Disclaimer: AGAIN, Buffy: the Vampire Slayer does not at all belong to me. Not that I didn't wish that it did. She's the property of Josh Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
Author's Note: Apologies for any spelling errors I made and overall delayedness of the fic. I had a major case of literary stage fright.

Summary: Faith's come back to SunnyDale after getting out of jail on good behavior, leaving behind a pretty good paying job, only to find that Buffy's fled the scene and left a mere robot in her place.

SunnyDale is all Faith's now…But does she want it?



Early Morning, July 4th, 2001

Faith rose and fell rhythmically as she did a set of morning push ups. She was clad in only a sports bra and shorts. The battery operated alarm clock on her nightstand read 3:54am. Normally, she wouldn't have been surprised. She never was able to sleep for too long. Her energy level was always pulsing, always pushing for her body to keep moving. A regular person would have collapsed from fatigue long ago. In this case, however, the longer she did her push ups, the more agitated she became. Finally, after having lost count for the third time, she easily bounced up to her feet and walked over to the nightstand. She grabbed the clock and plopped down on the bed, crossing her feet. Her dark eyes studied the machine as she turned it over in her hands. Glancing to her left, she noted the lack of sunlight peeking through the blinds.

She frowned and sat up. Tossing the clock on the bed, she headed into the bathroom for a shower. She set her soap and washcloth within reach and turned the water on. Stripping quickly, she jumped into the shower, letting out only a small yelp of surprise at the temperature. She felt as if someone was pouring an entire vat of ice water on her. After a few moments, to her relief, the water warmed slightly. Either that or her body had adapted to the cold. She scrubbed herself furiously, intent on getting out as soon as she could.

Morning

Faith pinched the bridge of her nose. For what had to be the ninth time, she paced the length of her motel room, counting the various cracks in the ceiling. It was when she started to put the individual dents, discolored spots and cracks into their own separate categories that she decided she had better stop right away. She looked over at the clock that now took residence in the middle of her bed. 6:01AM. Okay, this is getting me no where! She howled in her mind.

The television in her room had amused her for a short time. Then, she tried her hand at channel surfing. Her trip was a short one, seeing as there were only five channels that worked. She got off the bed and started pacing a little and was making her fifth rotation when what seemed like a movie sputtered to life on the screen. Elated, she'd redirected her attention to the television, only for the movie to putter out from static. She'd then returned to pacing.

“There's gotta be something to do for fun.” Angrily, she ran her fingers through her hair, fighting the urge to pull at the dark locks. “Maybe I can go out. Find something.” She looked down and decided to add more to her current attire. Something told her people might be tempted to stare if she pranced out the door in just a pair of polka dot thong underwear.

Shortly afterwards, she was heading out the door, clad in a light blue tank top and black jeans. The streets were mostly empty that early in the morning. And so, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she decided to go for a walk. She was hopeful. Maybe someone would attack her, and she would find herself in a fight that while being short would provide some entertainment. That never happened. She found herself at the mall, but it wasn't open just yet. A half hour of almost mindless wandering brought her to this store called 'Magic Box'. “What kind of cheesy store is this?”

Glancing to the right, she noted the wooden benches sitting outside and how blinds kept any passing observer from seeing anything. “Nice. Guess a gal's gotta go in to see anything.” She turned the doorknob and pushed inwards, her face screwing up at the sound of a bell ringing; and she decided right away that she detested it. Lame, but I don't have too many options. A blonde was standing at the counter and sprung into motion as soon as Faith's foot entered the door.

“Hello! Greetings and welcome to the Magic Box.” The blonde smiled goofily, her hands clasped in front of her. Faith was taken aback. She half expected this woman to start bouncing in place, appearing that happy. “How may I help you spend your money?”

“Uhh.”

“Wait a minute. I know you!” Faith quickly backed up. “I do know you, don't I?” The blonde's gaze turned predatory. “You're the one who tried to kill Buffy!” A low laugh followed. “I'm not surprised you would show up here after what happened.” Faith was starting to feel tendrils of unease and chills down her back. “Came to gloat didn't you?” Faith didn't respond, instead turning around and quickly leaving. Once outside, she started the one thing she was currently sure to be good at. She ran. The world tilted slightly on its axis.

Near Noontime…

A blink, bringing focus back into a pair of brown eyes. Where am I? She wondered. She'd tried to piece together what had happened. Things had been okay. A little dull, but that wasn't too much of a surprise. She had wandered around the town for a time and then…There. She remembered the blonde she'd talked to, how angry the woman suddenly seemed to get at her, that mocking laughter. Her world had become cloudy. Lifting both hands, she rubbed them over her eyes. She then came to the realization that she was sitting in down and slowly rose to her feet. Her fingers sunk into the dirt underneath. Faith turned around slowly, wiping her hands off on the back of her jeans. Wow. B's place. I musta really been outta it!

Strangely, the place still looked good, someone was tending to the yard and everything. “Maybe she sold it?” She wouldn't have been surprised if that happened. After all, with Buffy gone and her mom dead, there wouldn't be a real need for anyone to keep the house. She remembered the day she'd learned of it. Angel had come to visit her and they talked, the conversation inevitably trailing back to Buffy. She'd felt a pang of jealousy even then for the blonde Slayer. At least Buffy had a mother worthy enough to miss. Faith felt nothing but distaste and a pang of what could have been familial love, had it been nourished. She hadn't seen her mother in years. Didn't even know if the woman was still alive. Her mother hadn't bothered to look for her, and she'd done the same, afraid or ashamed of what she might find.

“Why the fuck am I here anyways?” She felt a flick, like a light switch being flipped on in her head. “Oh that's right. Only one. Save the world. Blah blah blah.” So why was she still standing outside of Buffy's former home? There was no reason to it; no way she could logically justify her continuing to stand in place. Holding to that thought firmly, she turned, about to leave when she heard the door open. While she was just standing there, she decided, she could at least get a peek at who owned the house now. A teenager stepped out the door, her head turned to speak to someone behind her.

“Take care, my sister who is Dawn!”

“Take care Buffy,” There was a catch in her voice that befuddled Faith. Just what was going on here. First that insane woman in the store and now Dawn was upset. Wait a second…Faith thought. I don't know a—Yeah, I do know Dawn, don't I? Something about her not remembering the teenager seemed entirely wrong. She had just been thinking about Joyce and Buffy Summers, hadn't she? So why hadn't she thought about the kid too? “I'll be back soon okay!”

“Have fun at the building of learning and teaching!”

“Buffy, it's not a school day, remember? It's Summer!”

“Oh.” Dawn sighed.

“I'm going out with my friends to hang around a bit before the fireworks tonight,” She was quiet for a second. “Be careful. Don't pick up the phone and don't let anyone in.” She turned and started down the stairs.

“Dawn?”

“Yeah?” The girl looked back at Buffy--the robot again.

“I love you Dawn. Because you're my sister! Come back soon.” There was a sniffle, one that Faith was sure came from Dawn, and then the teen bounded back up the few steps and flung her arms around the robot, hugging tightly. The bot just stared into space, not returning the gesture. Faith suddenly felt like she was intruding on something very private and took her leave. Doesn't make much sense. She thought. She acted so crushed about having that-that thing there. She bit her lip. Then why did she have it?


Next Chapter: Just WHY did Buffy allow herself to be replaced by a robot? Why is Dawn so clingy with it? And why the hell didn't anyone call Faith after Buffy skipped town?