#twicedied

Faith had conflicting emotions about this whole arrangement from the get-go. But the last time she’d been in Sunnydale she got a clear enough picture of how much everyone hated her (and she didn’t exactly blame them). If Buffy and the Scoobies were serious about covering for her out of prison, they must have really needed her to step to it.

(And since her little trip to Los Angeles, Faith was starting to figure out exactly what ‘it’ was. That path to redemption was just like walking the road to hell backwards- paved with good intentions the whole way through.)

She didn’t mind spending time in Spike’s crypt to lay low- there was no way she was going to ask to stay with the Summers girls, as she didn’t have enough good will to burn. Besides, big stone room, not much furniture? It was just like the slammer, but with more leg room. Spike didn’t even set off her slay-dar that much, though there was a overall sense of unease tugging in her gut, but that might have just been the wiggins Faith was getting over the actual ‘responsibility’ and ‘general lack of trust’ placed on her. 

But Angel had confidence in her. He had faith in her (hah). And that was all she needed.

So the big bad was some chick named Glory. This Slayer had dealt with scarier women in prison, with the butch sisters looking to shiv someone whenever they could. Faith would have killed to have a stake in her hand (and she could have killed with one), but she bit back those feelings quickly. Being asked to get back in the game after a year off was surprisingly difficult. This was a new Faith, one who was beginning to understand the weight of her choices- all of them, even the smallest of moments.

-

Spike was back late, by vampire standards, and when her strange roommate returned, she knew there was something else going on. Good, bad, Buffy, he wouldn’t say. Faith had her hands full that night with the Scooby commando squad, trying to slay a nest of vamps when Riley got up in her face about leadership qualities. Pissed her off, but she didn’t want to give in to her old vices, knock his teeth down his throat or anything like that. He didn’t like her, he didn’t have to like her, but damn it, the man had cement blocks for a brain.

When the sunlight finally broke and it seemed a decent hour, Faith found her way back to Revello Drive (she remembered the way) to check in with Buffy. God, she felt like a vampire, waiting for invitation inside. Not sure if she would get it, but she while she was still on the outs with half of Sunnydale, she wasn’t so much a ‘kick the door in’ kind of gal anymore.