DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read. This one was inspired by Erlynmyre's Finding the Light.

One More Chance
By Kristjan Brezovnik

"Yeah?" Buffy said as she picked up the phone.

"Hello. My name is Barbara Rosario and I work at the California Institution for Women. I'd like to speak to Buffy Summers."

"Speaking."

"Ah, good. I'd like to learn more about an inmate of ours, a girl named Faith Spencer. Could you…"

"Is she still there?" Buffy interrupted her.

"Why, yes," came the confused reply.

"Good," Buffy said and hung up.

The phone made a protesting noise and Buffy realized she was tense. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She cursed. Damn Faith. What the hell did that… The phone rang again.

"What?" Buffy snapped.

"Look, it's really important," the voice on the other side said and Buffy recognized it was the same caller. "She…"

"I don't care!" Buffy said. "I hope she rots in jail for the rest of her life. And don't ever call me again."

She hung up again and the phone protested again. She let out a short scream, frustrated. Can't the woman take a hint? She tried to push Faith's image out of her mind, but for some reason she couldn't.

"Damn you, Faith," she said and went to the TV and turned it on, hoping she would forget.

An hour later, she stopped hoping.

"Damn you, Faith!" she screamed.

"Everything okay, honey?"

Buffy jerked and turned.

"Mom. When did you get home?"

"Just now. Is everything okay?"

Buffy sighed.

"Yeah. I'm just frustrated, that's all."

"Oh."

"I'm going out, I need to clear my mind."

"Okay."

Buffy left, hoping it would get dark soon so she could take her frustration out on the vamps.

When Buffy opened the door and found a strange woman there, she suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Hello, I'm Barbara…"

Buffy recognized the voice and slammed the door in the woman's face.

Barbara gasped, surprised, and rang the bell again.

"Get lost!" Buffy yelled at her after she opened the door again.

"Not until you hear what I have to say," Barbara said.

"About Faith? I don't care about her anymore."

"But once you did?"

Buffy frowned as she realized what she had said. She sighed.

"Yes, I did. Now, I don't. Good bye."

She wanted to slam the door again, but Barbara put her arm in.

"Ouch!" she yelped when the arm was caught between the door and the doorframe.

Buffy looked at her, startled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I'm trying to save Faith's life," Barbara said, massaging the sore arm.

Buffy felt her stomach flutter, but she pushed the feeling away.

"Why do you care?" she asked.

"Because I believe she has a chance at redemption. I know she was trying hard, but the old warden and my predecessor didn't really care about the inmates. I reviewed her case and I think she could be saved, but right now she's so far gone that I can't get to her. She's almost like a vegetable and the only thing she keeps repeating is your name."

Buffy stared at the woman. She was confused. She hated Faith, but for some reason she wanted to help her. Again. She shook her head, frustrated.

"No," she said.

"Please, Buffy, you're her only chance."

"It's too late for that."

"No, it isn't," Barbara said, shaking her head, "not until you try talking to her. Look, I have something to show you. You have a VCR?"

"Yes."

"Can I come in?"

Buffy stared at the woman for a few moments. She didn't want to help Faith, but she was curious. She finally cursed and stepped aside. Barbara entered and Buffy closed the door.

When they got to the living room, Barbara took out a videotape and handed it to Buffy, who put it into the VCR.

"This is just one of many such tapes. Too many, if you ask me. It's a surveillance tape from the yard."

Buffy pressed play and they watched.

On the screen, Faith was slowly walking across the yard when a mean looking woman approached her and started bitching. Faith wasn't moving at all, that is until the woman attacked her. After that, Faith was a blur. A few seconds later, the woman was lying ten meters away, unconscious and badly wounded. The guards converged on Faith and beat her up until she too was unconscious.

"So?" Buffy asked when the scene ended. "She beat up a woman and then the guards beat her."

Barbara sighed.

"Rewind. Let's watch again."

Buffy obliged. She had a feeling she knew what the woman wanted to point out, but she refused to acknowledge it.

The scene unfolded again.

"Now did you see?" Barbara asked.

"No," Buffy said.

Barbara sighed.

"She didn't want to fight, but she did when she was attacked. And she's one hell of a fighter, she had the guards scared. But she also has remarkable control of herself. You saw how she didn't move when the guards beat her, she just let them. She had never touched a guard. Unfortunately, they obviously didn't get that or they just enjoyed beating her. She spent most of her time in solitary and it was getting to her. She talked to my predecessor a bit, but he just didn't care. I did get some insight, though. You know why she never touched a guard?"

"No."

"Because they represent the law. Justice. And that tells me that she thinks she deserves whatever she gets from them. Not from the other inmates though. Unfortunately, she finally snapped and this happened."

Barbara took out another tape and handed it to Buffy. Buffy switched the tapes and pressed play again.

On the screen, Faith was slowly walking across the yard again when one of the inmates approached her. Buffy noticed some sort of blade in her hands, but to her surprise Faith just stood there, staring at the woman, and let her stab her.

"Looks like she completely lost it," Buffy commented.

"Perhaps," Barbara said. "After she got out of the infirmary, she tried to kill herself three more times, until she just blanked out. I tried talking to her, but she just shut herself up. But she kept screaming, 'I have to die, she needs help'. I think she meant you. Now she's in the solitary, wearing a straight-jacket, and she keeps repeating your name, like it's the only thing that's keeping her, well, sane." She paused for a moment. "Or a call for help."

Buffy thought about what Barbara had said. A part of her wanted to help Faith, give her another chance, but a part of her didn't want to risk being hurt again.

"No," she finally said, shaking her head.

"But…"

"No!" Buffy screamed, glaring at Barbara.

She took out the tape and gave it to her.

"Look…"

"Get out of the house," Buffy said menacingly. "Now."

Barbara gulped. She quickly packed her things and left. Once Buffy slammed the door after her, she sighed. She took a card from her purse and pushed it under the door. Then she left.

Inside, Buffy was furious, at Faith, at the woman and at herself. She hated Faith for making her care again, she hated the woman for being so insistent on helping Faith and she hated herself for caring. She had tried to help Faith, more often than she cared to remember, but every time she ended being the one hurt. Not to mention that Faith had stolen her body, slept with Riley and then turned Angel against her. Once, she had cared deeply about Faith, more than about Angel, even though she was afraid to admit it to herself then, and if Faith hadn't gone insane, she knew that perhaps she could love her, but that was ancient history now. Then why, she wondered, did she still care about Faith? She had Riley now, she loved him and he loved her. She sighed. She needed to see Riley.

After a night with Riley, Buffy was still tense. Riley had tried his best to make her feel loved, but all the time she kept thinking about Faith. Fortunately, she had an early period and she quickly left Riley.

Two weeks later just about all her friends noticed that she was on the edge. They tried talking to her, but how could she explain her feelings to them when she couldn't explain them to herself. And she already knew what they would say if she told them that she was actually considering helping Faith.

She finally called the number on the card Barbara had left behind and set an appointment.

"Buffy," Barbara greeted her, smiling, "I'm so glad you decided to come."

"That makes one of us," Buffy mumbled.

"Come, sit," Barbara said and went to a comfortable sofa. "Em, I'd like to ask you a few very personal questions," she said when Buffy said.

"You can ask," Buffy said, but Barbara heard the unspoken part, namely that she won't necessarily answer.

"I've heard that she had hurt you, she even admitted that herself to my predecessor, but I don't know how."

Buffy stared at Barbara for a few moments, considering leaving, but she finally sighed.

"None of your business." She hesitated for a moment. "I've lost battles, but she's the only one that ever made me a victim."

"I see," Barbara said, realizing that this might be very hard.

She considered asking more questions, but she decided against it, afraid that Buffy would leave.

"Come, I'll take you to her."

"I thought you weren't allowed to have visitors in solitary," Buffy said as Barbara opened the door to Faith's cell.

"Normally not, but the new warden allowed me to take care of her. If I didn't, they'd have taken her to a mental institution."

Buffy quietly thought about that possibility until Barbara opened the door and she saw Faith.

Faith was sitting in a corner, her chin resting on her knees. She was wearing a straight-jacket and her eyes were blank. Her lips moved occasionally, but Buffy couldn't make out the words.

Buffy suddenly felt the urge to run to Faith and hug her, but then she remembered what Faith had done to her and she didn't. She stared at her for a while and then followed Barbara into the cell.

"Now what?" she asked as she watched Barbara check Faith.

Barbara looked at her.

"Talk to her. I'm pretty sure she can hear you. But you have to let her know you care."

Buffy snorted.

"Who said I do?"

"Then why are you here?" Barbara asked. "If you don't care, she's not going to respond and you're wasting your time."

Buffy stared at Barbara for a few moments and then looked at Faith.

"Do what you feel you have to," Barbara encouraged her. "You can even take off her straight-jacket, if you want. And take your time. I'll be outside. Knock on the door when you're done."

Buffy glanced at Barbara as she left and then looked back at Faith. She looked so helpless, for some reason even more helpless than she did when she was lying in coma after she had stabbed her. Buffy shuddered at the memory and frowned, surprised. She stared at Faith for a while, for some reason afraid to go any closer. Then she noticed the moving lips and got curious. She hesitated for a while and then slowly went closer and kneeled before Faith. Faith moved her lips again and Buffy thought she heard a sound, but she couldn't make out the words. She leaned closer and listened.

"Buffy," came the whisper after a while.

Buffy looked at Faith, surprised. Then she remembered that Barbara had told her about Faith repeating her name over and over again. She backed off and then stopped abruptly, confused that she was feeling guilty. She wondered why. She went to the opposite corner and sat down, hugging her knees and resting her chin on her knees. She observed Faith and thought about why the hell she was feeling guilty.

She thought about all the times she had spent with Faith, from the first time she had seen her in that alley to when Faith had turned herself in. She had liked her at the beginning, a lot. It was like she had been waiting for her to come into her life and Angel was just a distraction. Sure, she had cared deeply for Angel, she still did, but what she felt for him was nothing compared to what she had felt for Faith. She had liked her so much that she even cut classes and broke into a store. She frowned as she remembered their last conversation on the roof of Angel's building. Faith had mentioned something about control. Buffy realized that she too had lost control that night when Faith had killed the Deputy Mayor, but unlike Faith she had regained it. Faith, on the other hand, slipped deeper and deeper into darkness. Buffy remembered how afraid she was, not only for herself, but for Faith. And when Faith had told her that she didn't care, Buffy didn't know what to do. She wondered if things would turn out differently if she had invited her to come and stay with her and her mother instead of leaving her all alone in that sleazy motel.

She frowned. Would things have turned out differently? She didn't know. But she did remember the Christmas when Angel had tried to commit suicide. Faith had come to her. She sighed. Maybe if she had insisted on spending more time with Faith, Faith wouldn't have become what she had. She remembered that last conversation again. Faith had asked her how to make it better again. She had asked her, not Angel, even though he was the one who gave her one more chance after she tried to kill him. And even Wesley seemed to accept that Faith wanted to change, even though she had tortured him.

She shuddered. She remembered what Barbara had told her, about what Faith was screaming after she wanted to kill herself, and realized that Faith probably cared for her. At least that's what she thought. But she would never find out if she didn't do something to make Faith want to live again.

She gulped. Did she really want Faith back in her life? After all that she had done to her? It would be so much simpler to just let her wither away and die, especially since she had a boyfriend she cared about. Not to mention that another Slayer would be called and she could really use some help.

She sighed. If she let Faith die, then she would constantly wonder if there was something she could have done and whether Faith cared about her, this little visit had ensure that. She buried her face in her palms and took a deep breath. Like her life wasn't complicated enough. She looked at Faith again, who hadn't moved and was still occasionally moving her mouth.

Buffy sighed again and got up. She went to Faith and kneeled in front of her.

"Faith," she said, but Faith didn't respond. "Faith," she said and gently shook her, but there was no response. "Faith." This time she shook her more strongly. Still no response.

Buffy realized this wasn't going to do it. She needed to do something that would shock Faith. She considered slapping Faith. She hesitated for a moment and then slapped Faith. Faith's head moved under the force of impact, but Faith returned it back to original position without acknowledging her presence. Buffy felt fear tighten her stomach and she took a deep breath to calm. If a slap didn't do it, what would?

She fervently thought about what she could do to get Faith's attention when a perverse thought occurred to her. At least she thought it was perverse. What if she kissed Faith? She shuddered. She wanted to and she was afraid to. Not to mention that she wasn't sure whether that would be taking advantage of Faith or if she would be cheating on Riley. Or if she really cared whether she was cheating on Riley. Or cared enough about Faith that she would kiss her.

She stared at Faith for a while, hesitating, and then she suddenly found herself moving forward. She stopped when her lips were only millimeters from Faith's. She gulped and then moved those final millimeters until their lips touched. Faith still didn't move, so Buffy moved in for a full kiss.

Nothing happened for a few moments, but then Faith suddenly jerked and her eyes focused. Buffy stopped kissing her. Faith's eyes went wide when she recognized Buffy.

"B-B-Buffy," she croaked and seemed to become even smaller as she tried to back off but couldn't.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments, noticing that Faith was afraid. She sighed.

"Hello, Faith," she said.

Faith looked around, confused.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Buffy sighed internally. Why was she here? To help Faith? To get some answers? Because the prison shrink wanted her to come? None of the above? All of the above?

"I'm not sure," she said, observing Faith, who reminded her of a trapped animal. "The new shrink came by my house a couple of weeks ago and told me a bit about you." She shrugged. "I didn't want to come, but for some reason I kept thinking of you." She sighed. "I guess I'm willing to give you one more chance, but this is definitely the last one. You screw up again and I'll kill you."

Faith stared at Buffy, surprised, and she saw that she was serious.

"Why?" she then asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you giving me another chance? I mean, God knows you've given me more chances than anyone, even though I didn't deserve them, and I screwed you every single time. I mean…" she trailed off, blushing, and looked down.

Buffy stared at her for a while. She wanted to ask the question, but she doubted whether Faith would be sincere. She sighed.

"I've been thinking," she said instead and Faith looked at her. "About our last conversation, about control. You were right. I already ran away once and I didn't like it. And after you killed Finch, I was scared, for both of us. But I had my mom and friends and I regained control. You had no one. I tried, Faith, but I was scared. And others were afraid of you." She paused. "I wonder if any of this would have happened if I had invited you to stay with me and my mother instead of letting you stay in that motel."

Faith stared at her, surprised.

"You didn't have to…"

"You are a fellow Slayer, Faith. I've already seen one Slayer get killed and she was in control of herself. You… When you came to Sunnydale, you were running from Kakistos. I know you pretended to be tough, but I shouldn't have left you in that motel."

They stared at one another for a few moments.

"It's not your fault," Faith then said. "I made the wrong choices and I hurt just about everyone that even remotely cared about me, you, your friends, your mom, Giles, Wesley." She sighed. "Angel should have killed me that night."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, puzzled.

"He didn't tell you?" Faith said, surprised.

"Tell me what?"

Faith bit her lips and looked away.

"Nothing," she murmured and looked away.

Buffy sighed.

"Tell me, Faith, I want to know. Please."

Faith looked at her and sighed.

"I wasn't really trying to kill Angel, I wanted him to kill me," she said quietly, avoiding Buffy's eyes. "I was so sick of myself I wanted to end it all, but I didn't have the guts to do it myself. I thought Angel would jump at the chance to rid the world of me, but he didn't, not even after I tortured Wesley and kicked the crap out of him."

Buffy stared at Faith, surprised, Angel hadn't told her that. Then she remembered what Barbara had told her.

"So you finally gathered the courage."

Faith looked at her, puzzled, and then her eyes went wide as she realized that Buffy knew about her suicide attempts. She looked away, ashamed.

"I wanted to live, try to make up for what I've done, but the women kept trying to kill me and I figured someone up there is sending me a message that it's time for another Slayer." She paused for a moment. "And I know you could use the help," she added quietly.

A tear ran down her cheeks and she tried to wipe it with her pants. Buffy noticed it, surprised, and she reached to wipe it. Faith froze when Buffy's fingers touched her cheek and they stared at one another for a few moments.

"What should I do?" Faith broke the silence.

Buffy removed her hand, thinking.

"Live," she then said. "Perhaps someone up there was trying to get my attention, make me care about you again," she explained when Faith gave her a puzzled look.

Faith swallowed hard.

"Help me?"

Buffy stared at her for a few moments.

"Yes."

Faith sobbed for a moment, but she quickly got herself under control.

"Thank you," she said in a coarse voice, trying to look Buffy in the eyes.

The two Slayers stared at one another for a while.

"Turn around," Buffy then said.

"Why?" Faith asked, confused.

"So I can take the straight-jacket off."

Faith frowned.

"You can't. I'm a prisoner."

"The shrink said I can take it off. Provided you won't try to kill yourself."

Faith sighed and shook her head.

"I won't."

"Good. Turn around."

Faith slowly turned around and Buffy took off her straight-jacket. When Faith turned back, Buffy noticed that Faith was very skinny and looked much younger than she actually was. Faith leaned back and closed her eyes for a few moments, sighing.

"I… I'm…" she started when she opened her eyes, but she hesitated, remembering how Buffy had reacted the last time she wanted to apologize. "I'm sorry, Buffy," she said when Buffy didn't look like she was angry.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"Me too, Faith."

After that they just spent a couple of hours talking, mostly about the everyday stuff, sometimes about the things they'd done to one another.

"Oh God, look at the time," Buffy said when she glanced at her watch.

"What?" Faith said, startled.

"We've been talking for almost three hours."

"Oh."

"The shrink must be getting nervous. Look, why don't we stop for today. I'll give the shrink my dorm number and you can call me every day and I'll come visit you every weekend."

"You will?" Faith asked hopefully.

Buffy smiled.

"Yes."

Faith smiled back.

"Thank you," she said.

Buffy stared at her for a moment, surprised, and then got up and knocked on the door.

A few moments later the door opened and Barbara looked in. She smiled when she saw Faith looking at her.

"Welcome back, Faith," she said and Faith felt a bit uncomfortable at her warmth. "How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Good. Listen, I'll back later. I need to talk to Buffy first and then to the Warden. Are you hungry?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Feel like pizza?"

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Yes."

"Good." She looked at Buffy. "Come."

"So, tell me. I'd like to know more about Faith," Barbara said when they got to her office.

Buffy hesitated.

"Em, I don't think it's my story to tell." She sighed. "We both messed up. She lost control and I didn't know how to help her." She thought for a moment. "I guess I was scared, because I'd lost control myself a couple of months earlier. Can I give you my dorm number so she can call me?"

"Yes, of course," Barbara said and gave her a piece of paper and a pen.

Buffy wrote down the number and returned the paper and the pen.

"I'll come visit her every weekend," she then said.

Barbara smiled.

"Good. It will do her good to have someone familiar to talk to. And it will do you good."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess." She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks."

Barbara smiled.

"You're welcome."

"What will happen to her now?"

Barbara thought for a moment.

"Well, the new warden is a good woman and she has assured me that Faith will not be beaten again if she quietly surrendered. I will also talk to Faith about being a little less violent in her self-defense. And she will go back to her cell. I'll try to get her to work at the library and maybe take the GED. We'll see."

Buffy stared at the prison shrink for a few moments.

"Why do you care?" she then asked.

Barbara shrugged.

"I had a friend once. We were both poor, but she joined a gang. She was caught after a drive-by shooting and sent to jail. I visited her a couple of times and she was scared and she regretted what she had done. Unfortunately, three months later, she was raped and killed by other inmates. I was too young to help her, but I know that there are others like her that could use help. I think Faith is one of them."

Buffy thought about Barbara's story and then sighed.

"Okay. I gotta go now."

Barbara nodded.

"I'll take care of Faith."

"Thanks."

When Buffy was gone, Barbara first ordered a pizza and then went to the Warden. After everything was settled and the pizza delivered, she went to get Faith. Faith staggered a bit when she got up, weak from sitting still for too long, but Barbara caught her and supported her.

"Thanks," Faith muttered.

"You're welcome," Barbara said, smiling.

The two guards who were assigned as escort were a bit uneasy when they saw that Faith was out of straight-jacket, they had seen what Faith was capable of and they were weary of her in spite of the fact that she had never touched a guard. They cautiously followed the shrink and the prisoner, their batons ready.

When they got to Barbara's office, the guards remained outside.

"You can sit at my table," Barbara said and led Faith to her chair. "Eat the pizza first and then I'll tell you about what the Warden told me."

Faith hesitated for a moment, but then opened the pizza box and attacked the pizza. Barbara smiled as she watched Faith devour the pizza in quarter the time she did.

"Thanks," Faith said, slightly embarrassed, after she ate the pizza.

"You're welcome. Was it enough?"

Faith shrugged.

"For now."

"Don't worry, you'll still catch the dinner."

Faith made a grimace.

"And that's a good thing?"

Barbara chuckled.

"Probably not. Anyway, about the Warden."

The End