Forgotten Conscience - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Angel's POV
Why didn't Buffy tell me she was out of her coma? I know we aren't exactly on speaking terms but this is big. She should've sent word.
Faith looks over at me, then at the vampire and then back at me. We lock eyes.
Wait, something's different, something in her eyes I've never seen before.
She attacks the vamp, a roundhouse kick and a stake to the heart makes quick work of the vampire. Faith looks over at the young girl, stake still in hand, and she starts toward the victim.
Oh shit, I've gotta stop her before she goes on another killing spree.
I sprint to her and manage to grab her in a chicken wing type hold.
"Don't do it Faith. I can't let you do it."
Maybe I can still save her.
"Do what? I was just gonna help her up."
Who the hell do you think you're kidding Faith?
"Yeah and I'm supposed to believe you were gonna stake an innocent as a token of our friendship? Not after what you've done."
I turn to the young woman.
"Run, GO!"
The young woman runs until she turns the corner of the alley.
Oh, crap...
She hits me with an elbow to my stomach, then two more. I don't have time to react as she head butts me and I'm forced to break the hold. I step back a few steps and take a fighting stance.
"I-I didn't mean to kill them, the-they attacked m-me."
Things are never easy with Faith. There it is again, that look of... something.
"Yeah and all those people just sort of lined up to be staked right?"
I throw three punches and each of them misses.
Come on Angel, you gotta step it up a notch if you're gonna stop a slayer.
"All those people..."
"Yeah, don't play dumb with me Faith. I know you're smarter than that."
Why isn't she attacking?
I throw two more punches and a roundhouse and again she backs off.
The look on her face almost makes me believe she's afraid of me.
"I-I please, it-I only, I don't want to... I don't wanna hurt you I..."
"Yeah, okay, last time we met you tried to poison me."
I throw a fake jab and duck for a leg sweep and it finally takes her down. I quickly scramble on top of her and we struggle for an edge.
She's not using all her slayer strength, this is too easy. What game are you playing?
"I-I, it was just, I didn't..."
"Didn't what? What game are you playing Faith?"
"There were two of them, I-I didn't mean to..."
There's that look again, but it quickly turns to a look of desperation as I pin her arms to the pavement.
Cool girl Faith with desperation on her face? Something is seriously wrong with this picture.
She struggles like a little girl and I know this is wrong.
"There were only two... only two of them."
I move off of her and she starts hitting me like a weakling. Her punches are so soft I barely feel them. I stand up and step away from her. As I look down at her I can tell this is not the cold blooded killer I used to know.
"Please go away, there, I-I don't wanna hurt you I... please, don't, I..."
She looks down at her hands and sees the blood on them. She panics. She curls up into the fetal position and tries to wipe the blood off on the ground.
What's wrong with her? Does she not remember what she's done?
I crouch down next to her and extend a hand to calm her.
"Faith..."
She scrambles to back away until she's stopped by the dumpster.
"Don't... don't come any... anywhere near me. I-I don't wanna hurt y-you."
I gotta calm her down before she freaks out and hurts someone.
She takes a swing at me before I can get too close.
"Faith please, you have to calm down. You're gonna hurt yourself."
"I... there were two of them, I just, I just wanted..."
"What Faith? What did you want?"
She lets me get close enough to touch her shoulder and she seems to calm under my touch.
This is not the Faith that tried to kill me. Something has happened to her, something horrible.
"I just didn't want them to, hurt me and I..."
I get close enough to hug her and she starts to calm down. As I put my arms around her she reaches out and hugs my ribs.
"It's okay Faith, its okay. You can trust me."
"I-I-I-... I, I..."
"What did you do?"
"I... it... they... and I..."
Don't push her Angel. You'll risk total breakdown. She isn't giving you much right now and if you push her she'll shut down.
"It's okay you can trust me. What have you done?"
Shit, you shouldn't have said it THAT way.
"I-I-I-I-I-..."
Uh-oh, here it comes.
"I-I can't."
She pushes me away and gets up trying to run. She stops and looks back at me. She wants to tell me, I can see it in her eyes.
She's afraid to tell me because she thinks I'll turn her in.
"It's okay, I won't tell anyone. I won't turn you in."
Stop it Angel, being direct is not what she needs right now. I need to do something; I need to show her that I won't hurt her.
I get up and walk towards her, slowly so as not to startle her and make her run off. I manage to get close enough to put my arm around her. I pull her in close and hold her tight.
"It's okay, it's, okay you, you don't have to tell me. I can help you, its okay."
She squeezes my ribs and I know this isn't gonna be easy.