Title: A Way Out 

Author: Sweetness

Rating: PG 

Pairing: Lilah/Faith 

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss Whedon and Co.

Distribution: my site (http://fanfiction.angel-buffy.com) otherwise ask.

Notes: Set during the sixth season of BTVS 

Feedback: Yes please :)




Faith was in jail and she hated it, she hated everything from prison life, but she especially hated having to prove herself every time some woman came in and wanted to make a point. When you’re the toughest girl in the jail, word gets around that if someone wants to be top dog, it will help if they try to beat the crap out of you. Faith didn’t want to not protect herself, but at the same time she was trying to find redemption so she couldn’t even really beat these women up. And every month there was a new girl who had to try to prove herself and wanted to use Faith as that proving ground. It made it that much harder for her. Usually when Angel came to visit her, which wasn’t very often, she would have to cover up bruises. She might have Slayer strength and healing, but sometimes when she’d been beaten up for a week straight for messing with the wrong girl, who had actually started the fight, she would still have bruises. She actually preferred it when the officials put her in solitary, at least she didn’t have to deal with the normal crap that went on. It never helped that some of the gangs would send a newbie to her to prove herself either. She hadn’t asked to be put into the position of tough girl but she had so she had no real option. She had been put in solitary again, despite not having started the fight, and was surprised when the guard came to her. Usually when someone was put in solitary they were denied all visiting privileges. But the guard had told her that her lawyer was there to see her, which was odd because she had no lawyer. However, when she reached the room where the inmate and their lawyer could visit, she wasn’t overly surprised to see Lilah. She sat down across from the other woman, and waited for her to start the conversation. 

“Hello Faith, I hear you’ve been in trouble yet again.”
”Can’t help it if people want to use me to try to prove something.” Faith smirked at her. 

“Doesn’t help you for getting out early on good behaviour.” 
”No but I am here because I deserve to be.” 
”Do you really?” 
”Yeah Lilah, I really do. What are you here for?” 
”I am here to see you, of course.”
”Not that I am not touched, I am. But I don’t remember Wolfram and Hart being my lawyers.” 
”We’re not, but I am here on a strictly business matter, which could help you get out.” 
”Not interested.” 
”Faith, you shock me.” 
”I am here to find redemption.”
”Angel is also seeking redemption, yet he’s not locked up in some cell.”

“I am not Angel.” Faith looked Lilah straight in the eye. 

“No you’re not.” 
”Or else you wouldn’t be here, now would you?” 
”No, I suppose not.” 
”What’s this deal you have?” Faith asked. 

“Are you interested?” 
”Knowing you and Wolfram and Hart, it’s gotta be interesting.” 
”Hmm…” Lilah looked at the rogue Slayer, knowing that the answer would most likely be no.
”It would appear that one of your old friends from Sunnydale is getting extremely powerful.” 
”I don’t have any friends in Sunnydale.” 
”Fine, one of your old associates. That better?” Lilah asked, slightly annoyed.
”Who?” 
”Willow Rosenberg.”
”Red?” 
”Charming nickname for her, but unoriginal. Anyhow, yes Red as you call her. She’s getting very powerful in magick and we at Wolfram and Hart want her to work for us.” 
”Yeah right like Red would ever work for you guys, she’s firmly on B’s team.” Faith laughed at the thought.
”Faith, not everything is the same as they were before you were incarcerated. Quite a bit has changed. And let’s just say, Willow Rosenberg, isn’t the same sweet and innocent girl you remember.” 

“There’s no way that Willow would turn against B.” 
”Willow has become addicted to magick quite recently, and trust me when I say junkies will easily turn against anyone.” 
”Willow’s not a junkie.” 
”And you would know this how?” Lilah raised an eyebrow.

“Look, Red’s just not like that.”
”As I said earlier quite a bit has changed.” 

“Even if she was, how would I fit into all of this?” 
”We at Wolfram and Hart want you to bring her back to us. You do this and we get you out of jail.”

“Uh, gee, Lilah, are you forgetting something?”
”What’s that?” 
”I can’t quite get her out of Sunnydale if I am still in here.” 
”Of course, we would have you temporarily released into my custody, once the job was done you would be a freed woman. We would make sure that you had some money to start over as well. All you need to do is go to Sunnydale and get Willow Rosenberg.” 
”And what if she doesn’t want to come. Me and Red aren’t the best of friends.” 
”I am sure you have ways that will ensure her arrival in Sunnydale. All we ask is that you leave her alive.” 
”No.” 

“What?”
”I am not gonna do it. You want Red, you get her on your own. I want nothing do with it.”
”Do you know how easy it would be for Wolfram and Hart to add a few more years to your sentence, especially in light of all your violent behaviour?” 
”Are you threatening me?” Faith glared at the older woman. 
”Not really, just letting you know that working with us instead of against us might be your best option.”
”Look, I don’t want to be here, but what I did was wrong and I deserve to be here. You wanna add some more years to the sentence go ahead. I am not going to do your dirty work anymore.” 
”Why?” 
”Because I am trying to be a better person.” 
”Is it because of Angel?” 
”What do you mean?” 
”Do you have feelings for him?” 
”So what if I do?” 
”It’s just if you’re thinking if you redeem yourself that you might have a chance with him, I should tell you, he will never be with you. You’re not Buffy and you never will be.” 
”I never said I wanted to be B.”
”No, but that doesn’t mean that on the inside you don’t want to be like her.”
”I don’t, I wish I had had a life like she did, with a mother that cared and friends to help me with the slaying, but I didn’t. And that’s fine, I am who I am, not some Buffy clone.” 
”But you have wanted to be like her?” Lilah asked, raising one of her eyebrows again. 
”So what if I did, that’s all ancient history.” 

“I find it hard to believe that you still want to find redemption after all that you’ve been through here.” 
”The road to redemption isn’t easy.” 
”No, I suppose it isn’t. You do know that you get put in solitary confinement for your own protection.” 
”What’s that supposed to mean.” 
”Any normal woman who was attacked as many times as you have been would be seriously injured.” 
”Why are you telling me this?”
”I don’t know.” Lilah said as she started to gather her papers.
”So are you going to tell your bosses to add more to my time here?” 
”No, I am going to recommend that we close the case on you and find another way to get Willow into L.A.”
”Why?” 
”Because Angel has gotten to you and has blinded you to the realities of this world.” 
”I didn’t mean what you were going to tell your bosses.” 
”You want the truth?” 
”I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
”Because I admire you, Faith, I know a lot of people who would be grasping at a chance like this, to get out and find redemption some other way. But you’re willing to stick it out.” 
”I don’t know whether to believe you and say thank you or not to believe you.” 
”Take care of yourself Faith.”
”I hope I don’t see you here again, Lilah.”
”So do I.” Lilah said as she exited the room. 



** End **