DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the slayerettes belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first story in Buffy-verse. Please let me know what you think of it.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Faith's Hope
By Buckster
Chapter One
"I hate it when I can't sleep at night," Kennedy thought as she lay in the bed she and Willow usually share, now that she talked the red-headed wicca into moving up there from the floor. This has been her usual routine for a little over a week now. She had no clue as to why. She didn't feel over-tired from the lack of sleep though. All she felt was an immense feeling that someone, somewhere was in trouble and needed her. She hadn't felt that feeling for about three years now. She had decided to talk to Willow about it a couple of days ago, but that was the day her girlfriend got the call from someone in LA saying they needed her help down there. She had begged Willow to take her with her, almost got her to agree, but Buffy vetoed that idea. Said Kennedy was needed more up here, helping to train the other potentials. Only Kennedy's heart wasn't in it much anymore. Her thoughts on the feeling that she was needed elsewhere. So when she decided to try to explain to Buffy why she wanted to go, the slayer decided it was time to take the potential out on some routine patrols with her. Tonight was the second time they would be going out. They didn't find much action the night before, which made Kennedy very relieved. She really couldn't concentrate on patrolling. The feelings she had just got worse when Willow left. Kennedy hoped she would be back soon. She knew she had to talk to someone about what she was feeling, and felt only Willow would really pay attention and understand what she was going through.
After a few hours, about the time dawn was about to break, the feeling suddenly lifted, leaving Kennedy drained. Thank God she had a few hours till she went out with Buffy for patrol. With that thought, she rolled over and finally fell asleep.
That night
Kennedy and Buffy had been out for a couple of hours and hadn't run into any trouble. That left Kennedy free to think of other things, like the fact Willow called and let them all know she would be home later tonight, and she was bringing someone with her. Kennedy just hoped she didn't fall asleep before the two got some quality time in.
She had slept most of the day, but she could still feel the effect of the week of sleepless nights. So that is where her thoughts were when she was suddenly attacked from behind. Before either she or Buffy knew what was happening, Kennedy had been pushed face first into a tombstone, knocking her out.
Buffy quickly took care of the vamp and ran over to check on her slaying partner for the night. When she turned Kennedy over, she noticed the large gash across her forehead caused by the impact with the granite marker. Noticing the younger girl was still unconscious, she decided to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Once she got to the hospital, the staff took Kennedy into the back to treat her, making Buffy sit in the waiting room. Buffy sat there frustrated that this would happen tonight of all nights, with Willow expected home at any time. After sitting and waiting for about 15 minutes with no news how Kennedy was, she decided to call the house to see if her best friend had gotten in yet. Just as she was about to go find a pay phone, she heard someone familiar calling out to her.
"Yo, B. I was just going out to find ya. How did you know Red and me were here?"
"Faith, I should have known you were the person Willow was bringing back with her. What with her being all secretive about who it was and all."
"Touching, but really, how did you know? I didn't call ya, and I don't think Red had a chance to either. So whatcha doing here?"
"I was out patrolling with one of the potentials, and she got blind-sided by a vamp. Hit her head on a tombstone. I thought it would be best to make sure she was ok, especially since she also happens to be Willow's girlfriend, and I happened to promise her that nothing would happen to Kennedy before she got back."
As she finished her explanation, the doctor came out to talk to Buffy about Kennedy.
"Are you with the young lady with the head wound that was brought in?" the doctor asked the two.
"I am. How is she doing, doctor?" Buffy replied.
"Well, she has a concussion and we had to stitch up her forehead. We have to wait till she wakes up to be sure of anything else."
"Can we go back and see her?"
"Sure, but don't stay too long. If you notice any changes, let one of the staff know. She's in bed four till we can get her up to a room."
"Thanks doctor." Turning to Faith she asked, "Do you want to come back with me? I just want to see how she is for myself, then maybe we can go somewhere to talk."
"Sounds like a plan to me, just can we make it fast, this place is beginning to freak me out."
With that the two slayers made their way to Kennedy's bed. As they walked past the curtain, Faith got a good look at the potential lying on the bed. As soon as she did, she started shaking and turned pale. After a second, she turned and ran out of the room. As soon as she left, Buffy was on her heels to find out what was wrong. As far as she knew, Faith had never met any of the potentials before, so she had no clue why the sight of one in a hospital bed would bring out this type of reaction.
She finally met up with Faith in the park, sitting on a bench. "Care to tell me what that was all about?" Buffy asked.
"B, the girl on the bed, what's her name?"
"Kennedy, why?"
"Are you sure? What's her full name?"
"Faith you are starting to scare me. Why is this so important?"
"Just please Buffy, do you know her full name?"
"No, all we know her by is Kennedy, why?"
"Cause I'm beginning to think the PTB just love to fuck with us. I never told you my last name did I?"
"Not that I recall, no. What does this have to do with Kennedy?"
"That's my last name. I think she's my sister."
Chapter Two
"What do you mean, your sister? I didn't even know you had one. Plus I don't think sisters can both be called."
"To tell ya the truth B, I hope you are right about the last part. I do have a sister though. I was six and she was four when our parents split up. Dad took her, and I stayed with our mom. We kinda lost touch after that. God B, I haven't seen her in like 14 years. So it is possible I am wrong and that isn't her. It's just, what are the odds that someone I think is my sister actually is named Kennedy? Do you know where she is from?"
"Originally or recently?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when we found out about all the potentials being in danger, Giles brought three with him to my house from England. Kennedy was one of them. From what I got from Willow though, she is originally from somewhere in New England."
"Ok, then the only way we will know for sure is to find out her full name, but the more I find out, the more I think she is my sister Hope."
"Hope? What your parents into the bible or something?"
"Huh? B, I think you lost me there."
"Don't tell me you never heard the bible verse 'And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.' "
"Not really into the whole bible thing and all. Guess they were though. Wonder if there was a third girl, she would have been Charity."
"She was, er is." someone said from behind them.
As the slayers turned around, they saw Willow and Kennedy standing there, the latter with a slight look of fear on her face.
"Willow found me in the ER, raising a fit trying to get out. She finally talked the doctors into releasing me. On the way here, she told me who she brought back with her. I had to see if it was really you, Faith. Last I heard, you were dead."
"Well, guess you heard wrong then. The only one out of the four of us that has died is B here, and she just won't stay that way."
"Funny F. Now seriously, who told you she died, Kennedy? Or should we call you Hope?"
"Stick with Kennedy please, I gave up Hope long ago, no pun intended. My watcher told me Faith had died about four years ago. I didn't really believe him though. I wondered a little how he would know how she was. Guess now I know. Damn, he could have told me you were the slayer. He told me about there being two, told me Buffy's name, but never yours, Faith. I guess I really didn't want to know. By the way, what happened to you three years ago, then again last week?"
"That is a very long story. I'm sure you heard I went all evil, killed a couple of people, tried to hurt or kill Buffy and her friends, sided with the mayor, who it turns out was a demon trying to take over the world. While I was doing all that, I shot a poisoned arrow at B's boy-toy and she decided I needed to be taken down. Which now I totally agree with. Well, all she succeeded in doing is giving me my own knife in the gut. I jumped from my balcony, which was pretty high up, landed on the back of a truck and was in a coma for eight months."
"Yeah I heard all that, what happened when you woke up?"
"How do you know anything happened?"
"Cause that is when I felt this urge to come out here and help. I just didn't know why. That is when my watcher told me you had died about a year before. I thought maybe it was you I needed to help. I think he only told me that to stop me from getting on the plane over here."
"Whoa, wait a second, you can feel me? Like what I am feeling and such?"
"No, only when you are in extreme need of help. Most of the last three years, I haven't felt anything. I basically forgot about it till last week."
"So that is why you couldn't sleep? I was worried about that. It's one of the reasons I agreed to take you to LA with me. If I had known about the feelings you were having, I would have fought Buffy harder to take you." Willow said.
"Ok back up here. I'm a little confused. Let's get this straight. Kennedy and Faith are sisters, right?"
"Yep," both Faith and Kennedy said in unison.
"Kennedy has a bond with Faith, that makes her know when Faith is in trouble."
"Sounds about right." Kennedy confirmed.
"The question I have now is, does Faith have the same connection with you? I know the two of us had a bond at one point, us being Faith and I, so is it because you are sisters and it was always there, or just since she woke up from the coma."
"Well, not too sure on feeling her B. I mean a few months ago, I had this restless feeling, like when I was first locked up. Feeling like I needed to get out there and slay something. But it went away after about a week or so." Turning to her sister Faith asked, "Is that about the time you started being hunted?"
Kennedy teared up a little, "That was about the time I walked in and found my watcher butchered. All I could think was, if I had been just a little faster getting home, I could have saved him. Shit Fai, I sat in that room with him for two days, thinking about joining him before Giles found me. Took him a day just to talk me out of there, then the rest of a week to calm me down enough to stop thinking about it. I mean by then, what did I have left. I thought you were dead, Dad didn't want me, and the guy I began to look at as my father figure was in pieces, because of me. What gave me the right to still be living?"
At that Kennedy broke down, finally able to express how she felt about it all. Faith went over and just held her, just letting Kennedy cry. When it seemed like she was done, Faith pulled back a little, looked her sister in the eye and said, "But I'm not dead, and Dad was always an asshole. It's his fault we were kept separated most of our lives. He's probably the one that told your watcher I was dead. I'm here now, and there is no way I am going to let anything hurt you. Do you understand that? If I had known sooner, I would have been in England trying to protect you. Do you know what a shock it was to see you lying in that bed tonight? Shit, Hope, I thought you were safe in New York. God." Then Faith started crying.
Once the two sisters had calmed down a bit, the foursome decided to go back to Buffy's house and talk to Giles about what they had found out that night. There were still many unasked and unanswered questions, but the emotions, combined with Kennedy's sleepless week, and the battle Faith had in the same time, brought both to the point of exhaustion. That meant they would have to wait till morning before anything else could be discovered.
Chapter Three
When Willow woke up the next morning, she found herself alone in the bed she shared with Kennedy. After checking the upstairs bedrooms and bath, she decided to check to see if her girlfriend got up early and went downstairs. Once she got down there, she realized that Kennedy was nowhere in the house. Starting to get worried, she went to find Buffy and Faith to see if they had seen her. She found the Buffy outside in the backyard getting setup for the training she was going to put the potentials through later that day.
"Hey have you seen Kennedy this morning? When I woke up she was no where to be found." Willow asked.
"Nope, haven't seen her yet this morning. Thought she would sleep the day away after not sleeping this week, then what happened last night," Buffy replied.
"That's just it though Buffy, I don't think she slept last night either. Once we got upstairs to the room, she just went to sit and look out the window. Her side of the bed doesn't look slept in."
"I don't think there is much to worry about. She has a lot to deal with right now, what with finding out her sister is alive, and a slayer, plus getting hit by that vamp last night. All that on top of what she was dealing with for the past week, I would be worried if she wasn't acting a little strange. She probably just went for a walk to clear her head. Nothing to worry about. Plus if there were, I'm sure Faith would know."
"Speaking of Faith, were is she? I thought she would be out here with you."
"She was still sleeping when I woke up, so I didn't wake her. Whatever she went through in LA really wore her out. Plus I haven't seen her cry like that since right before she turned herself in."
Just then they heard Faith scream. They wasted no time getting up to Buffy's room to see the younger slayer curled in a ball on the bed, crying in agony.
"Buffy, you have to find Hope. Something is wrong. She's hurt and needs us now." Faith forced out between the sobs.
"Faith, we don't know where Kennedy is. She was gone when Willow woke up this morning. Do you have any idea where she could be."
Faith concentrated a little, then looked up with determination in her eyes. "She's at the park, fighting a group of bringers. I think one might have stabbed her in the stomach."
"How do you know that much? I thought you two just knew when the other was in trouble." Willow asked.
"I think being near each other strengthened the bond. If I concentrate hard enough, it's almost like I can see out of her eyes for a second. We really don't have much time. I don't think she can handle this by herself."
The three then took of towards the park. When they got there, they saw a group of four bringers standing over someone lying on the ground. When they heard the group coming up to them, they took off running. As soon as the threat was gone, Faith looked down to see her sister in a pool of blood with a dagger in her stomach. The potential's breathing was shallow. Faith looked up to Buffy, asking her fellow slayer what she should do.
"Faith, we have to get her to the hospital. It looks like she has already lost a lot of blood."
"Buffy, after last night, they are going to have a lot of questions. Plus with this being a stab wound, they might want the police involved. With Faith being an escaped convict, it might be in our best interest not to involve too many people. Maybe we should take her home and see what we can do there." Willow said.
"But Will, she is so pale. I'm willing to risk getting picked up again to get her some help. I can't lose her again. I just got her back. Buffy, if this were Dawn laying here, what would you do?"
"Exactly what you are thinking of, but it's not Dawn, it's Kennedy. I agree with Willow. Let's get her to the house. She's a fighter, Faith. I'm sure she will pull through this just fine."
"Ok, but if she seems to be getting worse, or if she doesn't wake up soon, I am taking her to get help. Don't think you can stop me."
"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I will most likely have to fight both you and Willow if I tried. Now, let's get going. We can't exactly help her right here."
Faith bent down and gently picked up Kennedy. She left the dagger in, knowing it was better to take it out once they would be able to put some pressure on the wound. She quickly, but gently carried the younger girl back to the house, and took her upstairs to lay her on the bed. While she was doing that, Willow ran to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and got the supplies ready that they would need to take care of the injury. Buffy went to find Giles to let him know what was going on, and to let the rest of the potentials know they had the day off from training. When Buffy finally got up to the bedroom, Faith had the dagger out of Kennedy and was using pressure to stop the bleeding, taking care not to press too hard and creating any worse injury. When she pulled back up to check on it, she noticed the cut was already starting to heal.
"Ok, I thought only slayers healed like that. Didn't know potentials got the whole healing thing too." Faith said to Buffy.
"As far as I know, they don't. None of the other potentials heal this fast. Looks like we have a lot more to talk about than we thought. Why don't you bandage her up, then let her sleep. We can get the answers when she wakes up."
Chapter Four
*Same time as in Chapter 3, but from Kennedy's POV*
Once the foursome got home, they broke off in twos to go to bed. Willow and Kennedy went into their room and Buffy and Faith went into Buffy's. After Kennedy and Willow were ready for bed, the potential realized she wasn't ready to go to sleep just yet. Instead she sat in a chair by the window looking at the moon, thinking about what had happened that night. After awhile, exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep in the chair. Almost immediately she started having nightmares. At first they were just the normal ones she had been having since her watcher had been killed, but then they started to look like she was watching someone else's life. After the first few scenes of watching what appeared to be someone's memories of being abused, she realized whose dreams they were, Faith's. She never realized how hard life had become for her sister after she was taken away with her father. It just made the respect she had for her older sister grow. She knew that Faith had protected her from her mother's anger when they were younger, but she didn't know how her sister had done it. Now she did.
When Kennedy woke up, dawn was breaking. After having a night filled with experiencing her sisters memories, she didn't think she could deal with all the questions she knew would come up once everyone else was awake, so she decided to take a walk. So she got dressed and left the house, being careful not to wake anyone.
While she was walking, she thought about all she had learned about her sister that night. When she finally came out of her thoughts, she realized she was at the park. It was then that she noticed she had been followed there by a group of four bringers.
'Brilliant Kennedy. You know you are being hunted by these guys, and you decide to take a walk, alone, and unarmed. Guess it's time to find out if this bond works both ways.'
~Faith, if you can hear me, I need some...~
She didn't get a chance to finish trying to send any sort of message through. One of the bringers chose that moment to attempt to stab her. She fought them off the best she could, but there were too many of them to take on by herself. Before she knew what was going on, she felt one of their daggers enter her stomach. As she was falling to the ground, her last thought was 'Oh that's going to leave a mark.'
Chapter Five
By the time Kennedy woke up, it was late afternoon. It took both Willow and Buffy almost physically restraining Faith to keep her from taking her sister to the hospital when she didn't wake up after an hour. Buffy had decided the best thing to take Faith's mind off of Kennedy was to do some training in the backyard. So that is where the two slayers were when Willow found them to let them know. Willow had spent most of the day in the bedroom, watching over her girlfriend, and researching why Kennedy seemed to be able to heal at a faster rate than the rest of the potentials. So far she hadn't found anything to account for it. She was about to give up and go find Giles to ask him, when she heard Kennedy waking up.
"Hey sleepy-head. Welcome back to the world of the living. How are you feeling?"
"Like someone tried to see what my stomach would look like on the outside of my body. How long have I been out?"
"Since this morning, and since it is about four in the afternoon now, I would say about eight hours. Why don't I take a look at how your wound is doing, ok?"
"Yeah, just be careful."
Willow went over to the bed and carefully took the bandage off Kennedy's injury. She was shocked to see that it had closed up even more since they had applied the bandages that morning. When she looked to see how Kennedy would react to that, she noticed the other girl wasn't all that surprised.
"Care to tell me why you seem to heal faster than most people, other than a slayer?"
"Do you mind getting everyone else first? Between last night and this morning, my body has taken one hell of a beating, and it takes a lot out of me. I'd rather just have to explain everything once."
"Ok, I can totally understand that. Oh, we still haven't told Giles anything about what happened. Well other than what we had to tell him after Faith brought you home. Do you want me to get him too?"
"Sure, just gather everyone and I'll meet you guys in the living room. I think I can make it down there on my own."
"Are you sure? I can help you get down there and settled, then go gather the troops."
"I'm sure. That way we can get this done faster. By the time you find everyone, I should have made it down there. If not, that means I needed your help after all."
"Ok, if your sure. If you need help, just yell. I'm sure one of us will hear you."
Willow left to go gather the slayers, the scoobs, and Giles into the living room. Kennedy got up and slowly made her way downstairs, silently thanking whomever was thoughtful enough to change her out of her bloody clothing so she wouldn't have to attempt to get dressed first. Just as she told Willow, she made it down there as the last of the group made it into the living room.
As soon as Kennedy was in the room, Faith rushed over to make sure she was really ok. She then let her sister get settled on the couch next to Willow and started to explain to everyone who wasn't in the park last night what they had discovered.
"I knew Kennedy reminded me of Faith for some reason. It all makes since now." Xander exclaimed.
"I don't know what would make you think that. I haven't seen her since I was four." Kennedy told him.
"You say you can tell when the other is in trouble. And that is how you knew to go look for Kennedy this morning? Interesting. I wonder if there is anything in any of my books that would explain this." Giles said, looking happy to have something other than The First to research.
"Hope, I do have one question for you. When I was treating your wound this morning, I noticed it had started closing as soon as I took the dagger out. Since you were able to make it down here alone, I'm taking that to mean you are even more healed. Plus it looks like we should be able to take the stitches out of your head tonight. What I want to know is, how is this all possible? You're not healing as fast as B or I would, but it is still faster than you should be." Faith asked.
"Well, a little over half a year before I felt the bond between us, I noticed I had gotten a little stronger, my senses were a little more sensitive, and I started to heal a little faster. When I told my watcher, he was a little shocked. He hadn't been informed of the death of a slayer. So he tested me to see if maybe one had died and the council wasn't aware. He discovered I while I was stronger than before, I wasn't exactly on par with a slayer. That is when he was told that you were in a coma, Faith. I guess a part of my slayer powers were awakened when that happened. Now I have a question for you. How did you know where to look for me? I thought only something like distress signals passed between us."
"I think us being together has strengthened the bond, Hope. After I felt you were in trouble, I concentrated and it was like looking out your eyes for a second. It wasn't long, but it was enough to know where you were."
"Ok, I have a question," Xander piped in, "Why do you keep calling Kennedy, Hope, Faith."
"Because that is her name, or least that is the name I know her by. Seems she is going by our last name now," Faith answered.
"Wait, your a Kennedy? As in related to JFK?"
"I don't think we are. Then again, I wouldn't know. I grew up living in Boston with our mom. Hope, do you know if we are related to them?"
"Actually, we are, but they disowned dear old Dad when he married Mom. So I never got to meet any of them. Not that I would have wanted to. Could you imagine how the press would have handled me being a potential? As it was, because of Dad's business partners, we had to lie and say I was in a boarding school in England when my watcher came to get me." Kennedy told Faith.
"Wow, so that is why he never talked about his family before the two of you left. Makes sense now."
"Well, this is all very fascinating, but let's get back on track. What I believe, from what you have told me, the bond between the two of you is sort of like the bond you share with Buffy, Faith, only not as strong. Can you sense when the other is near?" Giles said, to get the conversation back on track.
"So far, no. Then again, anytime I have been near Hope lately, I have been with Buffy. So I could just not notice because of that."
Noticing Kennedy was starting to nod off, Giles decided to end the meeting, "Ok, I think we covered enough for today. Kennedy, when you are feeling a little better, I would like to test to see what level you are at, and also what the strength of the bond is between you and Faith. For now, though, I think it would be best if you went back upstairs and get some more rest."
"Thanx Giles. I've only been injured this bad one other time. I ended up sleeping almost non-stop for a week. For some reason, the healing really wears me out." Kennedy told the ex-watcher.
"I would imagine it would. It takes and incredible amount of energy to heal that fast. Will you be able to make it to your room alright"
"I should." Kennedy said, then tried to stand up. As soon as she was upright, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she fell back down onto the sofa she was sitting on. "Then again, maybe I could use some help. Faith do you mind? Besides, I want to talk to you alone anyways."
Faith went over and carefully picked Kennedy up then carefully carried her upstairs to her room. Once there she placed her sister on the bed. She looked down and saw how tired Kennedy looked, and decided maybe it was better if they talked later. Kennedy noticed the look on Faith's face, recognizing the feelings behind it.
"It's ok Fai. I really do need to talk to you a bit. Please sit down, ok?"
"Only for a minute, Hope. You need to rest if you want to get better quicker."
"I know. I.. I just wanted to say I was sorry. I remember what it was like before I left. What I never knew was what happened after."
"How do you know now? I never told anyone what happened to me growing up. Just that mom was a drunk and an addict."
"Last night, I saw your dream. This bond really is getting stronger Faith. I'm..I'm afraid of what will happen if one of us really gets hurt. I mean worse than what happened today. I can tell your still worried something will happen. You just have to trust in me and the training I've had. Can you do that? Not worry about me quite so much?"
"Hope, it's been what, about 14- 15 years since I've been able to protect you. My biggest wish was you weren't a potential slayer, and were safe with Dad. Even if he is an asshole. But I know that isn't going to happen."
"But that's just it. I'm more than a potential. True, I'm not quite a slayer either, but I can take care of myself. I was stupid this morning, I admit that. But I am not that little four year old you need to protect. I've been with my watcher since I was 12. I'm not sorry I was chosen for this. My only regret is that I wasn't there to save Derrick. He was there for me when I thought I had lost it all. When I thought I had lost you."
"Hope, if you had been there, you wouldn't be here now. There is a reason you weren't there. Just like there was a reason I didn't die when I fell off the balcony."
The two sisters hugged, letting go of the regrets they had about not being there for each other. As the broke apart, Kennedy tried to stand, but fell back down.
"Now where do you think you are going?"
"I have something for you. Can you give me my bag, please? It's over by the closet."
Faith looked around the room and noticed the bag. She got up, retrieved it, and brought it back to the bed. Kennedy rummaged through it, and when she finally found what she was looking for, looked up to Faith with a slight grin on her face.
"You know that asshole father of ours? Well you know how before we got split up, he was always trying to start a business? Well he finally succeeded. Once he was able to, he opened accounts for you, Charity and myself and deposited $1000 a month into them. Right after I was told you had died, I received a new account book in the mail. He had transferred your account into my name. I guess he knew you weren't really dead and that I would be the one to find you. He's still been putting the deposits in, every month like clockwork." Pulling out the small book, she handed it over to her older sister, "So I guess this is yours now. Maybe tomorrow or something, we can call and have it switched back your name."
"Oh man, he... he did that. He cared enough to set up this for me. Wow, and all this time I thought he was a cold selfish bastard. This, this changes things a little."
"I know. It's a lot to take in, isn't. How just one little act can change all your views about a person."
"Yeah. I'm... I'm going to go and let you sleep. Thank you for this. Want me to send Red up here?"
"Please. And don't thank me. All I did was give you what is yours. When you are ready, I'll give you his number so you can thank him."