Keep the Faith
Part 1/1

Written by: Amanda

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss (the almighty creator), Mutant Enemy and the WB. I just decided to write a story with his cool characters.

Author's Notes: This story takes place after my other fic, "A Strange Day" but you don't need to read it to know what's going on. (Although it would be peachy keen jellybean.)
 
 

Prologue

***

Faith was lying in her bed when Buffy and Crew walked in the door of her hospital room. Everyone, who at first walked into the doors of Sunnydale Hospital giddy and making jokes, were all of a sudden overcome by silence. Giles was the first to walk up to her, wording a prayer to himself. Willow and Oz walked up to the slayer and all they could do was shake their head in a tsk-ing manner. Xander, of course, was with Buffy, holding her hand the whole time.

"I'm not going up until she's ready," Xander thought.

Everyone knew Buffy blamed herself for Faith's misfortune, but it was a fact that it was Faith's leap off her apartment building that slipped her into the coma. Still, Buffy blamed herself. Everyone took a step back, as to make a path for Buffy, as she got up off her chair.

She turned to Giles, "Do you think you can leave us alone for a moment?" Buffy asked, trying to hold back tears.

"Sure thing, Buffy. What ever you wish to do is fine." Giles said in a sympathetic tone.

Everyone left, and Buffy took the seat next to Faith's bed. She sat there quietly for a few minutes thinking of all the different ways that this was her fault. She took a hold of Faith's hand and brushed her hair back away from her face.

"O.K. girl. So I promised I'd keep you posted on all the juicy gossip. You'll never guess what happened." Buffy said, almost expecting an answer. "Well, um, me and Xander hooked up the other night." She let out a little laugh at the thought of Xander, her boyfriend. Boyfriend...Xander...this concept was altogether too new. "Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but I was really down about Angel leaving and he was there...I had seen this side of him I never knew existed. And I fell for him. Not hard, not yet, but I fell. Oh, did I tell you Angel broke up with me? Oh, yeah. O.K. Angel broke up with me. On the night of the Prom, too. He, uh, left Sunnydale yesterday, after the Graduation and, uh, that...other...thing that took place."

Faith lay there, motionless, as Buffy could no longer hold back the sobs she had been swallowing ever since entering the room. "I'm so sorry, Faith, I didn't mean to. I had to. I mean..." her voice broke off. Buffy decided she could not stand being in that room with her anymore so she kissed her forehead, an action all to familiar with the events of Graduation day, and she walked out.

Buffy walked out into the hallway and ran to the arms of Xander, which came as a shock to Willow, who like Buffy was still new to the concept of her and Xander dating.

"I was talking to her, and she just laid there, like she was...dead!" Buffy said sobbing.

Tears formed in Xander's eyes. He hated this. He hated Faith for doing this. He hated her for making his slayer cry.

"It's okay Buffy. She's gonna be fine, wait and see, she's a strong girl." Xander said trying to comfort her.

Willow glanced around to look for Giles and noticed that he was no longer with them. She walked into Faith's room to find a painstruck Watcher towering over Faith, and to find that he too, was in tears.

Giles was in Faith's hospital bedroom as tears welled up in his eyes. He never really got a chance to know Faith, but still he wanted to watch over her, protect her. He looked at her, lying there, helpless. Giles wished so bad that Faith survived this.

"She's so young," he thought, looking up as if speaking to God, "Why would you take some one that was so young? Why not give them a second chance to become the person you put them on earth to become?" He turned around to glance into the hallway, and he met Willow's sympathetic eyes. He gave her a look as to say, "I think we should go now." and she nodded, turning around to the altogether unpleasant scene that was taking place. She put her arms around Buffy, who was now in a chair next to Xander. Buffy tried to speak but it only came out like a bunch of sounds instead of words. Xander got up and offered Buffy his hand, which she so gracefully took, and they walked out of Sunnydale Hospital, in tears.

Later that day, Willow told Xander that Buffy needed to rest. Her head was definitely full of all sorts of thoughts and she needed a break from the world.

"Why does she get to spend her 'break from the world' with you?" Xander whined.

"Because I'm her best girlfriend and she needs me. Bye Xander." Willow pushed.

"But..." the door slamming in his face cut him off.

"Okay girl, the first thing I suggest you do is get all cried out, and then take a nap." Willow said to Buffy as she looked for sweatpants to let her borrow.

"Will, you don't have to do this. I can deal with this on my own." Buffy said.

"No you can't. That's why I'm here... to give you a break from dealing. Let me deal with your issues for a while. You sleep." Willow threw a pair of sweatpants at Buffy and pointed towards the bathroom. "Change. Now."

"Yes sir!" Buffy smiled the first smile in what seemed like years. Her face was sore after the serious spillage she just had.

As Buffy changed in her bathroom, Willow took a bunch of wicca books from her desk and left to go downstairs. "Buffy, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me sweetie." Willow said exiting her bedroom.

"Okay, Will," Buffy said in such a weak voice she was unsure if Willow had heard her. Apparently not because she opened the door a crack and popped her head in. "O.K.?" Willow said, "Ill be in the kitchen if you need me." Buffy nodded. .

Willow ran downstairs and entered her living room. Oz was sitting on her couch. She tossed a book at him, selected one for herself, and placed the other three on the coffee table.

"Let's go into the kitchen. We'd better get cracking if were going to find anything to save Faith." Willow motioned for Oz to follow her into her kitchen.

"Sure thing, boss." Oz teased. They positioned themselves at the table and started their research.

"Where's Xander? I thought he was gonna help." Oz questioned.

"I kicked him out. All he wanted to do was be with Buffy and she needs to rest." Willow said, "Plus he would be no good researching with Buffy on his mind, so I sent him home. He could use the rest, too."

"Oh, O.K. So what's your whole take on the Buffy/Xander thing?" Oz asked curiously, but with his nose hidden in a book.

"I can't say that it doesn't bother me, but it's not like I care for Xander, that way, anymore. Its more like 'I'm not used to it yet' than anything else." Willow replied honestly, "O.K. back to work."

Xander sat on Willow's porch steps. "There's gotta be something I can do to help." he thought. "Buff needs me. I need her. I need to help her." He thought about Faith for a minute. There's a lot going on in each and every one of their lives because of her. He wondered if Faith knew what it was like to come home to a family, where everyone received you with open arms. Xander had the best of both worlds. His wonderful mother was all he could ask God for, but his dad on the other hand, well, he continued to brand his birth as a 'mistake'. Then it dawned on him. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" Xander said aloud.

Xander knocked on the door to Willow's house again. "Xander I thought I told you to go home." Willow said in a very annoyed and very tired voice.

"I know Will, but I couldn't. I think I just got an epiphany." Xander said.

"Xander, I know you're not the dumbest guy in the world...but an epiphany?" Will teased.

"Look, I have an idea. Are you going to let me in, or not?" Xander barked impatiently.

Buffy awoke from her little nap. She had to admit, she felt much better letting Willow handle her problems for a couple of hours. When she woke up, she was startled to find Xander sitting in Willow's desk chair watching over her.

"Baby, what are you..." Buffy started, but Xander interrupted with a soft kiss on the lips.

"I have a thought. Will agreed that it would be a great idea, but we'll definitely need the slayer. Are you game?" Xander asked.

"What are the rules?" Buffy smiled.

The Scooby Gang, which now included a newly arrived Giles, was seated in the living room awaiting Buffy. Her and Xander walked hand in hand down the steps and into the living room.

"We think..." Willow began.

"Hem hem." Xander cleared his throat.

Annoyed Willow started over, "Xander thinks that it might be a good idea if we searched for..."

"...Faith's family." Xander interrupted. "See it is my belief that Faith's bitterness comes from the fact that she has no family. So I vote we find her some ", he said finally.

"Wow, baby, when you said you had an idea I thought you meant we were going for ice cream or something," Buffy teased.

"Laugh all you want, temptress woman. I'm the brains of this operation," Xander gazed at Buffy with his soulful eyes. "God I've always wanted to say that!" Xander exclaimed.

Everyone smiled at Xander, giving him praises for a job well done. "O.K., so where do we start? When do we start?" Xander said anxiously.

"I think we can start now, it's still early, and the first place I'd look is the mayor's records. He had to have had dirt on Faith. He wasn't stupid. He had to have reasons for hiring her." Giles stated.

"Book man has a point," Oz said.

"Mayor's office it is, then." Buffy said grabbing her jacket and slipping into her Nikes. "I say we go."

"We go then." Willow said following Xander and Giles out the door with Oz right behind her.

Buffy and Giles walked in first. They lurked around corners almost cautiously, until they realized that there was no longer a need to be careful, then again in Sunnydale, you never know. Buffy signaled for the rest of the group to come in and they easily made their way to the mayor's office.

"So you say this clown might have had info on Faith?" Buffy said to Giles.

"Well, um, I suppose that if he, knowing she was the slayer, knowing that it could've been a setup, still hired her, then he had to have had background information." Giles pointed out.

"So where do you think he kept files like that? I mean, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't keep them just lying around." Oz said.

"Oh, Oh! I know where we could start! Um, the bookcase, where I found the secret back panel, the Books of Ascension were there, so I guess he might want to, I don't know, keep them safe?" Willow offered.

"Willow one, the rest of us, zero." Xander teased. Willow blushed slightly.

Everyone made their way to the mayor's office. Willow searched the bookcase for the hidden button that opened the door to the secret back panel. "Here they are, Books of Ascension." Willow said as she pointed at the books.

"Anything else in there?" Buffy asked.

"Let me check." Willow answered. She opened the door as far as she could, until Buffy motioned her to move out of her way. Willow obediently followed, and Buffy broke the little door into pieces with one low kick. Willow smiled. "Your welcome." said Buffy.

Moving the pieces of what was left of the door out of the way, Willow started to take out a bunch of manila folders from the backside. Also in there was, what looked like, a journal. "Guys..." Willow motioned for them to come over to her. She handed the folders over to Giles. "This was his journal. If there's anything on Faith, it would be in here." Willow said. They began to search the rest of the room. They took all the folders and paperwork from inside the mayor's file cabinets and desk drawers. They left just as quietly as they had come in, and headed for Buffy's house.

The search immediately began for anything that had to do with Faith's past. They were all sitting in Buffy's living room. Buffy was sharing a couch with Giles and Xander, on whom she was so eloquently resting her head, and Willow and Oz shared the love seat.

"Hey you guys, take a look at this." Oz said in the middle of everyone's research.

"What did you find, honey?" Willow said to Oz, melting at his smile.

Oz read aloud from the mayor's journal, "...and I knew it was a risk, but I couldn't afford to lose this opportunity. To have a slayer by my side would actually give me a fair chance against Buffy. If this is a setup, then I'm definitely screwed, but if it isn't, then I have the power to overcome."

"So you think he did any research on her? I mean, like Giles said, he wasn't stupid. Maybe a little queer, but definitely not in the stupid category." Buffy stated.

Oz gave her a look as to say, "I'm not finished."

"Oh, um, sorry, please continue." Buffy said to Oz.

Oz did as he was told, "I'm not completely positive on why a slayer, summoned to bring good to the world would want to join forces with me, but I most certainly am willing to find out." Oz turned the page. "May 3rd, 1999. I have researched Faith's background intensely and discovered the reason why she has decided to join me...anger. Rage. The stupid girl is full of rage. She was abandoned by her father at six, and left to her careless, drunk of a mother, Rebecca Kingsly. At the age of 13, more or less, I believe Faith ran away from home, only to find that her mother had died of alcohol poisoning a few years later. Faith was found by her first watcher at the age of about sixteen...and here she is now, in Sunnydale."

Oz looked up from the book. "So, does anyone know where she was from? I think we could look up the hall of records and maybe find someone...an uncle or something." Oz said.

"I remember she mentioned being from Chicago or Cleveland or something or other." Giles mentioned.

"Loads of help, Giles." Buffy said sarcastically.

"No, no! I remember one day you and Faith were training in the library, and you asked her where she was from. She got all defensive and almost ripped your head off, literally. In the end she apologized and said that she was from Boston, but didn't want to talk about her past!" Willow exclaimed at her discovery.

"We have a winner! And the final score: Willow two, us losers, zero!" Xander said.

"Anyone know the number for Boston Hall of Records?" Oz asked.

"...yes, yes. Thank you very much. Okay. Sure. Goodbye." Oz hung up the phone and waved a piece of paper in the air with a huge smile on his face.

"Okay, so who's gonna call?" Xander asked. Everyone stared at Buffy.

"Hey, why do I have to call when I have my own personal book man who can do it for me. Giles?" Buffy looked at Giles with her sweet face that would make any adult melt in their shoes.

"I'm sorry Buffy, that cute face isn't going to...um, okay. Give me the number." Giles said frustratedly.

After hours on the phone, Giles walked into the living room, where everyone had fled after the first thirty minutes of the grueling conversation.

"What do we got?" Xander asked.

"Well, it seems that Faith's mother is alive."

"Wha-what?!?" Buffy exclaimed.

"But the mayor...his journal..." she managed to edge out.

"It seems that Faith's mother is not Rebecca Kingsly, but none other than Rebecca Kings." Giles corrected Mayor Wilken's mistake.

"They shouldn't be living in the same city with names like that! It's too confusing. I think it should be illegal or something." Xander said.

"So what's the dish on Faith's mom?" Buffy said after the shock wore off.

"She's still in Boston. Faith was born 1983, meaning that she's a year younger than all of you, two years younger than Oz..."

"She's sixteen?!?!" Buffy yelped again.

"Oh my God." is all Willow could bring herself to say.

"Yes, it appears so." Giles began again, "I think that Faith didn't run away. I think she was thrown out. Faith and her mother are the only ones that know the truth and we can't very well talk to Faith about it, can we? So that leaves Faith's mother. We need to call her. She should know that her daughter is in this condition."

"Maybe she won't care." Buffy said.

"Who won't care honey?" Joyce walked into the kitchen. "Hi everyone. Mr. Giles."

"Ms. Summers." Giles said uncomfortably.

"Will, fill my mom in. Someone give me the phone." Buffy said.

As Willow told Joyce about what they were scheming to do, Buffy was in deep conversation with a Ms. Rebecca Kings. It seems that Faith's mother and father never married. He left when Faith turned six because he was no longer in love with her, but with someone else. Upset by her father's leaving, Faith began to rebel. At the age of fourteen, Faith had already been expelled from all the schools in the area, and her mother couldn't afford to move to another district or pay a private school, so she had a fight with Faith, and kicked her out the house. She never heard from Faith since.

"Ms. Kings, it is imperative that you listen to me. Like I said, I know Faith. I, um, work with her." Buffy started, "She is in very delicate condition. She's in the hospital. It is uncertain whether or not she is going to live."

"That's too bad, but I no longer have custody of Faith. She's on her own. I gave her up to the government a long time ago. She's just lucky that they haven't found her yet, because she would be put in a foster home." Ms. Kings said.

"But this is your daughter! How could you not care?" Buffy yelled at the receiver.

"I'm sorry. Whatever she needs, I'm in no position to give to her. " Ms. Kings said.

"No position! Listen lady I don't think you would want to come here anyway, because if you did I would..." Giles snatched the phone from Buffy.

"Excuse me, Ms. Kings, I'm Rupert Giles, I am, uh, Faith's employer. I know you want no part in her life. That you had made perfectly clear. Is their anyone in her family that has enough heart to at least come visit her? She's dying for Christ's sake! Paperwork or no paperwork, you should be here! You gave birth to her! You should be here." Giles said in a very annoyed, very angry voice.

"No one. Mr. Angeles is dead." Ms. Kings said. "He died in a car accident a few years after he left. I never had the heart to tell Faith."

"Mr. Angles?" Giles said confused.

"Faith's father. He died in a car accident a while ago. I never had the heart to tell Faith." Ms. Kings repeated.

"And to this day you have no heart, madam, because your sixteen year old daughter is lying in a hospital bed in a coma with 26% brain activity. So I agree with you there, you have no heart." Giles said this and hung up the phone.

"Faith's father is dead. Died in a car accident a while back. Faith's mom wants nothing to do with her life...or, um, death." Giles said directing his attention to the group.

Joyce was getting teary eyed. The situation with Faith hit close to home because of when Buffy ran away, that is. Only the deal with Buffy worked out way, way better. "Honey?" Joyce called.

"Yeah, mom?" Buffy answered.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? Upstairs?" Joyce got up off of her chair.

"Excuse us." Buffy said.

They walked into Buffy's room and Joyce sat on the end of her daughter's bed. She motioned for Buffy to sit next to her.

"Buffy, I know you and Faith have your problems. Maybe to difficult to work out, but I was wondering if..." Joyce's voice trailed off.

"What is it mom?" Buffy asked, now concerned.

"Well, I look at Faith, and she's so young, and I feel for her. I know you can sympathize with her too because in a way you went through the same thing, and well I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

"Spit it out mom!" Buffy said anxiously.

"Well, I was wondering how you would feel if, I, um, adopted Faith." Joyce finally finished.

Buffy was in shock. She didn't know what to say. She definitely cared about Faith, like a sister would, she guessed, but Faith was...she was evil. Or was she? Maybe she was just merely confused. Something like this could definitely turn her around for the better, or steer her life even farther off course.

"Mom...this isn't something we should take lightly. You're forgetting that Faith did murder a number of people, and that she did betray us." Buffy said, trying to rationalize with her mind, because truly, her heart went out to Faith. She felt it deeply when the doctor said Faith might not wake up from her coma.

"I know honey. This isn't something we should rush into. I think we should first see what Faith thinks. If she's worthy of another try, if she wants another try." Joyce said.

"What if she doesn't wake up?" Buffy said just as the phone in her room rang. She let Giles pick it up downstairs. Then curiosity got the best of her. She picked up her receiver and listened in.

"Excuse me is there a Buffy Summers or Rupert Giles there that I may speak with?" the man on the other end said.

Buffy was about to open her mouth when Giles said, "This is Rupert Giles."

"Mr. Giles, this is Dr. Moorehouse. It's Faith, she, uh, well, you have to come in immediately."

Giles felt tears of fear well up in his eyes. "Um, okay. I'll be in right away."

When Giles hung up the phone, Buffy was already downstairs. "I'm going with you." she said.

"Hey, hey, hey! We're we going? I wanna party too!" Xander said.

"Xander, that was Dr. Moorehouse. It's Faith. He said we have to go in right away." Giles said.

"Oh, my." Joyce said.

"Let's go, now." Buffy ordered.

They rushed into the hospital to find Dr. Moorehouse with a huge grin on his face.

"What is so urgent, doctor? What's wrong?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely, nothing." the doctor answered.

"What? Why did you call us over..." Buffy was interrupted by Faith.

"Hey, B. Miss me?" Faith strolled out in her wheelchair with a tentative grin on her face.

Buffy didn't know how to feel. She felt ecstatic, relieved, hurt, betrayed. Just then, she fell to her knees in front of Faith. She wasn't able to open her mouth, all she could do was what she had been wanting, no, what she had been needing to do all along. Forgive. She took Faith into her arms, and for the first time, the gang saw Faith cry.

"Faith, I'm sorry." Buffy finally said.

"You're sorry? B, I don't know where to begin. I messed up real bad.I didn't think you guys liked me. I didn't want to be around you because I felt left out. I turned to the wrong person B, I'm a slayer..." Faith looked around to see if the doctor had heard her. He had left the group and Faith alone, very much to Faith's relief. "...and I should've been fighting evil, not practicing it. I should've been there, by your side, B. Instead I..." Faith's voice trailed off.

"We need to talk, but not here. You should come home." Buffy said.

"Home?" Faith snickered. "I don't have a home."

"You do now." Buffy smiled at her.

***

Epilogue

Everyone went back to Buffy's house. Faith, Buffy, and Joyce were in the living discussing issues. Everyone else was in the kitchen waiting.

"So that's when Xander got the idea to try to find your family. We found your mom, Faith." Buffy said. 

"What?' Faith said shocked. "You what? My mom is dead!"

"It was a misunderstanding Faith, you're mom is alive, but..."

"But what?"

"Faith you need to promise me that when I tell you this you aren't going to do anything wiggy."

"Okay. I promise."

"She gave you up, Faith. We all know you're only sixteen and right here, where you're standing, you belong to the government. She doesn't want to have anything to do with you."

"The government!?! What about my daddy? He'd take me if he knew where I was."

"Faith, remember you promised not to wig...your father died in a car accident a few years after leaving you and your mom."

"What?" Faith was beginning to cry.

"We know this is hard Faith, but that's why, after thinking it over, and speaking to Buffy, I have decided that, if you'll let me, I'd like to adopt you." Joyce said, finally speaking up.

"What? Oh, you're not serious. Are you? Why would want a slut, bitch girl like me living with you?" Faith said to Joyce.

"Because we understand, and we care for you. We know you've had a rough time, but that's not why. Faith, we're both slayers. My pain is your pain. Your pain is my pain. I think that puts us in a sisterly category, why not make it official? Paper and all?" Buffy replied for her mother, who, she knew had no answer for Faith's question.

"All we need from you, Faith, is a promise that you will take me seriously. Consider me to be your mother, and Buffy to be your sister. You can't just decide one day if you and Buffy fight that you're going to...um..."

"Go wiggy." Buffy finished for her mother, again. 

"Yes, go wiggy. Thank you, Buffy." Joyce said.

"If you guys are serious about having me, I'd love another chance at a family." Faith finally said, still crying, but now crying tears of joy.

Faith stood up from her wheelchair, first time after leaving the hospital four hours earlier and wobbled over to Buffy. Buffy stood up and embraced the newest member of the family, her sister, Faith.

"I know the scooby gang ain't gonna be as forgiving as you. I can feel it." Faith said.

"They will forgive you, just give it time. All I have to say is..." Buffy was interrupted by her mother, who decided to turn the tables on her for once. "...you have some serious ass-kissing to do."

The End