Forgotten Conscience - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Faith's POV
Stupid bitch, I can't believe she would do that.
I slow down when I realize she isn't chasing me.
Scratch that, I can believe that she would do that. She never thinks about anyone but herself. She suddenly decides that she's in love with me and I'm just supposed to start feeling that way too? Bull... whatever I was thinking ,whatever I was feeling, it was because of the amnesia... nothing else. It wasn't anything more than that. It couldn't be anything more than that.
Just because I kept kissing her after that surge of energy went through us and I got my memory back... it doesn't mean anything. I was in the moment. I do it all the time. Just because it happened to be with Buffy doesn't change a thing.
I turn a corner and keep walking.
Besides which, I'm not into girls. I mighta experimented a little before but it never really went anywhere so I just stopped experimenting. I'm not looking to rehash the past. Wait, where am I?
I look around.
Wait isn't this...? I'm only a few blocks from... that's where I'll go.
I walk past an alley.
"Faith?"
I stop and look down the alleyway.
"Are you Faith?"
"Who wants to know?"
I start towards the demon.
"I have something for you... it's from..."
I don't give him a chance to finish, I kick him in the stomach and he doubles over. I move behind him, putting my arm around his neck and pulling him upright as I do. I use my other arm to snap his neck. I drop the body on the ground and stare at it. My hand starts shaking and I can't stop it.
Oh god... what have I done? I killed it... I killed him, I... I... Stop it, you gotta stop it. It was a demon. It was a soulless, evil THING. Stop acting like you give a damn. You're a killer, killing things is what you do, STOP caring.
I kneel down next to the body and start searching for whatever he had for me.
He was just a demon, he doesn't matter.
I feel something weird in his inside jacket pocket.
I bet that's it.
I open his jacket and rip the flap from its stitches. A package falls on his chest.
That's it.
I pick it up.
So then the question is... what the hell is it?
I hear footsteps getting closer.
I'll figure it out later.
I run to the end of the alley and scale the ten foot wall at the end of it. I perch myself on top of it for a moment and look down at the body I'm leaving in my wake.
I can't just leave the body like that can I? He's a demon Faith, leave him rotting like that. What the hell do you care?
I hear the footsteps get closer.
Screw it.
I drop off the edge of the wall and break into a run.
Buffy's POV
He can help, I know he can.
I walk up to Giles' front door and go right in without knocking.
The whole gang's here, good, that'll make it easier to find her if we're all looking.
"Ah Buffy, it's good that you're here. I've spoken to Wesley and we have a problem..."
We don't have time for that now.
"We have a bigger problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Where's Faith?"
"That's sorta the problem."
"What do you mean?"
"She... she's gone."
"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?"
"She left..."
"Where'd she leave to?"
"If I knew where she was I'd be there right now."
"Right, duh... okay well, do you know why she left? Maybe that would help us figure out where she went."
"We... she... I... it's my fault."
"Your fault? How is it your fault?"
Don't tell them about the kiss. That'll just raise more questions than I can answer right now.
"I... we... we were training at the gym and... and then all of the sudden she just, spaced out for a second and when she came out of it she... she had her memory back?"
"Do you know what set it off?"
I turn to Willow. Tara's just sitting there beside her with a look of concern on her face.
Does she know?
"I-I'm not sure. One second she was almost catatonic and the next she was the old Faith."
"What were you doing?"
I look over at Giles.
"Doing?"
"Buffy as I said, no slayer has ever lived to regain her memory. Clearly something must've happened that has never happened to any slayer before."
This isn't getting us anywhere, she could get attacked by those vamps, or worse, she could be on a boat out of here.
"Look, how it happened... isn't what's important, what's important is finding Faith."
"Buffy is right, we can worry about the specifics later. Right now our priority is finding Faith before it's too late."
Spike stands up out of nowhere.
I didn't even notice he was here.
"Jolly good then, let's break into teams and... form a search detail and all that good stuff."
"Spike, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Well when you told me about Faith I figured there must be some evil brewin' and with this soddin chip in my head evil action is the only action I'm gonna get so I thought I'd try and help."
Whatever.
"All right whatever. Giles, you keep researching. Xander, Anya, you check the docks and the bus station in case she tries to skip town. Willow, Tara, you guys check the motels. I'm gonna check back at the dorm and her old apartment in case she went back to get some things before she skips town."
"Right."
"Right."
"Okay let's go."
I turn to leave and my friends follow.
"Wait... what do I do?"
Oh right, Spike.
"Uh, help Giles..."
"Oh bloody hell, you want me to hang out with Marry Poppins' dad and sift through useless books while you go off and have all the fun, bugger that."
"Shut up Spike. Faith is human you can't hurt her without a massive migraine. Besides, Faith is a slayer and she knows you're a vampire you'd get a stake through the heart before you could say 'Oh dear god please don't hurt me'. You wanna help? Stay here and help Giles."
He sits down.
"Okay good, let's go."
I start towards the door.
"Soddin slayer."
I can't have him out there searching for her if he's working for those vampire cult guys.
Xander and Anya go through the door but Tara stops before leaving. She puts her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
I put my hand on hers and there's only one thing I can think to say.
"Thank you."
She smiles at me before leaving with Willow.
If she doesn't know what happened she certainly knows what I'm feeling.
"I'll be back soon, Giles."
Hopefully with Faith.