This is the first Buffy fanfic I've written, hope you enjoy it! It's a bit AU, but everything is explained in the next chapter or so, which I'll post when I get some reviews.
Kate glanced down at the small figure sitting in front of her. The girl hadn't said a word the whole time she'd been here. They'd found her down at the docks. She'd been beaten up by one of the local gangs, raped, and left for the vultures, figuratively speaking. No one had been able to get her to talk, so they'd brought her back to the station.
And there she sat, with a haunted look in her eyes and not even a name they could call her by. Kate sat down, staring her in the eye.
'What's your name?' The girl did not respond, but looked at Kate with tear filled eyes betraying a great pain. It was enough to make anyone want to reach over and comfort her, the normally impassive detective being no exception. Kate reached over, placing her hand on the girl's trembling shoulder.
'I need to know your name.' Kate asked, more gentle this time. The girl didn't make any noise, but the tears fell freely, leaving wet, sticky trails over her slightly tanned skin.
After a minute or two, Kate noticed a charm bracelet on her wrist. Looking over at it, she saw the name "ANGEL", with a heart on each side.
That threw her slightly. She had only discovered the truth about Angel a few weeks ago, and was still coming to terms with it. Was this pure coincidence; that the girl's name was Angel as well, or was there some sort of connection between this broken girl and the vampire that had saved her life on countless occasions? The last time she'd seen him was when he'd come to visit Faith, a prime suspect for a murder case, and several assault charges currently in residence because of the delayed court case. As if that wasn't suspicious enough without this. Why were so many people with connections to the vampire just showing up? Then again, it could have nothing to do with him.
'Is it Angel?' she persisted. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered slightly, curling into herself. Kate could've sworn she saw her head move to the side a fraction. This was more confusing than the name itself.
'Do you know Angel?' She didn't reply to this either, but her eyes clouded over.
From the background, there was a crash, and a shout of: 'Hey, watch it!'
Kate quickly ran over, all thoughts of the troubled blonde currently sitting at her desk momentarily forgotten. She entered the room to find Ned, one of the newly hired detectives stumbling away from Faith's cell.
The convict in question stood there, water all over her clothes and a look of outrage on her face.
'He spilt it on me!' She exclaimed to Kate, rolling her eyes at the man's clumsiness. She stepped out of the cell, staring down at the man. 'Be careful next time, jackass!' She stepped towards Kate, who moved defensively. Faith threw up her hands in exasperation.
'I just want a change of clothes, or a towel or something.' When Kate still didn't respond, she exclaimed: "Look, I turned myself in. I'm here to pay for my crimes.' Her expression turned serious at that. She smiled slightly. 'It' s chilly in there.'
'Don't move.' Kate told her coldly. No one was in the office this late except for Ned, the newly hired man; Faith, the girl, and herself. Kate walked back into the main office, looking around for the spare clothing she knew they had around somewhere.
Faith walked lazily into the office, glancing around. She froze upon seeing the figure in front of Kate's desk.
'B?' She asked, disbelieving. The girl didn't move.
'I tried to stop her Detective Lochley, I swear!' Ned choked out, stepping tentatively into the room, trying to stay as far away from Faith as possible. Kate, however, was looking at Faith.
'What did you say?' She asked sharply.
'What's she doing here?' Faith asked, a strange note to her voice.
'You know this girl?' Kate asked, various things going through her mind, the first and foremost being the improved possibility that this girl knew Angel, or had something to do with him.
'Yeah, what's she doing here?' Kate recognized then the change in Faith's voice to bee one of fear, fear of condemnation.
'Who is she?' Kate asked. The girl simply sat there, paying no mind to the conversation about her.
'B, Buffy, a slayer…' The last part just came out…
'What's a slayer?' Faith swore. Kate raised her eyebrow slightly.
'More importantly, why is she here?' Faith persisted.
'She was found beaten up at the pier.' Kate said, still staring straight at Faith.
'Beaten up? B?' Faith seemed shocked out of her strange fear. 'Did you find out who did it?'
'They were already gone.' Kate replied, growing more suspicious by the second. Who was Buffy? How did she know Faith? More importantly, what was a slayer, and why was it so surprising to Faith that she could get beaten up?
While all this was flashing through Kate's mind, Faith stepped tentatively over to Buffy as if the girl could hurt her, and was checking her neck for wounds. Buffy trembled violently at the exposure of her neck, but overall seemed calmed by the familiar presence. Kate returned to reality, glaring at Faith.
'What are you doing?' Her tone as her features, impassive.
'Checking for neck wounds.'
'I'll just leave now…' Ned mumbled, hurrying out of the office.
'You think it was vampires.' Kate said bluntly. Faith looked vaguely surprised, then shrugged.
'Should have known you knew. You were being all chummy with Angel.' The momentary smile vanished as she looked down at the girl. 'It's definitely B. I haven't ever seen her this shaken though. She hasn't been bit either.'
'How do you two know each other?' Faith shrugged.
'B helped me out of a tight spot a couple of years ago.' She looked down. 'If you want more information on her thought, I'm not the person to ask.' The strange fear was back in her voice for all to hear.
'You weren't close?' Kate asked, intrigued. Faith glanced over to the girl sitting in the chair.
'We were once.' Faith's eyes clouded over and she looked back at Kate. 'I screwed her over, her and her boyfriend. I couldn't make it right.' Kate felt a pang of sympathy for the young convict who so desperately wanted to make amends, and even deeper sympathy for the girl who still sat in the chair.
'Why were you so surprised that she was beaten up?' Kate had a feeling that this was one of the questions better left unasked, but her curiosity got the better of her. Faith grinned.
'B may be wound pretty tight most of the time, but she's no weakling.'
'You said she was a slayer?'
'That wasn't for me to say. If you really want to know, ask her.'
'Tell me.' Kate demanded. Though she didn't move, the threat was audible. Faith smirked.
'Just try it.' Realizing whom she was dealing with, Kate decided to try a different approach.
'I can't ask her, she won't speak. Why won't you tell me?' Faith looked her straight in the eye.
'Because if anyone told someone else about me without good reason, they'd live to regret it.' Kate was shocked. Was Faith a "slayer" too? Did she have some other secret that the girl knew about?
The girl in question randomly started to tremble, wrapping her arms around herself and rocking back and forth.
'B/' Faith asked gently, touching her on the shoulder. There was a great tenderness in the way the other girl was acting to the one she called "B". Born of guilt, and from what Kate could see, some long ago kinship, sisterhood. Yet the girl seemed not to notice, and didn't change her behaviour.
'Her charm bracelet, it said Angel…' Kate started, stopping when she realized that Faith was chuckling.
'Just like B.'
'The same Angel I brought into the station that night?' she asked, her suspicions all but confirmed.
'You should call him.' Faith said, the laughter extinguished. 'He can help her.'
'I don't want him coming anywhere near her.' Kate said, annoyed.
'He's the only one that'll be able to help her now.' Faith's tone was completely serious. Kate tossed her a long sleeved shirt with the police logo on it. Faith touched Buffy's shoulder briefly before going back to her cell.
A troubled expression on her face, Kate grabbed a blanket and draped it around the shoulders of the one Faith called Buffy. She slowly made her way around to the other side of her desk and sank down into her chair. She had a lot to think about.
What was Angel's connection to this girl with naught but a name? How could he help her? Were they friends, had they been involved before, were they involved now? The list went on and on.
With a sense of purpose, Kate stood back up and went over to Faith's cell.
'What's her last name?'
'Ask him.' Faith replied stubbornly. 'You won't get it out of me.'
'Tell me her last name.' Kate demanded. The convict had an uncanny knack for raising her temper.
'No!' Faith said, her voice much stronger and surer than Kate had heard it before. 'I'm sick of this shit! You can't make me tell you anything! This is about her, not you. Angel can help her. You can't. Call him.' The phone rang. Thoroughly exasperated, Kate left Faith to go answer it.
'Lochley.' She paused for a second. 'Angel.'