Chapter Ten – Have a Little Faith
Alex had returned to her office after they completed the tour of the grounds. Leaving Olivia in Buffy and Dawn's care to deal with last minute wedding preparations. She was returning with them after spending the latter part of the afternoon getting fitted for her bridesmaid dress.
She had to admit the dresses were quite nice. A light blue color, very simple and elegant in design. Buffy seemed quite pleased with them. She grumbled about the ugly dress she had to wear to the last wedding she was a bridesmaid in. Dawn had replied with a comment about how Anya took very seriously the idea that the function of a bridesmaid's dress was to make the bride look good. In Anya's view, the uglier the bridesmaids' dresses, the better she looked.
When Olivia had asked about Anya, both Buffy and Dawn had gone quiet. Merely saying that she was one the people that never made it out of Sunnydale. Olivia wondered just how many friends the two had buried in that town.
They were just about to enter the main entrance when Olivia heard a voice from behind her.
"Yo, B!"
Buffy turned towards the voice and smiled, "Faith you're early."
"Apparently we caught a tail wind or something on the flight back," Faith replied. "We landed thirty minutes early."
"Cool," Buffy said. "Olivia Benson, this is Faith and coming up steps playing the gentleman by carrying the bags is Robin Wood, who heads our training program."
"Nice to meet you," Olivia said.
"You must be Alex's friend," Faith said. "Nice to know you could make it for her and the X-man's wedding. B and Dawnie haven't completely wigged you out yet have they?"
"I think I'm adjusting ok," Olivia responded, she nodded to other person coming up the stairs. "Hello Robin."
"Hi there," Robin replied.
"Let me get the door for you," Faith said opening the front entrance.
"You're the one with the super strength," Robin said. "You could help carry this stuff."
"Its your stuff," Faith countered. "I'll carry the bags when we get back home. Besides I thought you liked playing the gentleman."
Robin shook his head and proceeded through the door followed by the others.
"So what are you guys up to now B?" Faith asked.
"We were just going to find Alex," Buffy said. "You two are still coming to dinner tonight."
"Just as soon as I work off my itch from flying," Faith responded giving Robin a look. "Get that stuff to your office Robin. I really want to get home."
"I'll shall return momentarily my lady," Robin responded, walking towards the administration offices.
Olivia watched him depart.
"So what do you think of our three ring circus so far detective?" Faith asked as she turned back towards Olivia.
"To be honest it still seems a little unreal," Olivia replied. "But Buffy and Dawn have been helping to fill in the larger blanks."
"That is what they are here for," Faith said.
"One thing I'm not clear on," Olivia asked. "You were called after Kendra died right?"
"Yep."
"I haven't heard that many stories about you from Sunnydale," Olivia noted. "I assume you were off chasing demons, but nobody told me where."
"I was in a way chasing demons," Faith answered. "Just not the normal kind."
"What does that mean?"
"I was chasing my own demons," Faith answered. "You didn't tell her any of this stuff B."
"Never came up," Buffy answered. "Besides, its your story."
"I guess so," Faith said turning her attention back to Olivia. "You're a New York City detective right?"
"Yes I am," Olivia replied. "Why does that matter?"
"Its just that you're probably not going to like the answer to where I was," Faith said. "I spent the first couple of months after I was called with my Watcher going after demons. After he was killed I hooked up with the Scoobies and worked with them for a while. Then I spent a couple of months trying to kill them."
"You what?" Olivia was thrown off.
"You did catch that bit about chasing after my own demons," Faith said. "Obviously the trying to kill them thing didn't work out. Spent a few months in coma, courtesy of Buffy. Woke up, went a little nuts, well a little more nuts. I don't recommend the coma thing by the way. Then cut a deal with cops and spent three years in a maximum-security prison. Got out joined back up with the Scoobies to scrunch the First. Been here ever since."
Olivia's head was spinning trying to keep up.
"Very good Willow impersonation," Dawn said. "I don't think you even paused for air."
"Thanks Dawnie," Faith smiled back.
Olivia finally put the pieces together. "You were in prison?" Olivia's eyes narrowed. "For what?"
"I pled to one count second degree murder, several counts of battery, one count breaking and entering and some other things, I don't remember."
"And you got out after only three years?"
"No, I broke out," Faith said. "Here comes Robin, got to go work off my itch. See you all at dinner," Faith waved as she took Robin by the arm and led him out the door.
Olivia stared after her then turned to Buffy. "She's joking about all of that right?"
"No, that's pretty much the story," Buffy said. "If you're worried, she's doing much better now."
"Second degree murder, escaped convict, what the hell is she doing here?"
"She has a full pardon from the governor of California," Buffy replied in an even tone. "If you don't believe me, there is a copy in the admin offices. As for why she's here. She's a Slayer, she's a Scooby and she's part of the family, in the crazy cousin sort of way."
"You can't be serious?" Olivia was dumbstruck.
Buffy leveled her gaze at Olivia and let a bit of the Slayer out. "Faith and I have had our problems in the past. We're not the same kind of people. But when it mattered, she was there, fighting with the rest of us. And without her, a lot of stuff that makes this place work wouldn't be here. She's made some huge mistakes, but none that are any bigger than some of the ones the rest of us have made. And she's spent the last nine years working to redeem those mistakes. She's more than earned the right to be here."
Olivia took an involuntary step backwards as Buffy fixed her with her gaze.
Dawn intervened. "Like Buffy said," Dawn began. "Faith's part of the family. And like any good family we protect each other. She's a good person. One of the best. We could have done for her what we did for Alex. Erased Faith Wilkins from the records. Make it look like she was dead, created a new life for her. She didn't want that. She wanted redemption on her own terms. So we called in a big favor and arranged for her to get pardoned."
"But why?" Olivia still didn't' believe what she was hearing.
"Come on," Dawn said, taking Olivia's arm. "We'll discuss this someplace a little more private."
Dawn led her into one of the classrooms. To Olivia it looked like a regular classroom. The desks were arranged neatly in the room. When she looked at the blackboard in the front of the room she stopped. Covering the board were images of things from someone's twisted nightmares. There were unpronounceable names beneath each of them and lists of strengths and weakness off to the side.
"What the hell?" Olivia could not take her eyes off the board.
"Mags was teaching the Demon ID class in here this morning," Dawn explained.
"Those things are all real?"
"Yep," Buffy said. "Those are all real. I've fought a few of them. That one over there, with the horns, very nasty. That's a Boogey Man over there. Goes after sick kids. Killed one of those about a month after my seventeenth birthday."
Seventeenth birthday, Olivia thought. Buffy had already been a Slayer for two years by that point. Fighting the kinds of things on she saw on that wall. There was something very wrong with a universe that would do that to a teenage girl.
"Have a seat Olivia," Dawn carefully put her in one of the seats. She then walked over to the desk at the front of the room and picked up the phone. She typed a quick extension. "Hey Will, when you see Alex have her come down to room 116 … Thanks."
Olivia finally collected her thoughts. "So Faith," she said.
"It's her story," Buffy said. "Highlights are, not a happy childhood. Pegged as a potential Slayer. Her Watcher basically kidnapped her when she was fourteen to begin her training. Which given her home life, might have been one of the only times the Watcher's did something right. She was called about six months later. After Kendra died. Her Watcher was killed two months later, right in front of Faith. Basically the only person who had ever really tried do good for her was killed and she couldn't stop it."
"That doesn't explain," Olivia started.
Dawn interrupted. "Look at that board Olivia. She was fifteen and had already had the kind of life I bet you've seen way too much of in your job. She went from that to a war against those things," Dawn pointed to board in front of the room. Olivia was certain Dawn hadn't picked this room randomly. "She made mistakes. And she's more than made up for them. Without her, none of us would be here right now, that includes you. The bad stuff she did, she wasn't even eighteen when it went down."
Not even eighteen, Olivia thought. "This is normal for you?"
"Admittedly, our definition of normal is broader than the average persons," Dawn replied. "But Faith thrives on being an exception to the rules."
At that moment Alex entered the room. "Is everything ok?" she asked. "Will said you needed to see me."
"Olivia met Faith," Dawn said. "And being Faith, she dumped the basic story on her and blew out of here with Robin."
Alex nodded. "So how much of the story have you heard so far Olivia?"
"She's a convicted murderer and she works here," Olivia answered. "And you're ok with that?"
"Legally, she has a full pardon, signed by the governor of California," Alex said. "The official reasons are related to the fact that she was minor when offenses occurred and didn't have council when she made her original confession and being under eighteen she couldn't wave that right. That plus a few other irregularities in how her arrest was carried out by the LAPD the governor felt a grave miscarriage of justice had been done. Unofficially, she helped save the world, quite literally, on multiple occasions. Sticking her in a prison cell does no one any good."
"Alex," Olivia tried to reply.
"Olivia, you know me," Alex cut her off. "If I thought she was dangerous or a criminal I'd be the first in line to put her back in prison. I've worked with her for the last ten months. She's annoying, infuriating, crude, practically survives on double-entendres and has absolutely no discipline. But she also cares about doing the right thing. She's one the best at working with the new Slayers, helping to keep them on the right path. I trust her completely."
Olivia had rarely seen Alex get so passionate about something. About someone. This wasn't the same Alex Cabot she remembered from New York. This was Alex Winters. A woman, who worked for demon hunters, talked about saving the world and was about to marry a man who had lost his eye to a 'homicidal preacher.' There were girls here who fought the monsters she was staring at on the wall. Who did it everyday. Some who started as young as fifteen.
Dawn favored Olivia with a smile. "And now the reality of it really hits you."
