The Los Angeles night is still and silent. The moon casting a warm glow against the dark pavement. The rumble of a heavy engine could be heard in the distance breaking the peace.
--
Faith sees nothing except the road ahead of her. She doesn't hear the engine beneath her roar nor does she feel the wind rapidly move against her skin. The trees around her are a blur, the only light leading her is the light on the front of her motorcycle.
--
A young brunette turns over fitfully in her sleep. Muscles twitching and tensing beneath her skin, her face contorted in concentration. Her eyes are closed tightly and she is wrapped in a sheet of sweat. Flipping her body to the left slightly, she tosses the actual sheet off the bed. Frowning, her mouth twitches.
--
Leaves rustle in the form of a tornado as the machine whips past them at an alarming rate. The pavement rocks steadily under the abuse of rubber. Moonlight blending with local street lamps lighting up the bike and its rider ever so slightly. Under the helmet you can see hair flowing wildly in and attempt to keep up with its owner.
--
Faith's grip on the handles tighten ever so slightly. Feeling her gloves beneath her hands, rumbling between her legs, power rushing through her. Adrenaline. Titling her body a little, she steers around the corner speeding up even more.
--
The brunette figure tosses and turns repeatedly; searching for a comfortable position. The moonlight illuminates the room in paleness. The brunette's jaw tenses before her face relaxes for a split second. More frowning. More tossing. More turning. More restless sleep.
--
The sun is starting to peak out above the horizon, casting a glow against the world. The motorcycle and its driver see no end in sight. Only more ground to cover.
--
Faith misses the sunrise but she does catch the beginning of a new day. She still notices nothing around her. Only her and her bike exist. Without blinking, she switches lanes and pulls the next exit. Making her way through cars and complexes, she starts to slow her bike. Coming closer to a cliff, she comes to a complete stop. Dismounting she stands and removes her helmet. Walking over to the edge, she runs a hand through her hair. Taking a moment to just breath, she glances around. Tossing her helmet down and removing her gloves, she runs a shaky hand through her wild hair and breathes deeply.
"It took you long enough." a voice says from behind her. She turns to greet a woman in her mid to late forties, warm smile on her face. Faith frowns and shrugs.
"It's only been a day." she replies. The woman moves to stand beside her, staring out over at nothing.
"That's what you feel like isn't it?" she asks. Faith nods, already knowing what the older woman is referring too.
"Absolutely." is quiet response. The two women stand in silence for several long minutes before Faith turns toward her companion. "What am I gonna do Di?" she questions, fear and anxiousness creeping into her voice. The woman, known now as Di, turns toward Faith with a smile but only looks past her head.
"When you were ten, you had a pet bird. Took that little thing almost everywhere with you." she starts with a fond smile. "You were so proud because you'd worked to save your money to buy her." shaking her head, Di makes eye contact with Faith for the briefest of moments. "Then one day you come home from school and her cage is empty. Nothing but seeds in it. You came running tome and asked what happened to her." she continues.
"You said she had to fly to get milk from the store." Faith cuts in with a small smile.
"And when she didn't come back a week later you figured it out." pause. "You always smarter than you let on." Faith averts her eyes. "Anyway, you cried that night too. You said that taking care of that bird was the only thing you had ever been good at. And you thought that'd you never be good at anything else." she says.
"I was right." Faith say s bitterly.
"You were called. You were a fantastic slayer." Di says.
"And yet you're dead. Look, you really don't gotta re-"
"Shut up Faith." Di commands. Faith scowls but says nothing. "What did you do the months after that bird died?" she asks quickly. Faith shows her confusion.
"I went home and took care of my ma. So?" she questions.
"And after she died?" Di asks.
"I slayed, ate, slayed some more." she says with a shrug still not following the older woman's train of thought. "All of this is relevant how?" she asks.
"Because after all of those things, you moved on." Di says gently. Faith shakes her head.
"I never moved past lettin you die." she whispers. Di smiles a gentle, but sad, smile.
"You will. One day, you will." she says. Stepping closer to Faith, she wraps her arms around the younger girl. "And now, you have to find out who you are. Not a slayer but who is Faith?" Di asks stroking Faith's back gently. For a few moments' Faith doesn't respond in anyway but slowly, she brings her arms to wrap around the woman.
"You were a great watcher Di." She says into the woman's shoulder. Di just smiles. "And a pretty damn good Ma too." she adds hugging the older woman tighter.
"I'm so proud of you Faith." Di tells her with evident tears in her voice. Faith chuckles bitterly.
"How can ya be? I'm a fuckin murderer Di. You'd be ashamed." she says. Di pulls away from Faith quickly.
"Don't ever think I'm ashamed of you. And I am proud of you. It took a lot to admit you'd done wrong....and even more to try and fix your mistakes."
"But I was.. Am...was evil Di." Faith tries. The watcher shakes her head.
"No... if you were, you wouldn't have cared. Ever. There was a part of you that always cared... you were human and you got caught up. It happens."
"You're sayin it like I just broke a fucking glass or somethin here! I killed people!"
"And you live with that every day." Di says just as gently. Pulling all the way back she smiles and wipes Faith's tears away. "Find out who you are in here." she says pointing to Faith's chest.
"I-I" the young girl starts.
"Shh, you can. And I can promise you that whoever you become... will make me proud." she says. Smiling at Faith through tears she kisses her forehead. "I love you Faith." she whispers.
"I love you too Di." Faith says with a small smile. "And I kinda miss ya." she adds. Di nods her head.
"I'm not far away Faith. If you need me, I'll come." she says. Faith smile and turns back to stare over the cliff. It's still empty and she can relate. But now she also has a feeling that an emptiness can be filled.
--
Turning over, Faith groans. Sitting up and twisting her back she notes that it is still dark outside and the moonlight is shining brightly. Glancing to the side she sees it is only a little after two am. Shaking her head, she gets up from the bed and makes her way into the hall. Making her way down the stairs, she scans the room for Angel.
"Hey, you seen Fang?" she asks a random slayer. The girl nods, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. She nods her thanks and makes her way towards the kitchen. She can hear laughing and joking and a tightening happens in her chest. She's not sure where it's from but she has a feeling. Not goin there Lehane. No way are you jealous of these fucks. She scolds herself. She opens the door and walks straight across to Angel, completely ignoring the way the room fell silent.
"I gotta talk to ya." She says. He nods immediately leaving his mug of blood and leading her to his office. Sitting down, he motions for her to follow suit.
"What's wrong?" he asks. She shrugs and wets her lips quickly.
"Nothings wrong I just... I need to figure some shit out," she starts. "And I need to do that somewhere not surrounded by what I'm not y'know?" she tries. He nods. "But I really don't have anywhere to go." she continues.
"Whatever you need. I'll do what I can." he says immediately. Nodding Faith takes a deep breath.
"First off, I need my record cleared. I mean, I don't wanna be on the run from the law constantly watchin my back, but I don't wanna go back in there either. I can't figure out who I am in there." she says quietly. Nodding, Angel offers,
"I can get that done along with getting you a one bedroom apartment. It'll be fully furnished and paid up. I'll give you some money for clothes and other things then all you have to do is move in, find a job, and keep in touch." he says. She nods.
"Make it a two bedroom and you got a deal." she says.
"Two?" he questions.
"Yeah, uh. Amanda's comin with." she says. He nods.
"Alright. I'll get started on that first thing in the morning." he says with a firm nod. Faith grins.
"Thanks Fang." she says. Standing up, he calls to her once more.
"Faith?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck, Faith." he says with a smile. "You've always got me on your side." he adds. She smiles and ducks her head before leaving. This is gonna be hard. She thinks. But I think it just might be worth it. She smiles, making her way back to her room. Thanks Di. She thinks.