Thank you.

Yeah, I wanted to make it a painful journey, to show as to why Buffy wanted to move on, 'take a step back' is a nice way of putting it actually.

All that guilt and sorrow...Buffy always has it tough when it comes to love. =(

The comic was the Frank Miller/Daredevil classic. 'Born Again', in case you were wondering. It's one of the better Daredevil offerings.

Thanks again!

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, that I know of...

Faith is gonna have a bad few chapters...all that karma for the bad stuff she did I guess, or maybe I'm just really mean.

A few answers next chapter (about what Spike saw, about Faith's sitch, what Riley's doing and such.), in fact it's getting so long I might have to split it in two.

Thanks for the feedback. :)

Thank you for the kind words. I like the whole 'weaving of a plot' thing, its fun- but the next few chapters are gonna get back to what's important in this fic.

Buffy and Faith beating the tar out of each other!

And also some mushy stuff a little later on...

Faith is pretty good at reading people, and given her level of cynicism its very hard to manipulate her, even if you are a certified mad scientist with lots of psychological tricksy tricks.

No mind games for Faith, except for the ones she's playing with Buffy. *gulp*

The next update will be...as soon as my beta returns it to me. So, any time now!

D

yay to writing fuffy!

I hope I wrote this in a way that even if you hadn't seen OITNB or even heard of it, that you'd still be able to enjoy this little one-off.

I wanted to write an "anniversary" fic of an event that wasn't fluffy and bunny rabbits and i came up with the anniversary of Buffy stabbing Faith, so i thought the nightmares/flashbacks to be appropriate.  and anytime Cordelia and Faith can hang out is just a bonus in my book :)

i also pride myself on realistic endings. *coughs* Soulless *coughs* I know that might not make me the most popular writer because i don't mind not giving these characters a happy ending, but it's just how i roll :)

Thanks for the read and review, Hayley!

I figured I had to put a little spin on things with this one, kind of make it different than what is likely expected, I guess. You know what I mean?

Glad you enjoyed this one, girl, for this very well might be the last Fuffy I write/post for a while... (psst I've been sucked into the swanqueen fandom...)

Hey! Thanks for dropping a few words for me! So happy you enjoyed the way I depicted the two of them in the fic, it was a lot of fun writing two haunted characters, but having them express it in different ways. I didn't want to make it too obvious that something was going on with Buffy too (kinda makes me want to write a counter part piece from her POV). The conversation was rough to get out, and keep with a certain flow, so I'm glad you could appreciate the (honest) conversation, and how I wrapped it up as well. Thanks again!

I made this story based on two major ideas:

First, that Richard loved Faith, and experiencing love would cause Faith to grow and mature (in small, bite-size steps). Faith's relationship with Buffy (and Joyce, and to a lesser extent with everyone else) grows as she learns to love herself.

Second, that Slayers on the TV series experienced Superman syndrome - that is, they were only as powerful as dramatically appropriate. Thus we get Faith sidelined in a coma that (imo) should not have happened, but was convenient for the writers at the time.

The plotline sort of spiralled out from those two ideas, and Cleveland sort of grew itself as I started cataloguing what I wanted to have happen. Hopefully, it all comes across as planned!

~OW

Ah, Mark: The textbook new-age martial artist and spiritualist. Exercise, meditate, eat organic vegan, don't worry, be happy. Then his wife is possessed and he's saved by his student/client/friend who happens to have super powers, calmly points out the possibility of possession like it was completely obvious, and just happens to have several rolls of duct tape on hand for just such an event.

What else is there to do but have a mental breakdown?

Joyce, Vi, Buffy, and to a lesser extent Mark and Sara are all about Faith slowly coming out of her very spikey shell. Everyone else here remind us that Faith is not perfect or flawless by any means, and that while I write faith in first person, her point of view is naturally biased and not always accurate.

More to come soon!

~OW

Thanks!! The message is kind of that B/F belong together always in all places and they royally effed it up in canon. Placed in other worlds with different versions of each other, they can make it work. :) Canon Buffy/Faith had a really important moment in a dream, so it felt right for them to meet that way. I debated/was encouraged a little to write the Alt couple meeting instead, but I felt that they had loved each other so well that they didn't have unfinished business to resolve. Canon B/F had unfinished business out the wazoo. Especially Faith. Buffy had made some peace in Flowers by letting go of her anger, but Faith was robbed of the chance to tell Buffy she was sorry. I thought she needed that. :) 

Glad you liked!! :)