FIC: Cold reunion 2/?

["jend1205" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

I want to warn everybody that this one is very dark and should be 
read with caution. It does contain rape and not so nice things. Jen

Author Jen D and Kim
Rating: NC-17- Rape, Violence
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Believe me I have three boys, I own 
nothing.
Spoilers: Up to season five

Faith walked through the mostly unfamiliar town, lost in her own 
thoughts. Her mind wondered back to the day the council had finally 
came to her and Willow's rescue. Faith knew that they had been 
hesitatent to allow Willow to return to England with her but Faith 
had left them no room for arguments. At first Willow had just 
followed her around like a lost puppy trying to shake the withdraws 
of the drugs she had been given. After a month of watching her train 
and get her ass kicked she had jumped up, cussing at her to quit 
leaving her left side open for attack. Willow had spent the next hour 
fighting with Faith and pointing out all the stupid things the dark 
slayer was doing wrong. Faith didn't know whether it was the bond 
that they had formed living together for those six months or if it 
was just the way that Willow was instructing her but she found that 
she learned better from the red head. The deciding factor for the 
council had been when Willow had been able to identify a demon that 
no one else had even known where to look. Quinton Travers had called 
them down that evening after dinner and offered Willow the job of 
being Faith's watcher. Faith remembered a spark in Willow's eye that 
she had never seen and knew that it was a part of the former Willow 
coming out. Willow spent the next month being tested and the council 
had been surprised at the knowledge that the red head held. Faith 
and Willow had finished there training and returned to the States 
just in time to be there for the Scoobies fight with the mayor. The 
council had sent them to stay in the shadows and to back up the 
slayer if they felt that it was needed. Faith had meet Giles that day 
and found she had liked the older Englishman. He had respected Willow 
wishes that no one know that she there and Faith had seen the love 
the man had for her Red. He had pulled Faith aside and grilled her on 
Willow mental condition. He was concerned about the cold manner that 
had become Willow personality and appalled at what little Faith had 
shared about the time they had spent in the mental institution. He 
had continued to keep in contact over the next two years, trying to 
convince her to come home and let her friends help her deal with the 
pain that was always so evident in her eyes. 


Faith hesitated outside of the unfamiliar shop, trying to collect 
her thoughts. Of all the things that the dark slayer and Willow had 
went through in the two and half years they had been together, she 
knew that this was going to be the hardest thing that her red headed 
ex lover was going to have to face. Willow had always made it clear 
that she never wanted to have to come home but they had gotten a call 
last week that had changed all that. Xander Harris was in trouble. 
The young man had been the target of a hell god and now was lying in 
a hospital room in a coma, no one sure if or when he would ever wake 
up. Faith had never seen Willow struggle so much with anything as she 
did her decision to return to her hometown. She slowly opened the 
door and stepped inside. She saw a small group of people sitting 
around a table toward the back of the shop. She recognized the small 
blonde slayer from the description Willow had given her. A taller 
blonde sat beside her and Faith could help but admire the simple 
beauty of her. A younger girl sat next to the slayer tears in her 
eyes. Buffy had her arm around her trying to comfort her. Faith saw 
the older man standing at the counter his nose in a book.

"Giles, how are you", Faith said and offered her hand for him to 
shake.

"Faith, it's a pleasure to meet you again. I hope your trip was 
pleasant", Giles said taking her hand.

"Well as pleasant as riding three hundred miles on the back of my 
watcher's very loud Harley can be", Faith smiled, relaxing a little.

"Speaking of your watcher, where is she", Giles winced knowing that 
this meeting was going to be hard for everyone.

"She stopped to visit a friend. How is he?"

"No change since I contacted you. Come on, I would like you to meet 
everyone before she gets here and all hell breaks loose", Giles said 
clearing his throat to get their attention, "Buffy, Tara, Dawn, I 
would like you to meet Faith, the vampire slayer."

"What", Buffy yelled.

"Buffy, I know I should have told you sooner that I was going to 
bring her in on this but I wasn't even sure whether her watcher would 
even allow Faith to come."

"Why the hell wouldn't she be allowed to come here? She is a slayer", 
Buffy yelled and then realized that the brunette in front of her had 
done nothing and started again, "I'm sorry for being so rude, Faith. 
It's just been a really hard week, one of my best friends may not 
make it and I have a hell god that wants my sister to open hell. I'm 
glad you could make it, I could use the help."

"I understand, it's hard to have to sit back and watch someone you 
love get hurt", Faith said and shook her hand.

"H-hi, I'm Tara", Tara said trying to hide behind her hair.

"I'm Dawn, Buffy sister, I'm the key. I'm the reason everyone is 
getting hurt", Dawn cried.

"Hey kid, don't sweat it. We'll figure this out. My watcher happens 
to be pretty smart about these things", Faith said and gave her a 
reassuring smile.

"So where is he", Buffy asked?

"She and she should be here in a minute", Faith said and heard the 
familiar motorcycle pull up, "Or now." Faith went out the door 
hoping to calm the red head before she had to face her former friends.

"Hey", Willow said looking at the door.

"Hey, how'd it go at the hospital", Faith asked pulling her into a 
hug.

"He looks so different but yet oddly the same. So is everyone in 
here."

"Yup", Faith said wishing she could make this easier for her.

"Damn, I was hoping to put this off for a few more days."

"I know but you have to do it sometime."

"Do they know I'm here", Willow asked taking a deep breath.

"No, they just know that I have my watcher with me."

"Ok, well lets get this over with", Willow said standing taller, 
before walking in the door. Willow stepped through the door and had 
to fight the urge to just run out the door away from the eyes she 
felt watching her.

"Willow", Buffy whispered taking in the sight of her best friend 
standing in the front of the shop. Buffy could barely believe that 
this was the same girl that had left them. She took in the black 
leather pants and the black lace top that left little to the 
imagination. She had a leather jacket thrown over her shoulder. 

"Buffy", Willow said coldly and turn her attention to Giles, "Rupert, 
it always a pleasure but I would have preferred not to have had to 
return here."

"I apologize Willow, but I knew that you would want to know about 
Xander."

"Yeah I did but it doesn't make it any easier."

"So Will, got tired of the plaid skirts and decided to join the 
council, huh", Buffy said walking up and standing in front of her. 
Faith could see the venom in the blonde slayers face and moved to 
protect her Red. Giles put his hand on her shoulder stopping her 
progression.

"You stupid bitch, did the blonde dye finally reach your brain. I 
want you to think about something for a minute. Xander was my best 
friend since kindergarten and I was so in love with you that I 
couldn't see straight sometimes, do you really think I would have 
left you and never wanted to see you again. You left me and I thought 
I was going to rot in that place", Willow shouted not backing down 
from the slayer, "Do I fucking look like someone who spent the last 
two and a half years living in a boarding school. No let me tell you 
where I spent the first six months after I was taken from my home by 
my so-called parents. I was in a hospital and not the ones where they 
heal you but one that put you right in the middle of hell. Lets talk 
about the first night that they came into my room and took something 
that I will never get back, or wait maybe we can talk about being 
restrained so that I could fight back. I know how about the time they 
made Faith watch when the threw me in with the child molester so that 
Faith and I could learn our lesson and not try to escape."

Faith watched, as Buffy's face grew pale as the meaning of Willow 
words finally began to make sense to her. Finally deciding the slayer 
had had enough of her ex's tirade she came between them and slammed 
Willow into the wall, "Enough, she didn't know. Red, look at her, 
She's about ready to lose her lunch."

"Fuck you, Faith", Willow growled and tried to push her away.

"See I would but you're to god damn afraid of your emotions to even 
let me try", Faith said, "Giles, you said the last time we talked 
that there is a training room in the back."

"Yes", Giles said pointing to the door.

"Get out of here, Red. Go beat on something back there, meditate, do 
something before it takes control", Faith told her pushing her toward 
the door.

Buffy sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. She felt 
Tara arm go around her trying to offer her friend comfort. Buffy 
could hear the radio come on and the heavy metal music fill the 
training room.

"Giles, I don't know if this was a good idea", Faith said and shut 
the door to the training room after checking to make sure that Willow 
was indeed beating on the bag that hung from the ceiling. Faith 
winced knowing that the red head was going to end up with bruised and 
bloody hands when she was done.

"I disagree Faith, maybe this is for the best. She can't run away 
from the past forever."

"Giles, you knew about this", Buffy asked her watcher.

"Some but I apparently don't know the whole story. I know that Willow 
parents had her committed to a mental hospital after the whole mess 
in the library."

"No not hospital it was asylum. You know the one that they show in 
horror movies. Straight jackets and padded rooms. It was like going 
to hell. I really surprised she came out as good she did."

"You were there with her", Tara asked captivated by the dark slayer.

"Yes after a big mess with a vampire and my former watcher. I met 
Red, about two months after she got there. By that time she was so 
fucked on the drugs she was taking there were times she couldn't tell 
you what one plus one was."

"Oh god", Buffy whispered, "They raped her?"

"Almost every night until she left", Faith said trying to hold the 
tears back.

"There can't be places like that out there", Tara cried for the girl 
that she didn't know but had always heard about. Tara knew that Buffy 
was in love with the red head but hadn't ever admitted to anyone 
including herself and that this was tearing the blonde slayer apart.

"There's not supposed to be demons and vampires but there are", Faith 
and sat down at the table with the others, "B, you have to understand 
something right now, that Willow that just walked in the door is not 
the same one you knew two years ago. That Willow died in that place. 
This Willow is cold and lets very little emotion show. I tried to 
help and protect her but there wasn't a lot I could do. She is so 
torn up right now because it's hard for her to hide here with you 
guys."

"Tell me everything that happened, Faith", Buffy said.

"I can't it's not my place and you need to know that she may never 
tell you", Faith answered staring at the door, "Giles why don't you 
fill me in to what you know about this Glory bitch."