a semi smile and said
"I'm weak."
That knocked the wind right out of Xander, whatever he had been expecting it certainly had not been that, Faith afraid? Never she had always been the strong one, maybe misguided at times, but never weak.
"What do you mean your weak?"
"I'm scared?"
Xander hugged her closer and said
"What are you scared of Faith, nothing scares you! You're the strength gal with no fears. Plenty of stupidity but no fear."
Faith giggled at Xander's small attempt to cheer her up and said
"I was offered the one thing I wanted, and I ran"
"What did you run from?"
Xander asked still not entirely sure what was going on or what they were even talking about any more, in all the time he had known, hated, liked faith, he had never see her like this. Faith was just about to explain when a tapping at the window interrupted them,
"What the Hell?"
She asked leaning off Xander's lap and walking over to the window, she opened it and watched curiously as an owl who had been perched on the window sill hopped in through the window and settled on the coffee table ruffled it's feathers and stuck out it's left leg.
"Xand is it yours?"
He shock his head vigorously
"No definitely not me, birds give me the Wiggins"
Faith chuckled and walking over to the owl crouched down in front of it and said,
"So Mr or is Miss owl what have you got there?"
The door, which led to, the training room down below opened and Spike who had been assisting the training slayers wiped his forehead and said
"Bleeding Hell slayer take the letter off its leg before the poor fowl topples over."
Faith pulled daintily at the rolled up parchment, which the bird clutched and was pleased when it surrendered it with out any fuss. Once Faith had taken the letter the bird flew back out of the window.
"Who's it for? There's no name on it."
Spike walked over towards her and said
"It's for you, owls'll only give up a message to the person that its meant to be delivered to, so who do you know in the wizard world then?"
"Wizard world?"
Xander spoke up suddenly,
"There's a Wizard... nope can't do it not even going to feign surprise at that one."
Faith smiled and said
"I think I want to read this on my own."
And with that she turned and left the main sitting room of the large climbed up the stairs entered her room and shut the door banishing the world outside. Her room was average sized, with a big double bed blue duvet set and lots of pillows thrown over it. It had basic furniture that was provided for all the slayers who lived in Council Housing. Desk, chair, wardrobe and a mirror, a bed and that was it. Over the years Faith had added her own personal touch to the room painting two of the walls dove grey and the other sky blue. Adorning the walls with pictures of friends who had long since been considered family and other knick-knacks, which she had accumulated.
She took her boots off and lay down on the bed placing the letter in front of her and staring at it for a few moments before lifting it up again and examining it. It was fit and looked like probably contained several sheets, which had been folded over and sealed with a crest of some sort imprinted onto red wax.
She pulled at the paper carefully so that she wouldn't rip the paper but hard enough so she would break the seal.
She opened up the letter and began to read,
Faith,
How do I start this letter? Please accept my sincere apologies for upsetting you this morning. I was just shocked I guess would be the only word for it. I was very close to my sister when I was younger and loved her very much. She was always there for me during especially during my worst transformations; she would sit throughout the night watching over me.
She moved to America when I was twelve. I only saw her once after this and heard from her every once in a while but once I was eighteen the letters had stopped. I thought that she must have forgotten about me, so I preyed she would have a happy life and decided to leave it as that. Because of my condition in the wizarding world I am considered as an outsider and it was very difficult for people who were associated for me as they were seen as strange shady people and I didn't wish people to view Anna like that.
I would very much like to meet you again, there is so much more I wish to talk to you about, that can't be discussed in a letter. I've booked a table at Lila's it's an Italian close to the council head quarters for eight o'clock I hope that you will join me, but if you do not then I will understand and never contact you again.
Sincerely
Remus Lupin
She looked at her watch it was half past six, she knew that she was going. There was absolutely no question about that, she was just resigned now to make a good second impression to make up the abysmal one she had left him with that morning.
She got up walked into her en-suite bathroom and turned the shower on pushing the handle round to the coldest setting. She liked cold showers they made you move faster. She stripped off and stepped under the water and quickly washed and conditioned her hair as quickly as she could, the water really was freezing. She pulled one of the towels off the radiator and wrapped it around her hair and grabbed the other one to wrap around her body.
She walked back into her room and was shocked to find Xander sitting on her bed,
"Xander! You aren't meant to just walk into a girls room without knocking, she might not be decent."
Xander smiled and said
"I've seen you less decent then this plenty of times faith, normally after quite a bit of tequila. So are you going to explain to me what the hell is going on now, or do I have to get the big guns out?"
Faith had walked over to her wardrobe and was rustling through it looking for something suitable to wear, pulled out a knee length cowl necked dress and said
"What about this? Do you think this is ok?"
Xander stood up walked over to her and grabbed her arms saying
"Faith! Enough! You're going to sit down now and tell me exactly what is going on or I'm..."
Faith brushed his hand of arm and said
"Or you'll what?"
With an evil glint in her eye,
"I'll call Cordy."
Faith looked at him for a moment before laughing,
"Ok, look when I was out last night and ran into and old friend, she's getting married soon and I went back to her house to meet her fiancé. Turns out this new love of her life? Happens to be my Mom's baby brother. He's invited me to dinner and I really want to make a good impression. After the psychotic athlete impression I left him with this morning after sprinting out of the house in full slayer mode."
Xander who had sat back on the bed said
"Why did you run?"
Faith sat next to him and leant her head on his shoulder saying
"Cause I was scared, what it he didn't like me? I mean god this guy is the only real family I got and what if he hates me when he finds out what I've done?"
Xander pushed her head up with his hand and said
"If he hates you for who you were then he's a fool, it's not you past who determines who you are it's your future and what you choose to make out of it."
Standing up pulling her to her feet and walking to the wardrobe he said
"Right well I guess we've got a lot of work to do to make you uncle-meeting presentable gal then."
Faith hugged him and said
"I knew you'd help"
Half an hour later, faith was dressed in black leather trousers, a red silk shirt, the outfit was completed with a silver locket Xander had given her for her birthday.
"Wow"
She smiled at Xander and said
"Thanks for helping me, I won't be late promise. Ready to go Blondie?"
She leant forward and hugged Xander before turning to Spike who was lurching in the doorway, he had offered to give her a lift to the restaurant as he was going out any way.
"Sure am, lets get a move on don't want to be late, the cards wait for no man and all that rubbish."
"Don't you dare bring any more cats into this house."
Faith said as she climbed into the passenger side of the car.
"Don't you like Persians? I think their kind of cute."
"Not when they aint potty trained."
Spike grinned at her turned the stereo up and they were off. It took all of ten minutes to get to the restaurant; she could have walked there but was glad of the lift. She nervously fiddled with the button of her jacket. Until Spike had pulled up to the curb and reached over and grabbed her hand,
"Don't worry pet he's going to love you. I've got my cell if there's a problem give me a ring and I'll be there in a flash. Now go in and impress the old man show him what you've made of yourself."
Faith smiled and leant over kissed him on the cheek said
"You're right, What's not to live I'm a reforming murderer who lives with a souled vampire master, 4 teenage girls, Xander and a varying amount of cats won through illicit underground poker matches. That's the dream right there when people talk about families."
Spike laughed and said "Well you'll always be my dream even if your not his"
Swatting at him Faith got out of the car and said,
"Night Blondie, Good Luck, you better hope that there isn't a single cat in that house when I wake up tomorrow or there's going to be some lovely tanned vamp ash on the porch at midday ok?"
Spike grinned and said
"Night Slayer."