Faith Fanfiction
On the way to solitary
While Faith is in jail, she gets send to solitary confinement. However, she argues on her way there and asks for one thing. Will she get her way?
The goal here is not to focus on what Faith had done or how she will go through solitary, but to focus only on the way there and Faith's struggles.
"I'm telling you it wasn't me."
Two guards were holding her, half dragging, half pushing her through the prison. One guard was in front of them and a few more behind.
"We have proofs and witnesses. Face it, you're going to the SHU for some time."
Even though she never went, she knew SHU stands for solitary housing units. A place where the unlucky inmate gets a room all by themselves, for 23 hours a day, with not contact with the outside. Sound peaceful, but Faith, like any other inmate, didn't want to go.
"Could you just listen to me?"
Faith had been handcuffed and was being manhandled by the guards. She didn't want to use her slayer's force to break the handcuffs and get herself in way more trouble — trouble for the jail, seeing her dangerosity level being increased and risking her slayer identity to be revealed — so she was trying to stop them by not walking, slightly fighting how she could. In a way, she was trying to be as not violent as she could, no punching, no kicking, just standing her ground and not moving.
"Look, you have two choices. Or you going to your new cell willingly, or we forced you there," said a guard, still dragging her.
Yeah, two choices leading to the same place. And in that moment, she was very much holding herself back from fighting them. She was reconsidering her stay at the prison. Being a slayer, Faith had the strength to break out easily enough. But she had chosen to surrender for her crimes and be sent to prison, she had agreed to do her time. And now, she was regretting her decision. Normal jail, she could handle, but solitary, hell no!
She was a loner, but there was still a difference between preferring to be alone and being forced to be lonely.
"I have a request!"
Her declaration came out of nowhere, but it was the best she had.
"Oh yeah, and what is it? You want to be sent to a five-star hotel instead?"
"No. One phone call. That's all I'm asking. Let me talk to my friend and I would go to solitary after. Willingly. Without fighting."
It was a hard barging, but it was all she got. She had two options, either she stayed calm or she fought. So she came up with a way to stop time. One phone call to decide.
"Please! I'm not asking for much. Let me call him. 10 minutes! And then, I'll calm down. You want me calm, right? Then let me make one phone call."
The thing was, as hard as they were all trying to drag her to solitary, Faith was strong and she was holding her own so far, so they had not made a lot of progress.
"I talk to Angel and then I will follow you calmly to solitary."
And they were starting to listen to her.
Win.
After calling the chief of security, they escorted Faith in a room where she would be able to make the phone call. Said chief of security was there, holding the phone. Faith was still in handcuffs being held by two guards.
"You have 10 minutes to talk to him. If he's not there, that's too bad, you're going to SHU."
The guy composed the phone number for Angel's investigation and held the phone to Faith who took it. She then started to stare through the window.
"Angel investigation, we help the helpless," said the voice.
"Cordelia. I don't have much time. Put Angel through please." Faith was trying to stay calm and not verbally attack Cordelia, but she was losing her fight to restrain her aggressivity.
"Angel speaking. Who is it?"
"Angel, it's me. Faith. I'm in trouble and I just need to hear your voice. We have 10 minutes."
"Faith? Tell me what happened."
"I need your help… well… your advice. You are always so calm. I need that right now. They are going to send me in solitary, and I don't know how long. The way I see that, I can either fight them all the way to my cell, tally a few more infractions by breaking their noses and worst and then spend a long time there. Or I either go without resistance. But I need you to calm me down. I'm going either way, but I want you to help me accept it. Please."
She could hear Angel sighed loudly on his end. She could also hear him holding back the question in his mind. It wasn't about what she did to end up in the mess, but how to move forward from here and now.
"Faith, you are strong. I know you can hold back. Don't fight them, just go willingly. Think of the guilt you will feel later on if you add offences to your case. I know you don't want to get more in trouble. So far, you manage not to assault the guards, and I trust you to continue like that. I have faith in you."
Faith nodded even though Angel couldn't see her.
"Your time in solitary will seem long, but know that I will think of you."
"How can I pass the time then?"
When in doubt, ask the guy who needs to wait for the sun to be gone before going out every day for more than 200 years.
"I find meditation relaxing. Tai chi is good too. It's like slow martial art, you'll love it. You can also exercise in other ways, like running on the spot. Jumping Jacks are not bad. You can practice punches, just not against the walls. As for your mind, keep your thoughts contain, get control on it not to get too crazy or else."
Or else. She knew he meant not to think about things she couldn't control.
"I'll try."
"Faith, I know you can do it. You can be calm and you can get through this."
"Thanks Angel."
"How much time do we have left?"
"Hum… How long do I still have," she asked to the security chief who then held up two fingers. "Two minutes and then I'll go. Angel, if I can, I will write to you. And I want you to know I will behave. This redemption thing is hard, but I want to hold on."
"It is supposed to be hard. But I am proud of you and the path you had travelled so far. It is normal to slip sometime, but you are strong and I believe in you. You are not lost, you are on the right path. Are you ready?"
"I don't think I am, but I have to. I want to be free one day, but I will earn it. Angel, thank you for talking to me just now, you have no idea how much it means to me."
"Take care, Faith. And tell whoever is with you know that I want to talk to them."
"OK, bye," said the young slayer, and then, she held the phone to the security chief. "He wants to speak with you."
The chief took the phone and listened while Faith dropped her head and backed off.
"If she's still there, don't let her know my questions. Are visitations allowed for someone in solitary," asked Angel.
"No sir," answered the chief.
"And is she allowed to receive letters? Or to send some?"
"Only a few under special circumstances. I'll put you on a special list."
"Thank you. And thank you for allowing her to talk to me."
Faith was waiting next to the door with two guards. She was now calm and showing no sign of violence to come. The chief approached her gently.
"I will escort her, but stay close behind," said the chief who took Faith upper arm before opening the door.
They walked in silence for a short while, the guards following a few steps behind in case something happened. It was the chief who broke the silence.
"He sure has a strong effect on you. I never saw an inmate changes behavior so much on her way to solitary."
"Angel has that effect. He's the one who convinced me to seek redemption for my crimes."
"Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"No, more like my sponsor."
"Some sponsor! What does he have to gain seeing you in prison."
"It's not like that. He knows I'm looking to atone for what I did. He knows what it's like to be afraid of what you are. And I don't want to be dangerous and unpredictable. I want to behave and… just do my times without much trouble."
They finally arrived at the entrance of a solitary cell. This is where Faith will past the majority of her time for the forseeable future, alone, between four gray walls.
"You know, I ask for a phone call, just one, in exchange for coming here willingly and calm. And guess what? It worked! I plead for just one thing and kept my end of the bargain. So thank you for allowing me that one phone call, it really changed my day. I know the next days, maybe weeks, are going to be hard, but having talked to Angel, I think I can get through this."
The chief nodded and then closed the door, locking Faith alone in a cell with her own mind, but maybe not as many demons.