Chapter One:

The hospital was not a place Kara imagined she should like. She had never technically been in one, save the day she was born. But she clearly remembered her mother ranting and raving about death in the hospital and a cousin who had gone in and never came out. As she stood outside the automatic doors of Sunnydale General, Kara got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was still shaken from her transportation back in time, but at least now, she understood.

"You've got to go in, yeah? Can't stand out here all bleeding day...or, night, as it were. Anyway, it all starts here," the voice of her guide called out from behind her. Kara turned to see Callum, a twitchy Englishman with a bit of a drinking problem, jogging up to her. "Walk faster why don't ya. Not all slayers you know," he grumbled.

The Powers that Be had assigned Callum the simple task of aiding Kara in her pursuit to change the fate of the world. "Really all you have to do is keep some key events from going terribly wrong. Nothing to it." Callum had told her as she stood leaning against the Welcome to Sunnydale sign wondering what kind of bizarre dream she had fallen into. Now, as she lingered outside of the hospital, she realized just how difficult her task would be.

It all started with Faith, or, mommy number two as Kara had referred to her for the first five years of her life. In her reality, after years of fighting, Buffy and Faith had finally realized the source of all their contention was their hidden and ever growing desire for each other. While Xander had never quite gotten over the death of Anya at the final battle of Sunnydale, he had jumped at the opportunity to leave his imprint on the world in the form of lending his seed to foster Buffy and Faith's dream conceiving a child.

From what Kara could remember of the years before Buffy and Faith came to their realization, she knew that the major obstacle in her mission would be simply getting them to coexist. "You ready to go in or what? She'll be waking up soon you know," Callum said gently, smiling down at her. He was nearly a foot taller, with an amiable smile that lit up his eyes. Despite her intrinsic desire not to, Kara found herself smiling back.

"So remind me again. I can't tell them anything that'll alter their perception of the future right?" Kara asked, propelling herself forward despite the wishes of her legs.

"Exactly. You can tell them you're from the future. You can even tell them that you're intrinsically linked to all of them. However, you can't tell them how. Not until they're ready to accept it. By telling them, you could change the way things are supposed to happen," Callum replied, struggling to keep up with Kara's pace. If she noticed, she didn't bother to slow, which aggravated him to no end.

Kara nodded curtly and began slowing in front of the nurse's station. "Don't bother," Callum said, leading her by the elbow. "I know the way."

They boarded an elevator, canned pop music filling the silence. "It's been a while. Tell me what's going on here," Kara asked, her voice suddenly small. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. Callum's gravelly voice rolled over her.

"Well, this was the high time of the Initiative. The big bad Adam has escaped not too long ago, reeking havoc all over the place like a proper demon. Buffy's dating that bloke Riley. Spike's got that chip in his head. Dawn isn't even around yet. And I don't believe Tara and Willow have officially hooked up, as it were," Callum summarized. "Is there anything I missed?"

"I don't think so," Kara replied as the elevators slid open with a clear ding. They stepped out into the empty, white hallway. The fluorescent lights overhead popped and crackled. Pausing in front of the door that led to Faith's room, Kara took a deep breath. Then she slid the door open and stepped inside.

Faith was so pale, lying on the white hospital bed with white hospital clothes staining her face an impossible shade of milky gray. She looked younger without make-up on. Kara could see her eyes rolling and twitching underneath her eyelids, some fragment of her coma reality fighting her consciousness. By Callum's calculations, Faith would be waking up any moment now. Kara sighed and dropped into a chair at the foot of her mother's bed.

Seeing her again was harder than Kara expected. Faith had died shortly after she turned five, Buffy following not long thereafter. Kara couldn't remember much about either of them, but she knew she had been loved. Callum looked down at the broken and tired girl sitting next to him and felt a swell of pity strike his heart. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tissue and knelt in front of her. "You've just got some...," Callum smiled and motioned to the tears streaking down her face.

"Thanks," Kara whispered as Callum wiped them away. The beeping of the machines hooked up to Faith sped up suddenly. "Showtime," Kara said, jumping to her feet. She watched as Faith's eyes slowly opened, focusing on the two strangers standing in her room.

"Who the hell are you?"